Cucumbers — amazing !!

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc. 2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours. 3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance. 4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area. 5 Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!! 6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!! 7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation. 8. Have an important meeting or jo b interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water. 9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone! 10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams. 11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath. 12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean. 13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!! Pass this along to everybody you know who is looking for better and safer ways to solve life’s everyday problems..

Foodbuzz Daily Special

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If you enjoy eating fresh fish chances are you have probably deep fried them at least once. Although not the healthiest choice, deep frying fish gives them great flavor and that wonderful crispiness. If you are not going with the average box mix, finding a breading recipe for fried fish can at times be a little difficult. This recipe is very simple and coats the fish fillets with buttery crackers and various seasonings such as garlic salt and old bay seasoning. This recipe will work with fish such as perch, bluegill, crappie, walleye and bass. My personal favorite is crappie. These go great served with lemon wedges. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb fresh fish fillets
1 ½ cups buttery crackers (crushed)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 ¼ teaspoon old bay seasoning (divided)
1 egg
½ cup water (or milk)
salt and pepper (to taste)
Oil (for frying)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees. In a shallow dish combine crackers, garlic salt, and 1 teaspoon of old bay seasoning. In another bowl mix egg, water, ¼ teaspoon old bay seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 2: First coat each fish fillet in the egg mixture, and then put the fillet into the cracker mixture and coat well pressing down so the crackers stick. Repeat until all the fillets are coated.
Step 3: Deep fry in batches at 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
(Makes 4 Servings)

I decided to try a different type of summer dish- shrimp ceviche. For those that are not yet familiar with this, ceviche is citrus marinated seafood.  The shrimp is first marinated in lime juice and mixed with tomato, cilantro and onion. The hot pepper sauce gives this dish a nice little kick. Traditionally the shrimp are raw and cooked in the acid from the lime juice.  However, since this method apparently is not proven to kill bacteria, please use pre-cooked shrimp. This dish reminds me a lot of a salsa and goes great with tortilla chips. Shrimp ceviche is perfect for a hot summer day. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 lbs cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined with tails off)
¾ cup fresh lime juice
3 roma tomatoes (diced)
1 white onion (chopped)
½ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 avocado (peeled, pitted and diced)
tortilla chips

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Chop shrimp into medium sized pieces. In a large bowl mix shrimp and lime juice. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Mix in the tomatoes, onion and cilantro until coated with lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 2: Mix in Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Mix in avocados. Serve with tortilla chips.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Changes – Use chicken or imitation crab instead of shrimp.  I used cheddar cheese but blends would be good too.

See the full recipe by going to Martha’s Recipe Cabinet

Foodbuzz Daily Special

These satin-finished aluminum pans feature your choice of 4 or 6 wells with removable poaching cups. Glass dome-style lids let you see when each egg is ready. Unique handles let you lift cups right out of the pan. With their sloped sides and flat nonstick surface, the versatile pans can also be used for sauteing or frying.

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Foodbuzz Daily Special

This 3-stage electric knife sharpener is fast and easy to use. Works on smooth, serrated, Asian and sporting knives. The angle guides keep you within a perfect 15-20 degree angle, so there’s no guesswork. Stage 1 at a 15% angle for Asian knives and Stage 2 at 20% for American and European knives hones cutlery to hairsplitting sharpness with diamond coated disks. Revolutional Stage 3 stropping/polishing disk finishes the job with a flawless edge. Lubricant-free so it’s a joy to sharpen knives. 3 year limited warranty. Compact for easy storage.

I tried to take a nap and couldn’t get my mind shut down.  It was cooking and when it’s in that frame I usually come up with some pretty good recipes.  Today’s recipe is simple, with only 4 ingredients, but it needs a name.  Help me out by giving this a name so I can put it in my cookbook Think With Your Taste Buds – Desserts.  I’m running short on time, the manuscript goes to the publisher next week, so I need your name suggestions quickly.  OK, here is the recipe.

Pretzels (thin stick or thin squares)
Marshmallows
White chocolate chips
Coconut

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line your pan with non-stick foil or parchment paper or foil sprayed with non-stick spray.  Line your pretzels up to cover the bottom of your pan.  Cover the pretzels with marshmallows.  Bake until the marshmallows are puffed up and melted but not browned.  Take from the oven and sprinkle with white chocolate chips.  Sprinkle coconut over chips.  Turn the oven to broil.  Put pan back in the oven and let coconut slightly brown.  Cool completely.  Using a knife or pizza wheel, slice into squares. 

I like using the large flake coconut which I buy at a health food store.  It’s unsweetened and so much better than shredded.  You can use milk chocolate but the salt from the pretzels and the sweetness of the white chocolate make them a perfect match.  I can’t give measurements because it all depends on the size of your pan.  I used a cookie sheet for making this and used about 4 large hands full of pretzel sticks, I used about 1 bag of large marshmallows, 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips and about 1/2 cup of coconut. 

Now, name this and I’ll make sure your name will be included in the book for giving this a name.