Super Awesome Podcast (Interview with a Famous Chef)

Piccante Podcast from Vecs Gmmd on Vimeo.

Stranded on an Island

I know this is a little late, but I was sick, sorry. Anywho, ya'll should take this super snazzy poll!!


Cheesecake (Chaaru)

SUGAR HIGH! ~Shweta

Fast Foods

Take a look at my question!

What celebration's food do YOU like the most?

View the poll here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE9zZEJsUWx0eVVzbnJWcWFRNWgtRlE6MQ

Spreaster (Spring + Easter)

Here are some tasty desserts just in time for Easter/Spring.

Rice Krispie Easter Eggs (From Kellog's)

The decorating possibilities are endless with these treats. Get creative with frosting, food coloring and candy – no two treats will end up alike!

(Nutrition Information)

• 3 tablespoons   butter or margarine
• 1 package   (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
•    OR
• 4 cups  miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups  Rice Krispies®
•    OR
• 6 cups    Ready-To-Eat Cereal Cocoa Krispies™
•    Canned frosting or decorating gel
•    Assorted candies

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. 

2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using 1/3-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray divide warm cereal mixture into portions. Using buttered hands shape each portion into egg shape. Cool. Decorate with frosting and/or candies. Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Coconut-Key Lime Pie (From Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can (13.5 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/3 cup fresh or bottled Key lime juice
• 7 large egg yolks
• 1 Easy Press-In Pie Crust, made with graham crackers
• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together condensed milk, coconut milk, lime juice, and egg yolks until smooth. Pour into crust and bake until set but still slightly wobbly in center, 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, then refrigerate 3 hours (or up to 1 day).
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream and sugar on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. To serve, top pie with whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted coconut.
   
   
   
   Multicolored Meringues (from Disney)
   
   
   Choose any colors you like, but use food coloring sparingly. One drop at a time.
   To make: 50 minutes
   To bake: 30-35 minutes (+ 45 minutes cooling in oven)
   You Will Need:
   3 egg whites (medium)
   3/4 cups superfine sugar
   1/2 tsp cornstarch
   1/2 tsp lemon juice
   Food coloring -- red, green, yellow. Use a toothpick to add one drop at a time.
   Makes 30 meringues. Bake at 250˚F
   
   
   1. Separate the eggs.Crack the eggs over a large bowl and separate the whites from the yolks. You only need the whites.
      
      Separating an egg is easy once you know how. Have 2 bowls ready. Tap the egg firmly on the edge of one bowl so the shell cracks open. Let the egg white drop into one bowl and then tip the egg yolk into another bowl.
   2. Whisk the whites. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Be careful not to overbeat, since they will start to look lumpy -- a little like cotton balls.
      
      Whisking egg whites is easiest using an electric mixer (always ask Mom or Dad), but try it with a hand whisk.
      
      There are 3 stages to whisking egg whites. At first stage, the whites form soft, floppy peaks when the blades are lifted up. Continue whisking and they will form stiff peaks that stand straight up, perfect for meringues. If you whisk the egg for too long it becomes lumpy and overbeaten.
   3. Add the sugar. Add 1 tsp of sugar to the egg whites; whisk. Pour in a second and continue whisking. Add remaining sugar, while whisking to stiff peaks.
   4. Add lemon juice. Whisk in the cornstarch and lemon juice until just combined. The meringue should look smooth and glossy.
   5. Add a little color. Divide the meringue into 3 bowls and color each one with a couple of drops of food coloring. Fold the color in using a spatula.
   6. Make meringue swirls.Spoon the meringue into a piping bag and squeeze to make swirls onto 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment. Make each one about 1 inch across. Now bake in the oven.
   7. Bake the meringues for 30-35 minutes, until firm on the outside. Turn off the oven and leave them for a further 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
      Piping tips: To fill the piping bag stand it in a tall glass and fold the edges down over the rim. For the swirls use a 1/2 inch tip.
      Serving suggestions: When the meringues are cool, sandwich them together with whipped cream or softened vanilla ice cream.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   -Cheesecake (Chaaru)

Layered Ice cream Cake

This is an easy-to-make dessert my Mom made a few days ago...

