Monthly Archives: March 2016

6 Fun and Interesting Facts About Cookies

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Cookie gift basket

Hardly anyone can say they do not like cookies. In the United States, nearly two billion are eaten every years. That makes about 300 cookies for every person. It has been estimated that nearly 93% of all households have cookies in their kitchens and pantries. That is a lot of cookies. They are great for snacking and giving away. From being eaten at weddings to given asandnbsp;corporate gifts for employees, there are cookies for every kind of event or occaision.

Fun Cookie Facts:

  1. The Oreo is the world’s most popular cookie and is a knock off. Most Americans have heard of Orea and the similar cookie called the Hydrox. Because Oreo is so well known, many people assume the Hydrox cookie was made to look and taste like the Oreao cookie but it just is not true. The Sunshine company introduced Hydox cookies in 1908 and the name is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen. Nabisco did not introduce the Oreo cookie until 1912.
  2. “Famous Amos” was a real person. There are so many “people” in food products that are not real that you can be forgiven for not knowing that the Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies are named after a real person. Wally Amos learned how to coom and bake from his aunt. After leaving the Air Force, he joined the William Morris Agency where he became a talent agent. To set himself apart from other agents, he sent prospective clients a box of his homemade cookies. that were made from his own cookie recipe. In 1975, after getting a loan from Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy he opened his own chocolate chip cookie business, “Famous Amos.” Amos had to sell the brand in 1988 but has recently come up with a new delight and makes “Unkle Wally’s Muffins.”
  3. Lottery numbers have been found in fortune cookies. Have you ever considered playing lottery with the numbers you see on a fortune cookie? In 2005, there were 110 people who won the United States Powerball drawing. There was one winner for the full jackpot of $13.8 million but 110 people got the second prize. When so many people came forward with winning numbers, a fraud investigation was launched. When that proved nothing, the winners all received their prize. They had all gotten their numbers from cookies made by Wonton Food, Inc. The accompanying fortune read, “All the preparation you have done will finally be paying off.”
  4. Animal crackers are vegan treats. The very popular cookies were invented over a century ago. The iconic box for Nabisco’s “Barnum’s Animal Crackers” was designed to hang on Christmas trees as an ornament. There have been at least 53 different animals to have been featured as animal crackers. If you pick up a box today, you will have lions, monkeys, giraffes, tigers, bears, zebras, horses, camels, crockodiles, elephants and seals. In 2001, after running a contest to pick a new animal, Nabisco briefly put in koala bears.
  5. What’s in the Japanese Unagi Pie? Unlike other kinds of cookies and pies, this Japanese treat, which is often given as corporate gifts for employees, is made of fresh butter, garlic and crushed eel. These are popular throughout the country and are often sold as souvenirs and some fans think these cookies are aphrodisiacs. Their wrappers call them a great snack “for nights.” Businesses will sometimes send these as corporate gifts for employees.
  6. Cookies were invented to be testers. A long time ago, when kings and queens (and other important people) feared their food would be poisoned, they had staff around to taste it for them. When cakes were made, the cook would take some batter and bake it separately to give to the royal taster. These were the world’s first cookies.

Cookies are popular all over the world. They can be made for any taste, allergy or occasion. You can find recipes for gluten free cookies. They also make great gifts. Companies sometime make special cookies to be given as unique corporate gifts for employees. The list of how you can make cookies and the ways you can use them to celebrate any occasion is nearly endless.

What Makes the Best Wedding Menus?

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Hors doeuvres menu

What separates the best wedding menus from the average and the forgettable? When there are so many choices, it can be difficult to decide. Although it would certainly make the planning process easier, there is no specific formula. The key element that will push your reception from predictable to memorable is to put your own spin on the event. But this requires the happy couple to discuss their likes and dislikes, and what they envision for their wedding.

Cocktail Hour Puts Everyone at Ease.

When the reception is set up as a cocktail party, it encourages guests to mingle more freely than a sit-down dinner can allow. It does require some forward planning as to the hour of the party and what to serve. To put things plainly, it is pleasant to have a drink and a few items off the hors doeuvres menu in the late afternoon or early evening. If served during dinner time, it may cause a few guests to be busy plotting where they will stop to grab a “real bite” to eat on the way home. You want your guests to admire the food and decorations, not thinking about how hungry they feel.

Once the hour is planned, it is time to think about what to serve. You are not limited to the standard fare. Caterers are becoming clever with their offerings. Some of the best wedding menus feature unexpected items, such as tiny triangles of grilled cheese perched carefully on a shot glass of chilled tomato-basil soup. This is an example of a couple who wanted to serve their guests childhood favorites; mini hotdogs and ice cream cones also made an appearance on the menu. But the food can be elevated to something finer: roasted baby lamp chops, just big enough for two or three bites, and miniature crab cakes are also items served with the aim to surprise and delight.

Served Plates Are Always Elegant.

The menu for a wedding reception used to be fairly predictable: something would be fried, probably a pork chop, and covered with a heavy cream sauce. The choices were usually a piece of beef or dry piece of chicken (hence the sauce). Now, perhaps due to the proliferation of food shows, there are more interesting choices. Guests may be served appetizers of bruschetta with fresh mozzarella, or Thai chicken skewers with a peanut sauce.

