Cuisine Diva

Food Lovers - Check Out Foodie Blogroll

Are you a fan of food? Do you love cooking and trying out new recipes? Checkout Foodie Blogroll for a variety of food related blogs, sure to get your taste buds watering!

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Gifts for Foodies

Edible Chocolate Hanukkah Dreidels

The Cuisine Diva just received an email from the PR department of Mindy's Meals on Heels. They wanted to know if I would be interested in posting a Hanukkah recipe from site founder Mindy Korbrin on the Cuisine Diva site.It looked like an interesting idea, so here it is, enjoy!

Here's a new spin on a traditional Hanukkah activity that the whole family can enjoy! Celebrations and entertaining expert; Mindy Kobrin, founder of Mindy’s Meals on Heels (www.mealsonheelsbymindy.com) has created an Incredible Edible Hanukkah Dreidel which will allow kids (and adults) the opportunity to play with their food!

 

Above: Incredible edible Hanukkah dreidels.

 

Ingredients for Edible Hanukkah Dreidel

• 12 thin pretzel sticks
• 12 large marshmallows
• 8 oz dark chocolate, melted
• 2 oz white chocolate, melted or white frosting
• 12 Hershey kisses

Directions for Edible Hanukkah Dreidel

1. Dip bottom of chocolate kiss in melted semisweet chocolate
2. Press onto marshmallow; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet
3. Repeat to make 12 dreidels. Refrigerate for 10 minutes
4. Cut a small slit in bottom of each marshmallow; insert 1 thin pretzel stick
5. Dip dreidels in chocolate, and return to baking sheet
6. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes
7. Fill a resealable plastic bag with melted white chocolate; cut a tiny opening in a corner, and pipe Hebrew letters onto 3 sides of each dreidel
8. Refrigerate at least 5 minutes or up to 8 hours before serving

Help Stop Type 2 Diabetes

Note From the Cuisine Diva

I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my daughter. My doctors said I need to be careful about NOT gaining excess weight as I get older, as this could lead to my getting adult onset diabetes. I was recently contacted by Patricia Harris, founder of the Diabetic Menu Blog. She wanted to know if I would be interested in having her write an article for my Cuisine Diva blog. I thought that would be a fantastic idea, and contacted her right away. Here is the article Patricia wrote for Cuisine Diva.

Help Stop Type 2 Diabetes
by Patricia Harris

Diabetes type 2 is the most common kind of diabetes. An incredible number of Americans are identified as having type 2 diabetes, and many more don't suspect that they may be at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes than others. Type 2 diabetes is much more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians along with Pacific Islanders, as well as the older population.

In type 2 diabetes, either the body doesn't produce enough insulin, or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is critical in order for your body to be able to use glucose for energy. Once you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, that's the basic fuel for your cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from blood into your cells. When glucose generates inside the blood, rather than going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.

You may have the power to increase and protect your health. With proper nutrition and exercise and by making good lifestyle choices, like not smoking, you possibly can feel better, stronger, and healthier, and can reduce your risk of diseases including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and heart stroke.

What is a Healthy Weight?

There's a great way to find out if your current weight puts you at risk for developing serious diseases. Go to www.diabetes.org/bmi and take the Body Mass Index (BMI) test. The final results can help you decide if you need to be concerned about your weight.

The Better You Eat, The Better Your experience

Here are some basic guidelines to help you and your family make healthier food decisions.

• Eat many vegetables and fruits.
• Choose wholegrain foods over processed grain products; try brown rice instead of white, substitute wheat grains bread for white.
• Eat fish 2 to 3 times per week.
• Select leaner cuts of meat like those that end in "loin."
• Remove the skin from poultry and turkey.
• Eat non-fat dairy.
• Drink water and low calorie, non-carbonated liquids.
• Use liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats.
• Cut back on high calorie snacks like chips, cookies, cakes, and regular ice cream.
• Find baked chips and reduced calorie snacks. Or have some fruit instead.
• Be careful about your serving sizes. Even an excessive amount of "healthy" food could potentially cause weight gain.

Tips

1. Compare labels of similar foods, then pick the one with smaller amounts of saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.
2.  Adults should eat under 2400 mg. of sodium everyday. If you have high blood pressure, you might want to aim for even less.
3. Try adding seasonings in your cooking to replace salt for enhancing flavor.

A Little Physical Activity Goes a Long Way

Anything that gets you up and moving will help get you started on the right track. You do not need to visit a gym, play sports, or use fancy equipment. You should talk to your physician before beginning any exercise program. Here's what exercise may do for you:

• Reduce your risk of developing diabetes type 2
• Reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke Lower hypertension and cholesterol
• Reduce blood glucose (sugar) levels if you have diabetes, which could lower your risk of developing diabetes-related complications
• Reduce tension
• Help you slim down
• Provide you with more energy
• Help you sleep better
• Build stronger bones and muscle mass

Living With Diabetes

Maintaining a healthy diet, and staying active are very important when you've got diabetes. Well-balanced meals might help keep your glucose (sugar) level as close to normal as it can be. Being physically active also helps you decrease your blood glucose levels. If you increase your physical activity levels, you may be able to take less insulin or diabetes pills.

