Best of The Best

Thursday, March 27, 2014

SANDRA’S ALASKA SOURDOUGH STARTER HOW TO

1-1/2 cups of starter sufficiently bubbly
and ready to use in my
Sweet Sourdough Zucchini Bread
with a Glazed Topping...

Initially Yields: (4 cups)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups warm water

*Dry culture from sourdough starter package

METHOD

Using a wooden spoon (not metal), stir the mixture in a medium glass bowl until smooth. Pour the mixture into a glass quart-size mason jar, and cover with plastic wrap securing with a rubber band. Place in a warm area atop a kitchen towel for 48 hours while gently stirring a couple of times per day. Move container to refrigerator.

To use starter, remove amount called for in recipe, and let sit covered in a glass container, covered, overnight to come to room temperature and become bubbly.

Meanwhile, replenish your sourdough starter with equal amounts of flour and warm water, i.e., 1 cup all-purpose flour, and 1 cup warm water; stir with wooden spoon, cover, and let stand in warm place until bubbly, for about 3 to 5 hours, then refrigerate.

I’ll be posting recipes using my sourdough starter as time allows. ~ Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tips: I ordered my *Sourdough Starter Packet from the Alaska Herb and Tea Company a couple of months ago, and I’m pulling out my old recipes now that I have a batch active again.

Sweet Sourdough Zucchini Bread
with a Glazed Topping

Looking for good recipes you always for a data source

There are people who like I always looking for good sources for recipes and cookbooks. Sometimes the mood hits you and you just try something different. One of the most common questions my wife and I questions each other is "what you feel like today eat?" The answer is always "I do not know what you want?"

This small conversation is probably several days a week in most households. The other question is, "what we are for the friends come over this evening to make?" Preparation for guests or for parties is always a challenge, if you are looking for something new to your old reliable dishes.

Christmas reminds the parties, and we wonder what we serve on the party. Super bowl is with all Super Bowl parties on the agenda are new years Eve and all parties and what rules and where we bring you new ideas which are not the same as in the previous year or the other party you attended last Saturday.

You can drag your cookbooks and the search and usually there is the old reliable recipe- s, are the best, but sometimes you want to try something new and different. Can you on the Internet and search for what you want and come up with tons of Web sites. It is another resource, that with all kinds of interesting article and recipes and proposals are another source for you canis a Web site.

I would like to have to go a reliable source of information in addition to my cookbooks and surfing the net. I have my own source, you will find interesting. It is sources full of articles and recipe all in one place. You will find fascinating. If you in so that this is sites another one from HyperVre software ( http://www.eyedoctornewsletter.com/page64.html) created, which is free and offers a fantastic job as youll see when you go on the recipe website that was built by this software very easily. Bon APETIT I am a board certified ophthalmologist, for 30 years in practice. You are welcome to visit my website. You use you have any problems finding what you are looking for, please my site search.

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SANDRAS TRANSLUCENT ASIAN NOODLES and PORK over RICE

Traditionally this spectacular recipe is served
to a ratio of 3 parts Asian noodle mixture on top
over 1 part steamed rice underneath, as I do as well...

Servings: (2)
Prep: 10 mins. |
Cook: 6 to 8 mins.
(+ 15 mins. to soak bean threads)

Posted: by Sandra

INGREDIENTS:

***Noodles:
¼ lb. dried bean thread noodles (found in the asian section)

***Meat
2 tablespoons peanut oil
½ pound pork, thinly sliced

***Sauce:
3 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon asian chili sauce
1 teaspoon honey (link to Homemade Alaska Fireweed-Clover Honey)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped diagonally
1 jarred roasted bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock

Garnish:
1 tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

--1 cup prepared steamed basmati rice

METHOD:

Prepare steamed basmati rice.

Cut the dried bean threads with kitchen scissors, and soak a ¼ lb. in a large bowl of hot water for 10 to 12 minutes, just until soft. Drain in colander, discarding the water.

Meanwhile, prepare all the sauce ingredients, stirring to combine in a medium-size bowl, and set aside.

Drizzle peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet and heat to medium-high. Add the sliced pork, and stir-fry until brown and slightly crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the sauce ingredients into skillet to deglaze, and scrape the bottom to loosen any meat drippings. Add the noodles to the sauce in the skillet and heat just until the sauce simmers and the noodles are warmed through.

