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Have you ever felt the overwhelming need while sitting in front of the television screen in your favorite comfy clothes watching one more sitcom to get up and go to the kitchen in order to eat something more, although you have finished your dinner less than an hour ago? While many agree that the fridge hides a lot of delights that can ruin your appetite, today’s consumers do not believe that chewing something before or after a well-served meal is a totally weird practice. Maybe the food quantity someone consumed was not enough to make him or her feel satisfied and full, even when no weight loss program is followed. Or maybe, one hates to throw away food and in an effort to find a good place to put that last piece of apple pie that was left untouched and should not be thrown out, he consumes it. But, why you select to eat the specific types of food that you do? For dieticians and social researchers the true cause of compulsive eating is your psychological state. People tend to eat what they feel.

According to a research that was completed by a team headed by an American psychotherapist, Mrs. Synthia Power, who specializes in the area of “food and addiction,” there is a very close relationship between our mood and the food we select to eat. Those extra quantities of chips and ice-cream you put on your lap while watching a film, show something about the way you feel at the moment. If you have never tried to understand why was it that you selected to consume those extra calories since you were not really hungry, researchers have tried to examine our eating habits in relation to our emotional state.

The results of the study showed that the largest percentage of people feeling angry will select to eat a steak, while someone suffering from depression will look for food that includes in its substances sugar and caffeine. A jealous character will eat whatever is offered by the host, or whatever they have stacked inside the fridge, even if they are not particularly fond of the taste palette they are going to try, which explains a lot of the rivalries and food fights that are observed between siblings when they are still kids.

Mrs. Power’s research tested more than 500 people and this is considered to be the first serious attempt to examine the relationship between our dietary choices and the way we eat. As the British “Sunday Times” report, “People that have to express their anger often select food that is not easily decomposed like a beef steak. On the other hand, people that feel lonely and depressed select to consume carbohydrates.” According to the sample examined, those dealing with a stressful and difficult period in their lives, like for example a divorce, are prone to eat soft types of sweets, like ice-creams, honey or marmalade, while those experiencing sexual frustration tend to select starchy food, like pasta, cake or biscuits. Moreover, if you want to see who is really suffering from stress, try to observe your friends next time you invite them over for dinner. You will be able to pinpoint the stressed one by watching who will grab the salt first at your dinner party.
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Food, Recreation, and Travel

Now You Can Make Exquisite, Perfectly Crafted, Gourmet Cupcakes All From Your Own Kitchen! Over 30 Gourmet Cupcake Recipes In One E-Book with this great little ebook available at www.cupcake-recipes.com

Micro roasted coffee is considered by many to be the best tasting type of coffee available on the retail market. The processes used to create this coffee variety are calculated to bring out the best of the coffee beans used in this technique. This type of coffee has a richness of flavor and a quality that cannot be matched by many traditional, store brought brands. Although it is more expensive, it makes up for the price by being high in quality and taste.

What Is Micro Roasted Coffee?

Micro roasted coffee is coffee that is roasted in small batches to exact specifications. The batches of coffee are generally less than 150 pounds, versus the hundred of pound roasted in each batch in commercial factories. The entire roasting process is overseen by skilled professionals with many years of experience in the business. The coffee beans are roasted in a large drum which constantly turns, ensuring an even roast.

Once the coffee is completely roasted, the coffee is cooled by cold air being pulled through the drum by a fan. This process takes longer than the traditional method of cooling the coffee beans with cold water, but it ensures the flavor of the roasted coffee remains the same. Water cooling can also add weight to the roasted coffee, weight that the consumer will pay for in the end.

The factory where micro roasted coffee is prepared is called a micro roastery. The factory doe not rely on a multitude of expensive machines and automation. In fact, the entire roasting process is overseen by one highly skilled individual to ensure that the coffee is roasted to perfection. This infuses the coffee beans with the greatest amount of flavor, better taste, and a higher quality product. This process makes them some of the best tasting coffee in the world.

The individual responsible for preparing the micro roasted coffee is called a roastmaster. The roastmaster is a skilled professional who uses his five senses to detect when the coffee beans are perfectly roasted. This individual is also responsible for creating the coffee blends that so many people in the country enjoy on a regular basis. The roast master has extensive knowledge of which coffee beans are best for micro roasted and how these coffee beans should be roasted to bring out the full flavor of the coffee.

Even though micro roasted coffee can be expensive, it is unsurpassed in the taste it delivers. Many individuals that have tried coffee that micro roasted ,find it very difficult to return to the store brought varieties and can really tell the difference in quality. If you are looking for great cup of flavorful coffee, micro roasted may be the way to go.
John Hilaire is a webmaster for the Keurig Coffee Maker related website.Find Gevalia Coffee at http://www.gevaliacoffeereviews.com.

