The sidecar cocktail is a classic dating back to the 1920s and is enjoying something of a revival on today’s cocktail menus. How the sidecar got its name and its origins are a little hazy. However, it’s generally considered to have been invented for a US army captain in Paris around the time of the First World War.

One day, the captain who was feeling unwell, requested an aperitif before his evening meal. Since brandy was commonly used as a cold remedy, this was used as a base with lemon juice added for its vitamin C content.
 

Pacific Sunrise

Mixing your own cocktails at home can be a lot of fun. Once you've built up a collection of various ingredients, you can start experimenting and create your own.

Indeed, many cocktails are just slight variations of those already invented. The Pacific sunrise for instance, is very similar to the blue margarita with its exotic deep blue color and ingredients but has the addition of bitters which, while barely detectable, somehow injects a more subtle and interesting flavor.

The Pacific sunrise will always impress your guests and it makes a refreshing cocktail to enjoy on a warm summers day. (to be updated)

If you prefer your coffee cappuccino style, no doubt you appreciate the rich, creamy foam that sits on top. But trying to recreate the coffee shop experience at home can be a hit and miss affair when it comes to making frothy milk.

Home espresso coffee machines with a milk frothing attachment, often produce rather lacklustre results. But with the right tools and a little know how, you can easily produce a cafe-style cappuccino to be proud of. (The pump action style frothers seem to produce a much denser quality of foam than other styles.)

Since their inception over 40 years ago, Weight Watchers has helped millions of people lose weight. In response to the diet’s popularity, Weight Watchers launched their own range of food products, all displaying their calories and points value.

Of course there is plenty of competition among the popular diet foods and Weight Watchers doesn't come out on top all the time. However, there are many delicious Weight Watchers food products that are well worth trying out, even if you’re not watching your waistline.

As every coffee aficionado knows, coffee is more than just a drink. It’s an experience and one that shouldn’t be hurried. To properly appreciate the full body, aroma, acidity and flavor of any coffee, it must be brewed from freshly ground specialty coffee beans and nothing less will do. But what are the advantages of buying specialty gourmet coffee? If you love proper coffee, read on to find out why you shouldn't feel guilty buying the coffee you enjoy.

Once you've experienced the superior taste of gourmet coffee there’s no going back to anything less. While coffee has been enjoyed around the world for centuries, more people than ever have caught on to the gourmet coffee drinking habit, possibly as a result of the worldwide explosion of coffee shop chains.

However, a coffee shop addiction can become somewhat expensive, so the next best thing is to choose your own gourmet coffee beans and recreate the coffee shop experience at home.

Cappuccino

There are still some corners of the world where you won't find a Starbucks chain. And there are people who only ever drink instant coffee. To the uninitiated, the modern world of gourmet coffee culture can seem a bewildering place. But it doesn't have to be. Understanding the language of coffee culture is easy when you know how.

Coffee Culture has been around for a long time. Back in the 17th century when coffee houses first began springing up around Europe, they were popular places for social gatherings. This is still the case today. A definition given on the Internet defines coffee culture as ‘A lifestyle characterized by drinking coffee (especially in a coffee shop) as a social activity.’

The Original SPAM

SPAM®, ‘The miracle meat of a million uses’, has been in existence long before another kind of spam started making its unwelcome intrusion into our email in-boxes.

With more than 122 million cans sold around the world each year, some 90 million in the US alone, the popularity of Spam remains as strong today as it was in its heyday as a wartime staple.

Italy is synonymous with some of the finest tasting coffees in the world. And there’s no better place to experience the true authentic taste of Italian coffee than in Italy. Since we can’t be expected to fly off to Italy for an Italian coffee, why not do the next best thing and make your own.

Making Italian style coffee is very easy. With a few basic elements, you’ll soon be enjoying a little taste of Italy in your own home.

