Health

Sechuan Buttons: Edible Flower Also Known as Sansho Buttons a Unique Ingredient

A small yellowish flower head of the Spilanthes acmella or Paracress plant, the Sechuan Button (also known as the Sansho button) looks innocent enough; one bite though and you will know its mouth-numbing secret. Long used for medicinal purposes, this South American native is getting a lot of attention lately in the adventurous cooking ingredient category. Listed by Food & Wine magazine recently as one of the “100 Tastes to Try” in 2008, Sechuan Buttons are making the rounds at food trade shows and are finding their ways into U.S. restaurant kitchens.

Cooking Ingredient of the Year

Commonly known by its far less appetizing folk name of “toothache” or “eyeball” plant, these edible flowers have been reborn for culinary use under the trade names of Sechuan Buttons (named by Koppert Cress) and Sansho Buttons (by Sun Grown Organic Distributors). Listed as the 2007 “Cooking Ingredient of the Year” by Esquire magazine and getting press in the Washington Post and other media outlets, these little buds are described less for how they taste and more for how they feel. Described as electric, Sechuan Buttons provide a kick that comes in waves, starting with a fresh citrusy tang, moving to a …

Book Review

Book Review – Sensational Stevia Desserts: Lisa Jobs Shows How to Sweeten Desserts with Stevia

For almost ten years, Lisa Jobs was the owner of a company that produced two brands of stevia. During that time she developed recipes for stevia, and when her company encountered supplier discrepancies, she started Healthy Lifestyle Publishing LLC, and published Sensational Stevia Desserts, with 82 low carb recipes.

About Stevia

Stevia, of the botanical species Stevia Rebaudiana, is native to Paraguay, and used for its naturally sweet leaves. It contains no calories or carbohydrates, and depending on the plant, can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. It’s a popular alternative to sugar in Japan and is now grown in other countries throughout the world.

Stevia has had a controversial journey in the United States. An embargo initially prevented it from being imported, but the ban was lifted in 1995 with stevia labeled as a food supplement, not a sweetener. Last year it was approved for use as a sweetener in the United States. While no conclusive proof has shown that stevia is harmful, it’s interesting to note that many tests have been conducted to show the harmful effects of artificial sweeteners.

Baking with Stevia

Sensational Stevia Desserts begins with a brief overview and advantages of …

Coffee

Coffee Online

Buying coffee online is a heady experience. Even the best-stocked brick and mortar store can offer only a limited number of varieties of coffee beans, but a quick scan of online coffee sources will give you enough choices to set your head spinning. And if you’ve been drinking only supermarket brands, your coffee-drinking life is about to change.

The variety of specialty coffee online can, in fact, be a little intimidating. Fortunately, there are sites out there to help us make informed choices. Roasters’ sites often give a good deal of information about the sources and processing of their coffees. There are also several coffee review sites that can help you make decisions and very likely introduce you to something new.

Ever try a coffee from Zimbabwe? How about Tanzanian peaberry or Mexican Chiapas Altura? Review sites can help you distinguish among them, give you a rating for each one, describe the predominant characteristics, and tell you where to order them.

Microroasters Sell Coffee Online

In addition to the wide selection available, buying coffee online also helps assure freshness, especially if there are no roasters in your vicinity. Many of the microroasters that have shops online can roast your …

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Kratom

Best Kratom Review – Kratom Week

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Kratom and its specifics are now sensational news and the most searched keyword on the internet. Kratom is a universal remedy that has so many belongings related to its origin, cultivation, strains, etc. The best and important part about kratom is to find its authentic suppliers and products which is a bit tricky task as per the traffic of kratom viewers on the internet.

The first thing which you look for is the authorization and the credibility of the vendor and its products.

While
bashing heads into these aspects, I came across a vendor known as
BestKratom.com which compelled me to go deep into it just looking at its
simplicity. This website gives you the opportunity to explore anything about
kratom without any hassle.

While going through the word kratom, you may find different websites that you can open by simply clicking the links and you may find it interesting by viewing its different features going ahead.

Not all the
companies offer easy online purchase, it is a matter of fact that only authentic
brands and well-known companies give this opportunity to buy conveniently. This
is because these brands and companies have a long chain which occupies many
customers …

Tea

Kids Spring Tea Parties: Ideas for a Girls Afternoon Tea Party

The arrival of spring is worth celebrating. Help children relish the wonder of a new season by hosting a spring themed tea party. Get ideas for each step of the process, from invitations to party favors, in order to make this girls tea special.

Party Invitations

Let the invitation reflect the tone of the party. Will it be a dress-up occasion with china, lace and flowers? Or will it involve spring colors and teddy bears? After deciding how formal the party should be, address a spring-themed invitation to each child. Let the girls (and their mothers) know what they should wear, and what to expect from a Spring Tea Party.

Hosting Kids Parties

A few rules of thumb to remember when throwing a children's party:

  • Keep the plans and the food simple.
  • Expect messes.
  • Divide the party into 20 – 30 minute time blocks. Alternate active games with a slower paced activities.
  • Keep smiling! Adults set the mood for kids parties. So even if a tea cup breaks or young guests start quarreling keep the ambiance joyful.

