Recipes

Around 98% of Americans regularly eat pizza, which shows how much we love it.

Although store-bought is easier, whipping up your own is far tastier and even healthier. But if you’ve never made pizza yourself, it can feel overwhelming where to start. Maybe your love of pizza has brought you here and you’re looking for tips to help you.

Sounds unfamiliar? No worries; we’ve got your back. Here’s how to make the best homemade pizza.

Make Your Own Dough

There’s no question that homemade pizza dough instantly elevates your dish. Find flour with a high protein content as it can be stretched into a good consistency and enhances the flavors of your toppings. You should also add a splash of olive oil for extra taste.

Once you’ve mixed water and flour, roll it into a ball to give it shape. Don’t worry if it takes time to get the right shape, this will take plenty of practice. Then, slice the dough and place it on an oiled metal tray before leaving it to chill overnight.

Keep the Sauce Simple

When making pizza at home, it’s tempting to be creative, but this can backfire. Instead, keep the sauce simple by using canned tomatoes. Create a mixture by blending the tomato, garlic, and olive oil for an authentic Italian flavor.

Choose the Right Toppings

The beauty of using a homemade pizza recipe is that you have control over the toppings.

You should add a generous amount of cheese and protein, depending on your preference. For instance, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and bacon are popular. And to get in your veggies, try adding mushrooms, zucchini, and bell peppers for a substantial meal.

Note, that choosing two types of mozzarella is key for the ultimate flavor. You should create an equal mix of fresh and low-moisture mozzarella so it covers the entire pizza. Also, whole milk offers the best taste, so don’t try and cut calories.

Bake It

Your at home pizza recipe isn’t complete without properly baking it. It’s wise to invest in a wood-fired pizza oven for the ultimate taste and crispiness. If you’re interested, check out Outdoor Pizza Oven Reviews to get started.

But don’t worry if you don’t have one handy, it’s possible to get a perfect at home pizza using a regular kitchen oven. Regardless of which you choose, line the baking tray with oiled parchment paper as it … Read the rest

There is no better way of knowing a country than by tasting its food. All countries’ gastronomy reflects their way of living, culture, and traditions.

It is very satisfying to be able to travel and perceive any country’s culture first hand. Nonetheless, if you can’t do it at the moment, try to have an approach to it through its cuisine.

Tasting Italy’s Traditional Flavors

Italy is well-known as the birthplace of creamy risotto, copious pasta, and humble pizza. These 3 dishes reunite in a single bite all flavors of this Mediterranean region.

Pasta is just a simple dish every Italian eats at home with flavored sauces. The most popular is spaghetti alla carbonara, a combination of spaghetti, pecorino cheese, cured guanciale, eggs, and black pepper.

Pizza dough is a mix of flour, brewer’s yeast, water, and a pinch of salt. It is a flatbread stuffed or covered with various ingredients such as tomatoes, olive oil, basil, and mozzarella. Pizzas napolitana, margherita and romana are the principal types you can eat in Italy.

When it comes to rice, Risotto is a creamy and tasteful dish. It is prepared with broth and diverse ingredients such as pancetta, peas, mushrooms, chicken, shrimps, and so much more. Each region has its version of this emblematic meal; the most famous are Risotto alla Milanese and Risotto al Nero di sepia.

Italian Risotto By Region

Following its rice tradition, Italy has a vast range of rice types. Each of them has specific uses for preparing the most delightful dishes.

Arborio, Carnaroli, and Vialone varieties are the rice types used to cook risotto. They are considered rice risotto since they have a high starch content and low amylose. These components allow the rice to absorb any liquid and release the starch, resulting in sticky rice.

Of all these three rice varieties, Arborio is the most popular one for making risotto. It is short-grain rice with an incredible capacity for absorbing the broth giving a creamy and hearty risotto.

The basic recipe includes rice, onion, butter, white wine, parmesan cheese, and broth (chicken, meat, fish, or vegetables). Then different ingredients are added to create various risottos.

