Food & Drink

Dinner party etiquette, and the topic is actually concluded with a observation etiquette General camouflage layer and the layer of old school tradition!

here gourmet food revolution, I have some of the mystique going to dispel the dinner party etiquette. Here is a simple, common-sense advice and tips, please check through any formal or modern day SEMIFOMARUDINA opportunity.

whether you are hosting a party attended by, or user of this information is for you This is the New Millennium dinner party etiquette!

dinner party etiquette - basic n lbrn lbreven today& 39;s rapid change in lifestyle and so far it is a very simple one skills if you do not already possess, I have learned that easy to retrieve a guarantee that the attempt through most of the opportunity society - manners! Yes, something as simple politeness and good manners to 10 times the expertise of any lack of etiquette.

and If you do not know your manners is not enough is that the choice of role model and compared with running. And the TV screen may well have known someone, or a friend, colleague or business associate. Others around to pay attention to how people behave. Learn from them!

learn have confidence in myself. Anxiety and tension in the social opportunity to make certainly feel uncomfortable thus more prone to strange behavior. Good tips before any important opportunities on your own and go somewhere and sit quietly if possible, lay down. Close your eyes - and relax by taking a long, slow, deep breaths. Then, your imagination is the social event to see his calm and confident look. Imagine easy interaction with other guests - you are a total success! The experience feel - actually leave this type of sink in. tremendously spiritual support programming and bon app tit.

as dinner host or guest, absolutely convincing way, you spend more than it is to persuade you make a big impression! That may be true, specific (frivolous!) Social circles, but this is usually not so great and it is certainly unnecessary. SHIKASHITE can comfortably afford to spend.

if detailed guidance from our dinner table etiquette, click here

dinner party etiquette - n lbrn lbrwhat trivia myths and unnecessary rules? There are no rules!

we hear loud about etiquette, as if stones had been written somewhere, or Part of the Constitution! What is acceptable to one person in one community to another might be totally unacceptable. Rules need to make a living if you have your own list of rules developed then! The real etiquette steeped in history and tradition have little relevance in today& 39;s society. Folk

some firmly believe that if you do not come from the substantial wealth is in the background, upbringing and specific, then you are automatically a specific exclusion from the social choices. This is completely, totally and, God forbid! My job is the role I will be officially grand Butler and so many upper-class society and the opportunity for wealthy. And I had the opportunity to overstatement when the behaviour of some of them are really miserable attendance. Social background, education, property and appropriate action is not a guarantee of good manners!

often dinner host or hostess think it is a more complex menu, the more extravagant opportunity is the more complex table settings he or she is, the more you impress! That is far from reality! Simple, stylish, well-conceived and executed delivery dinner party, care and attention, much to achieve great results with a lot less stress ..!

dress code? Japan has no similar rules for the modern entertainment, there is no dress code ..! However, if formal affair and the host can be clearly indicated style dress (black tie, lounge suits, smart casual, etc.) to clarify the user& 39;s dinner should be respected. As the host, however, that it is carefully considering whether the regulation really necessary. The trend these days is for a very casual dining and generally speaking, most of the dinner guests to be more relaxed with the situation.

dinner party etiquette - n lbrn lbrif social behaviour you are hosting a dinner party, using as an example, what if acceptable social behavior considering. Their dinner guests most of the lead from you - and if you have not, perhaps they should not be invited and there is no reason to think again! Art

the conversation! Encourage successful dinner party host is always varied and lively conversation honest opinion has been expressed and shared. However, a sensitive and appropriate dinner party etiquette workaround should encourage some of the original information, guests may find offensive. As a thoughtful host dinner, the conversation is underway if the caution is interject and change the subject. If that fails or if the interruption by introducing the next course!

for dinner for both host and guest, excessive in any type of behavior to be avoided. It is to include excessive drinking, excessive story (is arrogant!), Saying excessive joke (that is not particularly bad!) With overeating! Enjoyed a healthy appetite, but over-indulgence, endearing feature is not!

