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101 APPETIZERS YOU CAN MAKE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Well, if your entertaining this holiday season or you want an excuse to get off the couch and whip up something to snack on during halftime. Here are some tasty treats.

"You want good food at a holiday cocktail party and you want to impress people? You don’t want a caterer, you refuse to heat up frozen food, and you want to show that your expertise extends beyond buying perfectly ripe hunks of cheese and juicy olives? Then think about doing some cooking.
Here is a collection of party foods that are as easy to eat as they are to make. Each can be produced in 20 minutes or less." Link

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT COFFEE ADDICTION AND MY CHOICE FOR BEST ORGANIC COFFEE

I was a coffee addict. I needed my caffeine - At least 6 - 7 cups a day. I switched to organic decalf and I feel great. I no longer have that jittery caffeine hangover and I no longer need a cup to wake up, that was part of my addiction.

I have tried many organic coffees and Catskill Mountain Coffee is by far the best I've drank, and for men of a certain age, it doesn't run through you in a half an hour - you'll cut your night time wake up call by two thirds.

From the Coffee Addict blog. Link

"An acute overdose of caffeine, usually in excess of 400 milligrams (more than 3–4 cups of brewed coffee), can result in a state of central nervous system overstimulation called caffeine intoxication. Some people seeking caffeine intoxication resort to insufflation (snorting) of caffeine powder, usually finely crushed caffeine tablets. This induces a faster and more intense reaction. The symptoms of caffeine intoxication are not unlike overdoses of other stimulants.

It may include restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, flushing of the face, increased urination, gastrointestinal disturbance, muscle twitching, a rambling flow of thought and speech, irritability, irregular or rapid heart beat, and psychomotor agitation. In cases of much larger overdoses mania, depression, lapses in judgment, disorientation, loss of social inhibition, delusions, hallucinations, psychosis, rhabdomyolysis, and death may occur." Link

Here's what 18 experts say about caffeine addiction: Link

I WOULD LOVE TO EAT A DESERT OF TOFU SAKE LIQUEUR CHEESECAKE AT KYOTOFU

Kyotofu in Hell's kitchen, opened to very good reviews for its design as well as its delicious deserts and luncheon menu. I would have to say Kyotofu has made tofu sexy.Link

"Kyotofu, which opened in November 2006, operates primarily as a dessert bar, though it now offers a limited lunch menu and a bakery. The desserts all feature such Japanese ingredients as sesame, green tea, bean paste, and would you think it, tofu." This is a terrific foodie site - Hungry Hedonist: Link

Here is a video tour of Kytofu by the designer Hiromi Tsuruta: Link

ALICE WATERS IS SO ORGANIC, WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO HAVE LUNCH WITH HER

Alice Waters 63, was an early champion of the organic food and buy fresh, buy local, food movement. She opened the now famous Chez Pannisse restaurant in Berkely in the 70's. A place where many top chefs honed their skills and spread Alice's philosohy.

"Alice and Chez Panisse have become convinced that the best-tasting food is organically grown and harvested in ways that are ecologically sound, by people who are taking care of the land for future generations. The quest for such ingredients has largely determined the restaurant's cuisine. Chez Panisse has tried for years to make diners here partake of the immediacy and excitement of vegetables just out of the garden, fruit right off the branch, and fish straight out of the sea. In doing so, Chez Panisse has stitched together a patchwork of over sixty nearby suppliers, whose concerns, like the restaurant's, are environmental harmony and optimal flavor." Chez Panisse: Link

The NY Times did an article on Alice with a video of her shopping at the Union Square Market. Link

FOURTEEN FOODS WHICH WILL LOWER YOUR CHOLESTEROL AND GIVE YOU A HEALTHIER HEART

Here are fourteen foods which will help lower your cholesteral. "26 of the 30 grams of fat in an avocado are heart-healthy, unsaturated fats that can increase your levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. " Link

The good cholesterol HDL replaces the bad cholesterol LDL.

