Gindi Cafe

Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Election season is in full swing, and it’s time to get out and vote. For president, you say? Of course, but there’s one more candidate to elect this year – America’s fish.

Think about it: America has a national anthem, a national flower and even a national tree, but not a national fish. Therefore, the Catfish Institute has nominated U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish for the honor.

Why is this fish worthy of such a title? A true American original, U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish can be found on plates all around the country, from California to New York and all the way to Washington. This versatile fish is adaptable to a variety of seasonings and can be grilled, baked, poached, broiled or fried. So where does this candidate stand on the important issues? Read on:

* On the environment: A friend to the environment, U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish is fed a grain-based diet and raised in closed, freshwater ponds.

* On family values: Affording Americans time at home with family is a valued priority for this candidate. Because catfish is so easy to prepare, families can spend less time cooking and more time together.

* On health and nutrition: Low in fat, calories and sodium, carb-free, and high in protein, this candidate is ideal for every health-conscious American.

* On the economy: With prices that are easy on the pocketbook, voting for this candidate is smart economics.

Try this quick, easy recipe to see what else “Candidate Catfish” has to offer.

CLASSIC FRIED CATFISH

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

4 U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish

fillets

Vegetable oil

For garnish: sliced tomato

and parsley sprigs

Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Coat farm-raised catfish with mixture, shaking off excess.

Fill deep pot or 12-inch skillet half full with vegetable oil. Heat to 350 F. Add catfish in single layer and fry until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes, depending on size. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Food forums have raised many a discussion on the “difficulty” to get kids to eat fruits and vegetables. Some parents respond saying their kids have no problem eating fruits and vegetables and like them, while others do look for ways to help their kids get the nutrition they need. The question has been raised whether or not societal stigmas are to blame for this problem of unhealthy eating by kids. Perhaps kids are just meeting expectations, or trying to fit in, by not “liking” fruits or vegetables. If a parent expects that a kid might prefer a cookie to an apple, and has one on hand, it’s likely the kid may choose the cookie – because they are expected to. While man-made products such as cupcakes and cookies have been loaded with sugar may be appeasing to kids, other parents suggest that the media is to blame for marketing such snack foods to kids more often than healthy choices.

Well, kid-friendly brands like Nickelodeon and Disney have been fighting back, trying to put their famous cartoon characters on healthier foods like fruits and vegetables instead. Nickelodeon, owned by Viacom, just announced they joined the “help kids make healthy choices” bandwagon by restricting its cartoon characters from being found on any sort of junk food, according Reuters article. Nickelodeon characters such as Sponge Bob Square Pants, Jimmy Neutron or the Rugrats will only be used as marketing tools for foods that meet their advised dietary guidelines. Sponge Bob Square Pants now circulates the vegetable aisles instead of snack aisles, as he has been found on snack packs of baby carrots, and other vegetables. However, Nickelodeon still plans to license their characters to be used on holiday treats or snacks like Valentine’s Day chocolates, for example.

Whereas Nickelodeon is restricting its licensing of characters, Disney has released its own whole line of Disney Garden products that include a number of bagged fruits and vegetables like cut up apple slices and even cauliflower. Disney Garden hopes to help kids make healthier choices by choosing their fruits and vegetables. They hope to make the lives of parents easier by creating some incentive to want these fruits and vegetables with their characters. Their Web site offers recipe ideas for kids, as well as hints and tips for parents to help their kids make healthier choices.

But, who benefits more from these relatively new marketing ploys? Have parents fallen to a trap where they buy these products to unsuccessfully appeal to their kids, or have kids actually now been eating their vegetables? In other words, is this “humanitarian” effort really just putting more money in the pockets of Viacom and Disney, or is it actually helping kids to become healthier? Maybe a little bit of both.

Food blogger Kate Hopkins of Accidental Hedonist believes these new marketing concepts have kept public school systems out of the know. Kids are surrounded by food choices while at school, and the school system has a large bearing on what food choices are the right ones to make, as well as what foods show up in vending machines, etc. Questions such as these raise further issues as to what’s behind these new marketing schemes.

All in all, these efforts can’t necessarily hurt much, unless you’re an adult forced to eat Sponge Bob Square Pants carrots instead of a regular old bag of carrots, like me

Sources:
Reuters
Accidental Hedonist
Imagination Farms
Viacom Company

Tea kettles started back as far as when tea was first discovered in Mainland China.

Although these exquisite tea kettles were used for the sole purpose of boiling water to prepare tea; nowadays its function has extended as useful kitchen wares seeping tea leaves.

These kettles come in various types from traditional tea kettle to modern stainless steel tea kettle. Some tea kettles’ sole purpose is for boiling water only, however, some are intended to be “conversation starters” because of its beautiful style and design.

There are many types of tea kettles such as cast iron tea kettle, electric tea kettle, ceramic tea kettle, stove tea kettle, contemporary tea kettle, and whistling tea kettle.

Just make sure that the dish soap is diluted with water though, especially if you are using a particularly strong agent.

Caring for your tea kettle is not difficult. For many types of tea kettle, a gentle soap and water is enough. For cast iron tea kettle care with rust inside, you need to take a small piece of cotton cloth and wet it. Add a tablespoon of salt into the bottom of the kettle together with a small amount of olive oil. Rub the bottom of the kettle with the mixture in it to remove the rust.

One misconception among users of cast iron tea kettle is to never use dish soap on cast iron tea kettles. But the truth is, there is not a better cleaning agent out there than the good old dish soap to remove rust inside cast iron tea kettles. If you are using a strong agent, make sure that the dish soap is diluted with water though.

Whatever your purpose is for having a teapot or whatever the type of tea kettle you choose to have, you can assure of its elegance and satisfaction. Now, it’s just a matter of brewing your favorite tea, sit back, relax, and enjoy the pleasurable benefits that this tea brings to every home.