to smoke, whether or not to smoke? Ultimately, the responsibility of the host or hostess to dictate. Become less and less acceptable to openly smoking is not allowed to have a pretty table is an invitation to dinner unless expressly, do so. It is a sensitive issue. Personally, I was in another room proposal by the available host (probably where the coffee will be delivered after dinner) to any user wishing to smoke. Again, there are no strict rules on the subject - as a host of the dinner, it must be your choice.

if detailed guidance from our table setting etiquette, click here

dinner party etiquette - or table settings where n lbrn lbrthe days to set production impression that the location and extravagant Set to a huge number of works (sometimes confusing!) glassware and cutlery, the menu is excessively long, happy, almost over. Simple configuration where only keep what is needed to contain the main course. Satisfy the cutlery can be provided to any of the following courses and the conclusion of a progressive dinner.

excessively massive, expensive and elaborate table decorations, tableware Hallmark is a very unnecessary (ofcourse, unless they are family heirlooms!). Speculatively style does not use a simple table of the owner and can afford the best of it is very emotional. Trap is not led to believe that something must be off the table in front of HOMUDEZAINMAGAJIN shiny! I have no rules earlier. One of the golden rules is well infact .. keep it simple! You are hosting a large dinner party

if the table and subsequent planning is essential to place the card. But for the smaller parties, such protocols to avoid unnecessary. Simple, direct dinner guests to casually sit where they wished to.

this dinner party is the etiquette for the 21st century. Plain but above all, common sense! About the act responsibly and not offensive!

as final word, to remember the true art is to entertain, one of the main goals .. joy! And the host must be enjoyed by users alike. So no matter what the cost, to be overly concerned about is to prevent the " correct, and what is & quot; wrong & quot;. What is correct? .. If you feel the odd gaff to make happen - have, as long as this o ff and grace, humility and sincerity, it is the day happily survive! Ultimately, it was only a dinner party!

relax please .. and enjoy!

