Archive for November, 2009
Brining Your Turkey or Chicken
One of the things I love to do to poultry, a whole bird that is, whether it’s a small roaster chicken or a large turkey that’s ten pounds or more, or even a turkey breast, is to brine it. I never really knew what the name for brining was up until a few years ago, I only knew that my uncle and my grandma, both of whom are phenomenal cooks, had told me for years that their secret to a moist, juicy turkey at Thanksgiving moment was soaking it in a saltwater solution by night before they cooked it. I tried it, and I used regular table salt only, and I think I portioned the salt and water incorrectly, considering my turkey turned out too dry and tasteless.
Well, I have since found out the best way to brine your turkey, and I’m going to share it with you .Yes, it probably is not the healthiest thing you can do as it involved too big no no’s in dieting and weightloss, which is what we usually talk about here, but since it’s holiday moment and you should really throw all that out the window a few days a year, including Christmas and Thanksgiving day, we’re going to really talk about one of the more crucial lessons you will learn in cooking, which is how to properly and deliciously cook a turkey!
Ok, here’s how it goes, and it’s super easy. You will need a large container, like a big white bucket, or a small styrofoam cooler, that is big suitable to soak a whole turkey or chicken in. Hopefully you can fit it into your fridge so it can stay cold that way, but whether not, next you will need to put it outdoors on a cold night where it will stay 30 degrees or below, so the turkey does not spoil. I bought a brining bucket online for eight bucks, and I’ll have it for a lifetime, so I consider that a genuine bargain!
You will need kosher salt, that part I found out is urgent, as I do not get as good results with regular table salt, or any other sort of salt for that matter. As to why that might be, I haven’t the faintest, but that has been my experience thus far with brining poultry. You will plus need regular, good ol’ sugar. Sugar is very vital to that recipe, as it is what seals the flavor in and really makes the turkey much more flavorful, while the salt is responsible for increasing it’s juiciness and tenderness.
Here is how I portion the salt, sugar and water. I use a slightly lukewarm water to start, so that my salt and sugar dissolve easily, soon after the second half I compose cold so that the water is not warm. You will want to use one half cup of salt and one half cup of sugar for each eight cups of water you use.
Thats : 1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
8 cups water
You will need to figure out how much solution you need to completely submerge your turkey, so just double that or triple it or whatever you need to do to be able to submerge it. You are supposed to soak it for about one hour for each pound of the turkey, but I’ve found that overnight simply works most of the duration for me, whatever size meat I’m soaking. Good luck, and Bon Apetit!
Original post by EatingToLive
Turkey Day!
I’m sitting here, pumpkin spice coffee in my hand. Complete with a festive Christmas mug, my fair share of cream (by the way, I take my coffee nearly white with creamer, the powdered kind, not something I’m proud of with all those transfats in it), sugar and a little bit of stevia in the raw. I know, why do I even bother with the stevia when it’s chock full of other baddies? But it makes me feel better, and I’ve grown accustomed to the additional sweetness it adds without all the sugar I would normally have to add. It’s turkey day – aka Thanksgiving, and boy am I excited to chow down on all the comfort food that will be set before me today.
My husband and I are headed to Pennsylvania, where his mom’s family resides, for our Thanksgiving feast. It’s about an hour and half drive from where we live here in Ohio, so it’s not too poor, although we hate paying the nearly ten dollars in collective road tolls that we end up getting squeezed for by the end of the trip. We usually just let the whole diet notion go out the window on turkey day, considering after all, it only comes once a year, and when else are you faced with that many delicious temptations all in one place?
It’s the one moment of year when you get your choice of vegetable casseroles, stuffing, various side dishes that Aunt Betty and your cousin Susie assemble the best, and those sins of all sins, the mashed potatoes and gravy. Of course, what would mashed potatoes be without massive amounts of real butter and sour cream be? And what of the desserts? Pumpkin pies, pumpkin rolls, cookies, cakes, some ridiculously rich chocolate dessert, creams, sugar, heavy sauces, butter, breads, it’s all on the absolute no no list on normal days. But on Thanksgiving, it’s all fair game, and I think that’s why everyone looks forward to it so much.
It fills the heart with warmth knowing that you are going to be comforted by all those good home cooked dishes, and soon after tired decent to crash around the citizens that are you family. certain, you may feel lethargic and huge when you’re done, but it’s that one day that there’s no guilt about pigging out, considering, hey, everyone else is doing it too, and they’re feeling pretty darn good about it too!
Here’s wishing you an awesome Thanksgiving. And remember, as towering as your massive pig out doesn’t last the next month into Christmas and into the new year, soon after you are fully entitled to put on your best stretch pants and go to town today. That’s what today is all about, eating, thanks and gratitude for what you have and your family, and falling asleep at five PM at the TV watching football. Love it!
Original post by EatingToLive
New biodegradable fibers for advance stent technology
Stents that keep weakened and flabby arteries from collapsing have been true life-savers. But after six months, those stents are no longer needed - once the arteries are strengthened, they become unnecessary. Previously, doctors had no choice but to leave them in place. Prof. Meital Zilberman of Tel Aviv University’s division of Biomedical Engineering has developed a new patent-pending fiber platform that carries drugs where they’re needed, thereupon dissolves……..
