This Thanksgiving, don’t forget about Thanksgiving decorations! You can easily decorate by just making small tweaks to what you already have around the house in terms of Halloween decor. Re-use your pumpkins and ears of corn and all things orange and brown.

Since the most important part about Thanksgiving is the dinner, the table decor is the most important feature of everything. Assembling a tablescape is probably the easiest and most inexpensive way to decorate the table. All it is is carefuly and thoughtfully assembled objects and/or candles across the table. You can do this on a full-length table, a round table, etc. It’s all in what you choose or how you arrange everything. And all of the objects you use can be re-used later on in some other capacity. Here’s a quick tablescape idea, great for last minute decoration ideas.

You’ll need:

mini pumpkins
flowers, we recommend orange or yellow daisies
tapered candles, in matching colors
candle holders for above candles

To assemble:

• Remove the stems from the pumpkins
• Carve out a small hole in the top of the pumkin. You’ll use this to hold water to feed the flowers.
• Add water to the reservoirs in the pumpkin
• Trim the stems on the flowers so the flowers fit inside the pumkins hole, hiding the stems
• Arrange the pumpkin vases and the candles on the table top.
• If you have the time, add extra flair by placing a large artificial leaf or a lace doily underneath each of the pieces

Cigars are comprised of surprisingly few component parts. Unlike cigarettes, which usually have filters, two different kinds and colors of paper, and filler ingredients other than tobacco, cigars are all tobacco. What makes one cigar so different from another is the type of tobacco, where it’s grown, when the leaves are picked, how the picked leaves are cured and fermented, and how the finished leaves are cut and rolled. Because cigars are made in so many parts of the world, there is a diverse range of product, as you’d expect.

Wrappers

The outermost layer of cigars is called the wrapper. It is made from the widest part of the tobacco leaves, and it has a big impact on the cigar’s flavor and aroma. Cigar wrappers vary in color, and because the wrapper color is what is most visible, cigars are often described by the wrapper color. Here is a list, from lightest to darkest:

* Double Claro: very light color (sometimes with a green tinge); color comes from leaves that are picked while still immature and cured quickly.

* Claro: light-brown or yellowish-brown color, which is the result of tobacco plants grown predominantly in shade.

* Natural: light-brown or brown.

* Colorado Claro: medium-brown; most often associated with Cuban or Dominican Republic tobacco.

* Colorado (or Rosado): reddish-brown.

* Maduro: dark-brown; very popular color among serious connoisseurs of cigars.

* Oscuro: very dark-brown to oily black; typically exudes a pungent aroma and deeper flavor.

Fillers

Cigars are composed mostly of whats known as filler tobacco. Cigars can have filler comprised of three basic types: Seco, Volado, and Ligero. Cigars with Seco filler are drier and have a lighter flavor. Volado filler produces a mid-range of flavor. Ligero is the darkest, oiliest filler, producing cigars with lots of bold flavors and aromatic smoke.

One reason to choose thicker cigars (Churchills or Double Coronas, for example) is that these cigars obviously have more room for filler tobacco. This gives the cigar maker the ability to add blends of Seco, Volado, and Ligero varieties. You will find that these bigger cigars generally produce more varied and complex flavor combinations.

Filler is either whats known as long or short. Long filler in cigars is comprised of whole tobacco leaves, whereas short filler contains a chopped mixture of leaves (sometimes just the leaves), stems, and other plant materials. In most cases, cigars with long filler are of superior quality.

Binders

Many low-end cigars only use wrappers and fillers. But the better quality cigars youll find on the market use another component binders. Binders are an intermediate layer of more elastic tobacco leaves that help cigars hold the filler material together in a more cohesive manner. The best cigars have binders that also add another complementary flavor to enhance the overall smoking experience.

Christmas recipe serves: 6
calories per serving: 480
preparationj time: 30 minutes
cooking time: 2 hours
not suitable for freezing

Christmas recipe ingredients:

• loin of pork, boned with skin scored, 1.4 kg (3 lb)

• salt and pepper
• honey, clear 60 ml (4 tbsp)
• mustard powder, 10 ml (2 tsp)
• lemon, grated rind from 1
• garnish, sprigs of rosemary and a few figs

stuffing:

• shallots, 4

• garlic clove, 1
• figs, dried no-soak 225 g (8 oz)
• apple, eating 1
• rosemary, fresh sprigs 2
• butter, 50 g (2 oz)
• lemon, grated rind and juice from 1
• dry sherry, 45 ml (3 tbsp)

Christmas recipe instructions:

1. Stuffing preparation: Chopped rosemary, peeled/cored/chopped apple, choppee figs, peeled and crushed garlic, peeled and chopped shallots.

2. Cook the garlic and shallots in butter until golden brown. Add the sherry, lemon rind and juice, rosemary, apple and figs. Stir until softened and most of the liquid reduced.

3. Place the cooled stuffing from step 2 along the middle of the salt and pepper seasoned pork loin (skin side down). Roll the piece up and tie up with string at several locations. Cook for 1 hour at gas mark 5 (190 degrees centigrade, 375 F).

4. Near the end of this time, heat together the lemon rind, mustard and honey. After the hour is up, brush this onto the pork and continue the cooking for another 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes.