The Plateau area is one of the trendiest areas of Montreal, so I decided to explore it a little further after my discoveries of Old Montreal. From my hotel I hopped into the subway at Place d Armes and took the blue train north to Sherbrooke. I enjoyed a wonderful stroll through the St-Denis neighbourhood, considered by many to be the most typical of Montreal s neighbourhoods. Hundreds of street caf s, restaurants and funky boutiques line the street.
The streets in the area are characterized by duplexes or triplexes that have the typical Montreal exterior staircases in the front, many of which are used as comfortable places of rest and relaxation by the local residents. Many of the houses also feature small balconies on the upper floors, most of which are accompanied by small bistro tables and chairs for the outdoor enjoyment of the apartment residents.
The rooflines of in this neighbourhood are also very unusual: dormers and fake mansards add interest to the architectural mix. The atmosphere is very relaxed, artsy and bohemian. I continued my walk west on a small street call rue Roy and came across a Mexican restaurant called La Iguana that also has a small outdoor sitting area. Every since my earlier trip to Mexico this year I have developed a taste for authentic Mexican food and La Iguana with its Mexican flair pulled me in.
I sat down at a comfortable table in the corner with a perfect view of the restaurant and the street outside. Unfortunately, the sky was clouding over and shortly after another tropical thunderstorm was unleashed on the city, the third one today.
To find out more about this restaurant I asked the owner, Fred Saunders, who jointly owns the restaurant with his wife Julie Chiasson, to join me for a bit. Over a mojito he started to tell me about La Iguana and how it all came about. Fred and Julie have travelled numerous times to Mexico together and fallen in love with the country and its flavours. Fred mentioned that they have visited many places on the coast, including Acapulco, Ixtapa, Playa del Carmen as well as Cozumel. Fred and Julie both enjoy scuba diving and have been enjoying underwater adventures in Mexico for the last four years.
They started dreaming of creating their own Mexican restaurant and finally three years ago, they opened La Iguana . Fred mentioned that it is open seven days a week for dinner and also opens Friday for lunch. Every Thursday to Saturday they feature live Cuban music that entertains the crowd with hot Latin rhythms. Fred mentioned that La Iguana also provides a catering service and a musician rental service for two to 21 musicians, a new service which they started a couple of months ago.
Fred further explained that the restaurant receives many guests from various hotels and tourism establishments. Just a week earlier, La Iguana hosted the British racing team which was in town for the Montreal Grand Prix. Fred mentioned that they referred to their experience at La Iguana as the “best Mexican food they have ever had”.
La Iguana is actually quite a small restaurant. It seats 64 people in total, including the tables on the sidewalk and the enclosed terrace which is also heated in the winter. Fred indicated that there are many nights when he has to turn away 50 to 60 people since he simply does not have the capacity to accommodate all the guests. For this reason he and Julie came up with the idea of opening another La Iguana . The second location will be downtown, and even beyond that Fred and Julie s dreams extend to opening more locations, later on even in Ontario and different parts of Canada. Their dreams are to open a chain of La Iguana restaurants that will bring their concept of Mexican food to Canadians from coast to coast.
Big plans are in store for the new edition of La Iguana which is scheduled to open next spring in downtown Montreal. The new restaurant will be more spacious and feature a grill, allowing guests to order a whole fish hot off the grill. In addition it will also house a museum with authentic artifacts that will be provided by the Mexican Embassy. In addition, the new location will showcase live iguanas and live parrots to create an authentic Mexican atmosphere.
Talking about the history of La Iguana, Fred shared with me that right from the start the restaurant got good reviews. Their interesting dishes and plentiful portions might have something to do with it. Fred indicated that their fajitas and burritos are extremely popular. Ceviche, an authentic Mexican dish with seafood marinated in lime juice and coriander has also become a favourite. La Iguana s Camarones Acapulco consist of a half a pound of giant shrimps in garlic butter with orange zest and flamb ed with Grand Marnier. This signature dish is a crowd pleaser and looks like a sun with yellow rays.
Fred describes the cuisine at La Iguana as upscale Mexican and adds that the wine list is extensive with bottles ranging in price anywhere from $28 to $800. In addition, he and Julie have gone on research trips to Mexico and come back with 35 different types of Tequila that are all privately imported, another unique feature of La Iguana.
Well, with all this talk of tasty delicacies I was getting hungry and I wanted a chance to sample some of La Iguana s food first-hand. I decided to order the La Iguana Special: a large platter featuring stuffed jalape os, guacamole, potato skins, cheese quesadilla, chicken wings, nopales (cactus) and flautas (egg rolls), served with sour cream and a spicy sauce. This dish gave me a great overview of La Iguana s cuisine and I savoured the tastes of Mexico. Then Fred surprised me with Shrimps Acapulco, one of La Iguana s signature dishes featuring huge shrimp in a Grand Marnier sauce. My appetite was more than satiated but I just had to try La Iguana s fried icecream for dessert which was a sinful and delicious way to cap off a very satisfying meal.
After some relaxing and listening to the live Cuban music I thanked Fred and headed out into the warm summer night. I walked down Boulevard St. Laurent, or The Main , Montreal s principal north-south connection that divides the city into an eastern (mostly francophone) and western (mostly Anglophone) part. The many restaurants were filled with people and street life was animated. I walked through the pedestrian area on Prince Arthur Street, another popular restaurant area, to head south to Sherbrooke Street, one of Montreal s main east-west thoroughfares. From there I made it to St. Catharines Street, the headquarters of Montreal s famous Jazz Festival.
Montreal s Jazz Festival is in its 27th year and over the course of two weeks from June 28 to July 9, 2006 more than 400 concerts will have been held, the vast majority of them free. B.B. King s 80th Birthday Event was held on June 28. It is the largest jazz festival in the world and a true signature event for the city, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors. The festival is centered around Place des Arts and the Complexe Desjardins and with my packed schedule over these next few days tonight was my only chance to get a sneak peak at Montreal s Jazz Festival. The crowds in front of the main stage and on St. Catharines were filling the streets as far as the eye could see and the audience were swaying to the rhythms of Afrodizz, Montreal s best Afrobeat group, in front of a huge audience at the Sc ne General Motors .
What started 27 years ago as the dream of jazz aficionado Alain Simard has become the world s biggest jazz festival that has featured stars like Ray Charles, Chick Corea, John Lee Hooker, Dave Brubeck, Muddy Waters, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Chuck Mangione, Tony Bennett, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Holly Cole, Al Jareau and hundreds more. This years lineup included a tribute to Paul Simon, appearances by Dave Brubeck, Brad Mehldau, Etta James and The Neville Brothers. More than 2000 musicians will be coming to town to excite the crowds.
With African rhythms swirling through my head I strolled back slowly to my hotel, reflecting on Montreal s superb qualifications as one of the world s major festival cities. I needed to catch enough rest for my early morning bicycle tour of Montreal.

