Chocolate Fountains and Chocolate Supplies for Your Party!

No matter what the event, the chocolate fountain easily becomes the favored gathering place at the table.


Whether you're a party host or a caterer, there's a chocolate fountain that can suit your needs. Get creative with the different styles and shapes serving as a centerpiece for you party. Healthy option? Try the Gluten - Free chocolate desserts and still enjoy the chocolate fountain experience. Aside from chocolate fountains, there are several candy-making products also offered. Free shipping and delivery is offered.>>> READ MORE

Ideas for a Chocolate Themed Party

Some Tips on Wine Drinking

Wine is an sprituous intoxicating grape juice. It is the perfect party and entertaining beverage, offered in white, red or rose. It is also an investment and, like a  jewel, it really does get better with age. This is the reason behind bottles turning into collectors' items and vintage orchards are tout le rage.

Buying wine is one thing, appreciating wine is an art but once you've got the knack of it you won't mind adding 40 per cent to your meal expense to have the beverage.

Some basic rules:

NEVER drink prior to eating anything. If you do, and you're with a man, it suggests that your date did not take you dinner and considers you a cheap date, or only wants you to get drunk, which is definitely not a good sign, but this is a totally different issue.

NEVER mix and match. You  must not mix styles and particular labels, and the same rule must apply with alcoholic beverages. Go for beer, hard spirits, or wine.  Choose one type of beverage and stick with it.

NEVER go past the tipsy, light-headed stage. At the vomiting and passing-out phase you cease to appear even remotely charming, and the hang­over will thwart any pleasure.

DON'T try to compete with a man drink for drink if you don't know your limits. A woman's capacity is typically lower.

Don't  take the challenge of drinking contests, except if it is your intention either to  collapse, or be dragged home.


Appreciating Wine Tasting Events


Wine tasting, sniffing and spitting may hit you as exaggerated but, before you mock, there is a sense of style in this hobby. A wine-tasting event is resembling a trip to a shoe store, with plenty of different designs and brands offered. You want to try a few to work out what best fits you, your taste, and your  mood. That said, the spitting part should not be done in restaurants, bars and any non-wine-tasting gatherings.

Carry the open wine bottle and pour a small sample into the glass.  Bring the glass to your lips. Close your eyes. Gradually move the glass under your nose and inhale deeply. Allow your mind to transport you on a journey to that aroma: to the rich terracotta of the wide landscape, the rolling terrain, the women's shirtsleeves pushed up, and their skirts trailing along the winding path . . . Wine tells a tale, you have to listen and indulge it to experience it at its best.

A really fine bottle can tickle your taste buds and mind. This is why wine it is so intoxicating and addictive, and so potentially expensive.

A Beginner's Guide to Wine Tasting Events
© Athena Goodlight

How to Cook Pumpkin

Large pumpkins are perfect for carving faces and Jack-O-Lanterns.  For cooking, however, smaller pumpkins are most preferred because they are less stringy, smoother textured, darker colored, and sweeter.  Pumpkins can be used for just about everything – soups, muffins, pies, or purée for winter use.

COOKING PUMPKIN

•           To bake: Cut in half and scoop out seeds. Place cut side down in greased pan and bake in 375F (190C) oven for about 1 hour or until tender.

•           To microwave: Cut in half, scoop out seeds and prick skin with fork. Place cut side down in microwavable dish, cover with vented plastic wrap and cook at High for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.

•           To steam or boil: Cut into 2-inch (5 cm) chunks and cook in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes or steam over boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.

•           To make pumpkin puree: If cooked pumpkin looks watery, drain in sieve for 10 minutes. Puree in food processor or blender until smooth. Store, covered, in refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze in airtight containers for up to 1 year.

•           Canned pumpkin may be substituted for homemade pumpkin puree in recipes; be sure to buy plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.


Pumpkin Recipes:

Pumpkin Bisque 

Curried Shrimp Recipe-Shrimp and Pumpkin Curry

Thanksgiving Side Dishes and Pumpkin Soup

© Athena G

How to Store Jerky and Other Dried Meats

image credit

Home-dehydrated meats such as jerky don't store well for extended periods of time because of the high fat content; they turn rancid after several weeks. However, meats could be dried and stored in the freezer till you're ready to set off on a trip and could stay good for a week or so.

Types of meat to dry

Lean beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit, fully cooked boneless ham, venison, and other lean game meats may all be dried.

Preparation for drying

Fully cook the meat or poultry and remove any excess fat. It's also possible to use leftover meat that has been cooked to a tender state. Cut the meat into 1/2-inch cubes.

Storage

Store dehydrated meats in airtight containers or plastic bags in the freezer until ready to use.

Reconstituting Dried Meats

Allow meat to soak in broth or bouillon until plump; can be cooked with other ingredients.

How to Make Jerky

Jerky Marinade Recipes


© Athena G

Jerky Marinade Recipes

Marinate the sliced meat in one of the following recipes overnight in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container. You may also decide to smoke it if you have a meat and fish smoker, but generally, you marinate it first.  If you are new to making homemade jerky, you may wish to read the detailed instructions for jerky making HERE>>> How to Make Jerky

Marinade Recipes for Jerky

The following recipes are given for 2 pounds of sliced lean meat.