In case you are very inactive, have heart disease, or simply a history of foot ulcers, talk to your doctor about safe exercise options available for you. Check your blood glucose before exercising. If it's under 100 mg/dl, eat some fruit, crackers or have a glass of milk or juice. Check your glucose level again, after exercising, to know how your blood glucose responds to a workout. Bring a snack if you'll be active for a few hour.

About the Author

Patricia Harris writes for the Diabetics Menu Blog; her personal hobby web log devoted to tips to eat healthy to avoid and manage diabetes.

Cuisine Diva is Featured Author on Cook Eat Share

Featured Author

Lynn Smythe

view my recipes

Hello everyone,

I've just registered the Cuisine Diva blog on the Cook Eat Share site. This should bring me additional traffic to the Cuisine Diva blog. I am also a featured author on the Cook Eat Share website. Here is the link to my Cook Eat Share profile page: Cuisine Diva on Cook Eat Share.

I just started the Herbs & Spices group on Cook Eat Share. The group will be focused on cooking with herbs and spices.

Please visit the Cook Eat Share site when you get a chance.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Half Hour Meals

I recently listed all my diva blogs on the Blog Catalog site. I received a message from one of the owners of Blog Catalog letting me know about their new site called Half Hour Meals.

According to their website: "HalfHourMeals.com is designed for people who love to cook but do not have time to slave over a hot stove for hours. We understand that people have busy lives, but we believe that everyone deserves to enjoy a great meal at the end of the day. Do not let your hectic schedule prevent you from giving your family the very best. Search our collection of quick, simple, and delicious recipes today, and serve an extraordinary meal tonight!"

Visit Half Hour Meals
Recipes can be searched by course, type of cuisine, ingredients and more. Half Hour Meals also contains a listing of food related blogs, including this blog, Cuisine Diva. Visit the Half Hour Meals website when you get a chance, and find recipes and ideas for quick and easy meals.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Cuisine Diva Product Endorsements

Cuisine Diva Product Endorsements
The Cuisine Diva is occasionally contacted by marketing companies to see if she would be willing to provide an endorsement for some of the products their clients manufacture. The Cuisine Diva would need to receive one or more samples of the product to test out before an endorsement can be written.

Advertising/Product Reviews/Giveaways
A quick look around the Cuisine Diva blog will show you that my readers have a variety of food related interests. If you have a product you feel my readers would enjoy, please let me know. I can be reached via email: [email protected].

Lynn Smythe, AKA the Cuisine Diva, is also the Herbs & Spices Feature Writer for the Suite101 website. There is a possibility that the endorsement will appear on Suite101, in addition to, or instead of the Cuisine Diva site.

I am especially interested in reviewing cookbooks, food related magazines, kitchen gadgets, herbs, spices and unique ingredients for the Cuisine Diva site.

Nutritional supplements, protein bars, electrolyte drinks, and similar products will most likely be reviewed on either the Bike Diva or Run Diva blogs. I'm really not interested in receiving samples of energy drinks or diet products.

Cuisine Diva Product Reviews

Here are links to the products that have been endorsed by Cuisine Diva

Detour Activity Bar

Detour Activity Bar

Gibbs Smith

Culinary Mexico Cookbook

Harper Collins

The Ultimate Tea Diet

Hippocrene Books

Healthy South Indian Cooking

Hurricane Juice Co.

EQ Thirst Equalizer

Little, Brown & Company

The Flavor Bible

Long Creek Herbs

Great Herb Mixtures You Can Make

The Best Dressed Salad

Lulu

101 Recipes From the Herb Lady

Nuun

Nuun Hydration Tablets

O.N.E.

ONE Natural Experience Drink Review

Pacific Health Labs

Review of Forze GPS Bars & Shakes

PowerBar

PowerBar Products

PowerBars

Review of PowerBar Gel Blasts

Energy Gels for Endurance Sports

Quirk Books

Field Guide to Herbs & Spices

Simon & Schuster

Modern Spice Cookbook

The Sibling Group

Under the Sun; First Five Years of the Essential Herbal

VE2 Laboratories

VE2 Energy Gum

Vital Action Performance Water

Vital Action Performance Water

ZICO Coconut Water

ZICO Coconut Water

ZICO Coconut Water Video

Products Waiting for Review
Cuisine Diva is currently working with the following companies to test out and provide reviews of their products:

1. Saltworks - gourmet sea salts
2. Saltworks - Fusion naturally flavored sea salts
3. Cole & Mason - King Pepper junior pepper mill 
4. Zyliss - Smart Touch salad spinner
5. Nu Naturals - white stevia powder, more fiber baking blend, sweet health erythritol crystals, no carbs blend, pure white stevia extract, pure liquid clear stevia, pure liquid vanilla stevia, pure liquid cocoa bean extract.

Disclosure Statement
The Cuisine Diva may receive free merchandise in exchange for writing product endorsements.The Cuisine Diva personally tests each product that is submitted for review.

Future Product Endorsements
If you are a marketing company, or company representative, and would like your product endorsed on the Bike Diva site, please contact Lynn Smythe for further details.