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Pizzelle are a great gift at Christmas or for any special occasion. But when it is time to package them up for gift giving, it can be hard to ensure that the fragile cookies do not crack when transported.

Anyone who has made an effort to send pizzelle or have bought them on the web understand just how vulnerable to crumbling these treats tend to be. And even though one or two damaged cookies may not be dreadful, a container full of them totally destroys the appearance of the gift. So, how do you transport or ship boxes of these treats to family and friends without presenting them with a box full of crumbs in the end?

If you aren’t moving them far, and if you are bringing them yourself, you can organize them on a cookie tray on their own or as part of a cookie assortment. When doing this, be sure that the cookies lie flat on the plate or platter. They can be stacked if you wish, but try to keep them flat. Cover gently with a bit of cellophane wrap and be sure that the tray sits flat during transport.

One other way to give them away as a present is to package them in smaller containers. This works well when carrying them somewhere to share as a number of gifts, such as when going to a party or other gathering. Cardboard mug boxes or medium sized candy and treat boxes are very effective for this.

Having said that, different pizzelle makers make totally different sized cookies, so measure the diameter of the cookie and measure the measurements of the box before shopping for any container to use to place them in. If you do not do this, then you could potentially end up with containers that are just a bit small for your cookies.

Cookie tins work well for when you must have them protected. This is excellent for when you are shipping cookies or where a platter or cardboard box is likely to be crushed while being brought in. Old cookie tins can be used again, or you can usually find them available at discount stores. As with the cardboard containers, be certain that you know the dimensions of the cookies to ensure they will fit into the containers.

When packaging pizzelle for shipping, no matter which type of container that you make use of, make sure to not overcrowd the snacks. Doing so presents a larger risk of breakage. And if you are mailing the cookies or taking them in a carton that is a bit too big, protect the fragile cookies by stuffing the empty areas with clean crumpled paper towels.

Remember, if you want to invest in a classic pizelle iron, then you definitely want to take a look at the Palmer Pizzelle Maker here. It’s just like the one your grandmother used.

Technorati Tags: baking, Christmas, cookies, cooking, desserts, food, gifts, giving food, Holiday, Italian, Italian Food, mailing, pizzelle, Seasonal, shipping

You have probably noticed fairly recently, if you’ve been shopping for a new pizzelle maker to replace an old one, that the ones with aluminum grids are harder to find. Most of the irons now have nonstick-coated grids.

This nonstick coating is placed on the grids to ensure that pizzelle doesn’t stick to them when cooking and that cleanup is easy afterwards. Although it’s still possible to find models that have both coated and uncoated options available for those who dislike nonstick cookware, most makers are now made with coated grids.

Some people prefer to not use nonstick cookware. For several years, there has been much controversy surrounding cookware manufacturers’ claims that there is no link to potential toxins released from nonstick cookware, affecting users’ health later in life. The possibility that the cookware may be a health hazard makes people uneasy even though manufacturers claim that no toxins are released during ordinary use.

Also, there are some people who just don’t like coated cookware in general. They don’t like having to make sure that the coating hasn’t chipped, that you can’t put it in the dishwasher or stacked together, or that metal utensils shouldn’t be used with it. Yet others have a sense of nostalgia about the polished aluminum grids in the makers that their grandmothers and mothers used when making pizzelle.

Many people have no problem when they use nonstick pizzelle makers. Some people also think that the pizzelle will surely stick to the maker if it’s uncoated, or not even realize that there are other options available to buy. Luckily, both are really just myths. Before you heat the plates, rub them with a paper towel with a bit of cooking oil so they are coated well. Then, don’t make any of the cookies until your iron is heated up to the right cooking temperature. For owners of nonstick pizzelle makers who experience these same problems, it will help them as well.

If you want a pizzelle maker, but don’t want to put your money towards ones with nonstick coated plates, then you’ll find a few models still available uncoated. Established brands like Palmer and CucinaPro are some of your best bets. If you don’t have access to any of the new uncoated makers, or if you don’t like how the new makers look or perform, then sometimes old but working ones can be found at secondhand stores, yard sales, or flea markets. A lot of times, you can find a great quality maker at a really good price this way.