When the reception dinner is served, event menus are more formal. With this option, it is better to time the reception to coincide with dinnertime or brunch. A day-time wedding is growing in popularity among the wedding set; it is generally thought to be slightly less expensive and more casual than an evening wedding. It also allows for menus featuring mimosas, bloody marys, and specialty pancakes or omelets. For couples whose favorite meal of the day is breakfast, a day-wedding could be just the thing.

The Familiar Buffet Is Convenient For Everyone.

Who hasn’t been to a wedding reception with a buffet? They are perhaps the most popular way to serve food at a wedding. The fare does not need to be tired offerings though. The menu for weddings utilizing a buffet can take the route of the cocktail party: numerous small bites. The only thing that changes is how the items are served to the guests. This has the added benefit of making it easy for guests to find the food, instead of stealthily stalking the servers.

The Wonderful World of Stations.

The last option is a combination of buffet and cocktail party. Serving stations give guests the freedom to easily find the exact food offering they want to try, instead of waiting in line. And it helps avoid that long line that forms when everyone lines up to get a plate of food that happens at every buffet. The best wedding menus for stations feature items that offer an impressive visual view as well, such as meat carving or a chocolate fountain.

You will notice that while how the food is served plays a major role in determining the menu, it is really only limited by your imagination.The best wedding menus take into consideration what the couple loves. It will reflect their personalities, and because of that, it will be unforgettable.

How to Approach Sushi for the First Time Ever

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Japan has so much food to offer. A traveler could get lost on an eating tour around the country. One of the top cuisine items it has offered is sushi. Sushi can be eaten in so many ways.

There are so many ways to get sushi now. You don’t have to wonder, “how do I find sushi that delivers around me?” Even curbside service is more than happy to deliver those little pieces to your car.

However, the thought of eating raw fish can be a turn off to the average person. But there is much more to sushi than raw fish. Once you get over that thought, sushi will be like Heaven dancing on your tongue.

You are probably asking, “Are there any vegan options near me?” And there are!

You don’t have to worry. There are so many ways to approach sushi for the first time. Here are some little tips to guide you when ordering sushi:

Seafood appetizers

Trying sushi for the first time can be an interesting experience. You need to ensure that you were eating a good sushi restaurants or you could get a very bad experience of this seafood platter. Don’t settle for the first seafood restaurant that you come across. Good sushi restaurants will specialize in top cuisine and fresh seafood. Sushi is one of those things that people either love or hate it but it is also an acquired taste. Don’t be surprised if you don’t like it at first. There are about 3846 sushi restaurants that are located in the United States but about 45,000 in Japan. This tells you something. Sushi originated in Japan so when you were looking for good sushi restaurants you need to make sure that the owner is Japanese or at least very well trained and knowledgeable in Japanese cuisine.

Cooked Sushi
Eating raw seafood can be very different from anything that you have encountered before so you might want to try the cooked items before delving into the raw ones. There are some sushi that are cooked such as eel which is typically served with a sweet and savory sauce. California rolls usually only have imitation crab meat as well as avocado and cucumber. Grilled squid or octopus and shrimp is a good place to start. Keep in mind, however that the rolls are typically made with seaweed between them so there may still be a strong fish flavor. You can ask your waiter to see if any of the rules can be cooked differently.

Begin with what’s familiar
This is always wise when trying new food but especially with sushi. Trying to think of sushi is just another type of fish. If you like grilled salmon then try a roll of salmon sushi so that you were getting the sushi experience without going too far out of your comfort zone. If you like calamari then try the squid role. Many people like scallops and scallop sushi is almost exactly like the seared scallops served in any other restaurant; fried on the outside, raw in the middle. By starting with what you know you will introduce your taste buds to the way that sushi is made and the flavors that are used without overloading or overstimulating yourself with new flavors.

Start mild
Starting out with the milder food items is a good idea too. Red snapper, halibut and tuna are all great place for beginners to start at good sushi restaurants. These fish or a very mild tasting fish and very common for sushi restaurants to carry. If you were extremely adventurous starting out with a mouthful of mackerel maybe to your liking but it may put you off sushi for life if it is not what you were expecting. Keep in mind that the less oily the type of fish is, the less fishy it will taste. This is a good rule of thumb when trying out sushi for the first time.

Cut rolls
Maki, or cut rolls is a way of serving sushi so that all the components of the role are inside. This might be more appealing and easier on the mental side of eating sushi. If you were hesitant about trying sushi then coveralls are the way to go. They are covered in rice which helps the texture and flavor as well as sealing all of the food inside. This is a perfectly acceptable way of eating sushi until you become more comfortable with the idea of raw fish. It may take you awhile to really get in to the whole concept and that is perfectly fine.

Everyone has different tastes and ideas about food, especially when it comes to seafood so there is no good or bad way to approach sushi for the first time. Keep within your comfort zone but don’t be afraid to take a few risks a little at a time. Sushi may be one of those things that has to grow on you and you may eventually grow to love it but there is nothing wrong with you if you hate it. Also, good sushi restaurants are used to people trying to sushi for the first time so they will have some great recommendations for you.