As confusing as it may seem, in small quantities, alcohol can be benefic for health. But excess can produce so much damage, that any trace of a benefit is erased. Moderate use of alcohol includes two drinks for a man and only one for a woman per day, under the age of 65. Together with his doctor, a person will establish whether to enjoy a glass of wine or a beer, or this can seriously affect health.
In small quantities, the following benefits can result from alcohol:
- It decreases the risk of cardiovascular problems - Decreases the possibility of lethal heart attack - Sometimes, alcohol reduces the possibility of ischemic or other kind of strokes - Diminishes the possibility of gallstone - It may reduce the diabetes danger
In large quantities, or in excess, the consequences may be terrible:
- The pancreas, the mouth, pharynx, esophageal, breast and liver are more likely to be affected by cancer - Pancreatitis may appear, especially in youth - Stroke - Atrophy of the brain - Cirrhosis - Pregnancy problems, like spontaneous abortion - Possible malformations and other birth problems of the fetus - Car accidents - Suicidal tendencies - Sudden death in case of cardiovascular problems - Cardiophaty generated by alcohol
There are certain diseases that forbid the affected person to drink at all, such as:
- Conditions of the liver - Affection of the pancreas - Precancerous stages affecting the digestive system - A record including a previous hemorrhagic stroke
Pregnant women or people whose family has an alcohol related background must be extremely cautious and, if possible, not to drink at all.
One drink each day is permitted to persons over 65 years, because in their case, a higher consume is more dangerous; the process of absorption needs more time, the effects are stronger, and the risk of intoxication is a real one.
Alcohol must not be used during the following medications' administration:
- Anticoagulants - Medication for diabetes - Beta blockers - Antihistamines - Antibiotics - Antidepressants - Pain relievers - Sleeping pills
Alcohol should not interfere with medication at all, because in combination to aspirin increases its stomach damaging action and the possibility of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, if combined with acetamine damages the liver.
Both he positive effects of a reduced quantity and the dangerous, negative ones must be taken into consideration. Also, a person shouldn't be influenced to drink, because no doctor will give such piece of advice. Consumed with responsibility and moderation, in case of healthy persons, the alcohol doesn't need to be completely eliminated.
by Ethan Armitage
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Romantic Recipes for Romantic Souls
Here's the third idea for a special Valentine's Day meal that you can prepare at home for that special someone. Get your creative juices going and cook your own Valentine dinner. This combo uses fruits as salad, beef tenderloin for main dish, chocolate chip tart for dessert, and a special Valentine juice.
Pink Frozen Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
* 8 ounces cream cheese, softened * 1 quart strawberry ice cream, softened * 1/2 cup miracle whip * 2 cans (17 oz size) fruit cocktail, drained * 1/3 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
Combine cream cheese, ice cream and salad dressing, mixing until well blended. Fold in fruit and nuts. Pour into 9-inch square pan.
Freeze until firm. Chill until serving.
Valentine`s Day Beef Tenderloin with Green Peppercorn-Brandy Sauce for Two
Ingredients:
* 2 (8 oz. ea) beef tenderloins * salt and pepper * 1 tablespoon butter * 3 tablespoons chopped shallots * 1 Tbl. green peppercorns * 1 cup beef broth * 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard * 2 tablespoons heavy cream * 2 tablespoons brandy * 2 tablespoons chopped chives for garnish
Directions:
Salt and pepper beef on both sides. Heat butter in medium skillet on medium heat. Add beef; cook 5 min; turn, cook another 5 min. Remove to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. In same skillet, add shallots and peppercorns. Cook 2 min. or until soft. Add broth, mustard, cream and brandy. Cook 5 min. or until reduced to 1/2. Place beef on serving plates. Top with sauce, garnish with chopped chives.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Tarts for Two
Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping -- thawed * 2 large bakery-style chocolate chip cookies * 2 kiwi fruit -- peeled and sliced * 2 strawberries -- sliced * 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips * 1/2 teaspoon vegetable shortening
Directions:
Spread 1/4 cup whipped topping over each cookie. Arrange kiwi fruit slices around the outer edge of cookies over whipped topping, then place strawberry slices in the centers.
In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over tarts and serve immediately.
