Addressing the Canny Investor

The Moguls did it. So did the Vikings. “A mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer.” After coining that phrase, you don’t think this anonymous Egyptian from 2200 BC kept it to himself. I can see him raise his drinking vessel to his Nile-side neighbors while repeating the words.

Every country in the world has some sort of traditional drinking toast, often dozens. Usually one or two words, common toasts are not in the same league with toasts to the bride (which can drone on for hours), or to the retiree who’s been with us for 30 years but would rather get to his food while it’s hot. All of these really should be briefer, especially if a meal is being served. The everyday, no black tie, corner pub toasts exist in every culture and the vast majority simply mean ‘I wish you good health’. Not surprisingly it is the English who have strayed from the norm. ‘Cheers’, ‘Down the Hatch’, ‘Bottoms up’ and many more. I always assumed the latter referred to the bottom of the glass, however the Hawaiians have taken this literally. ‘Okole Maluna’ means ‘buttocks up’. I am including a list of multi-national toasts to impress your friends and use as a sign of respect when in the company of people from different cultures.

Here’s a bit of etiquette to go with your cosmopolitan language skills. It is customary to toast the first round, and let the host go first. There is some controversy over the clinking of glasses. It is said that the tradition started as a sly way to test the authenticity of the host’s crystal. Whether the Vikings clinked wooden goblets or not, it is considered more civilized to ‘touch glasses’ rather than bash together in a resounding crash. And while you’re about it, serve on the left and remove from the right!

Toasts From Many Lands
This is just a sampling of simple drinking toasts from around the world. Some are impossible to find in language dictionaries as they are colloquial phrases, slang or in dialect. I apologize in advance for spelling mistakes: I’m no linguist. Meanings have been included when I could find them. Fill in the blanks if you can. Some are just a general ‘cheers’. If you were making a bet on possible translation, you wouldn’t lose money by suggesting that every one of these toasts is wishing the recipient continued health and general well being. My spell check is about to go wild!

za vashe zdorovye (Russian)
slainte duine a ol (Irish) to your health
genatzt (Armenian)
a sua saude (Portuguese) good health
a votre sante (French) to your health
banzai (long life) (Japanese)or
kanpai (dry glass!) (Japanese)
bud mo (Ukranian)
cin cin (chin chin) (cheers) (Italian) or
alla salute (in good health) (Italian)
proost (Dutch) cheers
vivat (Polish) revival, survival
tervist (Estonian) general greeting
skal (Danish) cheers
here’s looking at you (kid, optional) (American/Bogart)
kia ora (Maori) all purpose greeting
egeszsegedre (Hungarian) to your health
Iechyd da (Welsh) good health
I sveikas (Lithuanian) your health
kippis (Finnish) cheers
le’chaim (Jewish) to life
na zdravi (Czech) to your health
noroc (Romanian)
prosit (German) here’s to you (and your health of course)
wen lie (Chinese)
salud (Spanish)
bahkt tu kel (Romany/Gypsy) good luck and health be on you
Here it is folks - oogy wawa (Zulu)
(wawa means ‘fell’, oogy wasn’t listed, any ideas?)

We should all feel well cheered and healthy after all that!

Heather Moffat is a contributing writer to Excalibur Communications, the company that created The Beer Home Page - Your Online Guide to Great Brew Pubs and Beer Labels. If you would like to find the best breweries worldwide and discover the world of beer, visit http://www.thebeerhomepage.com.

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Gourmet cheese comes in a large variety with well over 400 varieties just from the French cheese alone. From the mild to the strong, the soft to the hard, cheese is a great way to compliment any meal or snack.

Whether you are having a fancy wine and cheese party, or just enjoying a slice of cheese with an apple for a snack, your gourmet cheese will taste a lot better if you learn how to purchase, store and serve it properly.

Buying Cheese

When buying gourmet cheese, you want to shop at a place that has a large selection and knows about cheese. That way you’ll be able to ask for recommendations if you want some special cheese to go with a certain type of wine or special meal. You can find a good selection of cheese in a specialty market or gourmet grocery store. Buy only what will be consumed with in a few days. Flavors and aroma of fine cheeses change over time in a home refrigerator.