You'll need:
12 ounces of Cool Whip
8 ounces Evaporated Milk
8 ounces Condensed Milk
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
# of Danish Loaf Cake
1 can of crushed Pineapples
Some crushed nuts

Preparation:
Mix the cool whip, evaporated milk, and the condensed milk all together and sprinkle the cardamom on the mix. They freeze the mix and you have your ice cream ready.
Now to get all the things together to make a cake...
Place a piece of the loaf cake on the plate. Then put a scoop of the home-made ice cream on the piece of cake.  Drop a few pieces of the crushed pineapples and crushed nuts. And you have an awesomely awesome dessert ready for you! :) :)

This week's blog post: Krabby Patties-- Are they real?!?

Yum yum yum! Have you ever tried the speciality of the Krusty Krab in the famous world of SpongeBob Squarepants? Everyone (who watches the show, that is) knows that the Krabby Patty consists of tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, onions, buns, salt, pepper, pickles, ketchup, mustard and a patty that has a secret formula. There have been numerous debates as to whether these sandwiches are real or not, and it seems as if there is finally a conclusion that there is, indeed, a way to make your own Krabby Patty at home!

According to www.nick.com , the ingredients needed to make this sandwich are: 
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 tbsp. finely chopped celery
4-6 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. thyme
1 lb. frozen imitation crabmeat, (defrosted and finely shopped)
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. mayonnaise (plus 1 cup for dipping sauce, such as ketchup)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper (to taste) 
3 tbsp. ketchup (for dipping sauce)
and, most of all, LOVE.

And the recipe:

1. Sauté the onions and celery in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the thyme, lower the heat, and cook until the onions are translucent.
2. In a large bowl combine the crabmeat, sautéed onions and celery, bread crumbs, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, egg, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
3. Shape into rounds by using a small ice cream scoop, then gently pat flat.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Working in batches (2 to 3 crab cakes at a time) place the crab cakes in a skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. You may need to add more oil for the second and third batches.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Transfer the crab cakes to the baking pan and bake for 10 minutes. The crab cakes can be kept in a warm oven for approximately 30 minutes, or they may be reheated at serving time. Serve with a kid-friendly dipping sauce. Mix 1 cup of mayonnaise with 3 tablespoons of ketchup.

Most importantly, though, make sure you have LOTS of love in your heart while preparing this dish! :D

It's too bad, though, for vegetarians, though, because it seems to have imitation crab meat, which is actually fish.

For more information on this burger, visit http://spongebob.wikia.com/wiki/Krabby_Patty#Fake_Krabby_Patty_Recipe

--Star (Vandana)

feature storie layout experience

Designing the feature story layout has been stressfull. I took a picture of my mom, my interviewee but the lighting was horrible, so I now have to take a new picture. Overall i think my layout still needs work. The colors I used are fun but just seem to plain and boring. The part I like the most is my feature story because it is about my mother who I love very much. But I know that in the end everything will turn out well.

Leads

Narrative

A Mexican tamale maker is something common but a Honduran tamale maker is more ordinary. Combining the many taste of different foods gives the honduran tamales a unique taste.

Descriptive

Nice and delicious is what the Honduran tamale is, with all  its ability to change a community and impact a city this food brings all the ingredients to the cooking scene.


Narrative

When you think of tamales you think of the ones from Mexico. But does anyone really think of Honduran Tamales? Just ask the loyal clients of Aida Canales a Honduran Tamale maker that originated in none other than the country of Honduras.

Vandana's leads~!

First lead- descriptive: After throwing her keys and bag onto the counter, she walks into her kitchen, washes her hands, and then starts to take out a few things from here and there-- a tablespoon of raisins, a few cups of honey, a teapot, a handful of nuts, half a stick of butter, and a thick cookbook that has printed in large letters, Recipes for a Small Planet. A few moments later, she puts the resulting mixture in the oven, and, instead of munching from a bag of popcorn or a chocolate bar to kill the time like most people, she reaches for a stalk of broccoli. About an hour passes, and she emerges from the kitchen with delicious, healthy muffins and a large pot of tea.

Second lead- descriptive: She walks into the cafeteria of the hospital she works at, and sits at a small table, ready to eat her lunch. Her friend walks over and sits next to her, a large slice of greasy pizza releasing its’ disgusting stench to her nostrils. She shakes her head, and takes out a large container and a spoon from her bag, ready to dig in. She opens the lid of the container and starts to eat her delicious meal-- lentil soup with shredded cabbage?

Third lead- descriptive: After her stomach declares for food, she takes yesterday’s leftover lentil soup from her large fridge and thinks of ways she could change it up a little, instead of eating the exact same thing as yesterday. After thinking for a while, she opens her fridge again and starts shredding a large head of cabbage into the bowl.