The term ‘deli’ is an abbreviation of the word delicatessen, meaning ‘fine foods’ or delicacies. Though they may not all sell delicacies, many supermarkets and grocery stores do have a dedicated deli counter where you can find all manner of ready-to-eat, chilled food items. They are much like a mini-market within the main store where their purpose is to provide the customer with the ‘personal’ touch traditionally received in a specialist shop such as a butchers or bakery. Read on for your complete guide to shopping at the deli counter.

Mold is something commonly associated with rotting food and there's nothing quite as stomach churning as picking up a piece of fruit to discover it's half covered with a green, furry growth. It seems to get on everything. That half finished cup of coffee left on your desk over the weekend, the stale loaf of bread a few days past its sell by date or a slab of cheese opened a week ago. They've all been attacked by mold. But where did it come from and why does mold develop on food?

Natural Yogurt

Many of us enjoy eating a pot of delicious creamy yogurt each day. And thanks to widespread advertising we’re becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits of yogurt due to the live cultures they contain.

These cultures are often referred to as probiotics and you’re most likely to find them in yogurts and other cultured or fermented foods. But have you ever wondered why these cultures are live and why they are so helpful to our health?

Evaporated milk and Condensed  Milk

Many people are unsure whether there is a difference between evaporated and sweetened milk.

Although they undergo the same initial process, the end product is most definitely not the same. Neither can be used interchangeably, particularly when it comes to cooking.  If you do, your savory dish may well end up as a sickly sweet concoction destined for the rubbish bin.

Evaporated Milk

With the wide range of milk available to us nowadays, it’s easy to overlook evaporated milk.  It was a popular substitute for cream in the 1970s and was often poured over tinned fruit as a dessert.

But as our tastes become more sophisticated over the years it was largely forgotten. However, with shrinking household budgets, evaporated milk is showing a surge in popularity. And it’s not surprising because it’s extremely versatile and there are a multitude of different cooking uses for evaporated milk.

I've been enjoying Ryvita since I was about 17 years old and began my first ever diet. I won't tell you how many years that is, but they're obviously doing something right as I always have a box of Ryvita in my cupboard.

There’s nothing quite like biting into a juicy burger, loaded with melted cheese, oozing mayonnaise and ketchup, probably accompanied by a side of fries. They’re delicious and not surprisingly, burgers are one of the most popular foods around the world. Unfortunately, they’re also one of the unhealthiest. But they don’t have to be.  If you’re taking steps towards a healthier way of eating, there’s no need to give up on the burger.

With a few minor tweaks here and there, it’s perfectly possible to turn that cholesterol laden feast into a healthy, nutritionally balanced meal. It all boils down to the ingredients you’re using in your burger and the way you prepare and cook it. Read on for the easy instructions to make your own healthy burger.

Since their inception over 40 years ago, Weight Watchers has helped millions of people lose weight. In response to the diet’s popularity, Weight Watchers launched their own range of food products, all displaying their calories and points value.

Of course there is plenty of competition among the popular diet foods and Weight Watchers doesn't come out on top all the time. However, there are many delicious Weight Watchers food products that are well worth trying out, even if you’re not watching your waistline.

Watch out, hidden calories about. It's a minefield out there where everything is not what it seems. If you're embarking on a diet, it pays to be armed with the knowledge of where the dangers lie.

The following advice will help you avoid making common mistakes when choosing food for your diet plan.

Despite the trend for darker leaved lettuces, the iceberg, from the family of "crispheads" is still one of the most popular lettuces around the world. According to the Economic Research Service, USDA, Americans consume more iceberg lettuce than any other variety, at around 22 pounds per person per year.
California produces about 72 percent of all icebergs grown in the United States (followed by Arizona at 25 percent). Although slightly lacking in the nutrition department, the iceberg remains supreme. With a water content of 95%, nothing beats an iceberg lettuce for making a refreshingly crisp bed for a healthy salad on a hot summer day, or for adding the perfect crunch to a sandwich. For the lowdown on exactly what nutritional delights are to be found in your iceberg lettuce, read on here.

Iceberg Lettuce