When picking out your cheese make sure that it presents the characteristics of that particular style. The interior should not have cracks, mold or discoloration in any form. If you are buying a natural rind cheese make sure it has a rustic appearance. Note that it is normal for Blue and Roquefort style cheese to have some mold and cracks.

Storing Cheese

You should not store the cheese in the package that it comes in. This packaging is meant for transportation only. The best thing to store your cheese in is waxed paper as you must let air and moisture in. Air and moisture are integral to keeping the cheese in the best possible condition.

Serving Cheese

When you serve cheese at a party, limit yourself to 4 or 5 types of cheese. You should select cheeses that have a variety of shapes, sizes, textures and flavors. Mix some soft cheese with the hard cheeses. I think cheese looks nice served on a nice wooden tray. Don’t mash the cheese in together, make sure each one has enough room without having the tray look empty. If the cheeses served have strong distinctive flavors use separate trays and serving utensils. Mild flavors will pick up aromas and tastes from stronger flavored cheese.

We all know that cheese goes great with crackers, but you can also serve it with fruits like grapes, strawberries, apples and pears. Add some figs to the table for an interesting contrast in taste and visual appeal. Combining cheese with thin slices of onion can be an interesting eating experience.

As a desert, cheese can be very elegant, or as a light course after the entree and before desert. When serving as an appetizer cheese should be coupled with a light dinner due to the filling nature of most cheeses.

While some people believe that cheese must always be chilled, it really as more flavor when it is at room temperature. You do need to watch the cheese, however, especially if your party is going on for a long time. If the cheese gets too warm it will begin to sweat. Put your cheese out about 30 minutes before guests arrive and keep checking throughout the evening.

Lee Dobbins writes for Online Gourmet Foods where you can find out more about
gourmet cheese and appetizers.

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More healthy foods are appearing on store shelves. When I saw a carton of egg whites at my grocery store I immediately thought of cheese souffle. Cheese souffle is one of my favorite foods, but it’s high in fat, and I hadn’t made one in years. If I could come up with a healthy recipe I could eat cheese souffle again.

I bought two cartons of egg whites, fat-free cheddar cheese, and fat-free milk. “This should do it,” I thought to myself. On Monday morning I wrestled the souffle dish from the back of the cupboard, assembled my ingredients, and began what turned out to be “The Great Cheese Souffle Experiment.”

My first souffle was made with one tablespoon of butter, instead of three, and a teaspoon of margarine. Butter is a thickener and, to compensate for less butter, I added extra flour to the sauce. I added a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to bring out the flavor of the cheese. The classic recipe calls for six eggs, but I used one whole egg, and egg whites for the rest. To stabalize the egg whites I added a teaspoon of cream of tartar.

When I put the souffle in the oven it looked perfect.

The souffle started to rise and the aroma of melting cheese wafted through the kitchen. “This is going to work,” I said to myself. But it didn’t work. Fifteen minutes before the souffle was due to come out of the oven it fell. My classic cheese souffle had turned into a cheese tortilla. I don’t like to waste food, so I ate part of the souffle top for lunch.

“Oh well,” I thought. “Tomorrow is another day.” On Tuesday morning I got out the souffle dish, assembled my ingredients, and made souffle number two. This time I used two tablespoons of butter. I was careful to beat the egg whites until they were stiff, not dry, and folded them ever-so-gently into the cheese sauce.

When I put the souffle in the oven it looked perfect.

But the same thing happened. Fifteen minutes before the souffle was due to come out of the oven it fell. Again, I ate part of the brown, cheesy top for lunch. Cooking is chemistry and, since I’m not a chemist, the only thing I could do was make souffle number three. Then four. Then five. I experimented with more butter, more flour, two whole eggs, low-fat cheese, and one percent milk.

Every souffle fell. Much as I love cheese souffle, I was getting tired of the same whacky lunch. Despite a reputation as a gourmet cook I felt like a failure. By the end of the week I had consumed so many egg whites I felt like a giant parade balloon - a thin person filled with air. Maybe I’d float around the kitchen. Heck, I could float around the neighborhood.

On Saturday morning I announced to my husband, “I’m going to make one last souffle.” (It was a dramatic announcement.) Years ago, when we weren’t as health conscious, I used to make souffle for dinner. My husband would come home hungry and smell the baking souffle when he got out of the car. The oven was next to the door I would stick a “Don’t slam, souffle in oven” sign on it.

