Bitter melons are good and sweet

Bitter Melon is a curious and interesting vegetable

The english names for the plant and its fruit include bitter melon or bitter gourd (Chinese: 苦瓜). The fruit looks like a warty gourd, usually oblong and resembling a small cucumber. which is among the most bitter of all vegetableshe original home of the species is not known except that it is a native of the tropics.

Bitter melons have been used in various Asian traditional medicine for a long time. Like most bitter-tasting foods, bitter melon stimulates digestion. While this can be helpful in people with sluggish digestion, dyspepsia, and constipation, it can sometimes make heartburn and ulcers worse.

Bitter melons are seldom mixed with other vegetables due to the strong bitter taste, although this can be moderated to some extent by salting and then washing the cut melon before use.
Bitter melon is often used in Chinese cooking for its bitter flavor, typically in stir-fries, soups, and also as tea.

receipes:
* boil the bitter melon quickly first for 2-3 minutes in water (after preparing them), to reduce the bitterness. Discard the water. Then proceed to make the soup in a second boiling in stock.

*slice them, add lots of salt, squeeze them using a cheese cloth which removes the bitterness, rinse in cold water. Next boil equal parts sugar and vinegar. Let cool. Pour over the bittermelon and store in a sterilized container. This is an excellent relish to meat and fish.

*Slice it lengthwise and discard the seeds in the center. Slice them thinly (about 1/4" wide), sautee them in a pan with a little vegetable oil. Stir until they're almost soften. Add a couple of scrambled eggs and keep stirring until the eggs are cooked. Add salt (or soy sauce or fish sauce) & pepper to taste. Serve.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

1 1/3 lbs. sweet potato
3 cup water

1/3 tsp salt
3 tbsp honey or maltose
6 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp vinegar
2 cup water

1. pare skin from potatoes; cut into long matchsticks about 1/2-inch thick. Heat 3 cup water until boiling; cook 10 minutes over medium heat; remove and drain.

2. bring salt, honey, sugar, vinegar, water mixture to a boil and add potato sticks; cover and cook for 40 minutes over low heat until potatoes are tender and sauce has thickened considerable (sauce should now equal about 1/2 cup). Remove potato sticks and place on serving plate; pour candied sauce on top; serve.

3. When serving, you may sprinkle a few crushed peanuts on top for extra flavor.

6 servings

Specially for women, alert the situtiations!!

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

Because of recent abductions in daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation... This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, everyone you know. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you.... chances are that he is more interested i n your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

a) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

b) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

c) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably ! in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outsid e their doors when they're home alone at night.

Sweet Peanut Soup

2/3 lb. unsalted, roasted peanuts (without shells)
10 cup water
1 cup sugar

Place peanuts in a pan with water to cover; let boil 2 minutes; remove, drain and let cool.
Remove skins and place in a pressure cooker with 10 cup water; cook 30 minutes over mdeium heat* until peanuts are very tender; add sugar and bring liquid to a boil.
When sugar has dissolved, pur into a serving bowl and serve.
*if no pressure cooker is available; place mixture in a covered pan and cook 1 hour over low heat.

12 servings

Drinking cold water after a meal...good or bad?

OK, what is truth, cold water or hot water, tea?

Not only about the warm water after your meal, but about ladies and their heart attacks. This makes sense.... the Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals...not cold water...maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain... For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal. A serious note about heart attacks: Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive...

Dandelion: not just a pesky weed

Dandelion is a valuable herb

While many people think of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) as a pesky weed, herbalists consider it a valuable herb with many culinary and medicinal uses. Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Its leaves are often used to add flavor to salads, sandwiches, and teas. The roots can be found in some coffee substitutes and the flowers are used to make certain wines.

In traditional medicine, dandelion roots and leaves have been used to treat liver problems. Native Americans also used dandelion decoctions to treat kidney disease, swelling, skin problems, heartburn, and stomach upset. Chinese medicinal practitioners traditionally used dandelion to treat digestive disorders, appendicitis, and breast problems (such as inflammation or lack of milk flow). In Europe, herbalists incorporated it into remedies for fever, boils, eye problems, diabetes, and diarrhea.

