Sunday, November 15, 2009

Pomegranates-what are they?

Today I discovered pomegranates at the 99 America store, that I go here to in Las Vegas. The Mexican produce guy called it Granada (maybe the spelling is wrong), but this is how it sounded. I wasn't sure what to do with pomegranates or much about them at all. I have had pomegranate juice, but that is my total knowledge of the fruit. I have learned that each pomegranate provides about a half cup of juice, but it's the seeds that are the best thing. You don't rinse them or dry them-you just eat the seeds as they come of the pomegranate. They can be frozen, whole as they are for future use. The health benefits seem to be that the juice provides 16% of your daily Vitamin C requirement and is a good source of B5 (pantothenic acid), potassium and antioxidant polyphenols. In addition to that, studies show that pomegranate juice is effective in reducing heart disease, reducing blood pressure and dental plaque. I have found some recipes to try-Sticky Red Wings with pomegranate juice and seeds and a pomegranate yogurt dip, to be served with vegetables. I will let you know how they turn out, after being made.
Have super-silky hair with a mint and lemongrass treatment! Mint boosts circulation so hair grows faster and lemongrass oil leaves hair soft and shiny!
Steep 4-6 mint tea bags for 10 minutes. Let cool, and pour over dry hair and scalp. Blend 1-3 drops of lemongrass oil into a cup of olive or sunflower oil and massage into scalp. Apply shampoo directly to oiled hair (do not rinse first). Lather well, thoroughly rinse and condition as usual.
My recipe of the day is for Blackberry Pie. I used frozen, which worked out wonderful and I would highly recommend vanilla ice cream to be served with this.
3 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen, 1 cup sugar, 3 tbsp flour 1 tbsp grated lemon rind, 4 tbsp butter.
Combine flour, sugar and lemon rind. Add to the berries. Using your favorite crust, line the pie tin. Dot with 2 tbsp butter. Pour in berries. Dot with with remaining 2 tbsp butter. Cover, with a lattice crust. Bake in a hot oven (400F) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F and bake for 20-30 minutes more. Hmm delicious.
The cookbooks on EBay are starting to sell again. Thank you! I have a bunch of really good ones that I'm going to be listing over the next few days, so keep your eyes out for them under my EBay listing of Valerie2901.
Chefs of the day are Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feniger. They own two restaurants in Los Angeles-Borders Grill Santa Monica & Ciudad and one restaurant in Las Vegas-Border Grill Las Vegas at the Mandalay Hotel. I'm not familiar with these restaurants, but they must be doing something right. So I'm going to give them a try in the next week or so. Keep up with Chef Jeremy Tummel news at www.marysueandsusan.com/newsletter.htm.
New York was lots of fun and I have those Tiffany knock-off necklaces for great Christmas gifts.
More Las Vegas trivia: Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest and largest state park. The valley derives its name from the red sandstone formations and stark beauty of the Mojave Desert. Ancient remnants of early man can be found throughout the park in 3,000-year-old petroglyphs. The park is located 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
That's all for now.
Cookbook Val

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