Spicy

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon A-1 steak sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon hickory-flavored liquid smoke

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 clove crushed garlic

Teriyaki

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Hot 'n' Spicy

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons A-1 steak sauce

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke VA teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 cloves crushed garlic

Sweet 'n' Sour

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 clove crushed garlic

© Athena Goodlight

How to Make Homemade Cheese (Hard Cheese)

2 gallons fresh milk (preferably raw)

1 cup cold water

3/4 Hansen's cheese rennet tablet, or 8 junket rennet tablets

2 tablespoons sea salt

Allow 1 gallon of the milk to ripen overnight in a cool place (50 to 60F). The next morning, add the other gallon. In a big, enamel or stainless-steel pot, warm the milk to 86F. Add tablet to the cold water, and stir until dissolved. Set the pot in a bigger vessel of warm water (88 to 90F), away from drafts. Add rennet solution, and stir well. Let stand undisturbed until a firm curd forms—about 30 to 45 minutes. Test the firmness by delicately putting a finger into the curd at an angle and lifting it. If curd breaks neatly over your finger, it is ready to cut. If not, let it set 15 to 20 minutes longer.

Take out pot from larger vessel, and cut curd into 3/8-inch cubes. Use a knife with a blade long enough to cut through to the bottom of pot without the handle's touching the curd. Stir curd cubes carefully but thoroughly using a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes; use long, slow movements so curds are not crushed. Put the pot in a larger pot with water (forging a double-boiler effect), and heat gradually, raising curds' temperature about 1 1/2 degrees every 5 minutes until it reaches 102F. Stir with a wooden spoon to hold on the curds from sticking together. Remove from heat when curds start to hold their shape and easily fall apart when held, but not squeezed, together.

Stir every 5 minutes for about 1 hour (you read that right!) to keep curds from sticking. Leave them in the whey till the mass becomes so firm that a handful of pieces, when pressed together, will shake apart easily. Place the curds on a double layer of 3-foot-square cheesecloth, and pull corners of cloth together. Swing gently, allowing curds roll back and forth so whey drains without squeezing. Sprinkle curds with half of sea salt, and mix thoroughly with wooden spoon. Sprinkle on remaining sea salt, and mix in by hand.

Tie the cheesecloth so curds form a ball; hang up, and allow the whey to drip for 45 minutes. Remove cheesecloth; fold it into a rectangular bandage, 3 inches by 3 feet, and wrap tightly around the ball. Using your hands, press down on ball until top and bottom are flat. Put three or four layers of cheesecloth under and over the cheese. Place in press; adjust pieces of wood; put a heavy object on the press; let it sit overnight. Turn, then press overnight once more.

Take out the cheese from the press, and remove cheesecloth wrapping. Allow to stand in a warm room (70 to 75F) for 6 hours while rind forms and dries out. Then coat using hot, melted paraffin. Holding the cheese with tongs, dip one half and then the other half. Or paint on paraffin with a basting brush. An alternate to paraffin coating is rubbing vegetable oil into the cheese. Ripen in a cool place (50 to 65F) 3 to 4 weeks; turn two or three times each week.

Makes about one pound of cheese

© Athena Goodlight

Cottage Cheese Dip Recipe

image credit: Elaine Eppler

2 cups homemade cottage cheese        

1 teaspoon minced parsley

1 teaspoon celery seeds           

1 teaspoon minced chives

1 teaspoon dill seeds                         

Pinch paprika

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

• Blend cottage cheese with celery, dill, and caraway seeds. 
• Add the parsley and chives. 
• Chill for a few hours. 
• Before serving, sprinkle lightly with paprika. 
• Serve with crackers or bread rounds.

Makes 2 cups.

Cheese-Based Dessert: Coeur a la Creme

image credit

A delicious and simple dessert known as Coeur a la Creme—Heart of Cream—can be made using Yogurt Cream Cheese or Basic Cottage Cheese. Any fresh fruit may be used to garnish it. It's molded in a heart-shape basket

Coeur a la Crème

4 cups homemade cream cheese or cottage cheese       

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 pint fresh berries, sliced

1 cup Basic Yogurt

Granulated sugar to taste

• Stir the cheese, at room temperature, with yogurt and 2 tablespoons sugar until smooth.
• Line your heart-shape basket with cheesecloth; set on soup plate.
• Pack the mixture into basket; drain and chill several hours, or overnight.
• To serve, unmold; garnish with berries; sprinkle with sugar to taste.

Makes 8 servings.

© Athena G

Basic Cottage Cheese Recipe

image via Wikipedia

1/6 Hansen's cheese rennet tablet, or 2 junket rennet tablets

1/2 cup cold water

2 quarts skim milk

1/8 cup commercial cultured buttermilk

• Dissolve the  rennet tablet in the cold water. 
• Combine the skim milk and buttermilk. 
• Heat the milk mixture to 70F. Add rennet solution, and stir thoroughly. 
• Cover with a towel, and allow to stand at room temperature 12 to 18 hours, or until a smooth curd builds up. 
• Using a long knife cut the curd into 1/2-inch pieces. 
• Slowly heat the curds using a double-boiler top over hot water, until temperature reaches 110F. 
• Maintain this temperature 20 to 30 minutes, stirring around every 5 minutes so curds heat uniformly. 
• When the curds are firm, pour into a colander lined with cheesecloth, and let the whey drain off. 
• Shift the curds around by slowly lifting the corners of the cloth. 
• After whey has drained off, get corners of cloth together, and soak up for about 2 seconds in cold water. 
• Work the curds using a wooden spoon to free them of any excess whey. 
• Stir; chill.

Makes 8 servings


© Athena G.