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Bridal showers should be stress-free and enjoyable for the bride, but that doesn’t mean that her hostesses can’t have a good time too. It is possible to host an elaborate and elegant bridal shower without a lot of effort.

One way to do this is to simplify the bridal shower food. Rather than providing a full meal for guests, why not have a variety of Italian appetizers? Rather than one set entree, they offer guests a variation in food choices, and they are easy to eat since they don’t require sitting down with a fork and knife. Paired with an assortment of wines and arranged on nice serving dishes, these Italian appetizers can make a stylish and tasty statement.

One particularly popular appetizer is bruschetta. Thanks to Volpi Foods, America’s oldest and most prestigious manufacturer of authentic Italian meat products, there’s a way to make bruschetta simpler and even more delicious. Volpi produces Italian traditional rotola, which is thinly sliced prosciutto hand-rolled in whole milk mozzarella. Volpi’s Basil Rotola, which has fresh basil leaves rolled in the layers of mozzarella and prosciutto, is the key to a crowd-pleasing bruschetta recipe.

Pre-heat your broiler on a low temperature. Cut one loaf of French bread vertically into half inch slices. Put the bread slices on a cookie sheet, then place in the broiler to lightly toast. When the bread is slightly golden brown, remove from the oven and spread a thin layer of basil pesto on top of each bread slice. Cut one package of Volpi Basil Rotola into slices about 1/4 inch thick, and then place one slice on top of each piece of bread. To make them into mini pizzas, add the pesto and rotola slices to the bread slices before toasting them to let the mozzarella melt a bit.

Warm and satisfying, this modern take on the Italian traditional bruschetta recipe saves time in the kitchen and makes an exciting addition to bridal shower menus. The mozzarella and prosciutto combined with the basil, garlic and pine nuts in the pesto creates a mouth-watering and multi-faceted flavor that will have your guests coming back for more. Suggested beverage pairings include dry sparkling wine or Pinot Grigio wine.

You can even slice and serve Volpi Rotola as an Italian appetizer in itself. Plus, it comes in other variations such as Sun Dried Tomato, Hot Salami and Hot Capocolla. For a quick and delicious antipasto platter, simply arrange the rotola slices on a plate with olives and crackers.

Remember, you don’t have to be a chef to prepare fantastic bridal shower food, and there’s no need to hire a caterer. Thrill your guests - and the bride - with simple Italian appetizers that turn bridal shower food from ordinary to extraordinary.

There are many different suggested ways to store coffee beans in order to make the most of your bean to cup espresso machine and maintain coffee bean freshness. One method which we often hear is that of putting the Coffee Beans in the freezer So does storing coffee in your freezer actually work What are the advantages and are there any disadvantages

Freezing is a traditional method used to preserve food and in todays modern kitchen with a fridge or freezer it is easy and convenient A diverse selection of foods can be frozen. Meat, fruit & even bread can be successfully frozen with no major loss in taste and vitamin content. Coffee, however, isn’t as likely a candidate for storage in the freezer.

Four main elements attack Coffee Beans stealing their freshness (and more importantly its taste

At first, freezing doesn’t seem to contain many of the offending enemies. However, appearances can be deceiving.

Coffee beans have been roasted in order to enhance flavor. The beans are also porous.and unfortunately a freezer can contain many other foods which have odours. The porous beans take on the flavour of the other foods in the freezer Coffee tasting of frozen prawns, meat and sausages yuk!!

Due to their porous nature moisture can also be absorbed by the coffee beans. Moisture attacks the Beans and causes the taste and flavour to be lost The more often you take coffee out of the freezer and put it back in, the more moisture absorption takes place into the bean. The only time you should even consider freezing coffee is if you have too much for normal use, in this situation freeze it only the one time. The more you take it in and out of the freezer, the more damage you do.

Once frozen these oils in the beans begin to break down. The oils contribute to the flavour of the coffee. Breaking down the oils means taking away flavour, and let’s face it, a large part of a good cup of coffee is the flavour.

The freezer is not the place to store your coffee beans. Keep coffee stored in a cool, dry, airtight container away from light. So although Coffee can be frozen it is best only to freeze it the once. The resulting loss of flavour and quality from repetitive freezing makes it a method of storage to stay away from.

The best approach is to buy just enough beans to keep you supplied for one or two weeks. That way you will enjoy Coffee from your Expresso Coffee Maker or Coffee machine at its freshiest and best.

Which is better when it comes to a barbecue grill – gas or charcoal? People have been arguing this point for many years. Each has its pros and cons, and people are often fiercely loyal to their chosen method of grilling. But if you’re just starting out with barbeque cooking and trying to decide which to buy, here’s a look at what each has to offer.

Gas

* Quick. In just 10 minutes, the grill is ready.

* You can easily control the heat. It gives you the flexibility of pacing the cooking. Sometimes you need to cook something over low heat for an extended period, and other times it needs to be at a higher temperature for less time. Gas can help you easily manage these requirements.

