The magic of tasty marinades

It's one of those culinary terms that evoke an aura of kitchen mystique, as if throwing together a bunch of liquids, flavorings, herbs and spices will magically transform meat, seafood or even vegetables into tender dishes full with flavor. It sounds almost like a kitchen spell - albeit without the dramatic incantation or the smoke (better save that for the grill).

Unfortunately, in the real world, marinades have their limits. Contrary to famous belief, a marinade will not tenderize meat. But that's all right; it could still impart great flavor. Basically, a marinade functions as a "dressing" for meat. Like a salad dressing, it's naturally composed of an acid (vinegar, citrus juice or wine) and a little oil, with herbs and aromatics added to punch up the flavor.

FDA banned flavored cigarette

Tobacco companies can no longer sell candy-, spice-, or fruit-flavored cigarettes in the United States, regulators said, acting to implement a ban signed into law in June by President Obama.

Making, selling, rolling papers, or shipping cigarettes, or filters with flavors such as clove, cinnamon, and strawberry may result in sanctions as of Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration said in a letter to makers led by Altria Group Inc. and Philip Morris USA.

Menthol, the most famous flavored cigarette and the one preferred by blacks, was allowedCongress gave the FDA power to control the $80-billion-a-year tobacco industry after a decadelong fight. The law bans most flavored cigarettes, advertising to children, and the introduction of products without scientific review. to stay on the market over objections from seven former U.S. secretaries of Health and Human Services.

Asian style pasta dish gets rich flavors

This Asian-style pasta dish gets rich flavor from a sauce made with milk infused with cilantro, lemon grass and ginger.

To get the best flavors out of the lemon grass, bruise it first. The easier way to do this is to pound it gently with a rolling pin.

In a little saucepan over medium, heat milk until warm. Reduce heat to low, add cilantro, ginger and, lemon grass then gently simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and put aside. After 15 minutes, in big saute pan over medium-high, heat peanut oil. Add garlic, onion, thyme and mushrooms, then saute until tender. Add mirin to deglaze pan, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to scrape up of any bits stuck to pan.

Strain milk mixtures into pan, discarding cilantro, lemon grass and ginger. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add soba noodles and cook, stirring regularly, until tender, about 3 minutes.

The latest Bacon-Flavor Brews

Nothing permeates the air and causes a knowing in one's stomach quite like the sweet scent of sizzling bacon. So it's easy to understand why cooks across the country put bacon on sandwiches, crumble it on top of baked potatoes and also wrap meat in it. The newest bacon craze comes not as a meal, but as a brew.

The beer can be made by some different methods. One of them involves mixing aged ale with lumps of bacon fat, freezing the fat into a solid and then filtering it out so the beer retain the salty-smoky flavor sans visible chunks. Another method involves suspending oven-dried bacon in pale ale.

But however you make it, the majority would agree that bacon and beer are two great tastes - if they taste great together, even better.

Patience also comes in handy while you are waiting for the ice cream to freeze!

There is nothing like fresh-churned homemade ice cream. It's cool, but melts in your mouth, creamy and smooth, and when compared to a grocery store variety, has a richer, cleaner, more pure taste. To make ice cream you want an ice cream maker and a little skill, but most of all, it requires patience. Many recipes are egg-based, and one of the steps involves tempering a ribbon-like egg yolk and sugar mixture with temperate milk. If you are not patient, the eggs will scramble. Patience also comes in handy while you are waiting for the ice cream to freeze!

It's a flavor that can be enjoyed in every season, is loved by all, and pairs with a variety of desserts.

Angel's Island Coffee named as best brew in northeast Alabama

The black-colored swill the business serves in the break room isn't really coffee.

Angel's Island Coffee, that is, which has been named as best coffee in northeast Alabama, Located in a funky orange building on South Memorial Parkway just south of Martin Road, Angel's Island has been pumping out a better-tasting brew for more than two years.

Angel's Island offers a variety of pick-me-up beverages including espresso, lattes and cappuccinos. And now about any drink can be jazzed up with one of more than 35 flavors (toasted marshmallow coffee, anyone?). Angel's Island also serves smoothies made from fresh-cut fruits.

Sip a good cup of green tea

It is believed to helps people who are suffering from heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, infections, impaired immune functions and cardiovascular diseases. The benefit of green tea also involves treating high cholesterol and improving the cholesterol rate in the body.

By drinking suggested amounts of green tea, the body is cleansed from toxins and this improves your health and lifestyle as well. You will feel relaxed, full of energy, healthy and even develop a good outlook in life once you drink a good cup of green tea.

