Is Kombucha Good For You – Kombucha Health Benefits Guide

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By David Dewitt  Originally Appearing on COZYCOFFEE

You have heard of kombucha, but perhaps you have not yet dared to try it. You have an idea, but you don’t know exactly what kombucha is, and you are intrigued by its name and its many benefits as a healthy drink. If so, keep reading. In this post, we will tell you ten benefits of kombucha tea that you can obtain from drinking it. But first, let’s start with some facts.

• Did you know that in Los Angeles and California, more kombucha is consumed than Coca-Cola?

• Did you know that it is the drink of choice for many Australians. Costa Ricans and New Zealanders?

• Did you know that kombucha has been made for more than 2.000 years and that it is of oriental origin?

Therefore, drinking kombucha tea is a change of life towards a healthier drink as an alternative to soda. Kombucha is an artisan drink with a lot of tradition, and that contains many benefits for your health. For this reason, more and more families with children choose it as an alternative to sugary soft drinks for children.

So, What Is Kombucha Tea?

Kombucha is a fermented drink based on black or green tea. It is made by fermenting sugary tea using yeasts and bacteria. The fermentation yields what looks like a broad mushroom with a mushy texture. This is called a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast).

Initially, kombucha was only produced in East Asia, particularly in China. Gradually, it spread to various parts of the world and was produced with various flavors that were given certain sweeteners so that many people could enjoy it.

Known as ‘the tea of immortality.” people have come to love kombucha tea because it promises longevity and well-being. In addition, this tea is gaining more and more followers because of its high content of vitamins, especially vitamins of the B group, probiotic properties, and much more.

You can consume kombucha tea alone as a refreshing drink with other beverages, combined with fruit juice, or as an ingredient in salad dressings. It has a slightly sweet and sour taste and creates a tingling sensation in the mouth. The longer the tea is fermented (up to 4 weeks), the taste will be reminiscent of vinegar. To achieve a sweeter taste, the fermentation period should be shorter (5-10 days).

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Kombucha Tea In Limon, Costa Rica.

10 Health Benefits Of Kombucha Tea

Kombucha tea contains antioxidants, a little alcohol, sodium sugar, B vitamins, and probiotics. Based on these properties, it is believed that it has a number of benefits for the health of the body. According to research results as well as several studies, the various benefits of kombucha tea for the body are as follows:

  1. Maintain A Healthy Digestive System
  2. Contains Antioxidants
  3. Helps Prevent Cancer Cell Growth
  4. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease
  5. Helps Overcome Depression
  6. Helps Maintain Weight
  7. Get The Benefits Of The Vitamin Content In It
  8. Balance Blood PH
  9. Boost Immunity
  10. Useful In The Management Of Diabetes

1. Maintain A Healthy Digestive System

Many teas tend to cause gastritis, among other ailments. Fortunately, kombucha tea does not fall into this category and is the exception to the rule. This is because kombucha tea contains gastro-protective property known as probiotics, which have the ability to balance out the good bacteria in the gut so that it can treat several digestive problems.

These bacteria are not harmful to health. In fact, their function is based on facilitating and increasing the digestion of food by the digestive system reducing the likelihood of ailments such as gas and abdominal distension. It also decreases painful gastritis and gastroesophageal reflux disease by reducing the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

In addition, a study published examined the microbial components of kombucha and identified a large population of lactobacilli in the desk. Lactobacillus is a common type of probiotic, so it makes sense that kombucha can stabilize the digestive tract and help prevent and treat various digestive problems such as:

• Constipation
• Bloated
• Inflammation of the intestine
• Irritable bowel syndrome

It should be noted, however, that it should not be ingested by people with irritable bowel syndrome specifically caused by bacterial overgrowth. In this case, Kombucha tea will only make the symptoms worse.

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Kombucha Tea In San Jose, Costa Rica.

2. Contains Antioxidants

Another of the many components that Kombucha offers are antioxidants, substances that fight the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are chemicals that affect molecules in your body until they oxidize and kill them. This is why they are called antioxidants.

Oxidation of molecules can lead to various alterations in DNA or accelerate the aging of the individual. And if you think that’s not enough, antioxidants can also reduce liver poisoning by 70% from consuming mildly toxic chemicals from many drinks.

In short, antioxidants are beneficial for health. Kombucha tea has many antioxidant bodies, especially when combined with green tea. It is considered to be even more beneficial to your overall health than kale and other supposedly magical foods.

3. Helps Prevent Cancer Cell Growth

You might not believe it, but kombucha tea is also used to prevent cancer, or in the worst case, fight it. Its effect is that cancerous tumors are often associated with high concentrations of reactive oxygen. These species include oxygen ions, free radicals, and peroxides. Finally, molecules that promote the formation of an oxidative stress microenvironment noticeably damage the cells of your body.

All of this leads to metastasis of the tumor and the production of cancer cells. But luckily, the components and substances in kombucha tea help fight oxidative molecules. Antioxidants, vitamins, and probiotics fight inflammation of the tumor and stop its possible development.

In addition, kombucha tea contains glyceric or saccharic acid, Polyphenols, lactic acid, and vitamin C, which also serves to prevent cancer risk.

4. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Impaired heart function increases the risk of stroke or heart attack. However, the adoption of a healthy lifestyle is an effective way to prevent these two cardiovascular diseases. These healthy lifestyle practices include a healthy diet that is high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, exercise, and not to forget, consuming kombucha tea.

Several studies have proven that kombucha tea improves low and high-density lipoproteins, which are always linked to the causes of heart disease. These lipoproteins are linked to cholesterol, their passage through the arteries, and their subsequent elimination. They are important for the regulation and control of lipid (fat) levels in the blood.

Increasing the production levels of these lipoproteins will not completely prevent heart disease, but it will better regulate cholesterol. This way, it reduces the chances of contracting these diseases. However, further medical research is still needed to strengthen the claims of the benefits of kombucha tea on this one.

raw kombucha benefits

5. Helps Overcome Depression

Depression symptoms vary from person to person but can include general feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Also, depression can cause problems such as poor concentration, insomnia, and low energy.

Drinking kombucha tea can be one way to deal with the depression that is being felt. This drink may provide some relief and help boost your mood by increasing the production of hormones such as serotonin.

In addition, it is high in vitamin B12, which is known to increase energy levels and contribute to general mental well-being.

6. Helps Maintain Weight

Kombucha tea helps to lose weight because it regulates appetite. Probiotics can encourage the production of leptin and insulin hormones related to satiety. So it is possible that you will not feel exaggerated hunger and reduce your diet naturally.

Also, kombucha can be a great alternative if you enjoy soda or juice but are looking for a drink with fewer calories and less sugar to lose or maintain weight. Sugar contains a lot of empty calories, and if consumed in excess, there is a risk that more calories are stored, which can lead to weight gain.

However, note that it is not sugar-free. This is because most of the sugar is fermented, but some are still there. Even so, this drink may only have 6 to 8 grams of sugar per cup.

Lastly, kombucha also helps to inhibit fat storage in your body; therefore, it helps to speed up metabolism and prevents fats from accumulating in different parts of the body. As everything is made with natural ingredients, the refreshment offers probiotic qualities, similar to those found in yogurts and kefir, which help the functioning of the intestine. It is also rich in vitamins, nutrients and also has enzymes that aid digestion.

probiotic tea

7. Get The Benefits Of The Vitamin Content In It

Kombucha is known to contain vitamin B complex and vitamin C—that way. When you drink it, you will also get the benefits contained in vitamin B complex and vitamin C.

By getting vitamin B complex, the body will maintain cell health by helping in the production of red blood cells, maintaining healthy nerve function, maintaining heart health, maintaining brain function, and the benefits of other B complex vitamins.

Also, you can get the benefits of vitamin C. Vitamin C plays a role in maintaining a healthy body and maintaining immune function.

8. Balance Blood PH.

Drinking kombucha tea can also help balance the pH of your blood. The drink itself, after fermentation, has an acidic pH (around 3). This is also the level that research and studies consider ideal for the greatest number of beneficial substances to thrive in tea (acids, amino acids, vitamins, and etc.) that contribute to the health of our body.

But despite being acidic, kombucha balances acid-alkaline levels harmonizing the body’s pH and thus contributing significantly to the health of your blood.

The ideal is that the pH level in the blood is at least 7.4. Generally, children are more alkaline, and the elderly are more acidic. Studies show that if the pH falls below 7 4. a door is opened for the proliferation of bacteria and viruses. Cancer patients, for example, have their saliva pH measured between 4.5 and 5.7.

Now, if you’re trying to make Kombucha Tea, watch the video below.

9. Boost Immunity

Although a lot of research for kombucha focuses on its benefits for the digestive system (which in itself helps boost immunity), there is also some fairly well-confirmed evidence that it contains powerful antioxidants and can help detoxify the body and protect it from the disease. This is because, according to research, most of the immune system is found in the gut, which is about 70 percent.

Therefore, the key to a strong immune system is optimal gut health. The fermented bacteria in kombucha can boost immunity because of the good bacteria that will always keep the intestine healthy. This means that by improving the digestive process in your intestines, your immune system will be strengthened.

But besides the gut, there are many components of kombucha that boost your immune system. Probiotics give your body the energy it needs to fight off harmful molecules. In addition, kombucha tea contains vitamin C, which is useful in combating inflammatory diseases, tumors, and cell damage.

10. Useful In The Management Of Diabetes

The next benefit of kombucha tea is to control blood sugar levels, especially in diabetics. This tea can inhibit B-amylase, a protein in the pancreas that is responsible for higher postprandial glucose levels after meals.

Also, due to the functions of the antioxidants it contains, it appears to help relieve symptoms of diabetes in research studies using animal subjects and more effectively than the anti-diabetic black tea it is derived from. This seems to be especially true when it comes to liver and kidney function, which is generally poor for people with diabetes.

More research is needed, but findings suggest that kombucha tea could one day be used as a complementary treatment for diabetes, in addition to traditional approaches such as weight loss. diet, exercise, oral medications, and insulin therapy

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many benefits of kombucha tea. You can ferment it yourself, but the process must be carefully monitored to prevent the growth of the wrong bacteria. Kombucha is now also available in more and more shops. Pay close attention to any unwanted chemical additives. It is a drink with which you can vary a lot in terms of taste and even marinate dishes.