It is probably true that Korean cuisine is the least well known of the Far Eastern cooking styles, featuring heavily the use of garlic chillies and fermented bean pastes.

Korea is a small peninsular attached to the eastern coast of China and separated from Japan by the Sea of Japan. Many Koreans are of Mongol descent, while both China and Japan have ruled Korea (now divided into North and South) at one time or another. Japan s rule was from 1910 to 1945 and little Japanese influence has been allowed to remain. The Chinese influence is, however, a little more noticeable in culinary terms.

As in many other Asian countries, the predominant flavourings are soy sauce, sesame oil and seeds (usually roasted), vinegar, sugar, ginger, red chillies, garlic and soya bean pastes known as jangs.

Korean legend has it that Korea was born from a union between the son of the creator, a bear and twenty cloves of garlic. The god gave the bear garlic so that it could become human. After hibernating for 100 days, the bear reappeared as a woman who had a son Tan gun with the god and that son founded Korea. As a consequence, garlic is imbued with divine power and the Koreans eat it in every possible way imaginable at any time of the day or night. It is frequently pickled, sometimes raw and sometimes grilled and is nearly always to be found in stews and marinades.

Korean food is hot, hot, hot as a result of the extensive use of red chillies, usually dried in strips or ground into fiery chilli powder, which is a really bright red colour.

Soya bean pastes (jangs) vary from very mild to fiery hot, depending on the ingredients. Doen jang is a fairly plain bean paste similar to Japanese miso but with a stronger bean flavour, while gochu jang (red bean past) contains chilli powder and is extremely hot. These jangs are used to flavour many different dishes.

Both the chillies, whether dried or powdered, and the jangs are stored in tall ceramic jars and every courtyard or balcony will be home to several of these.

Pickle (kimchi) is another staple of Korean cuisine and is really the national dish. It can contain any variety of vegetables but the most common is shredded Chinese cabbage mixed with white radish or cucumber and flavoured with garlic, onions, ginger, chilli, water and vinegar. This mixture is packed in a jar and left to ferment until it is sour at which time it is served with every single meal, including breakfast.

Being surrounded by water on three sides, various fish as well as shellfish and squid are commonly eaten, although beef was introduced to the diet relatively recently. Pork and chicken are also used and occasionally buckwheat noodles substituted for rice.

A typical middle class meal in Korea would consist of sticky rice, served with a stew (usually very spicey), a stir-fried or grilled dish, a vegetable simply dressed with sesame oil, soy sauce and roasted sesame seeds, and of course, the ubiquitous kimchi. The meal is eaten with thin metal chopsticks, similar to knitting kneedles and long-handled metal spoons.

Liz Canham:

As well as a love of Asian cooking as you can see in her Asian Food and Cookery website, Liz seeks to help newcomers to the world of internet marketing with tools, tips and training from her Liz-e-Biz website.

