Now, this is a great dish that you will want to prepare for your family tomorrow night! It is very easy to make and your family will love you for making it. So lets get started.

Ingredients

For barbecued pork loin

* a 1-pound piece center-cut boneless pork loin
* 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ketchup
* 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
* 4 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only)
* 1/2 pound snow peas
For seasoning liquid

* 3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon chicken broth
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 5 cups chilled Chinese-style white or brown rice
* 1 1/2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
* 1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or sake

Preparation

Make barbecued pork loin:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Trim any fat from pork and pat pork dry. In a bowl stir together remaining barbecued pork loin ingredients. Add pork to barbecue sauce, turning it to coat.

In a small baking pan lined with foil roast pork 25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted at least 2 inches into pork registers 155°F. Cool pork completely. Pork may be roasted 2 days ahead and chilled in a sealable plastic bag.

Cut pork into 1/4-inch-thick slices and cut slices into 1/2-inch squares. Cut leeks crosswise into thin slices and in a bowl soak in water to cover, separating slices into rings and agitating occasionally to dislodge any grit, 5 minutes. Lift leeks from water and drain in a colander. Trim snow peas and halve diagonally.

Make seasoning liquid:
In a small bowl stir together seasoning liquid ingredients.

Spread rice in a shallow baking pan and separate grains with a fork.

In a deep 12-inch heavy non-stick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and stir-fry leeks and gingerroot 1 1/2 minutes, or until leeks begin to soften. Add snow peas and toss to coat. Add rice wine or sake and stir-fry until snow peas are crisp-tender. Add rice and pork and cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through. Stir seasoning liquid and add to fried rice, tossing to coat evenly.

Hope you and your family enjoy this great dish.

(4 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Today is Thanksgiving Day in America. It is an unique holiday that is only celebrate in a few countries around the world. America’s Thanksgiving Day is one that is based on some of America’s earliest history. Let us take a look at this truly American holiday.

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, at the end of the harvest season. It is an annual American Federal holiday to express thanks for one’s material and spiritual possessions. The period from Thanksgiving Day to New Year’s Day often is called the holiday season. Most people celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast.

Thanksgiving generally is considered secular, or at least nonsectarian, and is not based on any specific religious canon or dogma. Though the holiday’s origins can be traced to harvest festivals that have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday has religious undertones related to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the brutal winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Squanto, a Patuxet Native American who resided with the Wampanoag tribe, taught the Pilgrims how to catch eel and grow corn and served as an interpreter for them (Squanto had learned English as a slave in Europe and through travels in England). The Pilgrims set apart a day to celebrate at Plymouth immediately after their first harvest, in 1621. At the time, this was not regarded as a Thanksgiving observance; harvest festivals were existing parts of English and Wampanoag tradition alike. Several colonists had written personal accounts of the 1621 feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts: Pilgrims are not to be confused with Puritans who established their own Massachusetts Bay Colony nearby (current day Boston) in 1628 and had very different religious beliefs.

Edward Winslow is quoted in Mourt’s Relation:
“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.” The Pilgrims did not hold a true Thanksgiving until 1623, when it followed a drought, prayers for rain, and a subsequent rain shower. Irregular Thanksgivings continued after favorable events and days of fasting after unfavorable ones. In the Plymouth tradition, a thanksgiving day was a church observance, rather than a feast day.

Gradually, an annual Thanksgiving after the harvest developed in the mid-17th century. This did not occur on any set day or necessarily on the same day in different colonies in America. The U.S. Congress, in 1941, passed a bill requiring that Thanksgiving be observed annually on the fourth Thursday of November, which was sometimes the last Thursday and sometimes (less frequently) the next to last. On December 26 of that year President Roosevelt signed this bill, for the first time making the date of Thanksgiving a matter of federal law.

Since 1947, or possibly earlier, the National Turkey Federation has presented the President of the United States with one live turkey and two dressed turkeys, in a ceremony known as the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation. The live turkey is pardoned and lives out the rest of its days on a peaceful farm. While it is commonly held that this pardoning tradition began with Harry Truman in 1947, the Truman Library has been unable to find any evidence for this. The earliest on record is with George H. W. Bush in 1989.Still others claim that the tradition dates back to Abraham Lincoln pardoning his son’s pet turkey. Both stories have been quoted in more recent presidential speeches.

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

U.S. tradition compares the holiday with a meal held in 1621 by the Wampanoag and the Puritans who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. This element continues in modern times with the Thanksgiving dinner, often featuring turkey, playing a large role in the celebration of Thanksgiving. Some of the details of the American Thanksgiving story are myths that developed in the 1890s and early 1900s as part of the effort to forge a common national identity in the aftermath of the Civil War and in the melting pot of new immigrants.