Note: Yeah, I’m thinking of changing the food “she” eats in the third lead because I know I kind of overdid it with the lentil soup and the cabbage already :D

--Star (Vandana)

My Interview Experience :D

I interviewed Rajina Pradhan, the owner of Tarka Indian Kitchen. My experience was really good. I learned a lot about the restaurant and its employees. I learned the history behind how the whole restaurant had started. I asked her the questions I wrote down pretty casually and then the order they were in didn't seem to come out of no where. I had a little problem getting hold of Ms. Pradhan at the beginning but she called back and we decided to have the interview right then. She answered my questions really well and gave nice long answers with very useful information that will be helpful for my feature. And she showed very much interest in answering my questions and was very nice and friendly. The employees over there were also very encouraging towards me after the interview and were kind as well. Over all, I really enjoyed the interview and came to know many amazing facts about Tarka Indian Kitchen. 

Amazing interview experience?(:

So this weekend, on Sunday, I met up with Ms. Jennifer Reinhardt, a friend of my mother, who has been eating only fresh food and cooking her own food for thirteen years!
She was a wonderful person, always adding paragraphs worth of information instead of a simple answer to each of my questions, and she was very helpful, always ready with an answer instead of "um", "erm", or "uhhh".
I was fascinated, learning so much more about her than what I had learned earlier, and even thought about changing my way of eating! (:

--Star (Vandana)

Guguraguragurakhrkhrkhr's feature interview experience

My interview was very memorable because i got to ask my mother about her experiences as a child making tamales. I already knew alot about my mothers childhood but i never for some reason asked her about how she learned to cook. Interviewing is very interesting because it lets you know about the points of views of others. I really got cool quotes and i hope that feature story turns out well.

Candy Sushi

Today in Red Cross Club (which is a fantastic club right here at LASA) we were discussing interesting ideas to raise money for relief efforts in Japan (which just had a 7.1 magnitude aftershock today) and Haiti. We ended up thinking about a bake sale (because everyone loves sweet treats) and I remembered this fun recipe for Candy Sushi (from about.com) that I had to share.

http://video.about.com/candy/How-to-Make-Candy-Sushi.htm (There is a link here to the printable version, but I was not able to post those due to formatting issues)

Click here to see a photo tutorial of a mother and her adorable child making candy sushi.

--Cheesecake (Chaaru)

Alligator Pear

Alligator Pear. You would think they are pears but they what does that have to do with alligators? As quoted, this is a "fruit that wants to be a vegetable". Well, if any of you didn't know alligator pear is actually an avocado. It got its name because first, it is shaped like a pear and second avocado's skin is like an alligator's skin. Alligator pears are suppose to be very good for your skin and it cools down your immune system. Avocados contain a lot of fat but are very beneficial for your eyes and in general your whole body. It also contains Vitamin E which is very good for your heart. Alligator Pears can be eating in many different ways, the popular one is guacamole. Another ways are in a salad, milkshake, in shushi, fried avocado, in sandwiches, grilled, in salsas, quesdilla, pizza, its hard to believe but there is avocado ice cream and avocado pie.

-Shweta

A New Kind of Recipe

Have you ever wanted to make raspberry mocha or a mango pineapple salsa in the blink of an eye? Well now it's possible to make them, or at least the taste of them, in several seconds. Jelly beans! Found on the Jelly Belly website, there are many recipes to make fantastic combos like lemon meringue pie, strawberry shortcake, and tiramisu. This interest in Jelly Beans was sparked when my parents gave me an early birthday (yes, my birthday is on April Fool's Day) present: a box set with all 50 official flavors of jellybeans. I tried to make a cherry turnover (Very Cherry (2) + Caramel Corn) and it turned out fantastic. Here are some of my favorite recipes:  

• Raspberry Mocha: Chocolate Pudding + Cappucino (2) + Raspberry
• Strawberry Shortcake: Strawberry Jam (2) + French Vanilla (2)
• Tiramisu: Cappucino (2) + A&W Cream Soda + Chocolate Pudding
• Blueberry Muffin: Blueberry (2) + Buttered Popcorn
• Mango Pineapple Salsa: Mango + Crushed Pineapple + Chili Mango

Here is a link to all of the recipes  on the Jelly Belly website.