It is best to experience for yourself how you like it. It’s a healthier alternative to sugary and chemically processed soft drinks. So. as a final tip. Add some kombucha tea to your life. Believe me. You will notice its benefits.

$80 worth of extra pickles on a Burger King Whopper? WOW!!

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This is what happens when you order US$80 of extra pickles on a Burger King Whopper

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We continue our tradition of pushing the limits of our local Burger King staff’s kindness by ordering a double Whopper topped with around 80 bucks worth of pickles.

Sometimes, as a web-based writer, when a good news story doesn’t come to you, you’ve just gotta go out and make one yourself. For us here at RocketNews24, more often than not, that means annoying the staff at our local Burger King by taking the chain’s “Have it Your Way” slogan to ludicrous extremes. To date, we’ve ordered Whoppers with 1,000 slices of cheese, 100 slices of onions (gross), and 1,000 slices of bacon. 1,000 burger patties seemed a little extreme, even for us — and remember we’re the people who bought US$10,000 worth of scratch lottery tickets basically for the lulz — so the next logical choice this time out seemed to be ordering the poor Burger King staff to top our burger with nearly a hundred bucks’ worth of pickles.

What could possibly go wrong?

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Once we determined which topping we’d go all out on this time, we very nearly sent over one of our Japanese writers straight away to order up the monstrous pickle burger in person. But, we had a last second change of heart, realizing the apocalyptic amount of pickles we were planning to order could very well put the store out of pickles for days to come, resulting in the other hungry masses being forced to consume bland, pickle-free Whoppers. Our consciences just wouldn’t allow that, so we called to place the order in advance.

On the phone with the store’s manager, we were told the retailer couldn’t “vouch for the flavor” but assured us they possessed pickles in abundance and could fulfill the order if we really, really wanted it. Which, of course, we did, because anything worth doing is worth overdoing to a ridiculous and dangerous extreme.

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A couple of hours later, we put aside thoughts of how we had almost certainly caused several teenage Burger King employees to hit the absolute nadir of their food service industry experience, and traipsed over to get a look at our prize. The resulting burger, topped with around 9,000 yen (US$75-80) in pickles, was hefty, to say the least — we’d later find it weighed a whopping (hahahahaha, sorry…) 1.7 kg. It was so huge and bulky that the hapless staff members charged with packing up the thing had to sort of just tape together a bunch of standard wrappers. And, since pickles are one of the more moist toppings on a burger, the over 700 slices of pickles adorning our burger had already soaked through all those wrappers, turning the whole package into a wet mess right out of the gates.

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Obviously, the towering almost-entirely-pickles-Whopper was far too big to eat like a regular burger, so the whole sad, mutated mass had to be disassembled and eaten piecemeal by everyone in the office — so basically, one guy ended up just eating a regular Whopper and everyone else walked away with hundreds of pickles. Which begs the question, if we can’t even eat these ridiculous concoctions of ours as they’re intended, why even bother with all this?

Screen Shot 2016-02-25 at 11.47.34

Well, because, what are we going to do? Not order a Whopper containing almost a thousand pickles? Hahahahaha, now that would just be silly…

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All images © RocketNews24

So Pickle Pizza is a Thing Now…

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Image of pickles on a pizza pie

Pickle Pizza is a Thing Now and People Have a Lot of Opinions About It

Let’s get one thing straight: It’s pretty hard to mess up a pizza. While there’s nothing better than the classic combo of sauce, cheese, and dough, Americans have long since been topping their pizzas with everything imaginable.

We’ve seen pizza with seafood, pizza with spaghetti, even dessert pizza—the list goes on and on. And while Italians might shudder at the thought of “ruining” their precious pies, we think that on pizza, anything goes.

Well, that is until one restaurant introduced their Dill Pickle Pizza. We’ve got your standard pizza crust, topped with a savory white garlic sauce, oozing with mozzarella cheese. Then things get interesting: The pizza is topped with a slew of Dill pickle slices and a sprinkle of Dill weed. There’s also ranch dressing to dip.

The pickle pizza comes in regular, thin, or thick crust, and you make it as small or large as you’d like. A small pizza is about $12 with the large going up to $19. Where can you get this insane pie? Rhino’s Pizzeria and Deli in Webster, New York.

Sure, it’s a bit arbitrary for a pizza topping, but we don’t see anything too wrong with it. But the internet, as always, has opinions. After Food Insider put out a video highlighting the subjective pizza, people from all over voiced their opinions.

Image of pickles on a pizzaws_lochness via Instagram

Comments ranged from utter disgust: “Disgusting and a disgrace to pizza.”

To appalled enough to alert the authorities: “Stay right where you are, I am calling the police.”

To making rash decisions: “Pizza is cancelled this decade since nobody who makes pizza knows how to behave.”

However, there are plenty of people who can’t wait to try out a slice of pickle pizza.

One person’s pizza pickle dreams were fulfilled and they couldn’t be more excited: “Omg YAAS PIZZA WITH PICKLES IS THIS A DREAM?!”

Someone else actually had something like this before and wanted it to be known that it’s actually a hit: “Pizza and pickles are the bomb I tried it once and it was really good!”