Place steamed basmati rice in two pasta bowls, and ladle the pork and noodles and sauce equally over the top, then garnish with cilantro. – Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The three most popular food of the Mediterranean

In use the last few years we have are the expression of the Mediterranean diet. the term was coined in but actually by a Harvard Professor Dr. Willett. It is widely used in the 1960s a diet in southern Europe in Spain, Greece, Crete and South Italy. It is distinguished by a high degree of plant food, little red meat and much fish and salads. The most important fat olive oil and there are a lot of cheese, eaten legumes and yogurt for protein. In fact the total content of fat is eaten content less than a quarter of the food intake a much smaller amount than in America.

However, there is no such thing as a Mediterranean diet, the food of the North Italy such as the representative who is food for North Europe, such as Northern Italy in addition to the Austrian Empire; You eat much wheat products and little pasta. In the South there is a pizza and pasta and the people and food are separated by a gap almost as wide as Med and describes the characteristics of only one of 23 countries that straddle the MED.

In Spain, the classical court is one of a Gypsy pot food from the Moors brought paella. There are so many recipes for paella as the people of Spain. Each region has its own speciality and the only thing that unites them is the fact that they contain all short round grain rice. The paella Valencia consists of great seafood and traditionally contains no meat. While the paella of Andalusia has seafood, fish and pork, rabbit or chicken in it.

The eastern shores of the Mediterranean, Cyprus, Turkey, North Africa, Israel have a different Court of hummus is popular. Hummus is a chick pea dip laced with loads of olive oil, garlic and lemon juice, although in some areas it with tahini is a paste of lightly roasted SESAM enriched produced.

Again, this reflects the influence of Arabic as, hummus is the Arabic word for chickpeas; It is to draw the fragrant paste served with traditional flat breads. Some areas of Lebanon and Syria add roasted red peppers, or spinach and sumac Middle Eastern spice.

An other popular Mediterranean food is pasta and it is over a very wide area. Italy has not have the monopoly for pasta the Greeks have a delightful dish out called Pastistio. The classic comfort food I must however be spaghetti and meat balls mean, what is it not like about Spaghetti and meatballs?

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Predicting a Super Bowl Prediction

I’ve received so many emails asking whether or not I’m doing my Super Bowl prediction this year, using Buffalo chicken wing bones. As you may know, we shocked the world last year with our absolutely spot-on prognostication that the Packers would win, cover the spread, and that the score would exceed the over/under line.

Well, great news! As soon as the teams are set, I’ll will toss the bones, and the rest will be up to you. And by “rest” I mean withdrawing your kid’s college funds and betting it all on the game. Stay tuned!

*For those of you that doubt the prodigious prognosticating power of these puny bones, I welcome you to feast your eyes on last year’s prophecy. Scoreboard!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

How to Get A Salon Worthy Blowout at Home

Here I am, world! In all my naturally wavy/frizzy/birds nest hair glory.

This is why I dont go anywhere without an umbrella, allow my hair to get wet in a pool, and avoid most activities that would result in my perspiring. THIS is what would happen.

Like so many frizzy-haired girls before me, I grew up wanting stick straight hair. When I was 11, I started chemically straightening my hair, but since I started coloring my hair at 15, I had to forgo the straightenings so I could, ya know, have hair.

So, without a chemical means of getting it, I had to perfect alternate means of getting the smooth, straight hair I wasnt fortunate enough to be born with. And thus, an unbreakable bond with my hairdryer, flat iron, and curling iron was born.

Ive gotten really good at styling my hair. I mean, if I had a nickel for every time someone asked me how I do my hair, Im fairly certain Id have at least several, if not many, nickels. Which brings us to todays post: How to Get A Salon-Worthy Blowout at Home.

Its an ironic title, actually, since Ive really NEVER gotten a good salon blowout (although Im still totally excited about trying this out). From the first picture, its pretty obvious my hair has a mind of its own. It doesnt work like most peoples hair, straightening out from a paddle brush alone. It requires more technique and styling tools than most stylists are willing/trained to employ. Which is why I know that this tutorial will give you great results. At least, I hope it does. And hey, if it doesnt, at least you dont have to tip me!!

To get started, you must have the appropriate tools:

You should have most of these tools already: hair dryer, 1 1/2 inch barrel curling iron, flat iron, medium sized round brush, and a Chi ceramic straightening brush (great for getting even the kinkiest hair smooth).

As for styling products, I keep it pretty simple. I know theres tons of products designed for helping straighten hair, but I opt only for Moroccan oil and light hold hairspray. For all you fine-haired ladies out there, this should help keep the grease-buildup to a minimum.

Beginning with damp hair (I allow mine to air dry for about 10 minutes), comb a dime-sized amount of Moroccan oil through your hair. Less if youre hair is shorter.

Oh, how did this very modelesque picture of me get in here???

Next, move on to drying your hair.

A.)

B.)