Now You Can Make Exquisite, Perfectly Crafted, Gourmet Cupcakes All From Your Own Kitchen! Over 30 Gourmet Cupcake Recipes In One E-Book with this great little ebook available at www.cupcake-recipes.com

Isn’t Valentine’s day exciting? It’s a fantastic opportunity to show your loved one how much they mean to you. It’s a great time for telling someone that you have had a crush on that you like them. Well actually no it isn’t, it’s depressing.

If you are in a relationship it quickly becomes the perfect opportunity for your girlfriend to start getting shirty and demand that you spend a whole load of your hard earned money on her. What a terrible day it is for the man in a relationship. Restaurants get ridiculously full and it becomes clear that you were the only idiot alive not to have booked a table last year. It quickly becomes impossible to find somewhere to eat. You know that if you don’t take your girlfriend out she will hold it against you for the rest of your life and, in fear, you are forced to book a completely overpriced restaurant that is miles out of town just to keep her quiet.

But this is not where the tugging on the purse strings ends. Further still she will expect you to arrange a lavish present. Something exotic, something special, something thoughtful! Aaarrrgh! Flowers, balloons or champagne are not enough. That is if they are sent on their own. If you fork out and buy them all then that is considered a passable effort. But they will only suffice if it is clear that they have cost you five times what they are worth.

Secretly she’ll be expecting jewellery or a flight to Paris but she will tell you that, ‘a nice quiet night in will be nice’. Do not swallow this - she is lying. If you arrange a ‘nice quiet night in’ you will be strung up and left out to dry. So how can you make sure that your Valentine’s Day passes quietly and free of drama? Well with chocolates of course!

The range and variety of chocolates on the market is astounding. For Valentine’s Day you will have to be looking well beyond the box of celebrations or a large bar of dairy milk. You have to push the boat out and show that you have done something special. Getting a high end box of chocolates from a Chocolatier is a great way of demonstrating the effort you have gone to and the level of affection you feel for your loved one.

Better still handmade chocolates will show that you really have thought about her. If you are well prepared you can arrange for chocolates to be made and personalised for your girlfriend.

These luxury hand-made chocolates do not come cheap but they are worth every penny. The boxes that are put together by Chocolatiers are of superior quality to anything that has been massed produced. As a result they have tiny touches that will really impress your loved one and demonstrate what a tremendous person you are. The boxes in which the chocolates come are made of superior quality materials such as suede.

Furthermore the boxes can be beautifully decorated with mini red roses to give an impeccably classy final touch. Sure to melt the heart of your girlfriend. Sadly these handmade chocolates do not come cheap but nevertheless you should see the purchase as an investment. An investment your girlfriend will undoubtedly appreciate.
Shaun Parker is an expert on chocolates. He advises men to get their loved ones Valentines day chocolates and Valentines chocolates

Now You Can Make Exquisite, Perfectly Crafted, Gourmet Cupcakes All From Your Own Kitchen! Over 30 Gourmet Cupcake Recipes In One E-Book with this great little ebook available at www.cupcake-recipes.com

When it comes to diet, weight control is the number one concern for people choosing to actively modify their meals for the sake of changing how much they weigh. No matter what your weight control goals are, understanding how the body processes nourishment can help you meet your weight control goals. These four simple principals should help you take control of your diet and meet your weight control needs.

First, your diet must be high in quality. Consider this: The standard American diet is high in sugar, high in fat, high in salt, highly processed and low in nutrition. Regardless of your goals for weight control, a healthier diet, from whole, unprocessed foods, will improve your health by eliminating toxins and help your body make the most of the nourishment in the food you eat. Would you choose the lowest quality gasoline, filled with impurities and additives that damage your car? Why then would you choose equivalent foods and put them in your body?

Second, nourishment in your diet must be complete. The facts show that the level of essential nutrients in a “good diet” is far lower compared to measurements from just 20 years ago. Because of this, you need to choose high-quality, food-based supplements to ensure that your body has the micronutrients it needs to support correct cell function.

Third, for optimal health, the amount of nourishment you receive from your diet must be appropriate for your needs. The diet of some movie star is not necessarily right, or even safe, for you. If your weight control desire is to loose weight, you should reduce your calories and favor low-glycemic foods which take longer to digest and slow your insulin response.