Want to know more about pizzelle? Learn more, find a recipe, and see pizzelle maker reviews at these links.

Technorati Tags: aluminum pizzelle maker, appliances, baking tips, consumer, cooking tips, desserts, food, housewares, Italian, Italian Cooking, Italian Food, kitchen, nonstick pizzelle maker, pizzelle, Shopping

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That’s Amore

Who can go past a good Italian meal? The prociutto, risottos, pizza, pasta and cheeses. The aromas of Italy brought straight to your table in the heart of Melbourne! You can expect to find all these favourites at Italy 1. An amazing traditional Italian menu, attentive service and stylish dining at its best! Actually an unknown treasure; romantic, yet enticing, Italy 1 definitely shouldn’t be missed!

S’il vous plait

Le Gourmet French Restaurant in East Melbourne boasts the reputation as one of the best French Restaurants in Australia. The time-honoured French cuisine is brought to you by cook and Restaurateur Erich Mohr. An internationally renowned chef that creates Le Gourmet’s dining experience chic with an awareness of detail that is unparalleled.

Spanish Tapas Bar A Spanish meal to relish , Perth’s Mezza Tapas Bar offers warmth, relaxation and a social setting. The inspiring tapas menu offers diners a captivating list of imported Spanish wine and boutique beers. Already creating a buzz on the local dining scene, Mezza Tapas Bar Perth will have you returning again and again, guaranteed!

Experience Nepal

For unique Nepalese hospitality visit Sagarmatha, the 1st real Nepalese restaurant in Southern Australia! With numerous illustrious awards since its inception in 2000, Sagarmatha offer many popular dishes, concentrating on Curries, Tandoori, Roti breads and meals from their charcoal clay oven. Inspired by influences from India, Tibet and China, Sagarmatha’s menu creates a unique & delightful range of local dishes that is adored by all of Adelaide.

Indian Banquet

Southern Spice in Brisbane’s Upper Mount Gravatt, specializes in traditional South Indian cuisine.

Offering a dazzling menu of vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals, including curries, Kadai, and a selection of the most popular dishes from South India, Dosais. The nicest thing about Southern Spice “the Sunday buffet.

Thai Banquet

Chinese is out and Thai is in! Thai Foon Restaurant at Sydney’s Darling Harbour offers a spectacular backdrop with friendly service and vibrant Thai food. The Thai traditionally share meals with mates and at Thai Foon, the normal banquet menu is perfect for large groups. Using only fresh local ingredients, Thai Foon presents one of the finest Sydney Thai experiences.

Australian cuisine caters to all preferences, regardless of palatte or taste. Check out dLook’s online booking system to book your next fine dining experience.

Technorati Tags: curry, French, fresh produce, Indian, ingredients, Italian, Italian Food, Nepalese, online booking, restaurant, Spanish, Tapas, Thai

Pizzelle are a beautiful, thin Italian cookie featuring grid or floral imprints. Sometimes, they are rolled into cylinders to use for cannoli or are dusted with powdered sugar. Because they are so beautiful and look so fancy on display, a lot of people have no idea that a pizzelle recipe is actually very simple and easy to make.

When making these cookies, they are more time consuming to make than they are difficult. The cookies are baked on a hot iron with patterned grids. The dough is spooned out onto the grids, then the cookies bake, creating the thin, patterned cookie. Special makers are available for different cookie sizes and often only make from one to four at a time.

But the ingredients and materials themselves are pretty basic. In fact, most of them are likely found within your common baking ingredients already. These are the ingredients that are usually found in a pizzelle recipe and used in the baking process.

Cookie Making Staples — The ingredients commonly used in a lot of cookie recipes include flour, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, salt, and baking powder. This recipe makes use of these ingredients as well. If you are just making a basic vanilla cookie, you may even need only these ingredients. But to change the flavor quickly, change out the vanilla for another extract, such as banana or peppermint.