Risotto variations depend on the region, and the most common are:

• Risotto alla Milanese: Typical dish from Milan, identified by its color and flavor given by saffron. Its components include rice, beef broth, beef marrow,

Nowadays, many people live their day-to-day lives with the clock ticking against them, running to and fro, trying to get everywhere on time and accomplish their daily activities in a totally exhausting routine. And frequently, the reason why many even prefer to skip breakfast, is perhaps for having a little extra time in bed.

Certainly this is not right. Although most people still believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, that seems to be not fully accepted today, and that should not be a reason to skip this essential meal for our body.

After Long Hours Of Fasting

A proper breakfast brings many health benefits, such as:

• It provides the nutrients and the energy needed to cover the daily recommendations.
• It improves cognitive performance in children and teenagers, as well as in adults.
• It avoids or reduces snacking (eating between meal times).
• It helps to reduce the consumption of foods high in sugars and fats.

In case you’re wondering what a proper breakfast is, you must know a breakfast can be composed of all those really nutritious foods, such as natural fruit juice, crackers, fruit jams, ham and cheese sandwiches, baked goods, and some warm infusion, like coffee or tea, or even cocoa milk.

What must be particularly considered is the quantity of the intake and, above all, the needs of each person. Large breakfasts, in the first place, could cause a slow and heavy digestion, and in the long term, lead to more serious ailments, like high glucose or cholesterol blood levels.

People seldom choose what to eat for breakfast based on the nutritional values of the food, since other factors such as culture, habits, geographic location, climate and availability of food, etc., have a strong influence. This is why breakfast can be very different depending on the country or even the regions of the same country.

Carbs And Proteins For Breakfast?

Breakfast helps us wake up, stay alert, and respond quicker to stimuli. Carbohydrates and proteins are needed to carry out this mission and just a few other dishes will achieve this combination better than scrambled eggs and rice.

Rice is a food rich in vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and fiber. While eggs provide essential proteins for the human body. When you combine these two in the same dish, you get a really nutritious breakfast.

With a caloric intake of … Read the rest

Thailand is a paradise country located in the center of the southeast of Asia. Its breathtaking destinations can please all ages and tastes. There, you can enjoy beautiful coastlines, mountains, hills, and plains.

Railay Beach, Koh Phi Phi, and Pai are perhaps only weird names you have never heard. But, they are the most popular Thailand destinations. The reason why you know little -if any- about them is that Thailand is more famous for its food.

Tom yam Goong, Pad Thai, som tam, massaman curry, green curry, or Khao Phat are more common names that may be ringing your bells or make your mouth water.

Thailand cuisine

Thailand’s delicious cuisine is well-known around the world. Along with the Indian, Chinese, Italian and French, Thai cuisine is one of the 5 most popular in the world. There is no single country where a restaurant offering Thai food on its menu won’t be found.

It is a fusion of Chinese and Indian flavors, in which spicy, sweet, sour, salty, and bitter tastes blend in harmony. All preparations include herbs and spices like garlic, kaffir lime, lemongrass, coriander, turmeric, galangal, and coconut milk.

Due to its diverse geography, Thailand’s food is different in all its regions.

Four types of cooking can be found in Thailand depending on the location:

• Northern: Mild flavors, use of sticky rice and pork in most preparations.
• Northeastern: Spicy flavors, shrimps, seafood, and glutinous rice in their dishes.
• Central: Elaborated meals with frequent use of Jasmine rice.
• Southern: The most popular outside the country. Coconut milk and shrimps are the preferred ingredients.

And based on the types of food:

• Rice dishes: Sticky and fragrant variations.
• Side dishes: Curries, salads, soups and stir fry.
• Plate meals: One-pot dishes with meat, noodles, and vegetables.
• Desserts: Rice, rice flour, coconut, coconut milk, and sugar.