It is easy enough to follow any diet for a short time but when you are faced with following a life-long diabetes diet you will find that there are a number of barriers which will frustrate you in your efforts. The secret therefore to starting a diabetic diet is to understand just what those barriers are and to focus your attention on the benefits of your diabetes diet.
The sort of barriers that you are likely to encounter might include:
Cost. Buying fresh fruit and vegetables is not cheap, particularly when you are buying out of season imported products. But don t forget that, as you increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, you are also cutting back on expensive convenience foods and snack items like potato chips, so the two will tend to balance out.
Culture. Food is a lot more than just sustenance and for many of us it is also very much an expression of our culture. Fortunately, there are many different ways to prepare food and you will find many excellent diabetic cookbooks focusing of food from particular cultures.
Family, Family members might find it difficult to adjust to a different diet and they may be less than happy with your alternative macaroni cheese. Here it is best to simply sit down with the family and talk about your diabetes and just what it means in terms of your diet. In the vast majority of cases your family will be more than supportive once they understand your position.
Social Pressure. Bringing your family on board should be quite easy but it may not be quite so easy, or practical, to bring others on board. Of course it should be simple enough to tell your wider family and close friends about your dietary needs and help to avoid embarrassment at dinner parties and other events where food is served, but there are always going to be times when you find yourself in a social situation and are tempted to try a slice of home-made gateaux.
Here it is a case of planning ahead and deciding what you are going to do before the event. For example, you could decide to have a small piece of gateaux and simply adjust your diet for the remainder of that day to compensate. Another option might be to decide that it is better to eat before you go out or to take along your own favorite snack, plus a little bit extra for others to try.
However you decide to tackle these barriers, they will need to be faced and overcome. This should not prove too difficult with a little bit of thought and effort, but it will also help if you focus your attention on some of the benefits of following your diabetes diet:
Feeling better. Without your diet there is a good chance that you will overeat, or eat the wrong foods, raising your blood sugar level and making you feel tired and generally unwell. With your diabetic diet however you will feel a whole lot better.
Better weight control. With your diabetic diet you will avoid overeating and eating foods which are likely to lead to weight gain, allowing you to keep your figure and also reducing the risk of other health problems like heart disease and stroke.
Reduce your risk from low blood sugar levels. We tend think of diabetes in terms of high blood sugar levels but many diabetics also experience the difficulties associated with low blood sugar levels, such as dizziness, weakness, sweating and irritability, and can even fall into a diabetic coma. You diabetic diet will keep you on a regular eating pattern which will reduce this risk dramatically.
With the right diabetic diet, as well as a little bit of exercise, you will find that you can keep your diabetes under control and live a full and normal life.
Diabetes-Treatment-And-Cure.com provides information on all aspects of diabetes including the barriers and benefits of diabetic diets. We also provide a number of free diabetic recipes and review diabetic cookbooks such as The New Soul Food Cookbook For People With Diabetes.

What goes better with a juicy hamburger and a delicious milkshake than a plate of crispy French fries?
Nothing, that s what. I bet you ve had countless meals, especially hamburgers, with a side of fries. Now you re looking to find some recipes that show s you exactly how to make those tasty diner and fast food restaurant style French fries.
Well, you re in luck because you can easily find out online how to make fast food French fries like McDonald s French fries, curly French fries, sweet potato French fries, oven baked French fries, or baked homemade French fries.
Cooking French fries the traditional way involves grease and you want to be sure to use low-fat cooking oil to cut down on the fat content. There are places online to find French fries makers where you can deep fry them at home in just a few minutes.
Many people enjoy the recipes for seasoned French fries that are baked in an oven and not a frying pan. Cooking seasoned French fries in the oven eliminates most of the extra fat and calories, without sacrificing that delicious French fries taste.
Making French fries to eat at home that taste the same or better than the ones you have when you eat out is easy and fun with the right recipe, potatoes, oil and seasonings.

