9 things you need to know about barbecues

Its almost like a tradition but in the spring time of every year people in America blow the dust of there barbecue sets and start to bulk buy all their meats. But how much do we really know about barbecuing?

1) Barbecues originated in pig-pickin’s, before the civil war it was common to throw parties and elaborate meals outside, they would roast an entire pig on an open flame.

2) “Smoking” has been used for over 6 millenia to safely cook and store food. The meat was treated to bellows of smoke and low heat this was done to prevent any bacteria cultivating.

3) Barbecuing is not that common, well not barbecuing as we no it barbecuing is a length cooking experience that cooks at a temperatures similar to boiling water in order to tenderize the meat while preserving the juices. Today the method most commonly used is in fact broiling, cooking at in much less time and a far higher temperature, about 300 degrees higher.

4) According to surveys done by the Barbecue Industry Association, half of all marshmallows consumed in the U. S. have been flame roasted.

5) One of the insanely easy ways to check your gas tank level, use bathroom scales.

6) The origin of the word barbecue is unclear. Some believe it came from the American-Indian word barbacoa for a wood on which foods were cooked.

7) To add a Smokey flavor to food cooked on a gas grill cooked or food that you cook inside the house, use “liquid Smoke.” Liquid Smoke is a condensation of actual smoke, this product is simply added to any barbecue.

8) Brisket, this incredibly dense cut of meat taken from a cow’s chest, cooks in 1 to 2 hours per pound on a barbecue. This works out at an average of 12 hours cooking time on the grill for a basic 8 pound piece!

9) Kansas City, Missouri and Lexington, North Carolina both claim to be the barbecue capitals of the world. Memphis, meanwhile, stakes a claim to being the pork barbecue capital.

Counting cards how to escape detection

It is not a secret for anyone that casinos do not like blackjack counters and frequently ask them to leave or to play another game. Here, we will describe how casino management detects counters and how to act when caught. We also describe the countermeasures that casinos use against skilled players but most of all we show you how to count cards while not getting caught.

Do Casinos Object?

Most casinos have strict policies that ban any player from counting cards when playing blackjack, but some like those in New Jersey do not pay any attention to such players.

How Do You Know Whether A Casino Minds?

You do not. But you had better act as if they all do and thus save yourself the embarressment of being shoved out if they do mind and if they catch you red-handed.

How to Count Without Getting Detected?

Always keep in mind that since card counting is something that one does silently, the only method to detect it is through observing you and the manner you play. Thus, look out for the following:

1) Do not stare at the cards of other players. Glance once, count, and then move on.

2) Do not stare at the cards that have been discarded. Look quickly and then slowly move away by shifting your gaze nonchalantly from player to player.

3) Change your pattern of betting occassionaly.

4) Change the amount of betting money each round.

5) Even though you know it, loose a round or two. Do not bet big on those rounds. But likewise do not bet too small too. If the casino notices that you are always winning big and losing small, they might get suspicious.

6) Buy chips of different colours and then mix them around while playing to confuse the dealer.

7) Talk to the other players while playing, but this is especially difficult so practice this at home before trying it at a casino.

8) Pick your seat carefully: either the first chair or the third one so that you won't have to twist your head around as the cards are dealt.

9) Dress casually because smart and elegant clothes cause the dealers to think you are intelligent and they might watch you more closely.

10) Order an alcoholic drink and pretend to sip it because they are looking for those non-drinkers who are staying sober to count the cards.

The common denominator of all these is that you must never forget that the casino si watching you and how you play. Act accordingly!

Supposing that the Casino Catches On, What Should you Do?

Stay calm if the casino catches you counting cards and abide by their wishes quietely. Do not make a fuss. If they ask you to leave, do so. The faster you leave, the easier it will be for you to return later. Remember that if you make a fuss, they will all remember you, so desist from any unfriendly behaviour. Note that after shifts change, the new personnel won't know you so all you have to do is wait for that and then you can start playing again. You could also just enter the next casino and start earning money there instead of risking casino personnel from recognizing you.

Buy a chocolate fountain

Some people (with little vision or desire to entertain) would be forgiven for wondering why anyone would want to buy a chocolate fountain? It all depends. If you are the type of person who invites people around then rations the food and drink and expects your guests to like it or lump it, then perhaps it’s not for you. (I’ve certainly been to those kind of parties, where the hosts were so mean you were searching for takeout on the way home!)