And then there are the pregnant people of the world. Let’s give them a moment here shall we? With pickles being one of the most craved foods during pregnancy, pregnant women are drooling at the sight.

“I am pregnant and I need some now! I love pickles and I love pizza. This is a dream come true,” one woman wrote.

“A pregnant woman’s dream!” someone else wrote.

The internet can say anything they want, but only the workers at Rhino’s can tell us just how popular their pizza pie is. And apparently, it’s so popular that people are running, not walking, to get some.

“People have been coming from all over—Buffalo, Syracuse, Pennsylvania,” Rhino’s chef Cindy Arena said. She also mentioned that pregnant women, as we suspected, are absolutely loving this combo.

Well there you have it folks—some people’s dream, and some people’s worst nightmare. What’s your opinion on this Dill Pickle Pizza? Does it make your mouth water, or are you totally grossed out? What’s the weirdest pizza combo you’ve ever tried?

Jalapeño Plant Care – How To Grow Jalapeño Peppers

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Jalapeno Plant Care – How To Grow Jalapeno Peppers

Peppers By: Susan Patterson, Master Gardener Printer Friendly Version Image by TennesseePhotographer

The jalapeno pepper plant is a member of the hot pepper family and shares company with other fiery hot varieties such as tobacco, cayenne and cherry. Jalapenos are the only pepper that isn’t allowed to fully ripen and change color before being picked.

Growing jalapeno peppers isn’t difficult if you provide plants with good soil, plenty of sunlight and ample water. How to Grow Jalapeno Peppers Peppers, including jalapenos, do best in loamy, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. Full sun and warm temperatures are also important when growing jalapeno peppers.

Jalapenos thrive in warm conditions and need temperatures between 65 and 80 F. (18-27 C.) to germinate. Temperature is critical, and unless it’s warm enough, pepper seeds won’t sprout and transplants won’t survive. It’s best to wait until at least two weeks after planting tomatoes to plant jalapeno peppers in the garden. In contrast, jalapeno pepper plants will not produce an abundance of fruit when the temperature is over 90 F. (32 C.)

Although jalapeno plant care isn’t difficult, plants must be kept watered during hot, dry spells. It’s best to avoid getting water on the fruit; therefore, drip irrigation is the best form of watering for jalapeno plants. Jalapeno Plant Problems TOP ARTICLES 4/5 What Is A Kokedama: Tips On Making Kokedama Moss Balls Jalapenos are nightshade plants like tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant, and are vulnerable to similar diseases and pest problems. Keeping pepper plants well-watered and your garden area clean of rotting debris will help to keep pest problems to a minimum.

Cutworms, aphids, and flea beetles are common pests of the pepper plant. Spray plants with a heavy shot of water to knock off aphids or use an organic insecticide, like neem oil. Worms or caterpillars should be picked off plants and thrown away. It is a good idea to check plants daily for pests. Harvesting Jalapeno Pepper Plant.

Another aspect of jalapeno plant care involves proper harvesting. Harvest jalapeno peppers by pinching them carefully from the stem when they are firm and solid-colored, before they turn color. Reserve jalapenos for dishes that require very hot peppers. You can dry jalapenos, freeze them or use them in salsas and sauces, if you dare!

Learning how to grow jalapeno peppers is a great way to provide some extra zip in your food dishes. In addition, proper care of your peppers will help prevent any future jalapeno plant problems.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Jalapeno Plant Care – How To Grow Jalapeno Peppers https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pepper/growing-jalapeno-peppers.htm

SMTXtreme: Burgers In San Marcos, Texas!

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San Marcos Like a Local

SMTXtreme: Burgers In San Marcos

August 3, 2017

 

San Marcos is a city that embraces the extreme – we like our SUP boards big, our water clear and cold, and our football on unicycles. With that said, we decided to charge ourselves with the task of finding the city’s most extreme burgers. A task of herculean proportions, and portions… Without further ado, and in no particular order, we’d like to introduce some of our favorite SMTXtreme burgers in San Marcos.

 

Ultimate Gordo Burger

Gordo’s Burger and Stuff is the stuff of burger legends. A late-night favorite, Gordo’s always hits the spot. We selected the Ultimate Gordo Burger, as one does when taking on a list of SMTXtreme burgers. A word to the wise, the Ultimate Gordo Burger comes in a two-patty version or a four-patty version – the four-patty version comes with avocado. Knowing we had a sizable to-do list to conquer after lunch and no time for a nap, we went for the two-patty version with fried pickles and French fries on the side to share. Two patties, two slices of cheese, bacon, onion, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, mayo, chili, mushrooms and jalapenos – the Ultimate Gordo Burger truly had it all. Every bite full of flavor, our favorite part of the Gordo’s experience was the way the hamburger meat, perfectly cooked and handcrafted, crumbled in your mouth with every bite.