Flavoring Oil — Stronger and used in smaller amounts than extracts, these are most often used to give the recipe its flavor. Anise is an Italian favorite, with its licorice taste. If you prefer something different, though, there are many other ones to choose. Orange and cinnamon are also good choices. Flavoring oils are available in candy making departments at stores or online.

A Pizzelle Maker — This is a speciality appliance that is used pretty much just for making these and other waffle-type cookies. But if you make these cookies at least once a year, then it is well worth having an electric one. It has from one to four grids that the dough is dropped onto to make the designs on the cookies. They can be found in stores and online.

Optional Tools — Since the recipe makes a thick dough for spooning onto the grids, it is best to use an electric mixer to combine the ingredients. However, it is only optional — just be prepared to work out your arms if you mix it by hand. Also, a sifter is also useful for sifting powdered sugar onto the cookies as they cool. This is also optional, though, and you may want to leave it out if you do not want to make a mess while eating the cookies later.

For more information about electric pizzelle makers, visit this article and start making these Italian Christmas cookies.

Technorati Tags: baking, Christmas, cookies, desserts, food, Holiday, home, Italian, italian christmas cookies, Italian Food, pizzelle, pizzelle iron, pizzelle maker, pizzelle recipe, recipes

Dessert is the part of the meal that many people absolutely like best. That comment holds true whether you are having dessert after a big meal, a special meal, or simply a small, at-home family dinner.

You simply cannot deny the power of dessert to calm, relax and please. Yet, some of the more elaborate deserts that occupy a special place in the hearts of many people tend to be from Europe. Italian, French and German desserts are among the most satisfying to be found anywhere in the world.

Cultures from Europe tend to favor heavier desserts that sit down on the stomach and make you feel full. It is the exact opposite when eating desserts in hotter, Mediterranean climates where fruity flavors and light cakes are preferred. This may reflect the type of food eaten in these different cultures. Lighter meals can accommodate a heavy dessert much better than a meal that is already heavy to begin with.

French desserts trend toward lighter types these days, while the Italian desserts are more heavy, may contain more fat and more sugar than those which are eaten by their counterparts in the United states. German desserts are also usually far more rich than some of the others that you may encounter.

French Desserts- Very tyically lighter and with fruity overtones to most of them, you may find cheese and wine, crepes, or other items being served as sweet endings to a French meal. In the case of French country cookery however far more rich and full flavored desserts will result.

The puffed pastry called Apple Tart Tatin is one very well known dessert often served in the French country regions. This is completely mouthwatering and delicious! It is a puffed pastry made from real butter, vanilla bean, green apples, and French brandy.

Italian Desserts- Italian desserts can take many forms. The more rich and heavy desserts are generally eaten at an late evening meal, but desserts are even eaten during daytime meals as well. One great dessert that is often eaten which is a bit more heavy is known as Tiramisu.How would it be possible to go wrong with layers of amazing pound cake, mascarpone, and cream? Another of the most delicious and often eaten desserts in Italy is known as affogato. The name literally means drowned. It consists of a large scoop of Italian ice of rich ice cream which has been topped with a boiling shot of espresso. The name Affogato means drowned.

There are a few features that tend to bind most German desserts together: super sweet tastes, rich flavors, and a filling, heavy feeling on the stomach. The great thing about the Germans is they like their desserts to be fast and easy to make yet very filling and satisfying on the stomach. For instance, consider Kuchen, which simply means “cake” in German. Some people may make this cake with a filling of cinnamon and sugar while others only fill with sugar and then put a very sweet custard sauce over the top. The intense sweetness tends to be a trademark of German desserts.

Do any of these desserts sound like what you would enjoy? You can find Italian, French and German dessert recipes online and many are completely free. Experiment with the different flavors and you will find many recipes worth keeping in your family recipe box.

Learn more about Desserts. Stop by Mike Smith’s site where you can find out all about Desserts Inspired by The Tastes of Europe and what it can do for you.