First time visitors arriving in Thailand at the start of any October might be puzzled by the myriad of eye-catching bright yellow pennants displayed by street vendors or nowadays even strung out in front of restaurants. What it simply means is that the annual Vegetarian Festival is upon us once again.
This unique Thai festival had its origins on the southern island of Phuket some 180 years ago and has gradually spread to virtually all parts of the kingdom. Rather surprisingly, it is actually of Chinese origin and not really Thai at all. It began among the Chinese immigrants who had flocked to Phuket in the early 19th Century to work in the tin mines that once provided the island s economy. According to local historians, about the year 1825, a mysterious epidemic struck the Chinese miners and their leaders met to discover the cause. They noted that the traditional Chinese rituals were being neglected, and the mining community was accordingly ordered to undergo a period of fasting as a penance. After nine days, the disease vanished as mystifyingly as it had arrived.
Now no one likes going hungry for days on end, so the village elders decided on a compromise. They vowed that each year on that anniversary the Chinese on the island would practice a period of cleansing by adopting a vegetarian diet. Offerings to the Chinese divinities would naturally be made and a strict code of conduct would be followed, which included sexual abstinence and foregoing the consumption of alcohol. As the years went by, something bizarre also took place. Individuals spontaneously began to be possessed by spirits during the festival and would take to impaling themselves with sharp object or slashing themselves with razor sharp knives. Yet once the spirit had left them, there would be no visible wounds or even the slightest scars. This Hindu like self-mutilation naturally drew Thai tourists to the island, and these Thais carried the idea of a vegetarian festival back to their home provinces.
Nowadays, the Vegetarian Festival is observed in virtually every fair sized city in Thailand. The yellow pennants one sees bear a Chinese character in red, with the Thai word jeh next to it. Both mean vegetarian. Any vendor displaying these flags will be selling flesh free food and the restaurants will have adapted their usual recipes to meatless cooking.
In Bangkok, the Vegetarian Festival is best seen in Yaowarat the city s picturesque Chinatown. It begins there on the first day of the 9th month of the Chinese lunar calendar with ceremonies similar to those on Phuket. Even before that, Chinatown residents will have started stocking up on vegetarian meat substitutes usually high protein soy bean products, and it has been estimated that meat sales drop by as much as 70 percent during the ten days of the festival.
But the festival is not merely limited to Chinatown or the Chinese-Thais. Many ethnic Thais and even foreign expats welcome the change to a vegetarian diet, and perhaps one restaurant in five will switch over. In fact, vegetarian tourists have been known to plan their visits to the kingdom to coincide with this period.
The dishes offered during the Vegetarian Festival are nothing short of delightful. All of the Thai favourites are available, but with a slightly different twist. Instead of tom yam gung (spicy shrimp soup), there will be tom yam jeh (spicy vegetable soup). Gaeng matsaman, a delicious southern Thai curry made with chicken, potatoes, onions and peanuts, instead will have the chicken replaced by tofu. Gaeng kiao wan, a mild green curry usually made with chicken or fish, will now be made with soy protein. Mushrooms of all types will be used in abundance, and the big yellow Japanese soba noodles are used to produce a version of kweitiou pat Thai (noodles fried Thai style) that is well worth waiting for.
In fact, Thailand s Vegetarian Festival is probably one of the best times to visit the country, even though it does fall within the rainy season. After all, you can always carry an umbrella. And the choices of food offered at this time of year rival the best of any cuisine that Asia has to offer.
So next time you come to Thailand, look for those yellow pennants. If it is not that time of year, just tell your waiter you want to try the aharn jeh, the dishes on the vegetarian menu. Most restaurants will have one. It makes a pleasant break from the usual meat heavy diet that is so common in the west.
Aharn jeh aroy mahk! Thai vegetarian food is delicious. Try it and see if you don t agree. You should also visit us on http://www.foodinthai.com where you will be introduced to the origins and types of Thai food, Thai cooking, courses and the various Cooking Schools in Thailand. We hope you will stay with us and enjoy learning more about it.