Border-War Burger

The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Mona Lisa, the Border-War Burger – too beautiful to accurately describe in words, but we will try our best. When you order the Border-War Burger at Showdown, nobody warns you that your life is about to be changed, so heed our warning. It is a truly majestic and life changing meal and you will never look at a cheeseburger the same way. Who looks at a cheeseburger and thinks, “what if I replace the buns with bacon and cheese quesadillas?” The geniuses at Showdown, that’s who! The half-pound of beef, smothered in diced jalapenos, tomatoes and red onions, topped with cheese, mustard, mayo and pickles comes nestled inside two bacon and cheese quesadillas (pause here to give that idea the consideration it deserves) and served with hash-browns. Yes, hash-browns! We decided to take it an extra step and get our hash-browns served with red onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, mushrooms and melted cheese because we don’t back down from a challenge, we embrace it. We could go on about how perfectly grilled the quesadilla “buns” were, or how the bacon gave it a smoky flavor. We could elaborate on how the cheese soaked into every nook and cranny and the jalapenos left you with a lingering memory of the deliciousness you just consumed. But we think you should just try it for yourself.

Frito Pie Burger & The De-Railer

We tried to limit ourselves to one SMTXtreme burger per establishment, but when asked what we wanted to order at Railyard Bar and Grill, we simply couldn’t help ourselves. How could we choose between the Frito Pie Burger, 1/3 pounds of grilled beef with chili, queso, Fritos, lettuce, tomatoes and chipotle mayo, or The De-Railer, ½ pounds of grilled beef topped with queso, melted jack cheese, fried jalapenos, lettuce, tomatoes and chipotle mayo? We didn’t, we got both. Both burgers were delicious in their own right. Crunchy Fritos, flavor-filled chili, spicy fried jalapenos, queso and chipotle mayo – we were in taste bud nirvana! An added bonus to our burger bonanza was getting to enjoy them on the Railyard Bar and Grill patio. With several fun yard games set up, it is the perfect place to bring your family or competitive friends and enjoy an afternoon of good fun and great eats.

Hell Burger & Mac & Cheese Burger

Taproom Pub and Grub is known for their wide selection of beers on tap and award winning specialty burgers. We went in with our minds set on trying the Hell Burger, but found ourselves drooling on our menu when we saw that you can get a burger topped with mac & cheese – sold! We ordered both and put them to the taste test. Where the grilled jalapenos, pepper jack cheese and legendary hot wing sauce brings the heat for the Hell Burger, the Mac & Cheese Burger was a soft, pillowy sandwich of cheesy, carbohydrate goodness. An angel and devil situation if ever we saw, complete with an internal Hallelujah chorus with every bite. The perfect ending to the meal was using our French fries, which are magnificent, to sop up the flavorful sauces left behind.

Gil-A-Monster

We should have known what we were in for when the man taking our order looked at us like we were crazy when we said, “yeah, we’ll just split it.” But we didn’t, we didn’t even see it coming. Then our order was up and we spent a few moments just taking it all in. We had seen photos, but we didn’t believe it. Two pounds of beef! So gargantuan you need a battle plan for taking your first bite. We tried a couple of ways, but we found a continual smooshing strategy worked best. Two people against four half-pound patties? This was a fight we weren’t going to walk away from easily. Casualties included a white shirt that didn’t stand a chance, the buttons on both our pants and any hope of feeling comfortable at all for the remainder of the day. Will we be brave enough to face this formidable opponent again? Of course, but next time we will bring our stretchy pants.

 

What’s your favorite SMTXtreme burger? Are there any you think we should try next time? Let us know in the comments!

http://www.toursanmarcos.com/like-a-local/2017/08/smtxtreme-burgers-in-san-marcos.html

 

POSH SNACK Victoria Beckham’s recipe for gluten-free jalapeno crackers costs fans £20 to make

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POSH SNACK 

Victoria Beckham’s recipe for gluten-free jalapeno crackers costs fans £20 to make

  • From Simon Boyle’s Bizarre Column
  • 11 Feb 2020, 21:30

AFTER revealing a selection of her favourite recipes on her website, it’s no wonder Victoria Beckham maintains such a svelte figure.

The former Spice Girl has followed in the footsteps of actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who has quirky lifestyle blog Goop, with her World Of Victoria Beckham website.

 

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Victoria Beckham has been posting recipes on her lifestyle siteCredit: AFP or licensors

She has been posting recipes, as well as beauty and fashion tips and book and restaurant recommendations.

But her dishes need obscure and pricey ingredients and most people who attempt to make them would probably give up on the idea of eating altogether.

Ingred­ients include basic products we all have in our cupboards such as you know, tapioca flour, cassava flour, linseed and hemp seeds and avocado oil spray.

And the cheapest of the dishes — her VB jalapeno crackers — will cost £20.10 to create. For a snack.

Victoria's jalapeno crackers will cost £20.10 to create

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Victoria’s jalapeno crackers will cost £20.10 to createCredit: worldof.victoriabeckham.com

Posh this week posted a video of her making the spicy nibbles with daughter Harper and helpfully posted an online link to the recipe for vegan, gluten-free and more than likely taste-free nibbles on her website.

Victoria said: “Harper is making them into a nice little cracker shape.

“These are so good, I am honestly totally addicted to them.

“Really crunchy when they come out.” But if you do knock up the snacks and are still left feeling hungry you could always try Victoria’s “vitamin-rich grilled octopus”.