-Cheesecake (Chaaru)

Milkshakes

Ever heard of the cow and milkshake joke? No? Then listen:

Q: What did the farmer receive from his shy cow?

A: Milkshakes!

History and milkshakes today

The term milkshake was first used in 1885, and were alcoholic whiskey drinks that were described as a "sturdy, healthful eggnog type of drink with eggs, whiskey, etc. served as a tonic or a treat." By 1900, though, the term referred to "wholesome drinks made with chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla syrups." It's commonly sold at malt shops, and has a history that is strongly connected to the history of the electric blender (guess why?). Fast food restaurants started to sell milkshakes too, but adding more than thrice the amount of sugar that was originally used in milkshakes back in the 1990s, along with at least twice the original amount of carbohydrates, fat, and, surprisingly, protein.

 

Some ways different people make milkshakes

Some US restaurants and fast-food chains serve milkshakes with crumbled cookies, candy bar pieces, or alcoholic beverages. The grasshopper milkshake, for example, includes crumbled chocolate cookies, crème de menthe liqueur, and chocolate mint ice cream. BLT Burger in New York serves spiked shakes, which contain liquor such as whiskey or Kahlúa. Baskin-Robbins sells milkshakes that contain largchunks of candy bars or small pieces of candy, such as its Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Shake and the Heath Bar Crunch Shake. In Utah, Arctic Circle Restaurants sell milkshakes that are made from ice cream, without adding milk. The ice cream is whipped and served in a tall cup with a spoon. 

Oh, and here's another milkshake joke I made up: I hate it when you're making a milkshake and Kanye West interrupts you. 

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :D

--Star (Vandana)

Why chinese food is awesome

I think that many of us can agree that chinese food is pretty awesome. Besides its ability to present many flavors at once it leaves a great flavor in ones mouth. My personal favorite dish is orange chicken with fried rice and a side of hot and sour food. It is all truly delicious and presents a well balanced meal. Chinese food is also great due to the fact that it uses many vegetables in a way that makes the vegetables taste delicious. There are many spices yet great composure at the same time. It is truly a food that has revolutionized the world. Besides the ability for it to turn untasteful things to some of the most delicious foods around with chinese spices and old family recipes.

The love for Planitains

The Honduran diet is greatly composed of the plantain fruit. It is eaten with everything from fried chiken to milk or eatem simply by itself. What is it about this food that Hondurans love? Well they love its great sweet taste and its softness. My family is from Honduras and therefore they do enjoy eating plantains quite a bit. Not only does the plantain resemble the banana but is a very flexible food to cook with it. This food is a very important part of the Honduran diet. But like my fellow colleague truffels  has reported, plantains, part of the banana family could go instinct. Not only would this effect the Honduran culture but animals that eat it and other people in the world that enjoy it. Action must be  taken now to secure that this fruit is available for future generations to come.

Mangoes

The mango season is coming closer, there are so many different ways to eat mangoes. I have drank mango lassi, mango smoothie, you also something can eat it with  They improve your digestive system  Mangoes provide dietary fiber, Pectin, and Vitamin C which lowers Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Cholesterol. Rubbing sliced up mangoes on your face is a very good way for preventing acne. Mangoes are also rich in iron, this is very good for anemic people and also good for women during pregnancy and menopause. Iron is also good for your health in general, like for your eyes, bones, and provides you with red blood cells. Not only mangoes but their leaves are also beneficial for humans, they help cure diabetes if you put the leaves in warm water over the night and then drink the water next morning with empty stomach. If you do this continuously every morning it will really help for your diabetes. Mangoes also prevent cancer and heart diseases. Mangoes are very antioxidants which fights against the viruses. Mangoes contain Glutamine which boosts memory power and keeps your brain cells active; this is very beneficial for children. Mangoes also have an abundant supply of vitamin E which is good for you.

-Shweta

Top Chef: All Stars

Note:This blog post has spoilers about this weeks episode, so read at your own risk.....

I had long been anticipating this week's episode of Top Chef, a cooking show on Bravo, especially because I thought it was the finale. But to my dismay, they announced that the finale, airing Wednesday next week, would only have two of their "all-stars" (this season is for chefs who stood out in other seasons but didn't win, kinda like Redemption Island on Survivor). This was quite surprising as Top Chef finales usually have three chefs going head-to-head. For those of you who don' keep up with this fantastic show, chefs Richard Blais, Antonia Lofaso, and Michael (Mike) Isabella (you can see these three (whom I highlighted) and the rest of the contestants in the pic below) were the three to survive till this episode.