5. Serve as carved slices (thick), garnished with rosemary sprigs and a few figs.

Heating and serving tips:

• Don’t keep food hot for longer than an hour before serving

• Leave roast potatoes open to the atmosphere after cooking, to retain their crispness.
• Remember that it is harder to keep certain foods warm. e.g. root vegetable keep their heat well but spinach and cabbage don’t.

——————————————————————————————–
(c) Paul Curran, CEO of Cuzcom Internet Publishing Group and webmaster at Gifts-for-Christmas.com, bringing
you recipes and unique gifts for christmas including their
online home collectibles and russian gifts stores.

This article may be published electronically or in print in
its entirety as long as the author bylines in the resource
box are included and urls kept live. A courtesy copy of your
publication or web page URL would be appreciated. ———————————————————————————————

With China covering the immense land within its boundaries, it is no surprise that there are many regional variations in Chinese cuisine. Traditionally, Chinese cooking is divided into five styles of regional cuisines. It is headed by the 3 great schools of Peking to the north, Szechuan to the west, and Chekiang-Kiangsu to the east. Fukien and Canton, of lesser importance cover the southern region.

Peking: the northern cuisine

The northern China presents a great contrast to the rest of the country. The North China Plain, edged by mountains to the north, stretches away in the west to the borders of Inner Mongolia, and is crossed by the infamous Yellow River . Due to its location, the climate is harsh for much of the year. The spring is dry and dusty, the summer is hot and wet, and the fall is calm, dry, and sunny, while the winter is long and freezing cold. It is dramatically subject to drought from the failure of the late spring rains and to flood when the Yellow River, for centuries unstable in its bed, floods over into the low-lying countryside. Thus, the lives and diets of the people living in this region are dictated by these seasons.

Wheat is the staple food, as opposed to rice in the rest of China, due to the harsh climate making it unsuitable to grow rice. Wheat flour is used to make dumplings, breads, steamed buns, noodles and large Chinese biscuits/pancakes. Meat is much more of a luxury up here, mostly eaten during festival times. Mutton and lamb are popular, most likely due to the influence of the neighboring Mongolians. Most northern family meals are dominated by vegetable dishes for economical reasons. Chinese cabbage is the most popular vegetable, as it is most suited to be stored over the winter. Dishes in general are much more plain, solid and nourishing. Soy sauce is used very generously. The use of leeks, onions, garlic, salted and pickled vegetables such as turnips, white radish and cabbages are important items in a rather monotonous diet.

Peking, which lies to the northern corner of the region, has been the capital of China since the 15th century. It is the land of fried bean curd (tofu) and water chestnuts. With it being the capital, and the city of the emperor’s residence, it is the only area in the region where the availability and the variety of food is abundant. The Imperial chefs were compensated handsomely, and along with the large, wealthy market in the capital, the infusion of gourmet chefs from all over China brought about a great concentration of culinary expertise in Peking . This tradition is what characterizes Peking cuisine today, which is lighter and more elegant than that of the outlying regions. The greatest delicacy of the region is, of course, the elaborate, world-renowned dish Peking duck. In Peking, ducks are specially bred for this dish and force fed to just the right degree of plumpness and tenderness in preparation for this dish.

In the part 2 of this 4 part series, we will cover Szechuan: the western cuisine.

About the Author

Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com

Some of you might be wondering, where did the phrase “Crunk!!!” come from? And why would someone use that to name a beverage? Well, the mastermind behind the Crunk Juice energy drink is the self-proclaimed “King of Crunk”Lil’ John. If you don’t know who Lil’ John is just think of these two simple wordswhat and yeah. Now scream them out loud repeatedly and you should start to conjure up the image of Mr. John.

The Crunk Juice energy drink has a very distinctive taste. It uses a flavor that has previously been untouched in the energy drink universe. What is it? None other than pomegranate.

Some might be trepidatious toward drinking a pomegranate-flavored beverage, but it’s quite good. The combination of tart and sweetness is enough to cover any potential aftertaste.

The Crunk Juice energy drink ingredients feature the standard formulation–high amounts of caffeine, sugar, and b-vitamins. Practically all energy drinks use this formula since it’s been proven to give people an “energy hi”.

The Crunk Juice energy drink has the potential to be very popular in that highly sought after male/18-25 demographic. With Lil’ John as the spokesman and a great taste, I see many people getting Crunk. YEAHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Crunk Juice Energy Drink Ingredients and Nutritional Facts:

Water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium citrate, calcium lactate, natural flavors, black carrot extract (for color), magnesium lactate, ascorbic acid, vitamin E acetate, niacinamide (vit B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine HCL (vit B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamin HCL (vit B1), cyanocobalamin (vit B12)

Serving size: 1 can; calories: 120; total carb. 29g; sugars 29g; vitamin C 50%; vitamin E 25%; vitamin B1 25%; vitamin B2 100%; vitamin B3 100%; vitamin B6 100%; vitamin B12 100%; vitamin B4 100%; calcium 5%; magnesium 3%; sodium 5%

Hi, I’m Patrick Austin and I’m the creator of http://www.energy-drink-review.org. If you’re an energy drink enthusiast, you need to visit this site.

I also write for Vainquer magazine, RealGM.com, and Pulsemed.org.