"LDL or “bad” cholesterol deposits itself on the walls of your arteries, forming plaques that make them hard and narrow. HDL or “good” cholesterol removes excess LDL in your blood and brings it to your liver for disposal. The more HDL you consume, the less LDL you’ll have in your blood. "

Goji Berries are another source of food which helps eliminate bad cholesterol. Link

FOODS YOU NEED EVERYDAY TO FIGHT DISEASE AND STRENGTHEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

These are foods that you need in your diet for optium health. There are substitute foods which in many cases are in the same color group.

The main choice is carrots but you can sub - sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, yellow bell pepper, mangoes. Explained, are what these foods do for you healthwise. There are recipes as well. Link

ROOTBEEER FLOAT CUPCAKE SO SWEET

I'm lovin' the cupcake. After the health department sited Magnolia the famous southern sweet cupcake bakery in NYC for health violations. I'm lookin' for my own sweet southern cupcake recipes.

How about a rootbeer float cupcake after the BBQ.

"Root beer floats are one of those things that my brothers and I loved as kids. I don't know about them, but for me, its still something that I love to have on occasion. That's why I wanted to make a cupcake that tasted like a root beer float. I mean come on, nothing is more fun than a cupcake, or root beer floats… why not combine the two." Link

via IZ Reloaded

EAT TWO F CUP COOKIES A DAY HAVE BREASTS THE SIZE OF PAM ANDERSON

Ladies, Ladies no need for breast enhancement. The country that brought you raw fish is now prepared to enlarge your breasts with two cookies a day.

"...are you self-conscious about your breasts? Do you think they need to be bigger to get you attention from guys... Well, you could have expensive and gross breast implant surgery, or you could just grab some F Cup cookies from Japan." Link

..."They come in packs of 4 for ¥290, each cookie containing 50mg of that miracle breast enlarging herb Pueraria Mirifica. How many cookies you'll have to eat to get size F Cup is unknown. Now if only there was a similar cookie for men to enlarge their...ahem...you know what. Link

KAMBUCHA A TEA TO CLEANSE, HEAL AND BENEFIT THE BODY

If you were to craft your own kombusha starter it may appear strange like a loaf of jelly fish.

I remember a buzz on kombucha and its health benefits about twenty years ago and then it died down until GT Dave started brewing kombucha. His mother, Laraine made a remarkable recovery from a rare form of breast cancer; she and the doctors attributed to her drinking kombucha tea. Dave formed a company bottling the tea in many flavors - GTS Link

I see kombucha is having a renewal and justly so.

"The recorded history of this drink dates back to the Qin Dynasty in China (around 250 BC). The Chinese called it the "Immortal Health Elixir," because they believed Kombucha balanced the Middle Qi (Spleen and Stomach) and aided in digestion, allowing the body to focus on healing."

When Kombucha is brewed as a tea, it looks just like tea. (from black tea)

Here is a recipe for making a Kombucha starter.

"Kombucha is on its way to being the new "it" drink. This fermented tea is so popular that several brands are available at upscale grocery stores, and its Wikipedia entry has tripled in length since I first checked. I've heard the tea's culture -- which looks like a rubbery pancake -- called a "mother," "mushroom," "starter," and most accurately, a "scoby" ('symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts').
 Link

Via Boing Boing: Link

TEN FOODS MEN NEED FOR HEALTH AND FITNESS

Girl With Oysters by Belinda Eaton: Link

Men need different foods than women for their health and maintenance.

"Men are different from women in all kinds of ways -- including their nutritional needs. Just as women need particular nutrients during pregnancy or for protection from breast cancer, men need nutrients that can help them maintain muscle mass, prevent prostate cancer, and more.

Many foods that tend to be favorites among men are not the best choices for good health. Yet a healthy diet and regular physical activity can help prevent heart disease and cancer, the No. 1 and No. 2 killers for men over 35. They can also enhance performance, from the board room to the bedroom." Link