Cookware Pots

Rustic country decor and how to decorate cottage style homes are extensions of American country style decorating. In addition, traditions are borrowed from French, English and some Swedish country looks. Rustic country decor can be defined as coarse, charmingly simple, unfussy, unfinished and yet with endearing qualities. Rustic country decorating includes the use of natural woods, aged surfaces, rough finishes and simple lines. Cottage style homes are comfortable, modest, quaint homes that can be made of thick stone or log wood.

Floors in rustic country decor and cottage style homes are made with stone or wood materials. Wooden floors were traditionally constructed with boards that were bare and simply waxed and hand-polished (high-gloss varnishes did not exist). Sometimes the boards were painted with light colors. If you like floor coverings, use oriental rugs and throws for visual warmth and color. Rustic country decor is about handcrafted objects, simplicity, furnishings that you enjoy and connecting back to nature.

Rustic cottage furniture is commonly made with pine and perhaps painted with hand-painted designs such as flowers, birds, animals, country scenery or leaves. Use ladderback chairs, rocking chairs, benches, wicker furniture and Windsor chairs. A large rectangular table made of pine is a good option for your kitchen or dining room table. To give your furniture a rustic look, brush a coat of paint on the furniture piece, then rub most of the paint off. After it dries, apply wood stain unevenly for an older weathered appearance. It will be perfect and rustic looking!

Baskets can be used to store wood, pine cones, flowers, plants and needlework. Brass candle holders, oil or kerosene lamps, sconces, hurricane lamps, tin lanterns, recessed ceiling fixtures or a vintage wrought-iron or metal chandelier provide successful lighting for rustic country decor and cottage style homes. Colors used in rustic country decor or cottage style homes are neutral tones ranging from white to bone, earth tones, red barn, blues and greens.

For rustic country decor in the kitchen, use open shelves, hutches, buffets, plate racks and cupboards for storage. Often, country kitchen storage is crammed with stoneware pots, plain glazed earthenware and glass jars. Kitchen pots should be made of copper, steel or cast iron — cookware tends to be large and plain. Use open shelving in the rustic country kitchen to display plates, dishes and dinnerware collections. Natural woods, light colors and bright fabrics work great for window treatments. Adding a rustic butcher block island creates a wonderful visual effect as well as provides useful functionality.

A rustic country decor bathroom has neutral tones or soft colored walls, antique-looking lighting, and wooden antiques or antique reproduction cabinets and vanity. Knowing how to decorate cottage style homes and bathrooms can result in creating a calm and elegant atmosphere. Clawfoot tubs, pedestal sinks, country style antique brass faucets and old-fashioned country cabinets provide the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to spend time there. Plain white towels are recommended instead of patterned or bright modern patterns. Use wicker or wire baskets to keep your sponges, loofas and shampoos handy near the tub or shower.

Understanding how to decorate cottage style homes means including items like quilts, antique furniture or reproductions, flea-market pieces, trunks, chests, armoires, stenciling, wallpaper, adirondack chairs, flower wreaths and bistro chairs. These types of elements give cottage style homes the kind of rustic country decor that is simpler, very personal and warmly inviting.

Whether in a seaside setting, an urban environment, a countryside location or a wooded mountain retreat, cottage style homes are cozy and unassuming, combining the past with the present. Read all you can find and learn what creating the rustic country cottage means to you no matter where it’s located. Enjoy expressing your personality and showing what the definition of home means to you.

Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing

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Prepping for your holiday meals can take a lot of time, and you probably have started making a list. Christmas season only happens once a year, so much more than the usual party fried chicken, this elegant but affordable menu will dazzle up your holiday meals with new taste, presentation and festive colors without spending too much. If you’re growing your own herbs, this is your chance to use them for a touch of greenery in your holiday meals.

Smoked Fish and lemon Primavera Pasta

Ingredients

600 grams linguine, cooked
1 piece large smoked Bangus, flaked
1 cup red tomatoes, halved
12 spears of asparagus, cut into 1 inch (blanched)
½ cup white wine
3 tablespoons minced garlic
¼ cup black olives, sliced
½ cup cheese, grated
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Procedure

In a medium sauté pan, heat oil and sauté the smoked fish for two minutes over low heat; add the garlic and continue to sauté for another minute. Add the tomatoes and continue sautéing for two more minutes. Place the freshly cooked pasta into the sauté pan with the wine and ¼ cup of the pasta water. Toss and allow cooking for 1 minute. Add the pre-blanched asparagus. Season with salt and pepper then toss the cheese. Finish with chopped parsley and olives. To make it look yummier, sprinkle with more grated cheese.

Chicken Galentina Meat Balls with Spicy Tomato

Ingredients

500 g chicken, ground
3 pieces white bread, cut into small squares and soaked in milk
1 can Vienna sausages
¼ cup chopped pickles
¼ cup red bell pepper, finely-diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup onions, finely-diced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 ½ cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
Salt and pepper
Pinch of paprika

Procedure

Except for the tomato sauce and oregano leaves, place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken; combine well then form into balls. Steam or pouch the meatballs for 3 minutes, then skewer them alternating with red and green bell peppers, or add some mushrooms. You may grill or pan-fry the meatballs just to give that brown-colored delicious grill marks. In a small bowl, mix tomato sauce with the chopped oregano then serve alongside meatballs.

Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Berries and Cream

Ingredients

160 g bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon coffee powder
1 tablespoon sugar
3/2 cup cream
3 egg whites

Procedure

Put chocolate in a microwave to melt then stir in sugar. Whip egg whites until soft peaks form; do the same with the cream in a different bowl. Add the coffee to the chocolate and slowly fold the cream in. Fold in the whipped egg whites a third at a time. Mix well until no streaks are seen. Transfer to serving bowls and allow setting for at least 2 to 4 hours in the chiller. Serve cold with sliced berries or your favorite fruit and whipped cream.

Hope that gives you an affordable idea of a dazzling menu for Christmas. Happy Holidays!

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Creepy food is always part of a Halloween feast and no matter how simple they come, they add color to the occasion. You may be preparing for a Halloween festivity or a simple get-together fun; a little creativity can turn even your most standard meals into creepy Halloween treats. Here are some ways to transform something ordinary to something extraordinary, using tuna.

Tuna Brain Salad

Make two cups of tuna and mayo mixture the way you usually do it, but add more mayo or cream to make it appear creamy. Set aside. Prepare a cup of “clear or colorless” gelatin according to the package instructions then stir the cooked gelatin on the tuna and mayo mixture. Pour mixture into a brain mold. You can buy one at bakery items or seasonal stores. Chill for 1 hour.

Unmold by turning the mold upside down then gently pop out the brain onto a platter with a bed of lettuce. You can use your hidden sculpting skills to make the tuna even look like a brain.

Tuna Witch Fingers

Slice tuna fillets to form finger-shaped pieces. Fry on your usual way. Paint the pointed end or “nail portion” by using some red food coloring and brush on with a small kitchen brush. If you have a red decorator gel, squeeze gel onto the tip of the tuna slices to form nails.

Halloween Tuna Eyeballs

Combine ground tuna, flour, cheese, some butter, pepper and salt. When the tuna mixture is enough to hold together, shape into eyeball-sized balls. Flatten each ball just a little and press pimiento-stuffed green olive in the center. Arrange in a way the “eye” (pimento) is facing outward. Mold tuna meat around the olive, and bake for 10 minutes.

Tuna Monstrous Sandwiches

In this recipe, use white tuna fish that is packed in water. Cut tuna into small pieces then mix with celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice and seasonings. Cut the bread slices in the shape of ghosts. Spread tuna mixture onto the bread to form sandwiches. Use raisins to make the eyes and mouth.

Celebrating Halloween doesn’t really need to be expensive. Creepy, maybe, but these Halloween recipes are only designed to put smiles and fun around. I hope the Halloween tuna ideas will help to get you started in creating memorable Halloween traditions. You may find it inflexible to mingle tuna with your other usual Halloween dishes, but the whole sense of chaotic flavors running on your palate could add up to the whole “scary” scheme. After all its Halloween night.

Happy Halloween!

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a treat at the end.

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With all of the bad publicity that Teflon and aluminum cookware has received, many of us are searching for healthy non toxic cookware. It doesn’t make any sense to purchase healthy whole foods and then cook them in toxic pots and pans.

Although stainless steel cookware has been considered a safe alternative, it does have one drawback. Stainless steel cookware is made with a combination of stainless steel, chromium and nickel. None of these are harmful in small doses, but many people are allergic to nickel. If you are allergic to nickel, you should refrain from using stainless steel cookware.

Another concern that many people are not aware of is that some glazes used on crock pots have small amount of lead. The recommendation is to use terra cotta crock pots without the lead glaze.

The best cookware which is healthy and non toxic is anodized aluminum cookware. The process used in making the hard anodized aluminum seals the aluminum with an extremely hard surface coating which is non-reactive and prevents any aluminum from leaching into the food we are cooking.

The following three companies have excellent hard anodized aluminum cookware sets that are healthy and non toxic:

Calphalon is the leading manufacturer but many other companies are now producing cookware sets made with the hard anodized aluminum. Calphalon cookware cooks evenly on lower heat and is stick-resistant. They have stainless steel handles which will stay cool during stovetop cooking. The pans and lids can be used in the oven and broiler.

Cuisinart has introduced a line of non-stick cookware called Cuisinart Green Gourmet Hard Anodized Cookware. They work just like the Teflon cookware, except they don’t emit any of the toxic fumes that Teflon pans do. Just like the Teflon pans, they allow you to cook with less oil and they are also energy efficient and eco-friendly. This Green Gourmet cookware set is oven and broiler safe.

KitchenAid has their own set of non-stick anodized aluminum cookware called KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials. This cookware set features stainless steel handles coated with silicone grips. The lids are break resistant glass which makes it nice to see what you are cooking. These pots and pans are oven safe up to 400 degrees.

All three of these companies cookware sets are highly recommended healthy non toxic sets. I use the Kitchen Aid Gourmet Essentials cookware in my kitchen. It is the best value out of the three.

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