I cannot begin to fathom the deep emotions that are running.

Please spare a moment when you sit down to a hot meal, a beer or wine and when you take a hot shower, play with your kids, turn on the tv and then crawl into a comfy bed. There are hundreds of thousands tonight that dont get to do that, some wont ever get to play with thier kids ever again, I know I will be forever changed by this tragedy. Keep praying please.

Step 1: Get the Proper Machine

You don’t have to go out and spend big bucks to purchase a top machine in order to engage in the craft of latte art, though a machine such as the Bialetti stovetop will not work because it does offer the possibility to steam milk. Almost any espresso machine will work if it has milk steaming capabilities. Still, having a top end machine or using a product such as theBreville Café Roma certainly can help make it easier to learn the secrets of latte art. Regardless of the machine you use, however, you will need to remove your turbo nozzles before getting started.

Step 2: Preparing the Milk

Next, you need to pour enough milk to make one cup of latte into the steam pitcher. Then, place the steam wand at the bottom of the pitcher and turn on the steam. Raise the steam wand until it is almost to the top of the milk while lowering the pitcher at the same time. The trick here is to avoid stretching the milk too much or making bubbles appear, as you want your milk to be smooth and velvety. In order to avoid overstretching, it is important to only use cold milk to start the process.

Step 3: Achieve the Right Temperature

Once the milk hits 80 degrees, tuck in steam wand while spinning the pitcher in a counterclockwise direction so you can create a whirlpool. Continuing moving the pitcher until the milk reaches 150 to 160 degrees. Once it reaches this temperature, you can shut it off.

Step 4: Start Swirling

You are now ready to start swirling the milk. Continue swirling for about 20 to 30 seconds as the espresso is pouring. You are now ready to start pouring in the milk.

Step 5: Make a Pattern

The most common pattern is the flower design, which you can create by pouring the milk in at the bottom of the cup. When the cup is half full, begin shaking the pitcher in a back and forth motion as you slowly move it backward. You will notice the flower design forming in a forward direction. After it reaches the top, pour additional milk through the middle.

With a little practice, you will eventually be able to create a great flower pattern. Once you have this basic design down, let your creativity go wild and see what else you can design!

Ginger is used in a variety of different cuisine, but is especially common in Asian and Indian cooking. It can be eaten fresh, pickled (sushi ginger), candied or ground up. It is essential to oriental and indian cooking and is used to make stir fries, sushi, chutneys, satays and pastes. In Western cooking, it is used for making all kinds of cakes, breads and desserts such as gingerbread and ginger cookies. Ground up and powdered, it is used to flavor any number of dishes. Ginger is also used in puddings, jams and preserves and in beverages to make ginger tea, ginger ale and even ginger beer. Pickled ginger is pickled with vinegar and in Japan is known as ‘gari’ and served with sushi. Candied or crystallized ginger is ginger cooked in sryup and then rolled in sugar to be used as a candy or sweet treat.

Ginger does not have a lot of nutrients partially because it is used in such small amounts, but it does have potassium which is good for your muscles and heart. It is known to help ease a stomach ache and to help with stomach related problems such as nausea and irritable bowels. It is also used as an anti-inflammatory for use with arthritis, muscle spasms and joint pain.

Fresh ginger should be knobby and have a shiny skin. If it is wrinkled or cracked, it is generally older and not as favorable. Fresh ginger has a light green color, while dried ginger can be nearly black, with the skin left on, or white, with the skin peeled off. Fresh ginger can be kept for several weeks in the salad drawer of the refrigerator and you should store dried and powdered ginger in airtight containers.

Making the Perfect French Fry:

1. Use Russet potatoes as these make the best fries in my opinion. Russet Nugget potatoes also make excellent fries. The Russet variety has less moisture and will crisp faster.
2. The first step is to thoroughly scrub the potatoes to remove any dirt and deposits. This should be common knowledge for any dish when using potatoes.
3. Peel the potatoes. Some people like to leave a little skin on, but I recommend taking off the skin as the oil does not penetrate well. This is more of a personal preference though.
4. Soak the potatoes overnight in water. This will remove the the starch from the potatoes, allowing them to cook faster and makes them crispier.
5. Cut the potatoes lengthwise about a half an inch in thickness to make a steak fry cut. Cut thinner if you want the typical Shoe String french fry, but be careful how long you cook them. Most importantly, make sure to keep your cuts even so that all of your french fries cook evenly.
6. Pre-heat the oil in a deep pan or a deep fryer (if you have one) to 190c and use a thermometer to make sure the temperature reaches this point. This is the most important step – if the oil is not hot enough, the water cannot escape from the potatoes and will not crisp up, leaving them soggy.
7. Some time before serving, blanch in oil at 190c until slightly firm. Allow the potatoes to drain and dry and keep them in the fridge.
8. When ready to cook, drop in oil at 190c until golden brown. Do not overload the pan or fry basket!

You might be wondering what the best kind of oil to use for deep frying and this can be more of a personal choice due to taste but here are my suggestions:

• For the highest heat and best flavor, use Peanut Oil or Grapeseed Oil (expensive).
• Soybean Oil also will provide a lot of heat, but can add a different flavor.
• Canola Oil will fry well, but it leaves a distinctive taste that some do not like. It is the healthiest type of oil to use however, so if you are going for healthier french fries, use Canola, but try it with a small batch first to make sure you like the taste.

