cheesedicers

With todays fast paced lifestyles, who has the time for healthy meal planning? You might be surprised to learn that it’s not hard to get organized and plan healthy meals that are easy to prepare, inexpensive and good for you. Whether you are trying to loose weight or just eat to improve your health, read on to discover how to develop healthy meal plans that save you time and money.

It’s fall! I love autumn, especially while it is still warm, but the kids are back in school and the days seem to be bathed in a beautiful golden sunlight. Before it starts getting dark too early, there’s still time to have a family fun dinner adventure. Why not pack up a quick, easy dinner recipe to go and hop on your bicycles and head to the park for dinner?

It is the little things that make a well oiled machine run like clockwork and nowhere is this more important than in the catering industry. If one aspect of the machine is not as efficient as the others then it will show and could ruin one particular job and then have a knock on effect with the rest. Take a serving trolley for example.

Did you know that some of the best and most affordable caviar comes from the United States? Yes, the best caviar in the world is found in the Caspian Sea, but some of the American caviar tastes just like them and is half the price!

If you like spicy foods take a look at what Thai food has to offer. Chili, curry, ginger and other herbs and spices give Thai cooking its unique flavor and spiciness!

If your quest for gourmet specialty food you are bound to come across several stores in the market and numerous websites on the internet. But the question that stands firm despite its popularity is as what exactly is the specialty gourmet food?

The gift basket industry is hardly two decade old yet it has managed to surpass the one trillion dollar mark annually for the past few years. That is said a lot in itself regarding the popularity of the gourmet gift baskets.

Are you getting all that is offered by tea by dunking those bags? Explore the world of loose tea and why it is superior over bagged tea. From health benefits to fantastic flavor, loose tea serves as a great gourmet beverage.

Sri Lanka has a lot of secrets to be discovered and the secret that most people are interested in are the assorted Sri Lankan recipes that they would like to get a hold of. The book entitled: The Food of Sri Lanka: Authentic Recipes from the Isle of Gems is one of the few books available in book stores and online book companies that is a must read for cooks interested in exploring tasty Sri Lankan meals.

…from the moment we are fed by our mothers, without even knowing it, we are caught in a net that brings us comfort, something we always feel when a special woman cooks for us. – Chef José Ramón Andrés

So let’s show our mothers how much we appreciate them by returning the favor. Chocolate roses are romantic, sweet, and gorgeous. Dads and kids, put on your aprons!

Chocolate Clay Ingredients 10 ounces semisweet chocolate (coarsely chopped chunks or chips) 1/3 cup light corn syrup

Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over hot water, stirring occasionally. To do this right, first bring the water to a boil, remove it from the burner, and place the bowl containing the chocolate on top. If the chocolate cools and thickens too much, return the pot of water to the stove over low heat.

Stir the corn syrup into the chocolate, mixing well and scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Fold the syrup into the chocolate until you can no longer see the syrup and the mixture thickens into a ball. Pour mixture onto waxed paper and spread with the spatula until it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Let it sit and stiffen, uncovered, for about 2 hours at room temperature. Now it’s ready for making your roses.

Chocolate Roses Instructions

Knead a handful of chocolate clay at a time on a counter or cutting board until it is soft and pliable like regular clay.

Roll the chocolate dough into twelve 1/2-inch diameter balls (for each full-size rose) and put them on waxed paper about 1 inch apart. Press each ball with your fingertips until it is a flat disk about the size of a quarter. Make the bottom thicker than the top.

Roll one disk into a cone to make the center of the rosebud, being sure to roll the thinner edge into the top of the cone. Wrap the next disk around the opening of the tepee and the third disk at the back of the tepee – this is the rose bud. Now continue adding one disk at a time as individual petals, gently curling the top edge slightly downward. You can leave some roses as rosebuds, then make various sizes, making them larger by adding more petals. If there is excess chocolate at the bottom of your roses, pinch it off with your fingers to make more balls.

For a day or two, let the roses harden at room temperature, then package them in airtight containers and store in a cool, dry place. To retain the best chocolate flavor, it is best not to store them in the refrigerator.

You can get fancy for Mothers Day if you like by using white chocolate and experimenting with adding food coloring. Or, decorate your chocolate roses by painting them with melted white chocolate.

Tulips are fun too, and are really pretty made with white chocolate and then painted.

To make larger roses, start with larger chocolate balls.

Kathryn Beach has made homemade candy for over 30 years. Visit her website for more simple chocolate candy recipes, as well as for the more complicated but elegant truffles.http://candychocolicio.us/data/html/simplerecipes/32.cgi