Green tea is rich in EGCG or epigallocatechil gallate which is a great anti-oxidant. This element help in lowering cholesterol levels, balances them, and prevent the abnormal formation of blood clots in wounds. This problem of blood clotting, also known as thrombosis, regularly leads to heart attacks and stroke.

A stone fruit makes delicious and nutritious lunch

Summer is the season to enjoy the freshest and most tasty stone fruits. Stone fruits are characterized by a fleshy outer exterior bounded by a hard pit or seed that resembles a stone. They are also filled with necessary nutrients like dietary fiber and vitamins A, C, and E. You will surely become an ACE in nutrition if you incorporate these fruits in your diet.

The best places to enjoy such abundance in harvest are at your local farmers' market. The sun must bring out the obviously sweet and juicy flavor of these bright and delicious fruits. They seem to be cheery.

A perfect lunch on a nice, summer day is a salad with some sliced or cubed stone fruit of your opiniun, layered on some salad greens with light vinaigrette. You could even add some leftover roasted or grilled chicken and some toasted nuts for crunch.

How to use a blade grinder for best coffee flavor

The trick is grinding the darned thing. A look for of Amazon yielded over 600 coffee grinders, 500 of which were blade grinders. This is no shock. Blade grinders are more reasonable. However, they were also a tiny bit trickier if you care about the coarseness of your coffee.

Coarseness of the grind is important so you could extract the most flavors and the least bitterness from your coffee. If you use the mistaken grind, you run the risk of canceling out the advantage of grinding the beans fresh.

Kenneth Davids, one of the leading coffee experts, offers this simple advice: "In general, grind coffee as fine as you can without clogging the holes of the brewer or turning the coffee to mud. The finer the grind, the more contact there will be between coffee and hot water, and the faster and more thoroughly the essential oils will be released, without activating harsher, less-soluble chemicals."

Apples sweetened Rosh Hasana

Stroll through the farmers’ market, and you can feel fall approaching. As we say goodbye to summer’s heat, those achingly soft, sweet, dribble-down-your-chin melons, peaches and plums give way to fall’s bounty of apples: cool and crisp as an autumn’s day.

Dipping apple slices in honey, Jews the world over begin the festive meal of Rosh Hashana, as we ask God to renovate us for a good and sweet New Year.

Everything on the holiday table reflects this wish. Dishes are sweet, fruit-laden and round in appearance. No bitter flavors and sour for this holiday!

Apples belong to the rose relations of plants. Approximately 10,000 different varieties produce in the world, over 7,000 of them in the United States. But why do we all eat apples for the Jewish New Year? Some rabbis compete that when Jacob disguised himself as Esau in order to trick his father, Isaac, into blessing him as the first-born, Isaac - who was blind - noticed a sweet smell emanating from Jacob. Isaac likened the smell to a field blessed by God, which later commentators taken to be an apple field. Because this incident is said to have occur on Rosh Hashana, the apple became an appropriate choice for the holiday.

Steps to reduce sugar in your daily diet

1. Change your drinking habits: Drink flavored water or put a lemon or lime in ice water. If you need a sweeter drink, try iced tea with artificial sweetener. Place a pitcher of Crystal Light in the refrigerator.

2. Practice dessert portion control: Portion organize is key. Use pudding cups, fruit cups, Jell-O cups and ice cream bars. If you need to do buy larger quantities, get sorbet, sherbet or low-fat ice cream. A 100-calorie dessert is a fine goal. Limit dessert to one time or twice weekly.

3. Choose good cereals: Avoid extreme sweetened cereal; some have 12 grams of sugar per serving and add strawberries or half a banana in lieu of sugar, or lightly sweeten a cereal with a teaspoon or less of sugar.

4. Bake with less sugar: Reduce sugar by up to one-third without any substantial taste difference. Or use products that join Splenda or Equal with sugar for baking.

Method of Strawberry soup

1. Separate out a part of the prettiest strawberries. Quarter or slice them and toss in a large bowl with the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Cover and keep cold for 1 hour or longer.

2. Place the remaining strawberries in the bowl of a status mixer fitted with the paddle, or in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. If using the mixer, turn on at medium-low speed and squash the berries to a coarse puree. If using a food processor pulse to a coarse puree. Add the remaining orange juice, the lemon juice, the honey and the rose water and beat together. Taste and add more honey if preferred. Cool until ready to serve.

3. Just before serving, mix the quartered strawberries with the juice that has accumulated in the bowl into the crushed strawberries. Measure into bowls, top with chopped or slivered mint, and serve.