• An oldie, but a goodie – use cooking spray on plastic containers to prevent stains from tomato sauce, marinara, chili, or any sauce that might stain your tupperware.
• Measuring honey with a spoon is pretty easy but getting it off the spoon is another matter. Rub the spoon in margarine and the honey will come off.
• To keep milk past it’s expiration date add salt. A pinch of salt in a gallon will do it. The salt slows the rate of bacteria growth.
• Brown sugar will not harden if stored in the freezer.
• If you freeze wild rice it will last 3-4 months compared to a week in the refrigerator.
• Regarding tomato paste, it seems a whole can of tomato paste is many times too much for some recipes. Suggestion: take a piece of waxed paper, putting it on a cookie sheet and putting teaspoonfuls of the leftover paste on the paper – another sheet on top and freeze this. When frozen just peel them off and put them in a baggie and when you need a tsp. or tbs. of paste you have it without opening a whole can and there is no waste –OR– put small amounts in an ice tray and then just pop them out when you need them.
• Always use tongs to turn meat on the grill to avoid piercing the meat. This keeps most of the wonderful juices inside the meat.
• To easily remove burnt food off of a skillet, add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Then set it on the stove and bring to a boil to remove the offending foods.
• Prevent heavy cleaning when using a BBQ grill, spray the grill with non-stick cooking spray before putting it over the hot coals and the food won’t stick nearly as much.

Firstly you probably want a general purpose pan with a high quality non-stick surface – they’re easy to clean and enable you to cut down on (or even eliminate) the fat. It may be worth having a couple of these – one for family cooking and the other for a solitary fry up or one person meals – trying to cook a small quantity of food in a large pan means the juices are spread too thinly and the food starts to dry up. Think also about the depth of the pan. If you go in for a lot of omelettes you’ll need shallow sides to enable the food to slide out easily. If you want a pan to start off a dish and then perhaps add a sauce, you’ll need higher sides, perhaps even a sauté pan. Whatever size or shape of pan you choose it should have a good heavy base. Non-stick pans come in a wide variety of materials, aluminium, stainless steel, titaniu, diamond reinforced or ceramic reinforced but remember with non-stick you really do get what you pay for.

Stainless steel frying pans score well on looks but will not conduct heat well unless they include a sandwich of aluminium or copper in the base. You will also need to pay attention whilst cooking otherwise things can tend to stick and burn. A small amount of this may not be a bad thing though if you like mixing those lovely browned pieces into a delicious sauce – just don’t overdo it!

A small cast iron frying pan can also be a very handy thing to have. It heats up slowly but holds its temperature once it has done so and conducts heat very evenly. If you like Eastern food and dry fry spices this could be the ideal pan. Be careful of buying a large cast iron pan though – they can be extremely heavy.

Finally, a very traditional alternative to non-stick would be untreated mild steel or ‘blue steel’ as it is sometimes known. These pans are inexpensive, give excellent results, really will last forever and can be used with metal utensils. The downside is that they do demand some care. You will need to season your pan carefully before you use it. To do this first wash the pan in soapy water, then dry it and heat it. Use a heatproof brush to coat it with groundnut oil or corn oil. Do not use sunflower oil or olive oil as they will make the frying pan sticky. Heat the pan until the oil is smoking then allow it to cool, wipe it clean and repeat the process at least three times. After the final heating, cool it, wipe it clean and it can then be stored until you are ready to use it. Never wash the pan – just wipe clean each time you use it, re-season occasionally and over time it will build up a wonderful non stick patina. If you don’t do this I’m afraid it will just go rusty!

I helped out in the kitchen from time to time, but it was more a chore for me than a privilege – cooking was just the hurdle to cross on the way to eating. Then something happened when I was about eleven years old. I can’t remember the exact moment, but one day I must have been fiddling around in the kitchen, probably having been told to make my own lunch, when it dawned on me that if I was making the food, I could make it as tasty as I wanted! That must have been *the* moment (though I honestly can’t remember it) when my life was irrevocably altered. The only problem was that I didn’t yet know how to make food tasty. I do remember taking over occasional dinner duty and experimenting with our usual meals, but adding little things to improve their taste. I started with the basics, like herbs and spices. I made all the usual things, but for a month I added handfuls of thyme to everything. Then I moved on to dill, and after that oregano. When I had emptied our dusty spice cupboard, I experimented with adjusting salt and sugar levels. I added so much sugar to one particular can of chili that no one could eat it (but I wisely kept my mouth shut as everyone sat around shaking their heads and scrutinizing the label). Thinking back, I’m amazed my family didn’t rebel, but having someone else do the cooking must have been worth eating those dubious results.

I found new interests and hobbies, I moved away from home and traveled and learned new skills – but cooking has never relinquished its place at the top, and if anything, has continued to intensify its hold over me since those early days. I can’t get through a day without reading about food, digging up new recipes or daydreaming about tastes I’ll create. It’s like breathing or sleeping or talking for me. I can’t live without it.