However if you are a generous host or hostess who wants to really send your guests away happy, then the thought that you might buy a chocolate fountain won’t seem so strange to you. Sure, the sort of person who wants to show off would also want to buy a chocolate fountain for their next party, but there’s nothing wrong with trying to make an impression on your guests.

Entertaining is just that – it’s your turn to make sure that your guests are amused, fed and watered to the very best of your ability. You might want to buy a chocolate fountain if you are planning a grand party like a wedding reception, or a retirement party or special birthday. Conversely you might want a fountain just to make a small, intimate party have that “wow” factor which will put a smile on the face of your guests.

Imagine if at dessert time at the end of a dinner party you produced a chocolate fountain and a big dish of strawberries? How great would that be? If you go ahead and buy a chocolate fountain you won’t regret it because you can use it in so many different circumstances. Once you’ve used it once, you can rest assured your guests will be hoping to see it again, so it’s probably best to buy a chocolate fountain rather than rent.

In order to obtain a fountain you can try Party Rental firms who might be selling off used ones, try a manufacturer, try local party good suppliers and also of course surf the internet in search of the bargain you really want when you go to buy a chocolate fountain.

San diego restaurants you can t miss

This article is the first of a series about San Diego Restaurants you can't miss. If you live in San Diego, or even more important, if you come to America's finest city as a visitor, I wanna give you some great options for dining in San Diego, California.

I live in San Diego for more than 6 years, I'm originally from Brazil, so please forgive me for any mistakes, because english is not my first language, but I'll try my best to comply with all the grammar rules.

Being an engineer from Brazil, I wanna start telling you about the brazilian cuisine and the brazilian restaurants available in San Diego.

One of the most tradicitional kind of restaurant/cuisine in Brazil, is what we call "churrascaria", which would be a bbq restaurant, but different than anything you can imagine, if you don't know how it is yet.

Of course we're talking meat here, so if you're a vegetarian I apologize, but It's not going to be a good choice for you. The Brazilian bbq steakhouse, whatever you wanna call it, It's an amazing dining experience, specially if you never tried.

So what is it, exactly?

It starts with a salad bar and a all you can eat buffet that includes most tradicional dishes from Brazil. That would be more than enough, but don't let that fool you, the fun is yet to begin.

At your table, there is a 'sign' with two sides, one red and one green. You use that to show the servers that you "want meat" when the green side is up or red, if you're not up to it. The servers will bring you more than 20 different kinds and/or cuts of meat, all from the bbq, that includes ribs, pork ribs, chicken, italian style sausage, turkey wrapped in bacon, filet mignon wrapped in bacon, skirt stake, try tip, try tip with garlic, top sirloin . . . Well, you get the picture.

They will come to your table, if your "sign" is green and keep serving you until you can't handle no more.

It's an amazing experience. I took a few american friends to this restaurant for their first time, and they loved it. They couldn't believe the amount of food and the quality of the food. Everything is delicius. Of course quality will vary from place to place, and even how many different kinds of meats they will serve, but the experience is similar.

In San Diego, there is two different Brazilian BBQ restaurants, both in downtown and actually, very close to each other.

One is called Rei do Gado, or the king of the cows. It's a good restaurant, It's been in business for a while now and on a saturday night you'll need reservations. Prices can be expensive for a saturday night, around $35 per person. One great tip is to go for a weekday lunch special, that costs aroun $13 a person, a much better deal. But don't get me wrong, It's worth it every dollar. Rei do Gado is located at 939 Fourth Avenue, in downtown San Diego, on the famous Gaslamp Quarter. The zipcode is 92101 if you wanna da a map search.

The other great choice is Samba Grill Churrascaria, also in downtown, and like they like to call, It's an endless parade of skewered meat! Samba Grill headquarter is in Salt Lake City, and the San Diego location is at 514, Horton Plaza, Gaslamp Quaters, Downtown San Diego (92101). Yes, it's inside the Horton Plaza mall.

So there you go, if you have never tried one of this brazilian bbq places, GO! If you're in San Diego, or coming to San Diego and looking for a good San Diego restaurant, try the Brazilian feast.