Fourth, your diet must be balanced. On average, you should receive twenty percent of your daily calories from protein, thirty percent from fat and fifty percent from carbohydrates. However, if we remember the first principal, a meal with fat from fried appetizers and carbohydrates from simple starches and refined sugars in not a high quality source of nourishment. Your protein should come from high quality sources such as fish, legumes and beans. Fat should also come from fish, and legumes, as well as flax seed, avocados, extra virgin olive oil and other high quality fat sources. The carbohydrates should come from whole produce and as much of it as possible should be raw. It’s very unlikely that you will find any of these things in the drive through or from the frozen section of the grocery store. It might be time to buy a cook book or two and learn how to prepare simple meals from real ingredients.

If your weight control goals are for weight gain, the four principals still apply. You simply need more calories from your diet. Instead of increasing portion sizes, add one or more extra meals a day. There are limits to how much the body can process from a single meal so adding an extra meal or two will allow your body to make the most of your additional intake.

Everyone should be able to enjoy the foods we include in our diet. Weight control is simply a matter of adjusting the intake of calories compared to how much is being consumed through exercise and basal metabolism. By following these four simple principals we can enjoy better health and help our bodies achieve our own, individual healthy weight.
Dave Saunders is a professional lecturer, and certified nutritional educator. He enjoys creating interconnections through his writings and lectures to help others create context and see new discoveries and technologies in more a practical light. You can find out more about new discoveries in health and nutrition at www.glycoboy.com.

Now You Can Make Exquisite, Perfectly Crafted, Gourmet Cupcakes All From Your Own Kitchen! Over 30 Gourmet Cupcake Recipes In One E-Book with this great little ebook available at www.cupcake-recipes.com

Here are a few pointers on the correct way to perform a toast:

The host of the party or event should always be the first one to start the toast. This person should also be the one to make sure that everyone’s glass is full before the toast is performed. For a wedding toast, it is still very traditional for the best man to perform the toast. Many people tend to think that the disc jockey or band is responsible for the toast, but this has never been true.

When you give a toast, you should be standing. Make short, simple and sincere comments.

If there is a large group of people, it is not mandatory to clink your glasses when the toast is made. Instead, just raise your glass and take a sip. If it is a small group of people, you should always look the person in the eyes when you clink their glass. As you clink your glasses you can say something like “Cheers, Prost (German), Skoal”, or whatever your nationality is.

Take some time to prepare yourself for the toast.

Keep it simple. It’s best to just be yourself and talk as you would any other time. For a wedding an easy way to start off is by thanking the bride and groom for allowing everyone to be a part of their special day. A simple closing would be something like: to the bride and groom (raises glass) may they always be as happy as they are today.

Speak to “everyone” and not just a small group of people. Try to look at the entire group of people.

Speak loud enough so everyone can hear you.

If you are nervous about giving a toast, practicing your toast over and over will give you more confidence. If it helps, try practicing in front of a friend.

Jokes can be great as long as they are not inside jokes. Don’t tell jokes that only a few people will understand.

Talk about something appropriate. Talking about how you have lost your girl chasing buddy isn’t funny - especially to family members. Remember, this is not about you, it’s about the bride and groom. Your toast could be on video for many years.

Use proper toasting etiquette. Sip instead of guzzling. If your toasting glasses are expensive crystal, clink gently.

Try to stay sober. It can get a little difficult if you are tipsy not to mention that you may be an embarrassment.

When you are finished, let everyone know that you are. Raise your glass and close your toast with something like, join me in congratulating the bride and groom, etc., or you can end it with the meaning of the word “to toast” in their heritage. For example, if it is a German wedding, you would say “Prost” as you raise your glass.

In the end, if you know you just won’t feel comfortable giving a toast, then don’t be afraid to decline. Let the bride and groom know ahead of time so they won’t be expecting you to do something you are not ready to do.

After the toast, the recipient, if there is one, SHOULD NOT DRINK (this would be like patting yourself on your own back if you do). Instead, he or she should stand and respond with thanks or by offering another toast. During the toast, if the recipient is already sitting, there is no need to stand unless the recipient would like to return the toast.

Although traditional, alcohol is not necessary to perform the toast. Sparkling fruit juice, punch or even pop may be used. It is your choice.
Evelyn Whitaker writes articles for German Toasting Glasses http://www.german-toasting-glasses.com which specializes in custom engraved wedding gifts from Germany.

Now You Can Make Exquisite, Perfectly Crafted, Gourmet Cupcakes All From Your Own Kitchen! Over 30 Gourmet Cupcake Recipes In One E-Book with this great little ebook available at www.cupcake-recipes.com

The more activities we share with our children the richer, fuller lives they will enjoy and the happier they will be overall. One such activity that can be shared with our children is the joy of baking and making cupcakes!