Technorati Tags: desserts, European Desserts, French, German, Italian, Italian Food

There is only one answer to the question of how you can make bruschetta and that would be to make it as it has been made traditionally in Tuscany for two thousand years. Take a slice of the dry salt-free Tuscan bread, rub it vigourously with garlic and fry it in olive oil. Although it’s still frying, cover it with finely chopped tomato. As basic as that! That is how to make bruschetta. If you would like a demonstration, watch Julie doing it in “Julie and Julia”.

The Tuscan bread is salt totally free because salt within the bread keeps it moist and there can be a danger of it turning mouldy. The result is really a rather bland bread that dries out quickly. Much, therefore, of Tuscan cooking concentrates on using the bread in numerous recipes and making it additional interesting. Bruschetta is a fine example of this. It is a peasant food, effortlessly prepared and utilizing ingredients that any Tuscan will have to hand.

This is really a daily food, unlike the fetta unta, the slice of hard, slightly toasted bread anointed with the very first olive oil of the very first pressing of the harvest. It is a great honour to be present at a meal with a Tuscan family where fetta unta is served. This isn’t at all how to make bruschetta, even though you will find some foreigners who confuse the two.

Bruschetta, however, has expanded beyond its original meaning. Every tiny restaurant owner in Italy now believes that he knows how to make bruschetta and it is provided every day on the menu. The peasant dish, however, has taken on a new elegance. Although the basis in Italy remains a slice of bread, rubbed with garlic and fried in olive oil, there have been a number of variations on the theme of chopped tomato. Basil is added, chopped green peppers are added, olives are added. All are delicious and still in keeping with the tradition.

Outside Italy the bruschetta has been adopted as a global food, a lot as pizza took over the entire world several decades back. You come across coffe houses in London, milk bars in New Jersey, bistros in Paris, street stalls in Malta, tearooms on the Island of Skye, which all claim to know how to make bruschetta. Some of them do know precisely how to make bruschetta. The bread is saturated in olive oil, it has clearly been well-rubbed with garlic, and even an elderly Tuscan farmer would recognise the display of vegetables sizzling on top, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, rocket, asparagus. He may be surprised at the addition of chorizo or parma ham but not necessarily shocked.

Other so-called bruschettas do not pass the test. A slice of white bread, toasted, with several vegetables and a drizzle of olive oil, is not a bruschetta. It is a slicce of white bread toasted…. Even much less so is a slice of bread toasted with cheese on top. That isn’t how to make bruschetta; that is how you can make toasted cheese. And, most certainly, the bread with several fruits on top that 1 occasionally sees described as bruschetta - no, no, strawberries don’t go with garlic and without garlic, it is not a bruschetta. Do whatever you like, within reason, but when you wish to know how to make bruschetta, begin with a slice of bread, rub it with garlic, fry it in olve oil, spread on chopped tomatoes as it really is frying - that’s the only way to make bruschetta.

There is lots of information online about bruschetta including new papers by Troy Hayles on how to make bruschetta.

Technorati Tags: bread, bruschetta, cooking, family, food, how to, international, Italian, Italian Food, recipes

Gift baskets can be a neat gift to receive. They are typically full of clever items and a themed presentation of supplies and items. Whether the products are useful or just decorative, baskets are usually a hit. Italian Food Gift Baskets are sure to please anyone who enjoys Italian food. The items in each Italian gift basket are arranged in a way to be both useful and appreciated.

Buying a basket can be an easy process. All a client has to do, is look online and choose the one that they like the best. In the Italian theme, there will be many different styles to pick from. The style may be based on the way it looks or what is inside it. The person who will be getting the gift, may have a certain preference for one type of food over another. Once the package is ordered it can be delivered to the gift recipient in a quick amount of time.

An Italian themed basket will contain different Italian foods and products. Typically a basket will center around a particular idea, meal or snack idea. You may find foods and drinks to be clustered together in a meaningful way. People can simply pick which basket they want out of the Italian theme, and it is ordered.

Some baskets will include wines, cheese and crackers. This is a great basket to give people at work, or to send to someone who lives far away from you. When someone receives a basket that has tasty Italian cheeses and crackers, it can be a nice gift that is enjoyed and savored.