Cherries Valentine
Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 cup cherries -- pitted * 2 medium peaches -- halved and pitted * 2 medium oranges -- juiced * OR * 1/2 cup orange juice * 4 orange wedges * 4 cherries with stems
Directions:
Place cherries and peaches in a blender with orange juice. Blend at medium speed until creamy. Pour mixture into custard glasses.
Top each glass with an orange wedge and a whole cherry. Serve immediately. Otherwise, store in the fridge with each custard glass tightly covered. Will keep for 3 to 5 days.
If you like these ideas, look out for the next meal combo for your special Valentine dinner.
by Noraini Maskuri
Pink Frozen Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
* 8 ounces cream cheese, softened * 1 quart strawberry ice cream, softened * 1/2 cup miracle whip * 2 cans (17 oz size) fruit cocktail, drained * 1/3 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
Combine cream cheese, ice cream and salad dressing, mixing until well blended. Fold in fruit and nuts. Pour into 9-inch square pan.
Freeze until firm. Chill until serving.
Valentine`s Day Beef Tenderloin with Green Peppercorn-Brandy Sauce for Two
Ingredients:
* 2 (8 oz. ea) beef tenderloins * salt and pepper * 1 tablespoon butter * 3 tablespoons chopped shallots * 1 Tbl. green peppercorns * 1 cup beef broth * 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard * 2 tablespoons heavy cream * 2 tablespoons brandy * 2 tablespoons chopped chives for garnish
Directions:
Salt and pepper beef on both sides. Heat butter in medium skillet on medium heat. Add beef; cook 5 min; turn, cook another 5 min. Remove to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. In same skillet, add shallots and peppercorns. Cook 2 min. or until soft. Add broth, mustard, cream and brandy. Cook 5 min. or until reduced to 1/2. Place beef on serving plates. Top with sauce, garnish with chopped chives.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Tarts for Two
Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping -- thawed * 2 large bakery-style chocolate chip cookies * 2 kiwi fruit -- peeled and sliced * 2 strawberries -- sliced * 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips * 1/2 teaspoon vegetable shortening
Directions:
Spread 1/4 cup whipped topping over each cookie. Arrange kiwi fruit slices around the outer edge of cookies over whipped topping, then place strawberry slices in the centers.
In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over tarts and serve immediately.
Cherries Valentine
Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 cup cherries -- pitted * 2 medium peaches -- halved and pitted * 2 medium oranges -- juiced * OR * 1/2 cup orange juice * 4 orange wedges * 4 cherries with stems
Directions:
Place cherries and peaches in a blender with orange juice. Blend at medium speed until creamy. Pour mixture into custard glasses.
Top each glass with an orange wedge and a whole cherry. Serve immediately. Otherwise, store in the fridge with each custard glass tightly covered. Will keep for 3 to 5 days.
If you like these ideas, look out for the next meal combo for your special Valentine dinner.
by Noraini Maskuri
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Save Time in the Kitchen - Cook Pasta the Way Restaurant Chefs Do
Have you ever wondered how a restaurant can get a dish of pasta to your table in about four minutes when you know it takes ten minutes just to cook the pasta? Does the water on their stoves boil at a higher temperature than the water on yours? Do they know a trick that you don't? As a matter of fact, they do.
They parboil, or partially pre-cook their pasta; so when an order comes in to the kitchen, a cook can turn out a dish of perfectly 'al dente' pasta in a minute or two. Pre-cooking is a worthwhile technique for home cooks, because it enables them to pull together a great sit-down meal in practically no time, no matter how busy their day may have been.
It's also a great method to use when you plan to serve pasta for a crowd. I once catered a party for fifty, where I had a "pasta bar." With the assistance of one helper, and two propane burners, I served fifty portions of freshly cooked pasta (al dente) without holding anyone up in the buffet line.
To parboil pasta at home, bring a large pot of salted water (at least six quarts) to the boil. Add one pound of pasta and stir until the pasta wilts (in the case of spaghetti or linguine) and becomes submerged. When the water returns to a full, rolling boil, cook the pasta for exactly two minutes, then drain, shock in ice water, and drain again. Note: Strand pasta like spaghetti or linguine will be brittle, so handle them with care.
