Easter sunday is fast approacing and I am sure you are planning to host a dinner or a special treat fro your family. You would wish to serve delicacies  that are not only tasty but also easy to cook. I have a few recipes that you can try at home for the Easter Dinner. 

Ham with Appricot & brown sugar

Ingredients

1 (10 pound) fully-cooked spiral cut ham
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup apricot jam
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

steps to prepare

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).

2. Place the ham onto a sheet of aluminum foil, put the cut ide down. you may put the shiny    side up.

3. Mix together the brown sugar, apricot jam and mustard powder in a small bowl.

4. With a pastry or barbeque brush smear the ham with the mixture . Reserve any leftover glaze.

5. After coating the hams enclose foil around the ham and place on a rimmed baking sheet.

6. Roast for 2 hours in the preheated oven, or if you ham is a different size, figure 14 minutes per pound. Apply the remaining glaze 20 minutes before the ham is done.

Pepper and honey Chops

Ingredients

3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 1/8 pounds lamb or mutton chops
5 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon diced green chile pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon anise seed

Directions

1.Mix honey, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce in a shallow baking dish.

2. Place the lamb chop into the mixture then cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

3. Heat olive oil in a shallow wok over medium-high heat.

4. Add the anise seed, garlic, onions and green chilies, and saute until the onion is tender. this might take about 5 minutes.

5. before the onions start taking the brown colour place the lamb chops and marinade into the pan, and stir.

6. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, then remove lid, and continue cooking until liquid has evaporated.

7. Now Stir in green onions, and cook, stirring, until the internal temperature of the meat has reached 145 degrees F (63 degrees C)

There won’t be anybody who would not enjoy shopping. Normally , women love shopping for jewelry or clothes and men love to shop for gadgets . But when it comes to shopping for grocery most people do it half heartedly . You can make your grocery shopping also interesting . When I go grocery shopping I make sure utilize the time and procure the best of the items.

Shopping plan

Discount or gift coupons

You may collect the local grocery store’s coupons and flyers from your mail and the newspaper. With these advertisements you can find out the best possible bargains and accordingly decide your menu for the week. Look for discounts and other offers but be very careful while buying frozen stuff on discount, they may be nearing expiry, so the discount . Keep the coupons that you would require . Don’t carry extra coupons; they would only entice you to buy extra stuffs, blowing your budget.

Check pantry

When you make your shopping list check your refrigerator, freezer and pantry for the available stuff. You would not want to buy extra food stuff and store them at your place. Purchase only those food stuffs that are not there and you would need to consume.

Shopping list

Prepare your shopping list rationally. Normally you would visit the store that you visit regularly so you can make the list according to the layout of the store. This way you don’t forget important items. Add some treats to your list so that you don’t get tempted to buy many interesting food items that are displayed.

Shopping at the Grocery Store

 Shop for produce first

Shop the produce section first. Produce is generally located as soon as you pass the main entrance to the grocery store, pick up your fruits and veggies first. You may look for discounts here but don’t forget to check the freshness. These are perishable stuffs and may be discounted when they get a bit old.

Staple food stuffs

Next in line are the staple food items. Your coupons may have money offs for these stuffs so check your coupons to avail the discounts. You can always talk to the customer service people before picking up the stuffs. They may help you finding the products available on the coupons. While picking up the items watch for the damaged cans and boxes. Damaged boxes may contain spoilt foods within.

Frozen items

Once you are done with all your purchases of regular requirements, its turn for you to move to the refrigerated section. These are perishable goods. Check their expiry dates before picking them up. You should pick the frozen items last because they tend to get spoilt in room temperature. 

Treat

So, you are done with your shopping and now its time for the treat that was on your list. My treat is always an ice cream. Even you can try one!!

Garlic not only adds flavor to your food but also has many health benefits. A few flakes of garlic change the taste and nutritional benefits of your food. I put garlic into the hot oil before putting onions into it for caramelizing. Here are a few benefits of garlic that I have known from people and through internet.

Colds

From ages it is believed and established that garlic has the power to cure cold. You might think as to how garlic flakes cure common cold. Well, it has been seen that garlic cloves improve the immune system. This gives a boost to the natural defense system . Regular consumption of garlic improves the immune system and protects the body from viral infections

Cancer

As I mentioned earlier, garlic improves the immune system therefore a healthy immune system has the ability to fight cancer. Scientific researches on humans and animals have determined that garlic has the capability to reduce the formation of cancerous cells. Garlic restricts cancer causing compounds from forming, and slow the growth of tumor cells. Garlic is especially helpful in blocking oesophagal, breast, stomach, prostate and bladder cancer. Researches have shown that compounds in garlic also have the ability to reduce the size of tumor by half.

Heart Disease

Heart diseases are caused by many factors but the many benefits of garlic also have therapeutic values too. High level of cholesterol causes heart diseases and garlic has a quality to lower the cholesterol level. Age, poor diet, smoking and some environmental factors cause the heart’s blood vessel, aorta, to stiffen. This makes it difficult for the blood vessel to maintain the blood pressure. Studies show that consumption of garlic helps to keep the blood vessel flexible and hence keeps heart diseases away.

Hypertension

Garlic has the ability to control your blood pressure by thinning the blood. It also prevents forming of clots. Researches show that people who consume garlic have fewer incidences of hypertension and heart disease.

Infection

Garlic is said to have anti bacterial properties. It also has antiviral and antifungal abilities. It is effective against intestinal parasites, recurrent yeast infections and the growth of candida albicans is slowed by garlic. Garlic can help by stimulating T-cells that help fight infection.

Garlic is just an aid to antibiotics in fighting infections, but it is not enough to replace them. Moreover, your doctor needs to know if you plan to begin supplementing garlic. If you are under medication for high blood pressure or are scheduled for surgery, garlic intake can affect due to its blood thinning and anticoagulative properties, so it is a must to consult your physician before making any changes in your diet.