The note always made my husband smile and he always raved about my cheese souffle. And so, with great care and determiniation, I prepared souffle number six. When I put the souffle in the oven it looked perfect. I kept peeking in the window to see if the souffle was rising. It rose steadily and looked like a cook book photo. Had I invented a healthy cheese souffle?

Five minutes - just five minutes - before the souffle was due to come out of the oven it fell. We ate the brown, crusty, delicious top for lunch, along with a green salad. Though it wasn’t the best lunch I’ve ever served, my husband appreciated my efforts. I’ve given up on inventing a new cheese souffle. Sometimes you shouldn’t mess with a good thing!

Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Before she became a health and wellness writer she was a food writer for the former “Rochester Magazine” in her hometown of Rochester, MN. Her 24th book, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is also posted on Amazon.

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A favorite at many wedding receptions edible wedding favors will always please the vast majority of guests. If you cannot make up your mind about whether they should be sweet or savory, you can guarantee it will be the sweet variety that gets the ‘big thumbs up’. Of course if you want to make it simple, then stick to a regular chocolate bar, perhaps with a specially created outer wrapper. Chocolate candy bars come in so many varieties it can be difficult to choose something you can guarantee everyone one will appreciate. Many companies exist that can create special wrappers that should have details of the wedding printed on them even if everything else is from a standard template.

Just to complete the favor, why not have the picture of the bride and groom printed on the wrapper as well? Some couples decide that their edible wedding favor will consist of a special tin of candy. There is also typically the option of personalizing the tin by including the wedding date and the name of the bride and the groom. Tins are always useful so once the candy has been eaten, it can be used to store many small items that might be lost otherwise. Almost everyone likes candy and that is why such a large percentage of weddings feature it as their edible wedding favor.

One unique way to give out candy as wedding favors is to use large glass bowls as the centerpieces for the tables and fill the bowls with the bride and grooms’ favorite types of candy. Otherwise a small container, which can be themed if appropriate, can be used instead. You can guarantee it won’t take long before the guests start filling their boxes with the candy. If you really don’t like the idea of candy as an edible wedding favor, why not consider using cookies instead. You can select cookies which are rather plain in nature but place them in keepsake boxes with the bride and grooms’ names as well as the date of the wedding.

Plain cookies are also easier to use if you decide to have your images inserted onto them. It won’t be difficult locating a bakery that can do this type of work and you can speed up the process even more by supplying your own ideas on how you would like the cookies to look. There is no reason why the edible wedding favors cannot be drinks; there are plenty to choose from but coffee and tea are likely to be the most popular. There are a number of specialty teas and coffees available which can then be packaged in something appropriate for the wedding. Once again, the packaging can contain information about the bride and groom and if it is a metal or plastic container it can be used at a later stage an will not go to waste. Perhaps these suggestions will help you decide what favors you will give to your guests.

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This mini chip orange scone recipe is my favorite. A great orange flavor combined with the subtle taste of chocolate from the mini chips!

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup salted butter, cold

1/3 cup orange juice (pulp in the orange juice will add more flavor)

1/3 cup, plus two tablespoons buttermilk

2 tablespoons orange peel, grated

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

Topping:

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Hardware

Large bowl

Medium bowl

Small bowl

Whisk

Pastry blender (optional)

Cookie sheet

Cooking spray

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 2: Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray; set aside.

Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

Step 4: Using pastry blender or fork, cut butter into flour mixture, until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Step 5: In medium bowl, combine orange juice, buttermilk, and orange peel.

Step 6: Add wet ingredients to dry, stir just until moistened.

Step 7: Stir in mini chocolate chips.

Step 8: Drop by heaping teaspoons two inches apart onto prepared cookie sheet.

Step 9: In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together.

Step 10: Sprinkle mixture on top of each scone.

Step 11: Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until light brown.

This recipe makes about 24 mini chip orange scones.

Important: Feel free to republish this article on your website. However, you are not allowed to modify any part of its content and all links should be kept active.

For more great scone recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/scone-recipes.html

For some great tasting no bake recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/no-bake-and-fancy-cookie-recipes.html

For cookie baking tips and a wide selection of recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/

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