Some Italian baskets will also cater around a dinner theme. Using fresh hand made pasta, delicate bread and sauces made from scratch, may all be part of the basket theme.

When someone chooses to give a basket as a present, they can pick from several different types. The food groups and basket presentation will be picked by the customer and ordered to suit the person getting it as a gift. Choosing a basket may take some special care, the products used in the basket will need to be the favorites of the person who is getting it.

When Italian Food Gift Baskets are used as a way to send a gift, they can be well appreciated. The amazing foods and drinks compliment each other and are a special treat to give and get. Many people will use this kind of gift to send to people for their birthday, anniversary, home welcoming, or shower. The ideas for giving them are endless.

Lovely Italian Food Gift Basket for your family and friends. Find large selection of gift baskets at ItalianFoodBasket.net

Technorati Tags: baskets, food, gift, gift basket, gift baskets, gifts, Italian, Italian Food

Nothing else makes the mornings better than having a lip-smacking cup of espresso coffee. The stove top coffee maker has brought espresso coffee into our homes and into our kitchens. You don’t have to go to a coffee bar anymore to enjoy a great tasting cup of coffee. The question is, is drinking coffee doing you any harm or any good? There are many studies which have been conducted on this subject and some display the positive effects of drinking coffee whilst others display the negative effects of drinking coffee.

Stove top espresso makers make coffee that tastes so great that everyone would like to have a cup or two or more daily. So what are the safe drinking levels? To date it is not known for sure what the “safe” level of drinking coffee is. However, it has been reported that 4 to 5 cups a day is perfectly safe for people who are healthy. Sometimes it may bestow health benefits and help you in overcoming anxiety and depression.

Over time many people have said that caffeine is bad for our health and it was even considered as a drug of some kind. However these people failed to realize the positive effects of caffeine as they spent all of their time analyzing the bad points. Having a cup of coffee has been said to assist in preventing oxidation which in turn helps in reducing the destructive aging process.

An individual who consumes espresso coffee made by a stovetop coffee maker on a daily basis is reportedly less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. Caffeine also has been shown to be connected with ancient medication of theophylline which is used for the treatment of asthmatic cases. It is believed that blocked airways are opened with caffeine use and it can provide benefit to those individuals that suffer from asthma.

Since the stovetop espresso maker makes such great tasting coffee, it may encourage you to drink more coffee and since consuming moderate amounts of coffee may provide the body with assistance in avoiding the development of type 2 diabetes in the young and the middle aged this may be a good thing. Further, coffee has proved to be beneficial in protecting against alcoholic cirrhosis and liver cirrhosis.

The rich full-bodied coffee from a stovetop coffee maker may help prevent gallstones from developing and may also reduce the risk of kidney stones. Coffee leads to urination, which further prevents the deposition of calcium oxalate from crystallizing and developing into kidney stones.

If you want to stimulate your mental performance, you can have a cup of coffee. Caffeine has the capability to promote attention, alertness, and calmness. It can also enhance the information processing of your brain. Having three to four cups of coffee daily rejuvenates your brain and enhances vim and vigor.

Drinking coffee on a regular basis may also protect people against Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies conducted on mouse demonstrated that caffeine equal to five cups of coffee everyday reduces the upsurge of destructive plaques in the brain.

So next time you are enjoying a cup of coffee made from a stove top coffee maker, think about all of the health benefits that recent studies have reported that coffee may bring, so you can enjoy without feeling guilty.

Stove Top Coffee Maker produce coffee with such a beautiful taste and aroma. Wake up and start each day with only the best.

Technorati Tags: bialetti, caf, drinks, espresso, family, Italian, Italian Food, pot, quality, stove top coffee makers, stovetop, style

Whether you are going to cover a pizza or a pasta dish, you should buy Italian cheeses to make the dish superb. And with over 400 selections to choose from, you will never stop trying different ones.

Some are made from the milk of cows, such as asiago. It is firm, pressed and cooked and sometimes aged for a year. It is shredded to sprinkle on pasta and soups, and it can also be sliced and eaten with a warm baguette. Gorgonzola is another very popular Italian cheese, and is their version of blue cheese. It is great with grapes and pears, and also on salads.

