Now that the weather was starting to get hot, the kids and I were looking for ways to have fun and to keep cool. One of our favorite things to do was to make our own frozen desserts. When we got an ice shaver, we also got some snow cone syrup so we could make our own snow cones. The kids loved projects like these because they didn’t always realize that some things could be made at home instead of just being purchased in stores.

The kids got really good at shaving the ice and making it decorative. At the end of the summer, they wanted to have a pool party to show off everything they had learned about making frozen desserts. They were pretty excited about sharing the experiences they had and catching up with everyone before our schedules got busy again in the fall.

With our own snow cone syrup we could make all kinds of different snow cones for family and friends during the party. The desserts were a huge hit with everyone. Because we got so many different flavors there was a lot of variety and everyone could mix and match flavors if they wanted. The kids are hoping to make the party an annual event now.

We have found some great places to get pizza in Guelph since moving here last fall from Philadelphia. I had thought that Philly restaurants had the best pizza in North America, except for perhaps Chicago, but Jason and I have both been impressed with the quality of the pizza in our new city. A couple are even in our neighborhood, and we can walk there. We haven’t been doing much of that since winter began, but I’m looking forward to spring finally arriving for real so that strolling to pizza places in Guelph is enjoyable.

Not only pizzerias have great pizza in Guelph, but many other kinds of dining establishments do as well. One of our favorite places to get this type of food is a sports bar with a dining area to the side of the bar. Another is in an upscale hotel restaurant where the chef offers some rather exotic pizza specialties, with toppings such as artichokes and Gouda cheese. Jason and I bring leftovers home and put them in the refrigerator, then eat pizza the next morning for breakfast or lunch. I nuke mine in the microwave for about 15 seconds, but he just eats his cold.

If you’re like me then you love cooking. Good cooking, however, takes lots of practice, patience, and like anything else, the right tools for the job. Any good chef, amateur or professional, will tell you that one of the most important things that you can buy is a good set of knives. These can get quite pricey though, especially for the casual home cook. I’ve spent a lot of money myself on various knives over the year, some of which have been worth the money, most of which have not. I have found out, however, that there are a few things that I prefer when it comes to knives, all of which I’ve found in Slitzer knives. First of all, Slitzer knives have a good, quality blade. This may seem obvious but the truth is, all knives start out sharp, but most go dull pretty fast. Slitzer blades are specially treated to resist corrosion, pitting, and dulling, making the edge stay sharper longer.

Second, Slitzer knives are well balanced. Again, this may seem like a fairly minor thing, but good balance is especially important when it comes to fine chopping and mincing, as well as cutting through heavier, denser things like meat.

Third, Slitzer knives are full-tang knives. This means that the blade and the handle are constructed from the same piece of metal. This is especially important for serious chefs. After even medium use, partial tang knives can become lose and the blade can become detached from the handle. Keep the blade sharp and clean, though, and full tang knives will last forever.

Beer has always been a popular adult drink. For the longest time the large producers dominated the industry. Over time though, Americans and other beer drinkers around the world have seen their fondness for the mass produced product dissipate. This is why many have turned to smaller brewers, known as microbreweries. These microbreweries produce beer in much smaller batches than the large produces. Some have even decided to try home brewing, creating their own beer. These are done using kits, such as the Mr. Beer kit.

One of the advantages of using a Mr. Beer kit is that you can produce a small batch of beer with flavors that you wish to experiment with. Microbreweries have been doing this for years now. There are beers that feature flavors such as vanilla, hot peppers, chocolate, coffee and various fruits. Some of these small batches of beers combine those flavors into a single beer. By using your own Mr. Beer kit you can experiment with your own flavors of beers. You can even have competitions with your friends where you each share your creations and vote on what you feel are you favorite home brewed flavors of beer. Have fun, be creative, and you might find your home brewed beer is better than those mass produced options.

Every morning, I love to drink coffee and it is a need in my household. We like to start the day off with our morning cup of Joe to get our day going. My husband went to buy coffee makers online and found out they were on discounted price, which is why we looked online first. A great bargain is usually what helps us steer more towards the online coffee makers for sale. I have many family members who I told about online shopping for coffee makers such as Keurigs because they are usually expensive. I discussed the many varieties that they have and the many sites you can choose from. Also, if you buy coffee makers online you can see ratings of the product. I suggest it to many family and friends to go online to but coffee makers because the many varieties, and specification to what exactly it is you want is so convenient. For example, my husband likes the timer that starts every morning at the same time and I like the automated warming feature that keeps it hot until you want it off. The price ranges are affordable more so online then it is at an official store. I love my coffee and would be happy to tell others to buy their coffee makers online for their special features.