So, just what is a penny pincher;
Someone that can squeeze a penny until it screams?
Someone that shops at thrift shops and yard sales?
Maybe someone that makes their own from scratch instead of buying all of the prepared items?
Or someone that can put on a dinner party for four to six guests and spend less than $2.50 per serving on the main dish?
How about all of the above when it comes to being a penny pincher.
You can make your own and save money. I know it s so easy to go to the grocery store and pick up all of those prepared items. But let s look at what you are paying for.
If you buy it at a store; you get fancy packaging, 50 to 85% higher cost, convenience and oh yes, don t forget those preservatives. With all of the preservatives the average person consumes nowadays it s a wonder they still have to embalm someone prior to burial.
Maybe you prefer the convenience; over making your own, but I like to cook and these tips help me save money.
SHAKE AND BAKE
I used to buy that product, so easy just open the package and follow the directions, right? Well, yes, but so easy and cheap to make your own.
I use everything, crackers of all kinds, bread crumbs (crust included) potato chips, you name it, to make mine. I even had some stale Cheetos and made crumbs and added it to the mixture.
Add your spices, seasoning salt, dried onion flakes, parsley, etc. Just keep adding to the mix whenever you have the ingredients.
Keep it in a zip lock bag or other container in your refrigerator, it is there and ready to use when you need it.
You don t have to check your pantry to find out you forgot to buy it the last time you went to the grocery.
REFRIED BEANS
Love Mexican food and would like to serve refried beans with your tacos, tamale or whatever?
It s so cheap and easy to make your own. If you cook your own pinto beans as I do then simply drain the liquid off, place the beans in your blender or food processor with a small chopped onion, a little salt and blend.
Heat and serve with grated cheese.
If you don t have any precooked beans, you can buy canned pinto beans, follow the directions above, but be careful with the salt. Taste first.
FRENCH FRIES
Like to serve French fries with that steak or sandwich, but buying frozen is far too expensive?
Make your own ahead of time. Cook, be a penny pincher.
Cut up the potatoes, the whole bag, into the size of fries you like. Rinse and dry the potatoes. Heat your deep fryer or oil in a deep frying pan. Fry the potatoes for about one minute, remove and drain well.
If you are using part of them for the evening meal, cool in the refrigerator until ready to use. Fry again until golden brown, salt to taste and serve. Chilling and frying the second time is the secret.
If you want to store them for later, spread onto a cookie sheet and put in the freezer.
After freezing, put into one big zip lock bag or smaller serving size zip lock bags. They are ready for you to remove and fry until golden brown, salt to taste and serve.
Make your own, I know I like it better.
If I could tell you how to make numerous main dishes for less than $2.50 per serving, would you be interested? How about if many of them cost less than $2.00 per serving, is that better yet? Below is a sample recipe for one of the dishes I m talking about:
Salmon Cakes with Soy-ginger Mayonnaise
1 1/2 lb. potatoes (peeled, cut in 1 in. chunks)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 (14 3/4 oz.) can salmon (drained, cleaned)
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 tsp. vegetable oil
1 med. onion (chopped)
1 tbs. + 1 tsp. fresh ginger (grated)
1 lg. egg (lightly beaten)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. soy sauce
6 lettuce or Romaine leaves (sliced or torn)
1 lemon (cut in wedges)
3 4 c. rice (cooked)
Cook potatoes in water and 1 tsp. salt until fork tender, drain. Place potatoes in lg. bowl, coarsely mash. Set aside. In skillet, heat 2 tsp. oil and saut onion until golden, add 1 tbs. ginger; cook 30 sec. Add onion mixture to mashed potatoes, stir to blend. To potatoes add salmon, egg, pepper and remaining salt. Stir to mix well.
Shape salmon mixture into 12 (3 x 3/4 in.) patties or cakes. Use about 1/3 c. for each. In same skillet, heat 1 tsp. oil and fry half of cakes 5 6 min. or until cooked through and brown, turn only once.
Repeat with remaining oil and cakes. Transfer to plate and keep warm.
Prepare sauce: In sm. bowl mix lemon juice, mayonnaise, soy sauce and remaining ginger. Let stand for 15 min. to blend flavors.
To Serve: Place lettuce on lg. serving platter and place salmon cakes and lemon wedges around sauce boat set in the middle. Put lg. bowl of cooked rice and extra soy sauce on table. (complete meal serve with dessert)
With main dishes like that you could be a cooking penny pincher with flair. No one would even suspect that you were a penny pincher. But they would be impressed by your cooking. You don t need to tell them you have saved any money.
Cook like a penny pincher and appear like a gourmet.
There is a new cook book out it s called the Penny Pincher Cook Book . In it you will find 150 delicious and taste tempting main dish recipes. The one above is a sample of the type you will find in the cook book.
If you want more information on the book or more great penny pinching tips, you are going to have to go to Grandma s web site at: http://www.pennypinching-grandma.com
For information on the cook book click on the Penny Pincher button.

