Learning to Cook and Other Things

Oh my and this beef story  happened in the United States.. just wonderin', have the food authorities  truly done something about this? "On Christmas Eve, 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced some 248,000 pounds of tenderized beef were being recalled and was eventually linked to 21 E. coli O157:H7 infections in 16 states. Needle or blade tenderized beef is typically used on tougher cuts of beef or pork to break down muscle fibers or to inject marinade into meat. About 50 million pounds of needle- or blade-tenderized meat is produced in the U.S. each month, according to a federal study, but it’s not required to be labeled. All hamburger should be cooked to a thermometer-verified 160F because it’s all ground up – the outside, which can be laden with poop, is on the inside. With steaks, the thought has been that searing on the outside will take care of any poop bugs like E. coli and the inside is clean. But what if needles pushed the E. coli on the outsi

An awesome tea from Malaysia given by my son who did some mountaineering there. This tea has the freshness that is so unique, i have never tasted anything commercial like this before. Packaged cleverly because it comes in a  re-usable box that's neat, but the  real package is made of  foil which i think is non biodegradable.. ooops.. "Sabah tea is cultivated in the pristine foothills of Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia,  first ever world heritage site, where nature offer the most conducive natural environment for tea growing. Only choice tender leaves from quality 'camellia sinensis (black tea) plants are selected and used in Sabah Tea. Grown naturally and pesticide free and excellent source of flavonoids." For more information on sabah tea look here .

A delicious brand of chocolate, (from my daughter who's on work break) that's creamy, somehow sweet, and almost and yes actually melts in your mouth. My daughter says this has a bitter version which I told her was perhaps healthier (dark chocos are said to be). The packaging though not environment friendly is awesome because it comes in what I think is called thermo-protected (the box was with an small square ice like thing that allows coldness to be retained for the chocolate to remain firm). Too bad i think it is not yet available locally. More info about this  chocolate brand  here

Beware of this type of herb. Pls read the full details here .

I am continuously growing this "for enchilada" type of veggie called alugbati which is so endemic in the Philippines. Studies revealed the isolating of "Basellasaponins A, B, C, and D, oleanane-type triterpenes oligoglycosides, together with betavulgaroside 1, spinacoside C, and momordins IIb and IIc, from fresh aerial parts". The alugbati leaves yield saponin, vitamin A and B while its fruit are known to containe mucilage and iron. These two pots have already yielded a small salad bowl of veggie eats made more delicious and healthful with the addition of olive oil, tomatoes, freshly milled black pepper and apple cider vinegar.. oohh ahhh nice!

Factors Governing the Benefits of Honey