They are a great cooking activity to share with children because the endeavor consists of many choices. Choices help give children the opportunity to really feel confident about their likes, dislikes and areas that they can feel free to express their creative juices.

One can purchase the boxed mixes or one can easily make them from scratch following a favorite recipe or experimenting with new recipes each time a new batch is made. If you decide to choose a new recipe with each new batch, this can be the first fun choice for your child to make! He or she can choose which new recipe sounds best to their liking. Do they want to make Sally’s Extra Fluffy cakes or Carla’s Famous Swirls? This choice alone will change the outcome of one of their favorite dessert treats.

Then on to the decorating! What do they want to ornament their mini cakes with: frosting, fudge, sprinkles, and shavings? One, a combination, or how about all of the above? This gives children many choices. In addition, when baking cupcakes the majority of people tend to bake more than one at a time giving children typically eight blank dessert pallets to become the creative artist they are in their mind. The first masterpiece may be slathered with chocolate frosting and carefully placed chocolate chips arranged in a smiley face! The next a vanilla lover’s paradise with multi-colored sprinkles enticing the onlooker to take a bit. And, if one’s child is hesitant or reluctant to get started, then the parent can help by starting a few themselves!

Even cleaning up is a great part of the fun! There are mixing dishes to clean up, but if you tell your children as they help what a wonderful help they are to you, how you appreciate their help so much, and how much you enjoy doing things with them, they will for sure love helping! They will feel good about helping, feel proud about it, and even end up volunteering to find other things that they can do, non-related to the project to help out. Children want to feel good, if they know what pleases their parent they will continue to find things to do so.

Making these great little deserts with children can be more than a simple baking experience. It can be an opportunity for children to feel free exploring their creativity without any restrictions. It can be a way for them to feel as though what they have created will be accepted and enjoyed by others; an essential lesson to learn. It can also be a way for children to feel appreciated. Feel as though their help, their efforts are things to be valued, and things that can help to improve their sense of self. It can also help them realize what they like to do, what they don’t like to do and so many other great possibilities! So why not make some cupcakes tonight!
Mika Hamilton runs a website about cupcake recipes, visit: http://www.cupcake-recipes.com

Now You Can Make Exquisite, Perfectly Crafted, Gourmet Cupcakes All From Your Own Kitchen! Over 30 Gourmet Cupcake Recipes In One E-Book with this great little ebook available at www.cupcake-recipes.com

Vision cookware, also known as vision ware or corning vision cookware, has been an immensely popular item over the last several decades, and is seen as both collectible because of its pleasing appearance, and a great dish to use because of how easy it is to clean. They are so named because most are made with glass, hence the clear vision. While these dishes are widely admired, and still widely used, there are some very severe concerns as to the safety of using these dishes. While some people choose to ignore the possible threat (and granted, it is a small, but very serious, possibility), others refuse to use them anymore to be on the safe side. The choice is yours, but be careful.

The problem with this cookware is that it has a chance of shattering or exploding, even when it is not overheating or being misused. While the actual chance of this happening is a very small percentage, many people have been mildly, or even severely, injured because of it exploding. While less than 1% of it may actually have a defect that causes this to happen, it has happened often enough that the original manufacturer, Corning, refuses to sell it directly anymore. While some may discount this as having the sound of an urban legend, don’t dismiss these stories. An online search quickly reveals Federal reports numbering in the hundreds to even thousands about various instances where the cookware cracked, or even seemed to explode.

For this reason, if you have vision cookware that is scratched, chipped, cracked, or appears damaged in any way, you should strongly consider not using it and throwing it away. What is strange is that the damage can be done hours earlier before it actually shatters. While the exact reasoning for why it is susceptible to this type of damage isn’t completely understood, tests seem to indicate that the heating and cooling, heating and cooling, heating and cooling and that repetition can over time, along with, bumps, drops, whatever else, all add to stress that actually accumulates within the dish itself. At some point in some pieces the stress exceeds the strength of the glass, and the cookware shatters. This can happen while it is being used, or it can suddenly “explode” when it is sitting in a dish dryer.

This is a rare occurrence. Some people have used vision cookware for over twenty years and have never had a single incident. This may even be a more likely scenario than one in which you get injured because it shatters, but both happen. The main problem tends to be in the pots and pans since they take the most direct heat.

If you decide to ignore the dangers and use vision cookware, take all the proper precautions. Don’t put a hot dish on a cold wet towel, be careful on using damaged pieces, and keep kids away from those dishes to be safe.
Still looking for the perfect cookware? Try visiting http://www.cookwareanswers.com a website that specializes in providing cookware advice, tips and resources to included information on vision cookware.