Do you remember the first time you had a gourmet delicacy? I do. I was having dinner in a restaurant of supreme quality and reputation, and I ordered the escargot. It was the most wonderful entr e I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. The food there was delicious and prepared with individuality. Therein is the chief ingredient for gourmet. The definition of gourmet is a person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment, especially good food and drink. That is the discriminating difference between McDonald s and Savoy s. Food production for the masses is a necessity. But it eliminates the wonderful, sensual, enjoyment to be had in the consumption of a gourmet meal.
Having operated a restaurant for several years, I can vouch for the truth in the discriminating taste of the public. Everyone would like a gourmet meal on a shoestring budget. It is just not a possibility. If you re going to ask for sensual enjoyment, you re going to have to pay for that privilege. It s not cheap food. It was not intended to be. Gourmet food is prepared with the individual tastes and talents of a trained chef. The use of only fresh, high, quality ingredients is a must, and strict adherence to the chef s preferred seasonings required. Given all this special attention, one must assume the price to be more than $2.95. But then, I ask you, if it s gourmet, is price not irrelevant?
Occasionally, we must throw aside our frugal tendencies, and simply take a moment to enjoy the fruits of our labor. The gourmet inside us all needs an opportunity now and then to experience a rare bottle of wine, the finest liver pate, or the gourmet chocolate of Godiva. That s the wonderful thing about gourmet. It s very subjective. Your tastes are not mine.
There are some basics about gourmet that remain no matter what the taste of the chef or the customer. It isn t gourmet if it isn t made with quality ingredients, attention to detail, individuality, and seasonings and flavors that bring unique richness to the food. To simply include the words exotic, specialty, or rare does not make food gourmet. The experience of real gourmet is much bigger than just fancy words.
Many gourmet chefs and cooks have been apprenticed or educated formally for several years. They have degrees in how to uniquely prepare your food. Or maybe the term gourmet is applied because the preparations and process have been so refined as to be considered expert in the field. This is the case with certain wine makers. The wine is considered gourmet because of the unique sensations and taste of the wine on the taster s pallet. It is beyond compare. Many gourmet chefs buy only locally grown foods. In doing so, they are adding to the uniqueness of the experience.
So, as you can see, gourmet is not just a description. It is truly an experience to be enjoyed by young and old, rich and poor. Take a moment, set aside the budget and allow yourself the extreme pleasure of a gourmet meal. Ah .. the pleasures of life!

I got an idea one day when I was in a Cracker Barrel restaurant eating breakfast. They had sourdough French toast and it was the best French toast I d had, so I wanted to re-create the recipe at home.
I haven t gotten this down to a recipe with exact measurements, but I usually use:
Pepperidge Farmhouse Sourdough bread slices about 1 to 1 1/2 or so cups of milk 1 or 2 egg whites (or the whole egg, if you prefer) cinnamon and/or sugar (optional)
Mix the milk, egg whites, and cinnamon and/or sugar together. Place both sides of each bread slice into the mixture to saturate the bread.
Most of the time I use Pam cooking spray to butter the pan, because it s easier and quicker for me to just spray every time to keep it from sticking. But if you prefer butter or margarine, that s fine too.
The first slice you should cook for a few minutes on each side. Then with the other slices, after the pan has had a chance to really get hot, it only takes a couple of minutes each side to get it brown.
Depending on how much of the milk and egg mixture you let sink into each slice, it can make from 4-8 sourdough slices. I like to use strawberry syrup, but you can use any syrup you like. You can even make your own syrup by mixing two cups of sugar, one cup or water, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and whatever flavoring (strawberry, blueberry, cherry) you want. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about five minutes.
For thicker syrup, you can add clear Karo syrup, too.
And to finish it all off, you can add a couple of (big) spoonfuls of Cool Whip (or any whipped cream) on top. Yummy.
Enjoy!

Try this easy-to-make tater tot hotdish recipe the next time you re in the mood for tater tots.

1 pound ground beef
1 cup onion, chopped
cup celery, chopped
2 cans (10 oz. each) condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 (11 oz.) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
cup picante sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
teaspoon pepper
1 (16 oz.) package frozen potato nuggets (tater tots)
cup shredded taco-seasoned cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook beef, onion, celery, and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes; stirring occasionally; until beef is brown; drain.

Stir soup, corn, picante sauce, chili powder, and pepper into beef mixture. Spoon into ungreased 2 -quart casserole dish. Top with potato nuggets.

Bake uncovered 40 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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