 

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Posh’s nibbles are vegan, gluten-free… and more than likely taste-freeCredit: Getty – Contributor

It’s hailed as being “as delicious as it is healthy” but will set you back £50 — that is, if you managed to find one of the creatures down your local supermarket, of course.

Thankfully, the mum of four reassures us on her website, it’s “easy to make”.

Another “simplified and decoded” meal of black cod encourages the reader to go for two fillets.

Though you will struggle to get hold of them for less than £60.

She also has alternative recipes for the traditional apple crumble which is gluten, sugar and dairy-free and contains something called Xanthum gum.

I think I’ll stick to my Tesco meal deal, Vic.

What the Heck is a Texas Twinkie?

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What the Heck is a Texas Twinkie?

This dish is quickly becoming a barbecue joint staple, especially at Hurtado’s Barbecue in Arlington
Written by:Kimya Kavehkar

Photos by:Hurtado Barbecue

Published: February 2, 2020 at 12:00 am

Texas Twinkies are a staple at Hurtado’s Barbecue in Arlington.

Despite its name, a Texas Twinkie is not a delicious spongy dessert—but it is stuffed with all the good things in life.

Customer demand for the grilled jalapeño treats—sometimes also called Texas torpedoes—prompted Brandon Hurtado to put them on his menu at Hurtado’s Barbecue in Arlington.

“People kept asking us to make them,” says Hurtado, the owner and pitmaster of the eatery, which will open its first brick-and-mortar location on Feb. 22.

Texas Twinkies start as a hollowed-out jumbo jalapeño. The cook then stuffs them with chopped brisket and cream cheese, wraps the pepper in bacon, and glazes it in barbecue sauce. Hurtado uses pimento cheese instead of cream cheese and mixes beef rub into the stuffing. Of course, they’re finished on a smoker until the applewood bacon is just crispy.

Hurtado first tried Texas Twinkies at Hutchins Barbecue, a restaurant in McKinney known for serving them. You can also find them at a few other restaurants around the state.

While Texas Twinkies are a popular offering on Hurtado’s menu, Brandon is most proud of his smoked quail dish. Served butterflied and semi-boneless, the quail is marinated in garlic butter, smoked, and flash-grilled for a nice sear. Hurtado’s offers quail regularly, which is unique among craft barbecue joints.

Hurtado’s started two years ago as a pop-up stand that would set up shop selling brisket and pork tacos at breweries. With the restaurant opening soon at the Urban Union development in Arlington, Hurtado attributes his success to dedicated fans who patiently wait an hour to an hour-and-a-half to order. “I’m surprised every weekend that customers wait in line,” Brandon says of his quick success. “The craft barbecue market is saturated, but very diverse. No one does it just like we do it.”

Brandon, an Irving native, describes his style as Tex-Mex barbecue. His spice rubs and sides (like spicy charro beans and smoked elotes) are heavily influenced by his Mexican father. “We grew up eating food with tortillas instead of forks.” He first became interested in cooking barbecue by watching his dad work the backyard pit as a kid. And although Brandon doesn’t have culinary training, he worked on his barbecue skills as a “weekend warrior” while running his own digital marketing firm.

Now, in addition to becoming an expert in brisket and pork belly burnt ends, Brandon has perfected the trendy Texas Twinkie.

Restaurant replaces bread with pickles for its sandwiches

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Restaurant replaces bread with pickles for its sandwiches

Why keep the pickle on the side when you can keep it on top — and bottom?
 / Source: TODAY
By Drew Weisholtz

Never has being in a pickle been such a good thing.

Elsie’s, a sandwich shop located about 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia in Haddon Township, New Jersey, uses pickles instead of bread for its sandwiches.

Its website boasts that the restaurant, which has only been open for nine weeks, is the “home of the pickle sandwich.”

Pickle sandwiches at Elsie's
Elsie’s Italian sandwichCourtesy of Katherine Cohen and Chad Jordan

“There is no bread in the house at all,” Katherine Cohen, who co-owns Elsie’s with husband Chad Jordan, told TODAY Food.

The pickle, which is scooped out, operates the same way bread does in a sandwich, placed on either side of the meats and toppings.

Cohen, who estimated they go through about 300 pickles per day, said they use kosher dill pickles, although they do offer spicy ones on occasion. “On average, our pickles are about 7 inches,” she said, while noting they come from a “proprietary recipe.”

Pickle sandwiches at Elsie's
Get a load of the Homage to Katz.Courtesy of Katherine Cohen and Chad Jordan

“My husband and I created the sandwich,” Cohen said, adding the idea dates back to 2015 at a different eatery operated by the family. “We resurrected a family pickle sandwich recipe,” she said.

“We started at pop-up events and the response was good. We’d sell out in about 30 minutes, so we decided to open a brick-and-mortar store,” she said.

Cohen said two sandwiches in particular have proven to be crowd favorites. The Italian, which features ham, capicola, salami and provolone, is joined by the Homage to Katz — a nod to the famous New York City deli — which comes with turkey breast, corned beef, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing and coleslaw, as the restaurant’s popular items.

Pickle sandwiches at Elsie's
Elsie’s turkey sandwichCourtesy of Katherine Cohen and Chad Jordan

If the pickle sandwiches aren’t your thing, you can also try Elsie’s roll-ups, which feature pickles or cucumbers rolled up around the meats.