Mike has been on a roll, winning many of the recent challenges, so he had a few advantages in getting to decide which contestant would get which classic quickfire (a little mini-challenge at the beginning of each episode). Mike's aim throughout the entire show was to challenge Antonia(my personal favorite) because he wanted to compete against Richard in the finale. He wanted to do so because he knows that many people find Richard to be a strong chef and so Mike wanted a challenge. The quickfire was  really interesting because each chef had a different challenge and twist posed later: Antonia - canned foods and double apronned (that is a verb I made up to indicate that they were wearing a double apron and could each use one hand) with Carla (a former contestant); Richard - hot dogs and one handed cooking; Mike - one pot and no utensils. In the end Mike won the quickfire, adding fuel to his fire.

Their elimination challenge was to create a "last supper" for three eminent chefs: Masaharu Morimoto, Wolfgang Puck, and Michelle Bernstein. Mike got to choose the challenges again for his competitors. Frankly, by now I was a little annoyed by all the power Mike was getting. Somehow, Mike ended up with the easiest meal, fried chicken and biscuits for Michelle Bernstein and poor Antonia had to create a super complicated Japanese bento box for Morimoto (who she was afraid of but warmed up to as they talked about his meal and childhood). I felt Richard also had it pretty easy as he only had to create goulash (I think that's how you spell it) and apple strudel, but I suppose it was very tasty because the judges named him the winner of this challenge, which also means he is going to the finale.

At this point, I was terribly worried for Antonia because she had some complicacies with her dish like getting rancid Hamachi (that is a type of fish) and needing to switch to tuna. But, yet again the judges throw in ANOTHER TWIST (it must be so much fun to write the challenges for these shows) and so Antonia and Mike have to create one single bite for each of the seven judges in 45 minutes. I regained my hope for Antonia. In the end Antonia made a grouper soup which was a bit strong and Mike made a surf and turf with some odd sauces. Both Antonia and Mike got three votes, leaving Wolfgang to break the tie. He liked the flavors in Antonia's better but found Mike's technique to be impeccable, both aspects of a dish are important, but he found that Mike;s dish was just a little better. I was heartbroken to find out Mike Isabella made it to the finale, but I will tune in next week to watch Richard kick his butt.

Here is a recap from another blog. Enjoy!

-Cheesecake (Chaaru)

The Origin of Amy's Ice Cream

Ever wonder how one of the most delicious and fun hotspots in Austin blossomed? How it became one of the popular places to be blurted out of a young child's mouth after their mother asks where to go out?


Amy's was started by Amy Simmons in 1984, who, was working as a premedical major at Tufts University in Boston, worked for Steve's Ice Cream. After Steve's was purchased by a larger company, Simmons decided to open her own business. She and her business partner Scott Shaw eventually decided to open their own ice cream shop in Austin, Texas. They wrote a "hot check" for the lease of a store in Guadalupe and has since opened 13 more locations, with most of them in Austin.  Amy's has been voted as the best Reader's Ice Cream for 8 years in a row by the readers of the Austin Chronicle, and has also been voted as the Best Neon numerous times. Many contractors have tried to persuade Amy into letting them open more chains of the popular store, but she announced in 2009 that she does not intend to rapidly extend the chain.


Two fun facts!: 

• Amy's has a lot of creativity in their stores. For example, the paper application for wanting-to-be employees is a white paper bag. The only requirements are to write a name and contact information somewhere on the application. Applicants are encouraged to be creative and applications have included decorated bags, short stories, and videos placed in the bag. The bag does not have to remain intact; some applications have included only portions of the bag, puppets made from the bag, or the remains of a bag (ashes). The end product does not need to resemble the original bag.
• Amy's doesn't use a cold stone for a mixing board. The boards are room temperature and, per company claims, bring out the flavors in the different ice creams during the mixing process due to warming up the ice cream.