Original post by Heather Craven
Fasting Every Other Day Accelerates Weight Loss?
Fasting has often been a controversial method to achieve a variety of things. Some citizens fast to help cleanse their system, or detoxify, in fact that may be one of the more popular reasons society do it, or they may fast considering they are on a special order from a medical doctor before surgery or some other procedure or analysis, and lastly, and what we are going to talk about fasting for today, is they do it to actually lose weight, or accelerate their weight loss. Critics say that fasting for weight loss only confuses the body, and can actually do more damage than good when it comes to how your metabolism reacts.
Some believe that fasting actually slows the metabolism down, and may do so permanently, considering the body is fooled into thinking it is starving, and therefore it tries like crazy to hold onto the food that it is getting by slowing the metabolism down, or in other words, the rate at which they are processing or using the food up as fuel for the body. I personally have tried fasting before, and it just wasn’t for me. While I can see how some society may like it, I simply couldn’t operate the same without the proper nutrition that I’m used to, even when I was on a fast that still provided some kind of nutrients, although only in liquid profile, I just couldn’t take the deprivation.
On the other hand, some folks think that fasting clears their mind and actually helps them to be productive. I can see how that would be too, considering although I had a hard date while fasting, I must say that I didn’t waste any energy on thinking about preparing food, actually preparing it, or wasting day with it, so I did seem to be more productive, perhaps to take my mind off of it.
Researchers have now found evidence that fasting every other day, soon after eating amidst a few choose hours on the days amoung where the patient actually gets to eat food, actually accelerates the weight loss efforts of obese patients. They found that, at least in obese patients, when the did that fast regimen, they lost weight faster, and seemed to like it better than restricting caloric intake every day they eat, considering they knew they could eat what they pleased in those few hours the next day.
Researchers presume that the reason it helps to accelerate the weight loss fairly significantly is that it actually shrinks the stomach faster, so on those off days when fasting isn’t practiced, they are eating less considering they feel full faster. That’s definitely interesting, and you may want to look into it more whether you happen to be overweight and are looking for other alternatives to traditional dieting that may help you to stay within your guidelines and reach your weight loss goals faster without as much perceived effort of feelings of deprivation.
Original post by EatingToLive
Daycare and TV time
In a newly released study, the amount of television viewed by a number of young children in child care settings doubles the prior estimates of early childhood screen duration, with those in home-based settings watching significantly more on average than those in center-based daycares. that study is the first to examine screen instance in child care settings in more than 20 years. The study looked at television use in 168 child care programs in four states, and was guided by lead researcher Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “Preschool-Aged Children’s Television Viewing in Child Care Settings” is reported in the December 2009 issue of Pediatrics, appearing online November 23, 2009……..
Original post by Heather Craven
Risk factors for ADHD
Children exposed prenatally to tobacco smoke and during childhood to lead face a particularly high risk for ADHD, as per research done at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The study estimates that up to 35 percent of ADHD cases in children amidst the ages of 8 and 15 could be reduced by eliminating both of these environmental exposures. that could translate into up to 800,000 children……..
Original post by Heather Craven
Dressing for Your Body Type
No matter what your body type, you can accentuate the positive attributes and de-emphasize the less appealing features by the clothing and accessories you choose. For example, whether you are of short stature and a little on the heavy side, choose shoes with a heel to construct yourself seem taller and slimmer. whether heels are rigid on your comfort level, you can choose a wedge style shoe to give your height a boost.
When choosing your clothing, take into consideration the weight and stiffness of the fabric. A stiffer fabric will work better to camouflage any problem areas such as the tummy or thigh area. A softer fabric such as a cotton knit that has more “give” to it may accentuate an area that you would rather cover up.
The size you choose will build a world of difference for both your appearance and your physical comfort whether you are a male or female. You should shop for a size that fits the largest area of your body first and soon after you can have it tailored down to fit the rest of your body well from there. It is unflattering to have any type of clothing skin tight on one area of your figure.
Color selection can draw your eye to the best area of your physique. For example, whether you feel that you’re bottom heavy, selecting a light or brightly colored top with a darker colored pant or skirt will successfully attract attention to the leaner part of your figure. Varying your color selection for your outfits can work well to flatter your figure.
If you are lucky adequate to be proportioned with your hips and bust approximately even with a small waist, you should wear outfits that accentuate your waistline such as belts. society who carry the most weight in their middle do well with styles such as jackets and blazers or empire waistlines. For the pear shaped or bottom heavy figure, light colored and ruffled type tops work well with dark colored A-line skirts or darker looser fitting pants.
Figures that are top heavy shout for the use of V-neck tops to lengthen the top half of your figure coupled with a skirt that is fuller or pants with a wider leg. I like to wear pants that are flared at the bottom since I”m short, it helps to offset the fact that I have a longer torso and shorter legs, and helps to lengthen my legs which I really like on me.
Original post by EatingToLive