In the United States, certain kinds of food are traditionally served at Thanksgiving meals. First and foremost, baked or roasted turkey is usually the featured item on any Thanksgiving feast table (so much so that Thanksgiving is sometimes referred to as “Turkey Day”). Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, other fall vegetables, and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner. All of these primary dishes are actually native to the Americas or were introduced as a new food source to the Europeans when they arrived.

To feed the needy at Thanksgiving time, most communities have annual food drives that collect non-perishable packaged and canned foods, and corporations sponsor charitable distributions of staple foods and Thanksgiving dinners.

Friday after Thanksgiving

The Friday after Thanksgiving, although not a Federal holiday, is often a company holiday for many in the U.S. workforce, except for those in retail. It is also a day off for most schools. The Friday after Thanksgiving, colloquially known as Black Friday, is usually the start of the Christmas shopping season.

(4 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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‘Why do people instantly dislike me when they find out I’m a lawyer?” a man asked. His friend replied, “It just saves time.”

Another story tells of the client who, on asking his lawyer what contingency fees meant, was told. “If I lose your lawsuit I don’t get anything. If I win you don’t get anything.”

Then there was the drunk in a cemetery who found himself in front of an impressive tomb. The inscription read, “Here lies a lawyer and an honest man.” “My God” the drunk stammered. “Can you believe it? Now they’re putting two men in the same grave.”

By this time you’ve probably decided I should stick to writing my blog articles and not try to be a comic. Or you might have laughed a little, and by so doing, you will live longer.

A study by cardiologists in America at the University of Maryland suggests that a good giggle helps to protect the heart. Its research involved 300 people, half with heart disease and half without any cardiac problem. They were all given questionnaires and asked how much they would laugh at certain situations. The people with existing heart disease were 40% less likely to chuckle than the others.

Another study showed that heart attack patients who laughed at comedy for 30 minutes a day were less likely to have another heart attack over the course of a year.

The role of laughter in treating disease was demonstrated many years ago by Norman Cousins, a former editor of Saturday Review Magazine. He developed a crippling joint disease after a stressful trip to Europe and was advised by doctors that he faced a grim future.

Cousins cured himself by watching old Laurel and Hardy movies day after day. He discovered that after a mere 10 minutes of laughter he could sleep without pain for two hours. A combination of laughter and nutritious diet restored his health.

But how does a good laugh help the heart? Dr. Michael Miller, Director of the Center For Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland, participated in the study. He reports that laughter may be a powerful antidote for stress. Several prior studies have also shown that chronic stress is a bad prescription for the heart.

People in tense situations release a hormone called cortisol. Dr. Miller suggests this injures the inner endothelial lining of blood vessels and possibly leads to coronary attack.

Laughter, on the other hand, releases chemicals like nitric oxide which relaxes blood vessels. Nitric oxide is related to nitrous oxide better known as laughing gas.

Norman Cousins provided one of the best reasons why laughter aids the heart. He referred to laughter as “internal jogging.” It provides a vigorous workout for abdominal and chest muscles. But when laughter subsides, the pulse rate drops and muscles relax. This calming effect can last up to 45 minutes.

Laughter contains several other bonuses. Researchers have shown that laughter is also a good antidote for pain.For instance, patients suffering from arthritis often say that their “whole life hurts.” By watching funny movies it distracts their attention and eases some of the pain. In this case it’s believed that laughter stimulates the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller.

Today we have become addicted to “pillitis.” This comes with a cost. You rarely get anything for nothing. And painkillers over a period of time can cause chronic injury to kidneys and liver.

But laughter’s best benefit is that it has no side-effects. As Sir Max Beecham, the English writer, said, “Strange when you come to think of it, that of all the countless folk who have lived before our time on the planet, not one is known in history or in legend as having died of laughter.”

So get into the habit of having a few good laughs each and every day. You may see the results years down the road of life.

(4 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Always soft and juicy on the tongue, a blend of savory meat, sweet tomato, and sharp cheeses, the memories of a wonderful lasagna last for far longer than just the moment of eating. There is something basic and essential about preparing the ingredients, constructing the dish and finally taking the masterpiece from the oven the bubbling cheese on top sending its divine aroma wafting around the kitchen.

Lasagna and the tradition of sharing

Many cultures have traditions surrounding the sharing of food, and this is no less so than in Italy where families gather at long tables under vine covered pergolas, and share large bowls of steaming pasta and glasses of wine. The Western world has adopted Lasagna and other pasta dishes, and of course put its own spin on the fillings and presentation of each dish. One thing remains standard though. One must serve Lasagna with a shaker of parmesan cheese, to a family sitting in anticipation, as the dish is taken from the oven and placed in the center of the table.