Place the pasta in a container large enough to hold it, then add enough olive oil to just coat each strand. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Parboiled pasta will keep, refrigerated, for four to six hours.
Note: Coating pasta with olive oil flies in the face of conventional wisdom that says, "Never coat pasta with olive oil. The sauce won't adhere to the pasta." Well, conventional wisdom aside, sauce sticks to parboiled pasta like glue. What else can I say?
When it's time to cook dinner, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta (You'll note that the pasta has softened over the time you've had it refrigerated. This is perfectly fine.), cook for one or two minutes, then drain in a colander. Be sure to taste after a minute or so. The pasta cooks quickly. Serve as you would any pasta that you had cooked for eight to ten minutes.
Again, this is a great, worthwhile technique to use at home, because you can parboil the pasta at a time of day when you're not juggling three or four other tasks, like preparing a sauce, or a salad. And when it's time to prepare the rest of dinner, you'll feel more confident in the outcome, because you can focus more of your attention on the other parts of the meal.
Try this technique once, and you could be hooked. You may not be serving fifty or sixty people per night, but you'll be cooking just like a chef in a neighborhood Italian restaurant.
About The Author
Skip Lombardi is the author of two cookbooks: "La Cucina dei Poveri: Recipes from my Sicilian Grandparents," and "Almost Italian: Recipes from America's Little Italys." He has been a Broadway musician, high-school math teacher, software engineer, and a fledgeling blogger. But he has never let any of those pursuits get in the way of his passion for cooking and eating. Visit his Web site to learn more about his cookbooks. http://www.skiplombardi.com or mailto:info@skiplombardi.com.
They parboil, or partially pre-cook their pasta; so when an order comes in to the kitchen, a cook can turn out a dish of perfectly 'al dente' pasta in a minute or two. Pre-cooking is a worthwhile technique for home cooks, because it enables them to pull together a great sit-down meal in practically no time, no matter how busy their day may have been.
It's also a great method to use when you plan to serve pasta for a crowd. I once catered a party for fifty, where I had a "pasta bar." With the assistance of one helper, and two propane burners, I served fifty portions of freshly cooked pasta (al dente) without holding anyone up in the buffet line.
To parboil pasta at home, bring a large pot of salted water (at least six quarts) to the boil. Add one pound of pasta and stir until the pasta wilts (in the case of spaghetti or linguine) and becomes submerged. When the water returns to a full, rolling boil, cook the pasta for exactly two minutes, then drain, shock in ice water, and drain again. Note: Strand pasta like spaghetti or linguine will be brittle, so handle them with care.
Place the pasta in a container large enough to hold it, then add enough olive oil to just coat each strand. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Parboiled pasta will keep, refrigerated, for four to six hours.
Note: Coating pasta with olive oil flies in the face of conventional wisdom that says, "Never coat pasta with olive oil. The sauce won't adhere to the pasta." Well, conventional wisdom aside, sauce sticks to parboiled pasta like glue. What else can I say?
When it's time to cook dinner, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta (You'll note that the pasta has softened over the time you've had it refrigerated. This is perfectly fine.), cook for one or two minutes, then drain in a colander. Be sure to taste after a minute or so. The pasta cooks quickly. Serve as you would any pasta that you had cooked for eight to ten minutes.
Again, this is a great, worthwhile technique to use at home, because you can parboil the pasta at a time of day when you're not juggling three or four other tasks, like preparing a sauce, or a salad. And when it's time to prepare the rest of dinner, you'll feel more confident in the outcome, because you can focus more of your attention on the other parts of the meal.
Try this technique once, and you could be hooked. You may not be serving fifty or sixty people per night, but you'll be cooking just like a chef in a neighborhood Italian restaurant.
About The Author
Skip Lombardi is the author of two cookbooks: "La Cucina dei Poveri: Recipes from my Sicilian Grandparents," and "Almost Italian: Recipes from America's Little Italys." He has been a Broadway musician, high-school math teacher, software engineer, and a fledgeling blogger. But he has never let any of those pursuits get in the way of his passion for cooking and eating. Visit his Web site to learn more about his cookbooks. http://www.skiplombardi.com or mailto:info@skiplombardi.com.
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