The word "tortilla" originally comes from the Spanish word "torta", which means "round cake" that shows the figure of this unleavened flatbread. Although it originated by Spanish, it’s widespread in many countries particularly in Mexico. In Mexican cuisine, corn has been the most basic necessity in the kitchen for centuries and it also use as the main ingredient of tortillas.


Photo: zobeiry

Nowadays, Tortillas have increased in popularity in other countries and you can find many Tortillas factories. As you may see, most tortillas are made in factories with machinery, but they can also be homemade. So, I’d like to tell you the easy preparation for making it. You can consume all year round with variety of cuisines such as tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. Let’s try to make it!!!

Kitchenware
- Pastry cutter
- Large fork
- Large mixing bowl
- Iron skillet

Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of shortening
- 3/4 cup of hot water
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of salt


Photo: filloasdapedra

Preparation

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Cut the mixture in the shortening till it is crumbly, either by hand or with a pastry cutter.
3. You can add just one or two more tablespoons of shortening if the mixture looks more floury than crumbly.
4. Add about 3/4 cup hot water to the mixture, or just enough to make the ingredients look moist.
5. Knead the mixture with your hand or a large fork, making sure to rub the dough against the sides of the large mixing bowl to gather any clinging dough.
6. Add a couple more tablespoons of flour if the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl. (until the dough forms a soft round shape)
7. The dough is ready to roll out now, but it is best to let it rest.
8. Cover it with a dish towel, and set aside for about an hour.
9. Take the dough, and pull it apart into 10 to 12 balls. Lightly flour your rolling area, and roll each ball with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.
10. Place each tortilla on a medium hot cast iron skillet. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

For this dinner, I'd like to present one simple dish which called stew. I've ever talk about it but this one is different. I use veal for today because I'm sure that I will get the strange and new taste with it. Also, I want to eat some hot dish for this rainy day, it can warm me up.


Photo: Applekore

Not only the ordinary vegetables that always add for the stew's ingredients but I also use herb for the additional nutrient. I don't identify the specific type of herbs; you can add many kinds of herb you like and want to lean on their properties. For me, I pick sage, rosemary and thyme. You may not know that rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6, it's not only the beautiful flower.

Kitchenware
- Large pot
- Spatula
- knife

Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 pound Veal − trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- 1 cup baby carrots or 2−3 large carrots − cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 to 3 cups de−fatted chicken or beef stock
- 2 cloves of garlic − peeled
- 2 large boiling potatoes − peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 6 to 8 small onions − peeled
- Pepper and Herbs − to taste (sage, rosemary, thyme)



Photo: baccarati

Preparation

1. Prepare 2 to 3 cups of de-fatted stock (chicken or beef, whatever you like)
2. Heat a large, nonstick, pot on high. Sear meat on all sides when the pot is hot enough.
3. Place herbs and seasoning and stir. Add stock and bring to the boil (the chicken stock will be more delicate and let the full flavor come through).
4. Place vegetables and boil it again. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 45 minutes to an hour or until meat is fork tender and vegetables are tender but not mushy.
5. Bring stew up to the boil, remove from heat and drizzle in corn starch mixture while stirring constantly.
6. Return to heat and continue to stir until the stew has thickened. Serve immediately.

After you spent your time in hurry or occupy in stressful issue, some fresh food can help you to feel better. I’m thinking about salad because I don’t have too much time during this week. As you may know salad is very easy for cooking, you just prepare fruits or vegetable with the desirable syrup. Also, you can eat for your breakfast or for dinner especially for people who are on diet.


Photo: stjernesol

For today, I don’t only choose sour fruit like pineapple, peach, orange, strawberry, grapefruit and kiwi but I also use cinnamon and ginger for originality. Moreover, I just knew that cinnamon is very good for health; it acts like other volatile oils and once had a reputation as a cure for colds and you can use for treating diarrhea and other problems of the digestive system.

However, you can adapt my recipe for your favorite food or some fruit which you can find in your refrigerator, up to you.

Kitchenware

• Saucepan
• Large mixing bowl
• Knife
  

Ingredients

• 3/4 teaspoon of allspice
• 1 small pineapple
• 1 − 16 ounce can of peaches
• 2 − 3 inch long cinnamon sticks
• 2 tablespoons of crystallized ginger root
• 2 large navel oranges
• 2 large pink grapefruits
• 2 pints of strawberries
• 3 kiwi fruits
  

Photo: happythings

Preparation
1. Drain syrup from the peaches into a small saucepan and place in a large bowl.
2. Heat syrup, cinnamon, and ground allspice to boiling over medium-high heat.
3. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Set aside the syrup mixture to cool during preparing fruit.
5. Grate peel from 1 orange, set aside. Cut peel from oranges and grapefruits.
6. To catch juice, hold fruit over bowl with peaches and cut sections from oranges and grapefruits between membranes; drop sections into bowl.
7. Cut peel and core from pineapple; cut fruit into 1/2 inch chunks. Add pineapple to fruit in bowl.
8. Pour syrup mixture over prepared fruit. Add grated orange peel; toss.
9. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
10. Just before serving, hull strawberries; cut strawberries in half if large. Cut peel from kiwi. Slice each kiwi lengthwise into 6 wedges.
11. Toss strawberries and kiwi with fruit mixture. Add in serving bowl and sprinkle with crystallized ginger.