A few pictures: 

(Amy's homepage)

(Paper application for Amy's)

--Star (Vandana)

kids vs. vegetables

                           What is it about vegetables that little kids don't like. Is it the color, the shape, or is it something psychological. When most little kids see vegetables on their plates they tend to do something that will prevent them from eating them. But once they grow up they eat all those vegetables and with delight. Is it that they are influenced by the other kids around them or that they truly do not like them.  As kids grow they search for an identity of their own which is probably why they copy their elders and take them as an example. Kids might be getting influenced by other kids that supposedly don't like vegetables because they're horrible. This leads to the hypothesis that the discrimination by little kids to vegetables is something caused by surroundings and influences rather than a genuine dislike for them.
                                                                                                      By Guguraguragurakhrkhrkhr

Yummi

This afternoon, as I rejoiced in the freedom that is Spring Break, my hunger pangs steadily grew so I went to this cute little restaurant that just opened by my house, Yummi: Asian Fusion Tacos (I know what you're thinking, and yes, I was mightily confused/intrigued too). It turns out that their food, while really tasty, was not totally true to the title, in that they pretty much only had one taco dish and everything else was Asian. However, I suppose their proper name is up to speculation, it all depends on how you read their banner (a picture of which I posted below). Personally, I went for mostly Asian food, getting chicken spring rolls, sharing shrimp rolls and spicy french fries with my mom, a Banh Mi sandwich with Bugogi beef (I think I spelled that correctly), green tea flavored Mochi ice cream, and this really nifty Ramune soda drink. The soda was truly a lot of fun, particularly the opening process. The cap is really just a glass marble stuck at the top of the bottle that you have to push into the bottle in order to open it (check out the cool pictures I took below). The chicken spring rolls and shrimp rolls were both really nice starts to the meal. The shrimp roll was neat, not to mention delicious despite my dislike of shrimp, because I had never eaten anything like it before, it was one piece of shrimp and a bit of green onion rolled in a mini crepe and fried (which makes everything better). The french fires were quite tasty, but they were so spicy that I was unable to continue eating them once I finished my soda. The sandwich was also really Yummi (hahaha), with moist meat inside a nicely complemented piece of french bread (the short kind). The coolest thing of the evening was the Mochi ice cream. It was pretty much a ball of ice cream (green tea flavored, but they also had mango and strawberry) covered in a sort of desserty goo, an awesome goo that was sticky when you ate it but wouldn't adhere to your hands, and powdered sugar (Look below for the pictures I took of it, I lost self control and started eating before I remembered to document it, sorry. The orange one is the mango flavored one). Overall, it was a great, food-filled kick off to Spring Break at Yummi.
-Cheesecake (Chaaru)

Note: All pictures were taken by the author.

Apricots --by Truffles

Apricots are very nutritional fruits that provide 20% of every day's required amount of vitamin A and 7% of vitamin C, the two of most needed nutrients for the human body. Apricots are completely made of Beta-carotene and fiber. They can be found as canned or dried apricots. Apricots also provide other nutrients such as fiber, tryptophan, and potassium. Apricots don't only provide many nutrients but also have a small amount of calories.





Apricots are very good for your eyes and for your heart. The beta-carotene in it helps protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation which helps prevent heart disease. As I said before apricots also contain vitamin A which is a strong antioxidant meaning it protects the eye from radical damage to the cells and tissues near the eye lenses. It decreases the chances of getting cataract by 40%.

Apricots also contain fiber which is also important for the digestive system and it also prevents constipation. It has been researched and found out that most Americans get not even 10 grams of fiber in their daily diets.

To conclude, apricot is a fruit that provides many nutrients and has many benefits to us. Eating it is a way to easily get a boost of vitamin A, C, or fiber.

 

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=3



 

Star's Blog post-- STRAWBERRIES! ♥

Hi everyone!


So we have to write a blog post on here about our topic (food). So mine (Star) is about strawberries and their health benefits. It's pretty much my analysis of this link: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=32 Enjoy!(:

              Strawberries-the red empresses of the fruit kingdom by being the most eaten berry fruit in the world. They have been cultivated ever since before the Christian era, come in 600 amazing and deliciously different varieties, and are available during any time of the year, mostly in April through June, when they're the most quantitative.

             Not only are they great for munching on for a snack, they're also beneficial for one's health. They're rich in phenols, which are led by anthocyanins and ellagitannins. Anthocyanins are not only what provide strawberries with their deep red color, but also serve as potent antioxidants that help protect cell structures in the body and prevent oxygen damage in all of the body's organ systems. Their phenol helps them protect the heart, fight against cancer, and act as a medicine intended to reduce inflammation. Their ellagitannins  also help fight cancer. In one study where a group of 1,000 elderly people were tested for cancer, it showed that those who ate the most strawberries were three times less likely to develop cancer compared to those eating fewer or none. 