Pecorino is produced from the milk of sheep. It is aged and then used on pastas in place of the parmesan cheese most use. It is sharp and delicious and really makes Italian dishes more wonderful.

There is also cheese made from the milk of goats and buffalo. Mozzarella cheese used to be made from buffalo milk, but is now produced from the cow. It is most commonly purchased in blocks or it is shredded. The proteins and fats are the two main differences between the buffalo and cow milk. Then there are cheeses made from a mixture of cow milk and sheep milk, such as abbamare.

Fresh soft cheese and soft cheese have a higher water content, sixty percent and forty five percent, respectively. Burrata and mozzarella are examples of soft cheese. Samples of fresh soft cheese are Caprini, Quark and Tomini. These need to be consumed rather quickly. There are cheeses with crusts, and cheeses without the crust, and this has to do with the aging process. Erborinati cheeses, such as Gorgonzola and castelmagno cheese, are those that contain the fungus inside them.

Entire families used to dedicate their lives to the production of cheese, with their own treatments and aging processes. Now there are not many left, but those who continue use the same tools as their ancestors did long ago, such as cutting boards, water, oil to clean off the crusty outer layer, and wooden shelves. They had no refrigerators back then, so cool caves were used to age the cheese.

The only thing they needed then, as well as now, to create cheese is milk, salt and rennet. When you buy Italian cheeses, you know you are buying tradition.

Looking to find the definititve source of information on buy Italian cheeses?

Technorati Tags: food, gourmet food, imported foods, Italian, Italian Food

In Naples and the remainder of Italy, there are strick rules in making pizza but in several other countries around the world pizza has taken on numerous new exotic and strange tastes and ingredients.

Generally any pizza that you may find within the first group of settlers who brought the pizza with them will are like the authentic pizza found in Italy, but as you get further and further from that community, you may find pizza which is more significantly influenced by the current culinary forces in the new country. In a number of cases, the diversities between the first product and the new one are so huge the changed dish bears only a transient similarity to one of the first pizzas. You can go to just about any town in America, and you may still find places serving pizza in the style of Long Island, or Chicago, or California–and that is just regionally inside the U. S. . Quite often you will find other classic American dishes ,eg the bacon cheeseburger, chili cheese hot dog, and who is able to say what else unceremoniously piled on top of an otherwise mediocre pizza. It may stun you to hear that Pakistan has turned into a major center for the development and distribution of new sorts of pizza. One Mr Manzar Riaz introduced it there in 1993 when he opened the state’s first pizza place, and he’s had remarkable success. By accident , Pizza Shed moved in there the same year, possibly because they also felt the shifting winds of pizza marketability steering their ship of firm to the east. Some provinces celebrate this glamorous dish, and visitors to these regions may be able to purchase and consume it without difficulty other parts of India are far behind, and don’t make or sell pizza of any type.

You might be scared to hear that Pakistan’s sheer volume of pizza sales is 2nd only to that of the US. After reading about the 5,000-person Pizza Shed that calls Pakistan home, you could be surprised to hear that Sao Paulo, Brazil is the self-proclaimed “pizza capital of the world”–what have they were given, a 6,000-person Pizza Hut? Well, no, but the pizza-capital-of-the-world thing isn’t too overboard, since each day in that town sees the consumption of 1.4 millions pizzas–not bad.

For quite a while in Brazil, in reality up till the 1950s, you could not actually find pizza outside the Italian districts. it has recently spread across the nation, and as it has done so, it has picked up many of the well-liked ingredients and tastes of the country, and has naturally become much more far-ranging and favored. In several, though , Gainesville pizza in Brazil isn’t far off from its Neapolitan origins, even though it frequently has a much thicker and more important crust, and often has no sauce in any way.

Looking to find more info on pizza visit http://www.pizzahutmenu.org/, then check out Pizza Hut Menus

Technorati Tags: Italian, Italian Food, pizza, pizza delivery, pizza hut, restaurant, take out