After we had a really bad earthquake near our home town, we realized that it would be important to become more prepared for natural disasters. At the time, we didn’t have any food storage, did not have a 72 hour kit, and did not have a clue where to begin. Our neighbors offered to help us get started.

We went to a nearby home improvement store, and asked the salesperson if she would be able to help us. She led us to the aisle with several food storage containers. They had all different sizes. I couldn’t believe how many there were to choose from. After a few minutes, we decided that we would get 2 of each size. We were excited to get the food storage containers back home and fill them with the food that we had collected.

My mother was in town and helped my kids put together a 72 hour kit. They really enjoyed it, and came to understand the importance of having a kit, and also having food storage.

Although we have not had a natural disaster hit our town since that earthquake, it is comforting to know that we will be prepared for whatever comes our way.

I love Indian food. I have discovered that the Kansas City Indian lunch buffet is the best way for me to get my fix on this delicious exotic cuisine. First, since I am at a buffet I can try everything on the menu if I wanted to. I don’t have to limit myself to one dish each time I go. I can have some of the chicken tandoori, the coconut curry, and the fish masala for one low price. I have given myself some rules for when I go to the Indian lunch buffet in Kansas City to try and stop myself from eating too much food.

One thing that I do is always walk around the buffet table first to see what is available that day. That way I can see if there are any new dishes, or something that I know I want to try. Another thing I do is ask my husband or a friend to share some of the bread with me. Indian bread is delicious, but it is also very filling. If we split a Naan I still get to eat it, but I save room for other dishes as well. Finally I make sure that I only order water to drink. I don’t want to fill up on soda when there are so many great Indian dishes to sample.

Walking into a grocery store, people don’t stop to consider where all the fruits and vegetables come from. They pick up what is on sale or what they prefer to eat and stroll on. If they were to give pause, and read the labels, they might see that the oranges come from Florida, Mexico, California or another really warm country. Strawberries are shipped in from south of the U.S. border when it’s too cold anywhere in the states to grow them, and particularly tropical fruits, e.g., bananas, pineapple and coconuts, come from Hawaii or other islands.

Produce freight is the only way the U.S. gets half of the variety of fruits and vegetables it has. All the farming areas in the country are under snow for up to six months of the year, making produce freight from anywhere else an absolute necessity. Without produce freight brokers working to just get the produce here, about half of all Americans would suffer from malnutrition for several months of the year.

Produce freight brokers deserve a huge thanks. They are responsible for providing good nutrition to all Americans. It’s not likely that most Americans will ever meet a produce freight shipper in their lifetimes, but if they did, they know now who to thank for their tomatoes and strawberries in winter.

I live for sushi. It is one of my favorite dishes, but something that I can only eat at one of the West Island restaurants. I know that it is possible to make your own sushi, but the only thing I would try to do would be a California roll with imitation crab. I don’t know what type of seafood is the best, or how to tell when you are getting a good deal on the perfect sushi quality meat at a store. I don’t have to worry about that though, because the sushi chef is trained to know the best types of fish, and they know the best places to get it.

Recently I was at one of the sushi restaurants in West Island and I was checking out their sushi roll menu. I came across a BLT sushi roll and had to give it a try. The explanation of the roll said that it was comprised of teriyaki beef, ponzu onion bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado and grilled salmon. It was delicious. I loved the way that the chef was able to take a traditional sandwich and turn it into a distinctly Japanese sushi roll. Discovering tasty new foods is one of the reasons I come to West Island sushi restaurants.

After realizing that the food available at my local grocery store was often highly processed and not very good for me, I set out to find companies that would ship me the food I wanted fresh. Crab has always been a favorite of mine but I thought it was probably too difficult to ship. However, I found a place where you can order Dungeness crab online from Tacoma. The company boxes up the order, packs it with plenty of ice and ships it next day delivery. It sounded too good to be true but I was willing to give it a try.

I ordered on a Tuesday, knowing that I would be home to prepare the crab on both Wednesday and Thursday. By 11 in the morning on Wednesday, my crab was delivered. It was ice cold and absolutely fresh. I was thrilled. I added a bit more ice and planned to eat it that evening. The taste was so fresh it seemed to explode in my mouth; the meat was firm and delicious. I even received information on how to cook and store the crab to make it easier for a novice to use it. I liked it so much that I now order Dungeness crab online from Tacoma nearly every other week.