The facts about organic baby food

Quite simply, organic baby food is that which is processed without the use of artificial pesticides and/or synthetic fertilizers. While many note organic food as being either store-bought, garden grown or gathered in the wild, the correct association is certified organic foods, which are produced and labeled according to strict regulatory standards. In a number of countries, including the United States, the use of the word ‘organic’ in the commercial market, without the proper certification, is prohibited by law.

Organic baby food is most commonly found in a supermarket and will be labeled accordingly. Because of it’s nature, organic baby food is more expensive than other types. Processed organic baby food typically includes only those ingredients that are organic and has no artificial food additives. While there seem to a number of benefits to using organic baby food, the most common reason for purchasing this type of product is the overall quality. Increased nutritional value, the absence of residues from artificial pesticides and better taste are all positive benefits of organic baby food.

Organic baby food, because it is believed to be fresher, often carries an improved taste over other baby foods. Because organic farms are small, their products are most commonly sold close to home. Therefore, organic baby food and other products feature a fresher taste simply because they are fresh.

By 2003, organic food products were available in 20,000 natural food stores and 73% of commercial grocery stores. While many believe that organic baby food is helpful, others are not as certain. Some believe that farming and organic fertilization may carry it’s own risks that may be passed along in organic baby food.

The main debate lies with the better approach to manufacturing organic food. Is it more healthy to use artificial and synthetic products in food processing or natural fertilizer and organic farming methods? There are both sides to any debate and the questions surrounding organic baby food is no different. There is legitimate concern over contamination and safety of organic food and products, but an exact determination as to which side of the table is right has yet to be decided.

The information in this article is to be used for informational purposes. It should not be considered as, or used in conjunction with, professional medical advice or recommended feeding for your infant, toddler or young child. Prior to beginning any food preparation involving the use of organic baby food, consult your child’s physician for additional information and/or a recommendation regarding the use of organic baby food as part of your child’s food intake.

Risky fish the thrill of fugu

There's a certain weird appeal to the Japanese delicacy known as fugu. After all, it's not every day that the food on your plate could bring about almost instant death.

Fugu is the Japanese name for the blowfish, also known as the pufferfish, which has the ability to puff up to twice its size and project poisonous spikes to defend itself from predators. The spikes of a blowfish contain tetradotoxin, a poison considered to be at least one thousand times deadlier than cyanide. Theoretically, the poison from one blowfish could kill up to 30 people.

Fugu is served raw, and its widespread fame and notoriety doesn't come from its taste. In fact, it's been described as a fairly bland, delicately flavored fish that doesn't hold a candle to the more popular forms of Japanese seafood. It's a widely accepted fact that the danger element is what draws people to this peculiar delicacy.

In the world of Japanese cuisine, it takes approximately 10 years of rigorous training and a special licensing program before a chef can consider himself skilled in the art of preparing fugu. It is estimated that about 6 people a year in Japan die from eating improperly prepared fugu, and the deaths are usually those of inexperienced chefs who are testing their own handiwork. Approximately 60% of people who consume improperly prepared fugu will die from the poison, which leads to paralysis and respiratory failure. Japanese lore holds that a chef who prepares fugu incorrectly and thus kills his consumer must take the honorable way out and disembowel himself.

Licensed fugu chefs are carefully taught which parts of the fish are edible, and which parts contain the deadly tetrodotoxin. The slices required to remove the toxic parts of the fish are delicate and require a skilled hand and a knowledge of exactly what to cut away. Fugu chefs study and memorize the exact layout of the fish and the location of every drop of poison, and learn how to remove it without removing the precious meat surrounding it.

Understandably, with all of this training and care required, eating fugu is not exactly a cheap thrill. Fugu first arrived on American shores in 1989, during the boom of Japanese economy, but since the 1990s it has dwindled in popularity and is now mostly found only in areas of New York and the west coast. Japanese restaurants in America that serve fugu generally import the fish from Japanese chefs who have already removed the poison and purified the meat. Even without a fugu chef on staff, restaurants can charge upwards of $150 for a plate of this exotic fish. But New York city chefs have adamantly stated that no one in the US has died from improperly prepared fugu since it came to this country in 1989. And for some thrill-seekers, it might be worth the price.