Knowing Thai rice

The main ingredient in Thai cuisine is indeed rice. People usually have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Some types of rice cooked in Thailand include: Glutinous/Sticky Rice, Brown Sticky Rice, colored Rice such as green, blue rice, and yellow rice.

The most common variety is Thai Jasmine rice, of which Thailand is the second-largest exporter.

Nowadays, you can enjoy some of these types of rice without having to travel to Thailand. Any of those varieties can be found … Read the rest

The use of cannabis is slowly being legalized in most states in the US – 33 states allow medical uses while 11 allow recreational use.

It is no wonder that cannabis-infused meals and treats have been making the rounds both in the market and on the Internet. Medically, marijuana is used in the treatment of several illnesses relating to pain and muscle control.

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What is Curry?

On the other hand, curry has become the western term for dishes using an assortment of spices common in Asian cuisine.

Its distinct flavor, together with the health benefits from the different herbs and vegetables used, further adds to its renown. Different regions in Asia have made given their own, distinct touch to the curry.

Indian curries typically go for that dominating, complex taste with the use of ginger, peanut, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, and cardamom Meanwhile, Thai curry offers a refreshing and tangy taste with its use of fresh coriander, basil, ginger, lime, lemongrass, and galanga.

Depending on the cuisine used, cannabis is usually introduced into the recipe in the form of oil, milk, or butter.

For the curry, cannabis-infused coconut oil will be used. Now, this begs the question: is the use of cannabis as an ingredient in a curry a good idea? Let us check one of these cannabis-infused curry recipes:

A Recipe for Cannabis-Infused Thai Green Chicken Curry

Below is a sample recipe for a traditional chicken curry recipe commonly used in Thailand. It is basically a complete meal, including meat, vegetables, and rice. The following recipe is intended for four people, adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken breast
• 1 whole onion
• 200g cashew nuts
• 2 pcs green peppers
• 1 pc zucchini
• Basil
• Lemongrass
• Curry paste
• 300g white rice
• 400ml cannabis-infused coconut milk

Procedure:

1. Cook rice
2. Pour a spoonful of olive oil in a pan and fry the curry paste until it releases the scent.
3. Add chopped onions and stir for 5 minutes
4. Add the cannabis-infused coconut milk and continue stirring until it boils. Expect the curry to separate from the milk.
5. Add the chicken and cook to a slow boil for 10 minutes.
6. Add the vegetables and wait for 5 minutes.
7. Once ready, grind the cashews and season it as toppings over the curry.

Conclusion

Curry paste is available in … Read the rest

These pastry recipes will turn heads at your next bruncheon or be the perfect sweet treat to come home to after a long day.

Whether you are an expert or a novice, learning how to cook can be a rewarding experience and develop into a lifelong positive hobby. 

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Blueberry Turnovers

A light and flaky blueberry turnover is the perfect sweet treat for both breakfast and dessert. This recipe features a delicate and delicious puff pastry, as well as a homemade blueberry filling.

If you are not a fan of blueberries, then you can easily substitute any fruit in place of the blueberries and make this recipe your own. 

• Filling. In order to make the homemade blueberry filling, you will need to combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Utilize a small saucepan to bring this mixture to a boil. Keep the mixture over medium heat and continue to stir constantly. Not stirring could lead to the mixture burning. This mixture will only need to cook for around 1 to 2 minutes until it thickens. Take the thickened filling off the heat and let it cool. 
• Puff Pastry. To make the puff pastry, unroll sheets of the puff pastry. Make sure the surface has been properly floured. You can use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to create equal-sized squares. Spoon around a tablespoon size of blueberry filling into the center. Fold the corners to make the square into a triangle. 

Place these triangles onto the baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until the turnovers have turned golden brown. 

Lemon Knots 

For a sweet and simple easy snack, lemon knots are the answer. 

• Puff Pastry. Unfold the pastry and roll it out into a rectangle shape. Cut out strips using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Cut the pastry so you will get 12 strips. Fold these strips in half, one by one. Make a knot. Place these knots on a baking sheet and brush on an egg wash. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown. 
• Topping. While the pastry is baking, whisk together powdered sugar with lemon juice. When the knots have cooled, brush on this mixture. 

