Learning to Cook and Other Things

When I was young I did not have the privilege of owning Barbie dolls. Because aside from not being available locally at that time I think, we could not have afforded it. Later, when I got me my own daughter growing up in what I can now consider a Barbie doll generation, she was lucky enough to receive a couple; from me, from my friends and from relatives. I recall getting her an expensive set, complete with all those curlers and mini make-ups, with wigs and various other girly accessories. There were other models , she owned, those that included Barbie's boyfriend, Ken I think, it was and Barbie's other playmate dolls. I am not sure. Oh well. The first Barbie doll was launched by Mattel its maker, in March 1959. She "wore a black and white zebra striped swimsuit and signature topknot ponytail, and was available as either a blonde or brunette. The doll was marketed as a 'Teen-age Fashion Model,' with her clothes created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte

Are you craving for your favorite chocolate shot today? Stop awhile. Look at what you are nibbling. Could it be Cadbury? One of England's confectionery maker, Cadbury announced a recall of their chocolates manufactured in a "small factory" based in Beijing. Yes, it was found to be tainted with melamine as well. Affected by the recall are chocolates distributed in the Asia-Pacific region only, ( said to be Australia, Taiwan, Nauru, Hong Kong and Christmas Island.) and not those distributed in the United States. "Preliminary tests showed melamine in Cadbury chocolates produced at the candy maker's Beijing factory, but it was too early to say how much of the chemical was in them, said a Cadbury spokesman who declined to be identified because of company policy". Of Cadbury's total worlwide sales, only 0.5% come from their Beijing factory, the AP news item said. See entire news feed here . Affected products were its : Dark Chocette, Eclairs, Dairy Mil

Designer clothes I can understand that. Haute cuisine, yes, I get that too. And now this is the guffaw of my life ta da-da-- designer chocolates from the famous Giorgio Armani . This is the real deal! A chocolate or confection product that's exclusively made by Armani Dolci, the confectionery store owned by Armani himself. And in time for Halloween too. Giorgio Armani's confectionery just "released a special ghoulish chocolate", described as chocolate pralines enclosed in white chocolate coating". Take a look at how goody it looks. The packaging is super. choco photo courtesy of wwd In a similar fashion maybe for the coming Christmas holidays, the Dolci Stores will once again offer pastries they traditionally make available to their uppercrust clientele, in much the same way they did in 2007. See the old cuisine news snippet and pic here . By the way, the Armani designer chocolates are seasonal and available only at Armani's main store in Milan, I

Do you know that Warren Buffet is said to drink cherry flavored Coke? And snacks on 'Cheetos', mixed nuts, including 'licorice pastel candies? Yes, that's right, Mr. Buffet, the philanthropist and perhaps, the wealthiest man on earth, eat food that is not outstandingly healthy. Consider Coke - might just be like drinking a cherry flavored sugar solution. And Cheetos, whether it's cheese, flaming hot or twisted, admit it or not may contain loads of transfat. And those sugar coated licorice pastels , candies. I am not really familiar with these. But mixed nuts , that, possibly provide some nutritional value. Could this type of regular snacking habit helped War ren Buffet develop his money making wizardry? Licorice pastels have been in the market since the 50's and so is coke. And Cheetos a rather familiar snack item, which celebrity, Ellen De Generes, admits is her favorite snack. If he has been eating these snacks for a long time now, I am thinking, is

What is China doing to repair its 'damaged' international reputation amidst its current melamine milk gaffe? During his recent visit to New York to attend the 63rd United Nations General Assembly, Premier Wen Jiabao assured that as a responsible nation, China considers food safety and quality as an important aspect of their products. As reported by China's News Daily, the Premier said that, they have taken 'prompt and resolute steps' specifically about the case of contaminated milk. Apparently, trying to controll the damage caused by the melamine milk scare, he went on to assure his audience that, "We have ordered all the hazardous milk powder and dairy products off the shelves, and we have also given the order to seal up and destroy the tainted milk powder and dairy products". "We need everything possible to ensure the quality of products, particularly the safety of food as this concerns everyone's life," he said, adding

Please allow me to thank the following e carders who have very kindly reserved an ec card widget space here in my cooking blog. 1. amreekia 2. mumsgotta 3. monfat48 4. insomnimusing 5. chinesemedicinenews 6. food on my table 7. my interesting files And for those who I have failed to thank in the past to all of you, my sincere appreciation!!! Thank you image courtesy of fotosearch Cheers.

Some dental crowns and and bridges from China, among other countries may be tainted with lead. "CBS investigative reporters in Columbus, Ohio, purchased 13 crowns from labs in China, Thailand and the U.S. Ten of those crowns tested positive for lead at levels ranging from 110 parts per million to 240 parts per million". Read the news article here .