Christmas and the winter season is fast approaching and with that time of year comes the sweet winter citrus fruits, like sweet Navel oranges. I personally love this variety – navel oranges are sweet, juicy, seedless and easy to peel, what more can you ask for? Short History Most orange varieties are hybrids or genetically mutated, some created by scientists and others the result of Mother Nature’s playfulness. In the Navel Orange’s case it was all Mother Nature’s work. Navel Orange originated as a mutation of a Laranja Selecta Orange found in the 1820s in Brazil. The variety produces an…
Recipes
Recipes
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Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe
Recipe Type: Meats and Main CoursesContinue ReadingIt may be cold and colorless outside because of the snow that blankets everything within sight but that doesn’t mean you cannot have sunny colors inside. When it is boring and drab outside, what you should do is add color and zest to your life by eating food that would remind you of a fun summer and make you look forward to months when everything is warm and lively again. If you agree, I suggest that you try your hand at cooking Skinny Orange Chicken. It is tasty and summery, plus it is easy to prepare and cook, so you…
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Vanilla-Buttermilk Sheet Cake with Raspberries and Orange Cream-Cheese Frosting Recipe
Recipe Type: Desserts and SweetsContinue ReadingSometimes and bad days come our way but we can cope up with it by adding sweetness to our lives. You may feel guilty when you eat cakes, candies, or chocolates and think that you should shy away from them to stay healthy, but they can actually be part of a healthy diet. Keep in mind that for the least harm and to achieve the fullest enjoyment, always eat sweets in moderation. Control the quantity of the sweets you consume and include a tasty pie, cake or chocolate that only contains 100 to 200 calories per serving. According to experts,…
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Cara Cara Orange Cake Recipe
Recipe Type: Desserts and SweetsContinue ReadingWe eat cake for many reasons. It could be because we are celebrating a happy event like a birthday or wedding, or because we have a sweet tooth and cake will always best satisfy our craving. Cakes can also induce production of endorphins that can help lift our sagging spirits. If you want to eat cake but are worried that it might be bad for your diet or that it is not healthy, then you can always make or buy fruit-inspired cakes like Cara Cara Orange Cake and Mango Chantilly. Health Benefits Did you know that when you use fruits…
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Continue ReadingBread has been part of our daily diet since ancient times, dating back to the Neolithic era. Way back then, bread was flat and was made of grain-paste from ground cereal grains mixed with water. Leavened bread can also be traced back to prehistoric times. In 4000 B.C. Egyptians were said to have discovered the process of leavening bread and used grape juice and flour to make a paste for bread making. Bread making today Bread making has become an art and it is no longer just made with flour or grain, leavening agent and water. People now make use…
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Continue ReadingPlanning a holiday dinner menu can be daunting, especially if we are hosting and cooking the holiday dinner. Of course, we all want our holiday guests to enjoy the party we are hosting and would like to serve mouth-watering dishes they will never forget. Most holiday dishes are heavy and we often want to prepare something fresh and light to balance out the heavy stuff that we will be putting on our plates. Salad is the answer, as long as it is festive, flavorful, and appealing to everyone. Let us not go for our regular greens. This holiday let us…
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Pear Rosemary Danish
Recipe Type: Desserts and SweetsContinue ReadingAiry and crispy on the outside, rich and buttery inside, combined with tasty fruit to balance the flavor – that is a good Danish pastry. This multi-layered, sweet, laminated pastry was actually introduced by Austrian bakers when they were hired in Denmark in 1850 during a strike with Denmark bakery workers. When the dispute ended, Denmark bakers decided to adapt the recipe and added a few more eggs and fats to the recipe to turn it into something more palatable for the Danes. Danish pastry in the US Danish immigrants first introduced the Danish pastry to the United States around…
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Continue ReadingSummer may have come and gone but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy food that would remind us of the picnics, barbeques, and fun-beach adventures we’ve had. It may be drab, chilly and colorless outside in winter, but we can always add color and summer flavors to the food we prepare to keep us warm during the cold winter days. So what’s the trick? Whip up recipes that use ingredients that are green or brightly colored and would easily remind you of summer. Make sure to incorporate some zest by adding citrus flavors to your dishes. You can also grill…
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Creamy Orange Bars
Recipe Type: Desserts and SweetsContinue ReadingI am a big orange fruit fanatic and I just can’t seem to start my day right without getting my daily dose of freshly squeezed orange juice or a sweet slice of orange fruit to munch on. But then summer is over, does that mean I must give up my oranges? Of course not! In summer we have good-old-classic Valencia oranges, but in winter we can get to enjoy sweet, seedless Navels. Orange Navel is currently the most popular and common orange sold at the grocer’s and they play a big role in the citrus fruit industry because of their…
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Continue ReadingTea time isn’t complete without dessert, and today I want to share a treat that goes perfectly with your afternoon tea. The nice contrast between the sweet and the spice is delightful and you’d be surprised how simple it is to make. I present to you, our version of the spiced apple cake. The apple cake is a popular dessert and there are many variations. The basic idea in making this dessert is adding apple slices between layers and as toppings of a moist cake. The traditional preparation is slightly more elaborate, using spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, as well…