Raspberry Cream Puffs

This … Read the rest

When it comes to Indian dishes, a lot of people think of them as being incredibly spicy, greasy, fatty, and generally not good for you. While some dishes fit this description, there are other Desi recipes that are incredibly good for your health.

If you are looking for a way to add some flavor to your meals, as well as make them healthier, then you should consider adding Indian cuisine to the menu. It comes with a lot of benefits, and many of these are listed below.

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Lots of Vegetables

When it comes to Desi recipes, many of these call for an array of different vegetables. You already know how beneficial adding vegetables can be for your health, but many cooking techniques remove the valuable and needed nutrients – except for traditional Indian cooking. To ensure that you are getting vegetables that are full of flavor and good for you, you’ll want to consider looking into this method of preparation.

Fresh Ingredients

In many places, it is quick, easy, and convenient to grab pre-packaged products from the store to make a meal. While this will give you some of the nutrients you need and satisfy your hunger, you are also getting a lot of extras that aren’t good for your health.

Packaged products are full of preservatives and sodium, which, if eaten in excess, can lead to a host of health issues, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity.

When you cook traditional Desi recipes, you use only the freshest ingredients. Not only do you get the nutrients you need, but you are also doing something good for your health and satisfying your hunger in the best way possible.

A Variety of Spices

You may already be aware that traditional Indian foods include a lot of spices, but what you may not realize is that many of these have been found to have medicinal and healing properties.

Ginger, garlic, turmeric, and green chilies not only make your dish taste amazing, but they can also reduce inflammation, treat nausea, or improve your heart health. If you have any of these ailments, changing your diet may be all that you need to feel better.

Delicious Fermented Foods

Your gut is home to millions of bacteria … Read the rest

Some like it clean and some enjoy it mixed, but we all love the good old tequila. Originating from the agave plant, this liquor is one of the most consumed drinks today. While some people like drinking it as shots or clean, some of them prefer the tastes of its cocktails. And, that no wonder since all of its cocktails have a great exotic taste. Although they are all great, some of them are even better, so let’s have a look at the best tequila cocktails.

Copyright: Unsplash / author: kellysikkema / I License: CC0 Public Domain

Margarita

Margarita is one of the most common cocktails around the globe. You can find it in many different versions, with fruits like apples, strawberries, and pineapples, and flavours such as hot sauce, cucumber, and mint. Although they are all good, there’s no better than the original margarita. In order to prepare it, you need:

• 2 oz. silver tequila
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 1 oz. lime juice
• coarse salt

Instructions:

• Cool a glass.
• Moisten its rim with lime juice.
• Dip it into the salt.
• Put tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and ice in a shaker and shake it well.
• Pour it into the glass over ice.

Tequila Sunrise

Here is another very common tequila cocktail. With its chilling summer notes, this cocktail reminds us of the hot summer days spent on the beach by the sea. So, whenever you feel nostalgic, you can order a tequila sunrise to bring you back to that time.

What makes this cocktail special is its look, which inspired the creation of many other cocktails throughout the years, as well as the grenadine. This ingredient not only brings the sunshine but also adds a fruity flavour in your glass. In order to prepare it, you need:

• 1 1/2 oz. tequila
• 3 oz. orange juice (fresh)
• 1 tsp. grenadine

Instructions:

• Put tequila, orange juice, and ice into a shaker and shake well.
• Pour the mixture into a glass.
• Add grenadine and gently stir until you get layers of orange and red.
• Decorate it with a maraschino cherry and umbrella.

Tequila Paloma

Although it’s not as famous as its relatives, the Paloma is no less magnificent. With its fantastic, refreshing taste, it’s the best choice for a dinner out or a lazy afternoon. We love this cocktail because it’s really easy to make and you need only 3 ingredients:

• 2