By Laura Kjer

Since the Stone Age, man has been perfecting the art of cooking using a direct flame. If you were to ask someone about the history of barbecue, you would most likely get a response similar to the
statement above. However that would not be quite right as there is a fundamental difference between simply cooking with a flame and having a barbecue. If you don’t add some sauce, to the direct flame method, you are grilling, not having a barbecue. To truly barbecue is to baste and slow cook meat 5 or 6 hours at a low temperature (around 200 degrees), over wood or charcoal.

Today when you think of going to a barbecue, you may conjure up the idea of a hamburger or steak, so big and juicy, it melts in your mouth. Alternatively, perhaps a hot dog grilled to perfection with all the toppings. The phrase barbecue has evolved to mean either the meat served or the social event where the meat served
has been specially prepared to represent a
barbecue taste. Regardless of which area of the US you choose as your favorite for barbecue, the barbecue is an American Tradition, handed down from generation to generation. There’s no chance the barbecue party will lose it’s appeal anytime soon.

While there’s no question that the barbecue is an American delicacy, there are many different theories as to where its origins lie. The state of Texas, Virginia, the Carolinas, or Georgia, each
area has it’s own definition and history of
barbecue. It may well be that each area has it’s own rightful claim to the barbecue history as each uses different methods and sauces to make their own unique barbecue.

And there would be no BBQ without a Texas barbecue sauce, which is thick and sweet with a rich tomato flavour. Texas sauce also uses a dry-rub mixture of seasonings which is applied to the beef and then the meat is hung over the BBQ to slow cook.

The southeast barbecue sauce, is a thinner sauce, with more of a vinegary taste. Their meat of choice is likely to be pork. The method used here is to`use a pit or enclosure to concentrate the cooking heat and smoke around the meat whilst it is being prepared.

Almost every family has their own unique taste and method used to get just the right barbecue. At your next barbecue, if you want to rev up the conversation between barbecue connoisseurs, just casually ask, Do you know the difference between barbecue and grilling? Or, where did the barbecue originate? Of course, it may depend upon the number of drinks you have served as to the answers you get. But the responses are sure to be varied and interesting.

About the author:
Laura Kjer is the webmaster of
Shop Barbecue which is a
premier source of information about Barbecue. For more
information, go to: http://shopbarbecue.com

Even though I am sure everyone is fairly confident in their cooking skills as what reaches the table gets consumed quickly it is always nice for people to be impressed with how good the food happens to look. The following are some great tips for making your food look as good visually as they will taste to the people that are going to be eating them.  Parsley can dress up almost any dish and you can use it either fresh or dried. If you are choosing to use fresh parsley all you need to do is place a small portion of parsley next to what you happen to be serving. If you decide to go with dried parsley to dress up your meals you can just sprinkle the parsley in small portions over the food that you are serving. If you are cooking for some potentially picky eaters then you should only sprinkle the parsley over a small portion of the meal in order to give them some time to get used to the change. Cheese can be a fun and tasty way to make the food that you cook look more fancy. A light dusting of parmesan cheese can really dress up a dish. You can also use a finely shredded cheddar or even mozzarella to spice up a dish depending on what the food is. All you need is a small portion of cheese and you will be more then pleased with the end result. A great way to dress up the meals that you are preparing without having to change anything about the food is changing the way in which you serve your meals. You can start by purchasing some pretty cloth napkins. You can also find some great smelling candles and put together a very nice centerpiece for your table. Additionally purchasing some new fancy looking plates will also go far in making mealtime more special. The best part of this is that you do not have to spend a ton of money to make these changes.  Just remember that you do not have to go overboard when it comes to making your meals look better. You do not have to serve strange foods or several courses in order to impress people. You will see that many times it is the simplest of meals that is going to get you the rave reviews. Preparing eye pleasing dishes can be an enjoyable task as long as you plan ahead and gather everything that you need before you begin preparing your meal.