Today, dandelion roots are primarily used as an appetite stimulant and digestive aid while dandelion leaves are used as a diuretic to stimulate the excretion of urine.

Dandelion may be used in a variety of available forms.
Dried leaf infusion: 4 to 10 g three times a day
Dried root decoction: 2 to 8 g three times a day
Herb (stems and leaves): 4 to 10 g three times a day
Leaf tincture (1:5) in 30% alcohol: 100 to 150 drops three times a day
Powdered extract (4:1) leaf: 500 mg one to three times a day
Powdered extract (4:1) root: 500 mg one to three times a day
Root tincture (1:2) fresh root in 45% alcohol: 100 to 150 drops three times a day

Nourishing your Yin with Goji Wolfberry

Goji Wolfberry: one of nature's most nutrient-rich natural foods

Wolfberry is also another name for the western snowberry

(Chinese: 枸杞), Renowned in Asia as one of nature's most nutrient-rich natural foods, wolfberries have been associated in traditional chinese medicine as long as recorded Chinese history.

The Chinese revere wolfberry as a national treasure among the most nutrient dense of the nation’s medicinal herbs. Ancient people used wolfberry fruit to make tea, soup, stew and wine or chewed them like raisins. It has been cited by several ancient Chinese Medica since the Tang Dynasty for its multiple health benefits, where they are believed to maintain healthy immune system, improving eye conditions, support health liver and kidney function, maintain healthy blood presurre and blood sugar. Wolfberry is also an excellent herb for anti-oxidant and anti-aging.

Wolfberries are almost never found in their fresh form outside of their production regions, and are usually sold in open bins and small packages in dried form. The amount of desiccation varies in wolfberries: some are soft and somewhat tacky in the manner of raisins, while others may be very hard. Wolfberries are usually used directly, and do not need to be rehydrated prior to use.

Wolfberries are sweet in taste and neutral in nature; Some people say wolfberry tastes somewhat like a cross between a cranberry and a cherry. They can be eaten raw, consumed as juice or wine, brewed into a tea. As a food, dried wolfberries are also eaten raw or cooked, though sometimes drier, more tart and less sweet, with a slight Chinese herbal scent. Dried wolfberry is an ingredient often used in Chinese soups. Young shoots and leaves are also grown commercially as a leaf vegetable. A wine containing wolfberries (枸杞酒) is also produced.

Wolfberry recipes:
1. Chew 8-10 of fruits every morning and evening.
2. Tea:
· Boil 1/2 oz wolfberry fruits, make a wolfberry tea and drink it every day. It helps to alleviate the effects of high blood pressure and high blood sugar.
· Take 1/4 oz of wolfberry fruits and 1/4 oz of chrysanthemum to make a tea. It helps to alleviate blurry vision.
3. Wine:
· Put 1 oz of wolfberry fruits and some Chinese cooking wine in a bottle or a jar and carefully seal it. It is ready to use after 30 or 60 days. Drink once per day. It helps to alleviate teary eyes.
· Take 7 oz of wolfberry fruits and 1 liter of Chinese white wine and seal them in a bottle or a jar. Ready to use in 10 days.
4. Stew or steam with meat:
Stew pork, beef, chicken or fish, add 1/2 - 1 oz of wolfberry fruits 10 minutes before the meat is done. You may steam fish or chicken with wolfberry fruits as well.
5. Rice soup:
Take 2 oz of wolfberry fruits and 3 1/2 oz of rice and add some sugar to make rice soup.
6. Cereal:
Mix 1/2 oz of wolfberry fruits with cereal to make a healthy breakfast.
7. Bread or muffin:
Use wolfberry fruits to make a banana bread or muffins just like raisins. Wolfberry bread provides more nutrients than raisins.