* Flexible. You can use the gas burner on the side to cook some vegetables, and the rotisserie attachment is ideal for slow cooking a roast.

* Flavor. Some people don’t like the flavor of food prepared on a gas grill. And it certainly doesn’t offer up the distinctive wood smoke taste of food cooked over charcoal.

* Easy cleaning. You don’t have to sweep away ashes. Drip trays will take care of most of the mess, and turning the heat up for 10 minutes or so will burn off the rest so it can be easily scraped off.

* Cost effective. One gas cylinder is enough for 8 hours even at maximum setting.

* Your upfront costs might be higher, but there are a lot of different price points to fit most budgets.

* It may prove to be more cost effective in the long run especially if taken good care of, but this depends on the changing prices of gas.

Charcoal

* The flavor and aroma of wood smoking can’t be matched.

* Initial cost is low, but it may not be efficient in the long run.

* They’re slow, both to get started and throughout the cooking. From the time the briquettes are lit and have burned down enough to start cooking, 40 minutes have probably gone by. This can be a problem if you have a sudden urge for barbeque.

* Timing is critical. There is no heat control, so you have to keep a close eye on your food.

* If you barbeque a lot, the expense of charcoal briquettes can really add up.

* Ashes are a pain to clean out. The grate is hard to clean, and it takes a long time for the unit to cool down enough to clean it.

Hopefully you’ll find these BBQ tips useful in your choice of charcoal or gas. Pick the one that fits both your lifestyle and your budget. Those who lead busy lives might prefer a gas barbeque because they require less time in order to fully cook a meal. But if you have lots of time, charcoal grills win hands down for flavor.

I had many years of restaurant work experience by the time I go to college. Working in the family business, I waited on tables and served tea and coffee to customers. Most of them don’t even sample the food before adding salt and pepper. Sometimes I see customers add salt and pepper to their tea and drink it like soup. Now I know it’s a great idea to cook with tea.

Here is a good snack from an old Chinese recipe. It is very easy to make.  Cook 6 eggs in water. After boiled, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. In another pan, use 4 servings of your favorite black tea and 3 cups of water. Brew the tea as usual and discard the tea leaves. Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce to the tea, maybe some salt and pepper if you’d like. After the eggs are cooked and cooled off, roll them on the counter to crack the egg shells. Do not peel the egg shells. Simmer the eggs for 10 minutes. Let it cool and refrigerate the eggs for 8 hours or overnight. The eggs can be serve as it is, hot or cold.

To spice up the egg yolks, use a Deviled Egg recipe or try this recipe below using crab meat.  It is another variation to adding flavors to egg yolk. Cut eggs in halves with a wet knife and remove the egg yolks. In an empty bowl, mix together the egg yolks, 6 ounces of crab meat and 6 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Add diced pickled ginger, half teaspoon of rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper to flavor it. Add a teaspoon of the crab meat on the egg halves. Garnish with chives, parsley or cilantro.

This gave us an idea for coloring Easter eggs. As a matter of fact, my daughter decided to use the same technique to color Easter Eggs. Using this idea, we made many marbleized eggs during Easter Holiday.

Darjeeling Black tea and Earl Grey de la Crème are now available from our website at www.morninggloryteahouse.com.

There is no better tasting cup of coffee than that which is made with freshly ground beans. A Capresso Burr Grinder gives you perfectly ground coffee every time, so that you can easily enjoy a great cup of coffee in your own home.

Grinding Beans at Home

It’s not good enough to grind your own coffee beans because it requires a long process and the end results were doubtful. But today the process is made simple due to electric coffee grinders like a Capresso Burr Grinder.

Fresh ground beans are amazing. Fresh ground coffee is aromatic and retains flavor, which will greatly increase the rich flavor of your coffee.

Types of Capresso Burr Grinde

There are a lot of options in burr grinders that are offered by Capresso. There are two main Capresso Burr Grinder types conical burr and burr. The conical burr grinder is be inclined to create an excellent and consistent grind. Burr grinders grind very quickly for a fast cup of coffee.

How To Find a Good Grinder

If you want to involve knowing what to look for in a grinder you have to find the right grinder first. Here are the main things that you should expect from a grinder:

• Capresso Burr Grinders are the quietest grinders on the market.
• These grinders have built in safety features.
• They are simple to use and clean.

How To Use a Grinder

Grinding beans at home is made easy with a Capresso Burr Grinder, but your efforts will be lost if you do not follow a few simple rules. Keep in mind a few things below :

• Tap the grinder lightly before opening to ensure grounds do not fly all over when you open the grinder.
• Only grind what you need for the freshest flavor.
• Store beans in an air tight container to retain freshness and flavor.

With these things in mind, your Capresso Burr Grinder should help you to get the best tasting cup of coffee right in your own home.