Pre-made meal cooking can be a huge time and stress saver for many people leading busy professional and family lives today. There are several important guidelines that everyone should be well aware of before tackling Pre-made meal cooking to make sure that everything goes smoothly. All you need is some quality recipes and the right preparation tools and you can be well on your way to some delicious meals that you can prepare in no time flat. When you are Pre-made meal cooking this is not the time to get experimental so no new recipes. A smart rule of thumb to stick by is only prepare items for Pre-made meal cooking that you have eaten before and enjoyed. This way you save yourself (and your family) from not enjoying a meal and still having several of the same meal awaiting you in the freezer for later consumption. You need to be sure that the food you prepare is at a good temperature to be put into the freezer. The food that you prepare does not have to be completely cooled to be stored in the freezer. If you let the food sit out for too long it will most likely begin to collect dangerous bacteria which will make everyone in your family ill and no one wants to run the risk of that occurring. You only need to let your meals sit for about twenty minutes before sticking them in a freezer. If you still think that you food is too warm when the twenty minutes is up then simply stick a piece of cardboard under the meal and remove it after the food is frozen. Store your food in quality containers. If you can find square and rectangle shaped containers that will really suit you best, as they can be easily stored in the freezer. You will also find that you have an easier time un-thawing your meals when you are ready to prepare them. If you are unable to use these types of containers then you can make good use of plastic bags. All you need to do is stick cardboard in between the bags to make the best use of your freezer space.  Pre-made meal cooking does not have to seem like an undoable task. All you need to do is stick with these easy to follow tips and you will have a freezer well stocked with delicious food in no time at all.
 

Tips for Hosting a Dinner Party

By Melanie Breeze

There is nothing like an evening of good friends and good conversation. If you love to entertain friends and co-workers, but lack the funds for a traditional dinner party, you are in luck. If you shop smart, it doesn’t take a lot of money to throw an event that will make you the envy of your social circle. When all else fails, consider a potluck. Have each one of your guests bring their favorite dish or appetizer. It can be a lot of fun to try new recipes and variations.

First off set the mood! A good dinner party is all about ambiance. Consider going to your local dollar store or discount store to purchase some inexpensive tapers and candles. They are an easy way to brighten up a room, and encourage conversation. Don’t be afraid to try something fun, either. Try a themed party like a Hawaiian theme, or an 80’s theme. The possibilities are endless, and it will help break the ice among your guests. Encourage your guests to dress up, for instant glamour.

Once you have the mood set, its time to think about food. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to serve a seven course meal. Stick with cheap appetizers and fingers foods. Fondue parties are a blast to throw, and cost very little to pull off. Encourage your guests to bring their favorite dippers, to save you even more. A wine tasting party is also a fun event, and can cost you almost nothing to throw. Ask each guest to bring a bottle of their favorite wine. All you have to do is supply the wine glasses! If you choose to go a more traditional route, try buying your food online. There are many websites that sell discount goodies, and you can save even more by using an e-coupon site. If you go through one of these coupon sites you can purchase lobsters, wine, chocolate, steaks, appetizers, and just about anything else you can think of. It only takes a few minutes to shop, and many vendors offer free shipping. It couldn’t be easier!

Pay special attention to the dinner party invitations. A good invitation will help convey the theme of the party, and instruct the guests on any food or items that they need to bring to the event. You can create cheap, one-of-a-kind invitations, by using supplies available at your local craft supply store. Each invitation shouldn’t cost more a few cents a piece. Don’t forget to address the envelope in your own handwriting; it gives it a personal touch. Good luck!

About the author:
Melanie Breeze, avid online shopper and user of http://www.CouponChief.comis always shopping around for the best deals. You can find food coupons including discounts available around the web at CouponChief, all in one location. Finding a coupon before your online purchase helps you get that extra discount!

We have updated our database which now contains over 340,000 recipes. We have another update coming in about a week which should update the drink database to over 11,000 drink recipes. Our recipe cookbooks are increasing as well. We just purchased a library of pdf cookbooks and once they have been reviewed and compared with our current library of over 150 cookbooks we will be adding them for your downloading pleasure.
Do you have cooking related articles that you have written? Why not posted them in our new Culinary Article Directory. Simply click on the Culinary Articles Link here or on the menu, sign up as an author and upload your articles. Each week we take articles from this directory and present them on the front pages of The Vegetarian Weekend Chef, The Diabetic Weekend Chef which will give you extra exposure for your writing. If you have a food related website, feel free to use these articles as well on your site.
We are looking to promote culinary related websites! Join are partners program today! It’s free, simply goto Culinary Partners and signup.
So you like outdoor cooking? How about Beer or Wine? Look for these two new websites in the coming months.

Mega Recipe Site Announces Free Memberships

The Weekend Chef announced today free memberships to their 340,000 recipe web site until January 23, 2008.

Source: RD Webhosting
Jan 02, 2008 10:56:50

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(PRLog.Org) – Jan 02, 2008 – The Weekend Chef announced today free memberships to their 340,000 recipe web site until January 23, 2008. To start off the New Years with a benefit to the people, Chef Ray and Chef Daisy announced that The Weekend Chef would open membership to everyone free of charge. A coupon code is included on the sign up page that will cover the normal $19.97 annual membership fee. This gives everyone who joins a year free access to their databases, cookbooks, Recipe Exchange and articles.