Pickles have recently enjoyed a healthy second life free from its traditional role as a side item. They have been placed on pizza, served as a substitute for jelly in the traditional PB&J sandwich, made as a slush flavor, reinvented as a fried chicken flavor, and even turned into beer and soda.

The pickle renaissance is in full swing at Elsie’s, where business is booming, thanks in part to loyal fans who have taken to the unique take on sandwiches. “We have a very solid social media following on Facebook,” Cohen said.

Pickle sandwiches at Elsie's
Elsie’s also offers a wide range of roll-ups.Courtesy of Katherine Cohen and Chad Jordan

If you want to go to Elsie’s, mark your calendar — it’s only open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. “We currently have a limited amount of pickles available to the public. And we’re a lunch spot,” Cohen said about the condensed hours of operation.

Despite the limited hours, Cohen said customers have been coming out in droves. Sometimes Elsie’s will even open the doors around 10 a.m. to let in people who frequent the establishment.

“The locals know to come in early to avoid the line before it gets mobbed,” she said.

Barkhamsted’s Simply Jam is simply delicious

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Barkhamsted’s Simply Jam is simply delicious

By John Torsiello

BARKHAMSTED — There’s a strong, spicy, tear-producing aroma in the air of the kitchen at the Colebrook Senior Center, that makes a visitor cough a little and head back to the entry door. Mike and Julia Stewart chuckle a bit and follow.

“It does hit you a little,” says Julia Stewart, one of the masterminds, along with her husband, of Simply Jam, which have as their key ingredients, jalapeno and bell peppers. Fruit and peppers, you might ask? Well, yes — the combination has developed a strong (pun intended) following among foodies. In fact, Simply Jam is doing a hot business selling several varieties of their jam — more than 18,000 jars in 2018 — quite an increase from when the Stewarts first began their cottage business in 2011. The number of jars is increasing exponentially each year.

“It’s the combination of tasting the fruit at first and then the little kick of the jalapeno and bell pepper that comes afterward,” said Julia Stewart, explaining the reason for the jam’s popularity. “You get the sweet and that spicy crunch at the end bite.”

She herself wasn’t a believer at first, before being introduced to pepper jam by a friend, Carol Parent of Winchester. But, as the couple says on their website, “It was love at first bite.” Soon, they were making their own pepper jams and gifting them to neighbors and family, who repeatedly asked for more, more, more.

The Stewarts began selling their jams at local holiday craft fairs and orchards in 2011. After becoming fully licensed in 2016, started selling direct to local farms and stores in the area.

“We got immediate positive feedback to our jam,” said Mike Stewart. “We’ve actually had people come up to us and even visit us at our home to say how much they enjoy the jams and that they can’t get enough of them.”

The first store the Stewarts’ jams appeared in was, of course, the venerable Colebrook General Store, which sits just across from the Senior Center. Simply Jams can now be found in 80 stores around the region, including big retailers like Big Y, Stop and Shop, Adams Hometown IGA’s and La Bonne’s Market. The jams have been shipped to more than 30 states as a result of online orders, according to Mike Stewart. “We could ship overseas but that gets quite expensive and a bit complicated.”

Says Julia, “We believe what makes our jams special is that we hand make all of them and hand pour each jar. We even hand label each jar. They are not mass produced and we don’t add any ingredient that would make the jams gel too quickly.” That’s why when viewed inside the individual jars, the pieces of peppers are suspended in the fruity liquid and when held to the light appear almost as stained glass.

“We try and source as many of the products that go into the jams as possible in season, from local sources, such as Jillybeans Farmstand in Bristol, Gresczyk Farm in Barkhamsted and March Farms in Bethlehem,” offers Mike, who helps out in the kitchen, setting up venues and delivering the jam to the various locations.

The couple, who live in Barkhamsted, make their jam at the Colebrook Senior Center kitchen because it is larger than the one at their home. They are fully licensed to produce and store the jam.

“We would love to have a large professional home kitchen so we wouldn’t have to rent the space here,” says Mike, “but this has worked nicely thus far.”

If one is hesitant about trying the jams because of the kick of the jalapenos, Mike explains that it is nowhere near the hottest pepper known to man. “There’s a scale (the Scoville Scale) to measure the hotness factor and this jalapeno is at the lower end, nowhere near the ghost pepper and other very hot peppers. It is a sweet heat, gentle warmth,” he explains.

Simply Jam products have several basic hotness levels, a mild variety consisting of fruit with 70 percent bell and 30 percent jalapeno peppers, up to the hottest, which contains 10 percent bell and 90 percent jalapeno peppers.

Simply Jam comes in seven varieties: Mild; Raspberry Jalapeno; Cranberry Jalapeno; Garlic Jalapeno; Mint Jalapeno; Hot, and Extra Hot. The company also offers summer seasonal specials: Strawberry Jalapeno; Peach Jalapeno, and Blueberry Jalapeno.

The couple even offers up some tasty recipes on their well-composed website. How about “Jalapeno Jam Glazed Salmon,” “Raspberry Jalapeno Jam Chicken Salad Sandwiches,” “Jalapeno Jam Loaded Cheesy Nachos,” or “Sticky Jalapeno Jam Chicken with a Green Salad,” all made with, of course, Simply Jam.