Party Supplies

Since this tea party highlights spring, it is the perfect occasion to use floral or pastel table linens. Select 2-3 predominant …

Health

Valentine's Day Magical Plants: The Folklore Associated with Basil, Bay, Calendula, Lovage & Mint

Old wive's tales are the folklore and superstitions handed down from generation to generation. Old gardening lore and planting tips gleaned from our grandmothers and mothers of past generations give us a quaint look at the beliefs and gardening practices of our ancestors.

A wide variety of beliefs and superstitions have been associated with various herbs and plants throughout the ages. Certain plants were thought to convey magical power to whomever put them to use in spells, charms, amulets and potions. This information gives us a window to the past regarding the historical beliefs and quaint uses of these herbs which are staple ingredients of our modern-day kitchen.

Love Magic

Here are a few herbs and their magical associations. Use one or more of these ingredients to add flavor and a touch of love to your Valentine’s Day culinary creations.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) – Basil is one of many herbs that can be added to and used in love spells as it is thought that basil helps to promote peace and harmony between lovers. A container full of basil placed outside of your window was once a signal that a woman was ready to be courted.

Bay (Laurus nobilis) – …

Herb

Irish Herbs – Shamrocks, Caraway, Fairies Horse

I love the saying that on St. Patrick's Day everyone is Irish. I think celebrating holidays are a great way to bring family and friends together and is a fun way to pass traditions on to children. I tell the wee ones stories of Shamrocks and St. Patrick, fairies galloping about the night on the golden blossoms of Fairies Horses, and leprechauns searching for the pot of gold.

I always make corned beef and cabbage, parsley potatoes and Irish Soda Bread. Even though it's hard to believe some people don't like corned beef and cabbage, so I usually add Irish Stew or Ham and Green Beans. Everyone loves Irish Soda Bread and every year I make more and every year I run out. Find my recipe at http://.www.associatedcontent.com/article/2621629/st_patricks_day_tradtion.html?cat=22

I don't put caraway seeds in my Irish Soda Bread, but I have a friend who became interested in herbs, so she could grow her own caraway seeds. Caraway is easily grown and is a biennial started in the early spring or fall. Allow to self seed it will start new plants. To harvest seeds allow to ripen about a month after the flowers appear, and clip the seed heads before they …

Coffee

Flavored Coffees

Disdainful press aside, flavored coffees are not really the plebian bane some purists think they are. They're certainly not anything new. A thousand years ago in the Middle East, for example, coffee drinkers began adding cardamom and cinnamon to the brew. A few hundred years later in Europe, chocolate and milk and sweeteners were popular. In the last decade we've arrived at pumpkin spice and eggnog, which might be–perhaps appropriately–stressing the glass ceiling.

The Basics of Flavoring Coffee

Setting aside–for the moment–the debate over the merits and demerits of flavoring coffee, as well as the technical aspects, let's look at the flavoring itself. There are four basic categories. Those based on vanilla are by far the most popular, and include the nut-based flavors, such as hazelnut, and the creme-based, such as Irish or Frangelica. Vanilla and hazelnut are perhaps (that's called hedging) the most popular. The flavors based on chocolate speak for themselves, as do the fruit-based and spice-based varieties.

Let's move back, then, to how coffee is flavored. What is new in coffee flavoring, at least in the last 30 or 40 years, is flavoring the whole bean. Flavoring added before the roasting process needs to survive it. The …

Health

5 Healthy Morning Rituals

For many, waking up and preparing for the day ahead is a grueling process filled with rushed routines and half-eaten meals. This does not have to be the case. Starting the morning with healthy habits can set a positive, productive tone for the day. Most importantly, keeping these rituals consistent can enhance your well-being in the long run.

Ditch the annoying alarm clock. Studies from the Institute of Industrial Health in Japan prove that the loud, beeping alarm clock is bad for the heart. The noise jolts sleepers from their vulnerable state of slumber resulting in high blood pressure and rapid heart rate. Over time, the body can develop physical and mental distress known as chronic stress.

Researchers recommend using alarm clocks with soft, gentle sounds or sunrise/dawn simulators. Open the bedroom window(s) at night so you wake up to the sunlight. Making sure to get the recommended time of sleep also helps.

Drink warm water and lemon. Besides hydrating your body after a long night's sleep, simply drinking a cup of warm water with lemon juice can help improve digestion, skin elasticity, weight loss and immunity. Wellness educator Ashley Pitman emphasizes keeping the water warm, not hot, and squeezing …

Kratom

GREEN MALAY KRATOM CAPSULES AND POWDER – GUIDE –

 

Green malay kratom is the pure kratom of Malaysia. The herbs of this strain have been taken from the “Mitragyna Speciosa” trees. Users attract more due to their fresh green color. It is a better persuader of energy development and makes our body more peaceful. We will gain more precocious benefits due to this herbal treatment.

Those people who use other medications and also feel more fed up after taking it but those medicines are not properly diagnosed. These herbal medicines make them more relaxed. They get huge benefits in relieving any pain.

WHY PEOPLE USE GREEN MALAY KRATOM?

Green malay kratom is the fresh herbs that are used to get rid of any enduring pain.People use it to reduce their anxiety. Because it’s herbal treatment makes us healthier and we will be capable of doing more work.

This strain is very useful for people who suffer from severe depression and constant enduring pains. Everybody wants comfort when they are tired from their hard work. For detailed information visit this site.

Therefore, this herbal cure is very useful in any way for tumbling their tiredness. Because when you feel fresh and have no muscles or any pains then you work …