The Weekend Chef is a series of websites that includes:
The Dieting Weekend Chef - http://thedietingweekendchef.com
The Vegetarian Weekend Chef - http://thevegetarianweekendchef.com
The Diabetic Weekend Chef - http://thediabeticweekendchef.com
and The Weekend Chef - htpp://theweekendchef.com

According to Chef Daisy, one of the owners of The Weekend Chef Web Ring, “This may be the last recipe site or cookbook you will ever need.” The Weekend Chef has several databases including our 340,000 plus food recipe database and a 9,300 plus drink recipe database. Making this the largest recipe database that we know of on the Internet and we are constantly adding to it. The websites also offer over 150 pdf cookbooks, including the exclusive The Weekend Chef Guide to.Sushi and The Weekend Chef Guide to Deep Fried Turkey and Twinkies written by Ray Laubert the web master and weekend chef.

That is not all that The Weekend Chef has to offer. Every other week or so they post articles on the different websites about dieting, vegetarian cooking, cooking for the diabetic, cooking tips and recipes related to an upcoming season or event. Want to contribute your favorite recipe? The websites also offer a Recipe Exchange forum where you can post your recipes or ask questions.

This is a great resource for those of you who love to cook. Visit them today at http://theweekendchef.com.
# # #

In the past I have written two cookbooks of sorts. The Weekend Chefs Guide to Sushi and The Weekend Chefs Guide to Deep Fried Turkey and Twinkies. I am making them both available for free to our visitors and members.

They are not in pdf format currently but I will update the format in the near future. In the mean time they are available using the links below.

The Weekend Chefs Guide to Sushi is a beginners guide to making Sushi at home. It discribes the tools and ingredients required to make Sushi as well as some of the recipes for common items that people like.

I use to have a family night every couple of months and Japanese was the theme everyone loved. It got to be so that my neighbors and family doctors showed up during these family nights just for the food. I hope you enjoy it.

The Weekend Chefs Guide to Deep Fried Turkey and Twinkies was a lot of fun to write. When I started this guide, I knew nothing about the process. So this guide is also for the beginner. The family wasn’t too sure of deep fried turkeys, so the first Thanksgiving my wife made the ‘regular’ turkey and I did a deep fried bird. My turkey was done before the wife’s and everyone started picking at it to see how it tasted. By the end of dinner there was absolutly NO meat any where on the bones. Now, we don’t do oven roasted birds.

I will put the links to the files over the weekend when I get home. I am on the road until Saturday. But wanted to get this posted.

My name is Chef Ray and along with Chef Daisy (my daughter and real chef) we are your hosts.

What is The Weekend Chef?

The Weekend Chef has been around for a few years now. It started out as a site to exchange recipes between some friends. Earlier this year we were able to purchase a couple of greate databases as well as about 150 cookbooks in pdf format. At that point it was time for a major overhaul of the site since we would need to do extensive rewriting of the site anyway.

We decided to keep the recipe exchange idea but to expand on it. By going to a membership driven site we would be able to continue to expand the offerings by using the money from the membership to purchase softare, data, and information that may not be available elsewere on the web. What you see today is the beginning of that process.

We are proud to over one of the largest databases of recipes on the web. We now have over 300,000 food recipes and over 9,000 drink recipes available. No other site that we have found so far has that wide of a selection for it’s members. In addition, we have over 150 pdf cookbooks and a member recipe exchange. We think it is a great start.

2008 is fast approaching and I wanted to take a few minutes to let you know my resolutions for The Weekend Chef for 2008!

During 2008 I resolve to grow The Weekend Chef as follows:

* 400,000 Recipes available to our fellow Weekend Chefs. My ultimate goal is 1 Million Recipes.
* Grow our membership to 10,000 Weekend Chefs.
* Increase our offerings to include more software that you can use in menu planning and cooking.
* Write a new Weekend Chef’s Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking. If you haven’t done so, check out the current Weekend Chef’s Guides.
* To create a webring of sister sites that include Dieting, Beer and Wine Making and Vegetarian Cooking.

Well there you go, it’s offical, my goals for 2008. If you have anything you would like from this site please let us know. In the meantime thank you for being part of the Weekend Chefs and enjoy what we have to offer.

Please look around our free area. We publish articles every week and new recipes montly.