Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Nesco American Harvest FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator

The NESCO Professional Food & Jerky Dehydrator has more power than most dehydrators -- 700 watts -- which means faster drying time. You will have results in hours, not days. The top mounted fan with patented Converga-Flow action pressurizes air downward through the outer ring and horizontally across each individual tray, converging at the center, for fast, even drying. No need to rotate trays. The adjustable thermostat allows you to dry different foods at proper temperatures (95-155 F), providing the flexibility to produce the best drying results. As your needs grow, the Professional Food & Jerky Dehydrator can be expanded up to 12 trays.


Ethanol is a biofuel. Biofuels are basically alternative energy sources made from living matter. Unlike Fossil Fuels, such as oil, which come from nonliving materials. Although it sounds like a great idea on the surface many countries are experiencing rising grocery costs as Ethanol production mounts. But why is this and does it affect you?

The most commonly used type of biofuel today is called E85 which is a blend of gasoline and ethanol. Basically it is 15% gasoline and 85% ethanol. The ratio of this mixture is adjusted according to weather temperatures, so during Winter months it takes more gasoline in the mixture to operate.

Now if everyone could afford a vehicle which used E85 this would be a huge step in reducing or reliance on oil. But the truth is many of us cannot and the vehicles and E85 stations are not being promoted to the public.

But the real problem with E85 and Biofuels comes from the fact that the production is causing food shortages which raise your grocery bill. But how is this?

The start of this chain reaction from producing biofuel is corn. Corn is the primary food from which Ethanol is produced. And since farmers raise this crop there is only so much land for it to be grown on. And while supply for corn has grown the farmers struggle to keep up.

With this increased demand corn has become very profitable to grow. Farmers are sacrificing growing other products such as Soy and Wheat to have more land to grow corn. So instead of a shortage of just one crop, Corn, we now have a shortage of three, Corn, Wheat, and Soy.

These are staple crops. Meaning that many of the products you buy everyday from the Grocery store is produced from these. Resulting in raising your grocery bill and a shortage of food that is distributed to the poor and underdeveloped countries.

An alternative to biofuel and rising grocery bills is available. Water. The most abundant natural resource on the Planet.

With an inexpensive and easy to install kit your everyday vehicle can achieve increased gas mileage ranging from 30 percent to 50 percent and more. This is achieved by using a small electrical current from your battery to release Hydrogen gas from water. This is then mixed with your vehicle's fuel/air mixture.

To see how this incredible alternative energy source can benefit you and save you money at the fuel pump and help combat rising grocery costs please visit http://www.water-as-gas.com

dehydrator

Nesco American Harvest FD-61 Snackmaster Encore Dehydrator and Jerky Maker

This convenient dehydrator makes great tasting, healthy snacks & jerky! Introducing the Snackmaster?? Encore???. It's Grey top and marbled design features 500 watts of drying power, and generates maximum speed and quality for dehydrating fruits, vegetables, beef jerky, and venison jerky. Helps dry food in hours, not days like ordinary food dehydrators. The top mounted fan eliminates the worry of liquids dripping into the the heating chamber!You can make delicious beef jerky, turkey jerky, fish jerky, trail mix, homemade yogurt, apple snacks, banana chips, dried soup mixes, dried tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, mangoes, papaya and other dried fruits at a fraction of the cost. Make dried herbs and spices; also make potpourri and dried flowers for any occasion.


Halloween has always been a favorite time of year for me. Not only is it my birthday, but the air is clean and crisp, the leaves have turned colors and its just a very pretty time of year.

Id like to share some fun Halloween ideas and recipes with you:

Halloween cookie cutters are a must. You can use these cookie cutters on bread to make Halloween sandwiches. Kids love jack-o-lantern shaped sandwiches. You can spread their favorite sandwich topping on the bread once its cut.

Purchase M&Ms from a store that sells specific colors. Buy orange and green M&Ms and then use them in your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe substituting the M&Ms for the chocolate chips.

You can also put those same M&Ms in your favorite rice krispy treat recipe. Its amazing how these two colors transform recipes into Halloween recipes.

Look for mini cookie cutters. They can often be found in kitchen specialty shops. If you find pumpkin mini cookie cutters, these work great on cheese. Buy sliced cheese. Cut the cheese with the mini cookie cutters and then put the slice of round cheese on a Ritz cracker.

Prepare your favorite brownie recipe and then top with candy corn pieces.

Make hamburgers and use your cookie cutters on full size slices of cheese. Serve open faced so that the pumpkin or ghost shaped cheese is on top.

Many stores sell spinach pasta. Green pasta with red sauce is very Halloween looking to kids.
Make english muffin pizzas. Add sauce and cheese and then cover with pepperoni slices. Use pineapple chunks to make eyes, nose and mouth.

What would Halloween be without pumpkin flavored items? Here are a few pumpkin recipes for you:

Pumpkin Dip

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 large 30-ounce can of pumpkin

4 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger

Mix everything together and serve. Kids love to dip both fruit and cookies into this dip.

And what about pumpkin muffins? I love pumpkin muffins warmed with butter on them:

Pumpkin Muffins

3 1/3 cups flour

3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup oil

4 eggs

2/3 cup water

2 cups pumpkin

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Pour into muffin tins. Batter will rise, so only fill the muffin tins 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Decorating your table can be fun also. Use a combination of blacks and oranges. Use cat or witch shaped bowls. I have a friend who owns plates, creamers and tea pots in the shape of cats. You can also sprinkle your M&Ms and candy corn on the table. The kids can eat the decorations.

Enjoy Halloween with your kids and their friends at home with all of the above treats and ideas.

Audreys mom always entertained when she was growing up. Audrey learned to prepare for large groups and has often entertained 15-30 people in her home at a time. You can find more great recipes at http://www.recipe-barn.com

dehydrator