             Data reported in a strawberry study showed that the fruits were rich in vitamin C, making them helpful towards humans, providing them with protection from horrible inflammatory arthritis, a form of ehrumatoid arthritis that affects two or more joints. Talk about life-saving!

            So next time you go to your grocery store to pick up some fruits, give in some thought to buying those small yet beneficial red queens in aisle 3. 

Sooooo whaddya think?(:

--Star (Vandana)

P.S. HAPPY SPRING BREAK!

Whee, Opinion Piece Layouts~

Hey guys!


Soo today was the last day that we were to work on our opinion piece layouts! These are the names of our headlines:
"Meat Me Halfway"
"Get Fresh (with Farmer's market)"
"Can't buy me chocolate"
"Medicine for the heart"


Haha they're very creative, huh? ^-^ Truffles and I (Star) are the only ones who drew/photoshopped our photos (: WOOT? But Cheesecake's is pretty amazing, and Guguraguragurakhrkhrkhr's looks pretty seriously awesome :D


Have a great day, guys! <3

--TrufflesFB (Shweta), Stardust (Vandana), Cheesecake (Chaaru) and Guguraguragurakhrkhrkhr (Estefani).

Boring dayyy~

HEYYY GUYSSSSS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Soooo today was a SLOW DAY! We pretty much presented design elements (such as space, color, size, etc) and submitted our headline and art ideas. AND IT'S GEORGE HARRISON'S BIRTHDAY~(: WOOT~
So yeah. A slow day is pretty much all today was. Our TAKS is in 4 days....
Happy Friday, guys! 


--TrufflesFB (Shweta), Stardust (Vandana), Cheesecake (Chaaru) and Guguraguragurakhrkhrkhr (Estefani).

MEDIA KIT~! :D :D :D

Hey everyone!


We have finished our Media Kit! Please enjoy it and comment (if you can) :D We hope you enjoy it!! (:


http://issuu.com/nomnom/docs/media_kit

--TrufflesFB (Shweta), Stardust (Vandana), Cheesecake (Chaaru) and Guguraguragurakhrkhrkhr (Estefani).

Media Kits!

Hey everyone!

Today Ms. Young isn't here (*sad face*) so we're working on our Media Kits. We've decided to have a chili pepper as our end sign since the name of our magazine is "Piccante" so yeah :D Anyone got any good food story ideas we could use? (:

--TrufflesFB (Shweta), Stardust (Vandana), Cheesecake (Chaaru) and Guguraguragurakhrkhrkhr (Estefani).

Truffles' Leads :)

Lead 1: (Twist) Most american diets have some kind of meat everyday, and people believe that so much meat is not good for your health and might be the reason for obesity. But vegetarians arent having a healthy diet as they think they are. There are many proteins that are only provided by meat and cannot be found in fruits and vegetables.




Lead 2: (Direct address) You have heard that vegetarianism is the best diet to follow but you have been learning from 2nd grade that meat is one of the requirements of the food pyramid. It is necessary for you to eat some kind of meat once a week for a better and healthy life.


Lead 3: (Rhetorical question) How is it possible that lack of meat is actually bad for a regular diet?

Vandana's Chocolate extinction leads!

Lead ideas: How chocolate may go extinct in 15-20 years if farming practices aren't improved.

By Star

Lead 1.) Rhetorical question or descriptive:
Imagine a world without chocolate. How empty would life feel, not being able to reach out and grab that delicious, delightful, scrumptious bar and shove it down your throat? And it isn’t just one chocolate bar out of our lives. No more brownies, Valentine’s Day, and NO MORE LOVE (okay, maybe not)!

Lead 2.) Narrative:
Field worker Alan, working in his cocoa fields in Ghana, as usual, is collecting the cocoa plants to give to his boss, who will hand them over to the big factories where chocolate is produced, when all of a sudden, he realizes that all the plants in the entire area are slowly dying. His coworkers, too, have realized that the cocoa plants they collected only a week ago look weak-- their leaves brown and their branches withering away into the wind.

Lead 3.) Compare and Contrast:
A hundred years ago, chocolate companies such as Cadbury were booming with business as the world slowly began to learn about its’ delicious taste. If a child got a chocolate bar from his parents, for instance, then it was considered a great reward for him. Now, almost 7,671,233 pounds of chocolate are consumed by people in the U.S. every day. Little do these chocolate lovers know that the wonderful sweet they consume every day is about to be extinct.