Are you the one of seafood lovers? I also like it because I think seafood is very yummy and also distinguished from meat both taste and nutrition fact. Although it's still animal and is excluded in a vegetarian diet, seafood is an important source of protein in many diets around the world, especially in coastal areas. However, I'm sure that you will know one kind of wonderful aquatic animals I want to recommend today, that's Lobsters.


Photo: Koro Sun

Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry. As you may know that it's pricey, but many people still be pleased to pay for it. Therefore, it makes me suspect in the noteworthiness of lobsters and want to know about the fact I've never seen before. Also, I'd like to pass to you all interesting information I accumulated.

Begin with the general info of lobsters, you can found lobsters in all the oceans of the world. They live on rocky, sandy, or muddy bottoms from the shoreline to beyond the edge of the continental shelf. They are invertebrates, with a hard protective exoskeleton with 10 legs and the front ones adapted to claws. Lobsters typically eat live food, consisting of fish, mollusks, other crustaceans, worms, and some plant life. Although clawed lobsters, like most other arthropods, are largely bilaterally symmetrical, they often possess unequal, specialized claws, like the king crab.

In general, lobsters are 25 cm to 50 cm long and move slowly by walking on the bottom of the sea floor. However, when they flee, they swim backwards quickly by curling and uncurling their abdomen.


Photo: Nanuya Island Resort

There are many clawed lobster species in the world like Cape lobster, American lobster, European lobster, Andaman lobster, Australian scampi, Caribbean lobster, New Zealand scampi, Japanese lobster and so on. For today, I'd like to delve only into American lobsters which found on the Atlantic coast of North America. They commonly range from 20 cm to 60 cm in length and ½ kg to 4 kg in weight. Moreover, its life cycle is also fabulous. For instance, they molt two to three times per year while juvenile, but only once a year or less often when fully mature, which is about four to seven years old. Females usually mate right after molting, but mating in between molts, known as intermolt mating, can occur. Larger females can store sperm for several batches of eggs from a single coupling. All females store the sperm to fertilize eggs later, not at the time of copulation.

Another crucial part of my purpose for today is gastronomy. Firstly, you should know that lobsters are sold with claws banded to prevent them from injuring each other or people. They cannot open claws when banded, which causes the claws to atrophy. You can prepare and cook when it alive. I've ever seen one restaurant in Hong Kong cleaved lobster into two parts but it was wriggling for a while before died. For American lobsters, they commonly boiled or steamed; for either method, keeping them alive until they are cooked can help avoid food poisoning so it could be one of the reasons why it's costly, the restaurant have to pay for the tank with vary seasonally cost. Many restaurants in each country cook lobsters in variety of recipes, not only cook the live lobster in boiling water or steam but it also served freezing, fried, grilled, or baked.

Furthermore, do you know that lobster is very low in fat but not suitable for low sodium diets? If you don't know about the nutritional value of it, read the following fact. It contained Protein, too much for Vitamin B2 and B6, Vitamin B3 and B5, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc and least fat.


Photo: rpslee

Anyway, I believe that you've already known further about this interesting seafood that I mentioned more or less. If you are looking for some lobster dish, I suggest you to find some famous restaurant for this dinner. Also, you can search in the internet for more information about lobster recipe or restaurant. I'm sure that's better than just imagine and drool with your PC. So, can buy your lobsters online from FineLobster.com as well.

For the perfect meal, the indispensable menu is appetizer and I choose this veggie dish for today because it’s very easy with simple steps. Also, the ingredients are available and nutritious. Whether you can find all ingredients, you can adapt the recipe for dinner or find other ingredients whatever you like.



If you just have ever visit my page or never try the healthy food, you may feel bad with some dish with full of veggie but please don’t be bias. I’m sure that for the health lover will know that this veggie dish is not terrible as someone’s thought. So, you can follow my recipe to cook for this one and you will find that it’s good enough for you to taste.