“It also goes well as a dip dish on an appetizer board,” said Julia, who hails from England. “Really, it can be used on any meat and is great as a glaze if barbecuing.”

The couple gets assistance from their son-in-law Russ Clay, who helps out in the kitchen, handles website design, accounting and marketing.

“Where do we go now?” said Mike when asked how he and his wife would like to grow their business. “We are self-sustaining and very happy with how we have progressed. The next step would be ramping up production and getting into more stores on a greater scale, but we haven’t quite made a decision on that yet. But we are at that point where it is possible.”

In the meantime, the customers of Simply Jam are getting their taste buds all worked up and asking for more. Julia and Mike Stewart will keep working hard to meet their cravings.

Visit www.SimplyJam.net for more information.

Pineapple on pizza is actually good — you’ve just been eating it wrong

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Pineapple on pizza is actually good — you’ve just been eating it wrong

Pineapples on pizza makes the best slice, but it is supernal when you add this one magic ingredient

AMANDA MARCOTTE
JULY 18, 2019 11:00PM (UTC)
Of the many pizza debates in America, by far the most divisive, the kind that turns brother on brother and starts ugly fights in otherwise happy marriages, is the struggle over whether pineapple on pizza is good. The pineapple haters have memes, Facebook pages and lengthy forum threads dedicated to denying the tastiness of this canned tropical fruit atop a bed of mozzarella and tomato sauce. Searching “pineapple pizza” on Twitter results in thousands of tweets, coming out daily, in which pineapple pizza is both rabidly denounced and cheekily defended as pineapple fans troll the haters by displaying pleasure at this cheese-and-fruit combination.

Beyond the gentle pineapple trolls on social media, there have been robust defenses of pineapple on pizza from people who are paid for their opinions. In February, Allison Shoemaker of The Takeout proudly declared, “The Hawaiian Pizza is a thing of beauty,” and praising the Australians for pairing pineapple with ham on pizza. And Tim Carman of the Washington Post gathered a group of friends, some diehard Hawaiian Pizza haters, and forced them to eat the loathed concoction. It turns out that no one “actually hated” the pizza, though Carman allowed that it might have been a better preparation at We the Pizza in Washington, D.C. than one might get from, say, Domino’s.

I step into this fraught debate only to say this: Everyone is wrong. Pineapple haters are wrong for all the reasons that have been carefully laid out, such as how perfect the saltiness of the cheese and acidic sweetness of the pineapple hang together. But the defenders are also wrong in focusing on the classic combination of ham and pineapple on a pizza. That’s fine, no doubt, but is far from the best way to eat pineapple on a pizza.

No, the true rock star topping combination of the pizza takeout world is pineapples and jalapeños. That way you get the salt and fat from the cheese, the acid and sweet from the pineapple, and — critically — the bite from the jalapeños, thereby proving the old Texas maxim that there are few, if any, foods that can’t be improved by dumping some jalapeños on it.

I learned of this combination during my wayward youth, from a friend who used to deliver pizzas for a local chain that peddled the cheapest kind of pizza in Austin, TX. He jokingly called it the “stoner special”, but I can assure readers that while all pizza tastes better with THC in the veins, there is no need for chemical enhancement to enjoy this particular set of pizza toppings.

Pineapple and jalapeños work on all kinds of pizza, but are, as the name “stoner special suggests”, especially ideal for cheap takeout pizza. These ingredients do a lot of work of covering up for the inadequacies of the sauce or dough by hitting your tongue with all their acidic, biting glory. And while we all might love pretending we only eat pizza in some of your nicer brick oven locales, if you have a sports-viewing event or gaming night at your house, and thus need big boxes of cheap delivery pizza, then I highly recommend getting at least one pineapple-and-jalapeño pie. People will wrinkle their noses, but, inevitably, it’s the pie that gets eaten up the fastest.

No doubt this combination would work great with fresh pineapple and jalapeños straight from the garden, for those who want to do a food snobby take on a beloved takeout item. But for my money, you can’t beat the version you’ll get from the takeout joints, which features canned pineapple and pickled jalapeños.

Are there any two foods that are more suited to the canning process than these two? Jalapeños, in particular, may even be improved by being pickled and canned, which tends to take just enough edge off the heat that you can eat even more jalapeños, which is, of course, what any sensible person who eats food wishes to do.

The closest thing I’ve found to this combination in the higher end pizza market is the “green” pizza at Emily in Brooklyn, which uses a tomatillo sauce to capture that same mix of spice and sweet that makes the stoner special so much fun to eat. I remember distinctly the first time I got this pizza at Emily, and the sense of vindication watching food snob friends house it, enjoying the same combination that has dominated my cheap pizza eating habits for a couple decades now.

So, do yourself a favor and next time you need to order pizza from one of your fast-and-cheap local delivery services — and no use pretending that’s not going to happen at some point in the next year — get yourself a pineapple and jalapeño pizza. It’s the perfect pie for the hot summer months, when cravings for both spicy food and fruit are at their highest. It’s absolutely worth the grief you’ll get from the prigs who don’t think pineapple belongs on a pizza.