There are hundreds of lasagna variants, from artichoke spinach lasagna to spicy chipotle lasagna to vegetarian and seafood versions. The dish lends itself to creative use of ingredients by home cooks as well as chefs.Many recipes call for several kinds of cheese, most often ricotta and mozzarella. Mozzarella is made in the south of Italy, so the use of these two cheeses is typical of lasagne made in Naples or further south.

Here is an easy version that is my husband’s favorite:

2 cups Ricotta cheese
OR
2 cups small curd creamed cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
OR
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 (28-ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

TO COMPLETE RECIPE
Shredded Mozzarella cheese, if desired
1. Mix Ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, the parsley and oregano.

2. Spread 2 cups spaghetti sauce in ungreased rectangular pan, 13 × 9 × 2 inches; top with 4 noodles. Spread cheese mixture over noodles. Spread with 2 cups spaghetti sauce and top with 4 noodles; repeat with 2 cups spaghetti sauce and 4 noodles. Sprinkle with 2 cups Mozzarella cheese. Spread with remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. STOP HERE-see To Store and To Cook in Notes.

To complete recipe and serve now, heat oven to 350°. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 30 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

8 to 10 servings

Servings: 10
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

NOTES:

Chill Time: 24 hours, freeze up to 2 months
Bake Time: 65 minutes from refrigerator, 90 minutes from freezer

TO STORE
Refrigerator: Cover unbaked lasagna tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate no longer than 24 hours.

Freezer: Wrap unbaked lasagne tightly with aluminum foil and label. Freeze no longer than 2 months.

TO COOK FROM REFRIGERATOR
Oven: About 1 1/2 hours before serving, heat oven to 350°. Bake in covered pan 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

TO COOK FROM FREEZER
Oven: About 2 hours before serving, heat oven to 350°. Bake in covered pan 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 35 to 45 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Stiff neck, back and wrist pain, poor circulation - these are just some of the health hazards that can come with having an office job. It doesn’t have to be that way. There are simple exercises you can do at work that don’t take much time and also help you stay fit.

Sitting for long stretches of time every day, especially at a computer, can take a toll on your body. Add to that poor posture, stress, and a work station that doesn’t work for you, and it’s no wonder you’re feeling aches and pains at the end of the day.

Human bodies are made to move. That’s why working “mini” activity breaks into your day can really make a difference in how you feel and even how well you perform your job. Even the busiest person can do it. Just five minutes of movement every hour or two can boost your energy and improve your attitude. You’ll find that getting your blood pumping and oxygen circulating will help you concentrate better and be more productive, calm, and efficient.

So why not de-stress, re-energize, jumpstart your brain, and work the kinks out of your body, each and every day? Here’s how:

Stretch. Stretching can relieve stress and make you feel better all over. You can stretch right in your desk chair, or close your office door and sit on the floor or use the wall. Why not start by getting out of your chair and touching your toes?

Yogacize. Web sites and books can show you yoga moves and poses to do at your desk or on the floor in your office. Instead of a snack or coffee break, take a yoga break!

Strength train. You can easily store soup cans, water bottles, a resistance band, or small hand weights in your desk or office and do a few sets between meetings or telephone calls.Do some quick cardio. Squeeze in a few rounds of jump rope or 10 quick push-ups or sit ups. You also can climb stairs during your workday and take brisk walks in or outside your building during lunch. Every little bit helps.

Lift and rotate. Try some simple leg lifts, even while you’re on the phone or reading emails or memos. Keep one foot planted on the floor and raise the opposite leg several inches off the ground. Gently pulse the leg upward a few inches 10 or 20 times and repeat on the opposite leg. You also can rotate each foot around in small circles (in both directions). Do the same with your arms: hold your arms out straight on each side of your body and make small circles with your hands.

Breathe and meditate. Close and rest your eyes while breathing deeply, meditating for five minutes or picturing yourself in a favorite place, like the beach or mountains.

Your Work Environment
Since many of us spend so much time at work, it makes sense to take care of our bodies while we’re there. Besides being mindful of moving as much as you can, make sure your work environment is suited to your needs.For instance, are your computer screen and keyboard at the right height for your eyes and hands? Do you have a comfortable chair with enough back support? Is there proper lighting with no glare? Talk to your manager or human resources director if you need to make changes to improve your comfort and prevent problems like wrist and eye strain.

With all the pressure and stress of today’s workplaces, it’s more important than ever that you take good care of yourself on the job.

(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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