A.) Youre going to dry your hair in sections. Yes, its going to take some time, but looking sickening doesnt come easy, so get over yourself. Start with the bottom third of your hair. Pin up the rest of your hair to keep it out of the way.

B.) Take a two-inch section of hair and with the round brush perpendicular to your head, begin drying hair, gently rolling the brush under at the ends. (I use the hottest/highest setting on my hair dryer. I also hold the nozzle super close to the section as I dry. I dont care if its not good for my hair.)

C.)

D.)

C.) Because the round brush alone doesnt always get my hair straight, Ill repeat step B with the Chi straightening brush.

D.) When youve finished the bottom section, let the side section above your ear down. Continue steps A-C until you get to the sides and top sections.

*And now, a note about drying the side sections of unruly hair.

My hairline is the most difficult part of my hair to dry because I have so many cowlicks and curls. I can only assume most stylists dont seem to have this problem, as they all do the same thing: dry the hair AWAY from my face, holding the brush parallel to my head. THIS DOES NOT WORK! So stop doing it. All it does it make a crease in the opposite direction. If youve got my same problem, then surely you already know it wont smooth out your waves or cowlicks. Heres a photo with an X through it to further illustrate the point.

Even if you were touched by an angel when you were born and dont have this problem, I promise you, styling your hair this way isnt doing you any favors.

Instead, holding the brush perpendicular to your face, brush the hair in downward sections. This allows you to smooth out any of the mess around your hairline and also gives you nice lift around your face. Its like we say in Texas, "The bigger the hair, the closer to God."

Similar to the side sections, the front section, which might be bangs for you if you have them, is one of the most important elements of a good blow out. Again, where most stylists get it wrong is pulling the hair toward the back. Using the downward motion you use on the sides, pull the front section in the opposite direction you want it to lay. This will give it height and body in the direction it ends up laying.

For instance, I always pull my front section forward, in front of my face, which gives me lift in the back.

For many of you, you might be satisfied with your hair at this point, in which case, be done and go forth with your fab-a-lus coif. In my case though, Im just getting started.

When my hair is completely dried, I then go back and straighten any sections of hair that didnt get completely smoothed out from the blow dry. This generally includes, surprise, surprise, my hairline.

Again, for many of you, this may be enough, but I generally like to curl the ends of my hair. It gives the hair extra bounce and frankly, just looks amazeballs. But Im not just talked curling the ends under. Its a more sophisticated technique than that.

1.)

2.)

1.) Grab a 2.5 inch section of hair and wrap the hair in your curling iron about half way up the section, leaving the ends out of the clamp.

2.) Then, wiggle the clamp just enough to allow you to move the rest of the hair down the curling iron, twisting the curling iron as you work your way down.

3.)

4.)

3.) Continue the wiggle and turn method through the ends of the section...

4.) ...Until you have a loose ringlet.

Do this all over your head, alternating the direction of the curl (i.e., toward your face, away from your face). Youll end up with a head of loose ringlets. You can stop here and finish with a light hold hairspray, or...

...for a more tousled look, you can shake the curls out with your hands like so:

Finish with a light hold hairspray at the ends and roots.

I just get so pensive when I use hairspray. I think about things like the deficit, ending hunger in third world countries, and what color I should paint my nails this week.

Because of my hair color, I only wash my hair twice a week, three times if I work out, which means this style generally lasts me several days, with only light touch ups in between, making the 45 minutes I spend on my hair totally worth it.

Seriously, dont bitch about the time effort!!! Looking this good takes work yall!

So dear readers, tell me, do you have naturally curly hair?? Do you like your salon blowouts?? What color are YOU going to paint your nails this week?? Tell me everything in the comments!

Punugulu Urad Dal Bondas with Dosa Batter

Punugulu are very popular Andhra Snack which can be enjoyed in the cold evenings with a cup of tea. This snack is very simple and will be ready in no time if dosa batter is available in home.

These are so tasty, crispy and yet soft inside, we will just love the taste. It goes well with coconut chutney/peanut chutney/toordal chutney or sambar.

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter – 2 cups

Rice flour – 1/4 cup

Sooji – 2 tsps

Onions – 1 no small finely chopped

Green chillies – 1 or 2 no

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves – 10 no

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsps

Salt as Required

Oil for deep frying

Preparation

Mix all the above ingredients well.
Keep aside for 15mins.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
Once the oil gets heated, reduce the flame to medium.
Take small portion of batter and drop small balls into the hot oil.
Place 8-10 punugulu in one go. And cook them on medium flame by turning them in between.
Cook them till golden brown/till it turns its color.
Remove them onto a absorbent paper. Serve with chutney.