Kitchenware
- Knife
- Large mixing bowl
- casserole dish

Ingredients
- 1/8 teaspoon of pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of parsley, minced
- 1/4 cup of onion
- 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen spinach
- 4 large firm tomatoes

Preparation
1. Hollow out the centers of the tomatoes.
2. Throw away the seeds and chop the tomato pulp up fine.
3. Place the tomatoes upside down on a piece of paper towel and allow to drain.
4. Cook the spinach according to package directions.
5. Once cooked allow the spinach to stand 3 minutes.
6. Drain the spinach.
7. Squeeze the spinach to help dry.
8. Put the spinach in a large mixing bowl.
9. Add the chopped tomato pulp to the spinach and mix together.
10. Stir in the onion.
11. Add the salt, pepper and parsley and mix well.
12. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
13. Place the tomato shells in a casserole dish.
14. Fill the tomato shells with the spinach mixture.
15. Bake 8 minutes before serving.
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Nowadays, it can be hard to eat healthy. With your busy schedule, especially if you have children, many people find it easier to grab whatever is available and the quickest and deal with the health consequences later. With the following tips for soups on the go you’ll learn how to make sure that the food you grab is of the healthy variety. The problem with dealing with the consequences of unhealthy eating habits is that later is actually closer than you might think.


Photo: angelamaphone

Later is right now. Sadly, we are a nation of obese adults and just as many, if not more, obese children. Our unhealthy eating choices have caught up with us. You might be asking yourself, “How can I eat healthy when I’m crunched for time already?” One way is to make foods that can be taken with you on the go. One of those foods is soup. Soup is tasty, filling, and good for you anytime, but especially on a cold fall or winter day.

There are hot soups and believe it or not even cold soups. Many of the warm soups are even good eaten cold or lukewarm. First, choose your favorite soup. A popular choice of many is the infamous chicken noodle soup. There’s nothing better when you are under the weather than the warm chicken broth soothing your throat.

Campbell’s has a wonderful soup in a microwave container perfect for eating on the go, but we are going to make our own soup for an even healthier choice. The one thing that is best about homemade food is that you know what is and is not in it. Since we are concerned with health, preparing your own soup creations at home is the best way to go. No matter which type of soup you choose to make, be sure to use fresh ingredients.


Photo: RacingGrey

The other items you’ll need are plenty of cups with lids and a blender. Now it’s time to actually create your time saving soup. A good soup always starts with the stock. For chicken soup, make the broth by boiling the remains of the chicken you had for dinner. Add the herbs and seasonings of your choice and boil until the chicken bones come out clean. Any remaining meat will be included in the broth.

Once the broth cools completely, ladle it into air-tight jars or containers for storing. If you’re more of a beef and vegetable soup lover, you can use commercial canned broths or bouillon cubes for the base of your soup. Season the stock really well and boil before adding any other ingredients. Once the stock is ready, all that is left to do is toss in your favorite veggies.

Again, wait until the soup is completely cooled before pouring into storage or serving containers. Now, what about that blender? It’s a bit difficult to eat soup the traditional way while driving and if you are serving to your kids, the combination of a car and soup in a bowl is a disaster waiting to happen.



Here’s where the blender comes into the picture. Pour some of the soup into the blender and blend until the pieces are small enough for you to swallow without choking. You can even puree the soup completely if you’d prefer. For a thicker texture, add a bit of cream soup. Now, your soup is ready for distributing in your to-go Vacuum Bottles. These types of bottle have a wide opening perfect for drinking soups and also keep it warm. Be sure to prepare enough soup for the entire week. The next time you don’t have time to eat, reach for a Vacuum Bottle of healthy homemade soup instead of pulling into that fast food drive thru. You can also take the soup with you while you’re out shopping, working in the garden or to work. A bottle of soup is packed with healthy nutrients and it won’t mess up the car or cramp your busy lifestyle.

Are you ready for the new day? For me, I’m thinking about my breakfast but I’m so bored in cooking with oven. Unbelievably, I find the grill in my cupboard and I get one idea, it’s a veggie grilles sub that I’ll spread the veggie and other mixtures on the Italian bread.


Photo: food o' del mundo


I’ve never tell you about this type of cooking, so I’d like to tell you some interesting information. Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat from above or below. Normally, cooking beef, pork, poultry, and fish but today I suggest you to try with the vegetable. Also, you can adapt the mixture for the healthier dish, whatever you like.


Kitchenware
- Mixing bowl
- Knife
- Grate / Grill

Ingredients
- 1/8 cup of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 1 cup of red bell peppers, sliced
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 sweet red onion, sliced
- 1 yellow squash, sliced
- 1 loaf Italian bread, sliced vertically and then horizontally
- 3 garlic cloves, minced


Photo: arobotar

Preparation
1. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic together into a mixing bowl and mix them together. Then, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Brush the grate of the grill with olive oil. Heat grill to high.
3. Brush the vegetables with olive oil on both sides.
4. Place the zucchini in the middle of the grill. Spread the peppers around the zucchini.
5. Put the squash around the peppers. And put the onions to the outside.
6. Grill for 4 minutes.
7. Flip and continue grilling 4 more minutes or until as tender as you like.
8. Open the bread pieces and spread each piece of bread with the mayonnaise mixture.
9. Put the bread on the grill mayonnaise side up.
10. Close the lid and grill for 2 minutes.
11. Place the grilled vegetables on one piece of bread and top with another piece of bread to make the sub.