Now You Can Make Exquisite, Perfectly Crafted, Gourmet Cupcakes All From Your Own Kitchen! Over 30 Gourmet Cupcake Recipes In One E-Book with this great little ebook available at www.cupcake-recipes.com

This delicious recipe makes a gourmet quality pizza that is much better than any you will find in a restaurant - even the most expensive restaurants. This delightful, flavorful pizza is not hard to prepare, and is a sure hit for any meal or special gathering.

Be sure to use fresh ingredients, and do not skimp on quality. Use the best you can find - the taste is definitely worth it!

1 package pizza crust mix
1/2 teaspoon coarsely crushed peppercorns
12 ounces boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons chicken soup base mix
1 1/2 teaspoon coarsely crushed garlic peppercorn blend
1 teaspoon garlic liquid spice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Make the pizza crust according to package directions. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of crushed peppercorns to the dry mix. Form and place in pizza pan to rise.

While the pizza crust is rising, combine the chicken and 1/4 cup of the chopped red onion along with the white wine vinegar, water, chicken soup base mix, crushed garlic peppercorn blend, and garlic liquid spice. Mix well to coat the chicken evenly. Let stand about ten minutes.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet, and add the coated chicken pieces. Cook and stir until done, about three minutes.

Mix the cornstarch and water together and stir into the chicken mixture. Heat and stir until thickened and bubbly. Spoon this mixture evenly on top of the pizza crust. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese, chopped green pepper, and the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped red onions.

Bake the pizza at 400 F for about twelve minutes. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top, and bake about two minutes longer until the crust is golden brown.

Makes eight servings.

Nutritional Information, Per Serving:

190 calories
18 grams protein
13 grams carbohydrate
8 grams fat
3 grams saturated fat
36 mg cholesterol
220 mg sodium
0 grams dietary fiber

Preparation tips:

The crust will rise well in an oven with the door propped open slightly, so that the oven light is on. This provides just enough warmth to get a good result.

For the coarsely crushed peppercorns (second ingredient) - choose a blend of black, white, and green peppercorns for a delicious treat. While some folks may not be able to tell a difference in the flavor of different color peppercorns, there are subtle differences that will enhance the taste of the finished pizza.

The garlic liquid spice is usually available in gourmet food stores or online from gourmet food ingredient catalogs.

If you can find one, get an “air bake” type pizza pan. These do a great job browning the crust, and minimize the chance of the crust burning.
Eldon Beard is a Manager with Watkins Products. Enjoy the finest gourmet cooking extracts, spices, pepper blends, soup bases, and dessert mixes. Visit our Watkins Gourmet Foods

Now You Can Make Exquisite, Perfectly Crafted, Gourmet Cupcakes All From Your Own Kitchen! Over 30 Gourmet Cupcake Recipes In One E-Book with this great little ebook available at www.cupcake-recipes.com

When you’re trying to live a healthier lifestyle, choosing party snacks can be a real problem. The classic ones just aren’t that healthy and you don’t want to bore everyone else by putting out nothing but fruits and vegetables. Now, there’s nothing wrong with having a solid fruit or veggie tray out at a party; in fact, I recommend it highly. A little dip will make people more enthusiastic about the vegetables. Get a little creative with the kinds of fruits and vegetables offered. Try including things like papaya or berries to make the selection really stand out. But for a good party you need more options. Fortunately, many favorite party snacks can be made in a relatively healthy manner so long as you pick healthy ingredients. Remember that the secret to healthy cooking is in choosing the right ingredients. Pigs in a blanket are always popular, and if you want a healthier variety choose chicken or turkey franks. If they aren’t available in mini frank size just chop up larger ones into smaller sizes. Wrap in crescent roll dough and cook at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes or until dough is golden brown. When my family gets together the shrimp ring is always popular. You can find these in most grocery stores with the other frozen seafood and it comes with cocktail sauce. If not, just buy the shrimp on your own and buy the cocktail sauce separately. Very indulgent, sometimes a little pricey, but always a hit. Seasoned popcorn can be a great alternative to potato chips. You can find recipes all over the place online or come up with your own recipe. You can also get creative and make your own recipe. I like to add things like garlic and Parmesan to my popcorn’s butter or oil before pouring it over. Baked tortilla chips with a good salsa are reasonably healthy too. Guacamole is also rather healthy. Mini pizzas go over well too. Rather than buy them, make them yourself on English muffin halves. Use salsa if you want a little spice rather than tomato sauce, and keep the toppings healthy. Sorry, that does mean avoid pepperoni. Even at a party healthy food doesn’t have to mean boring. There are many foods out there that are good for you and will delight your guests. Use some creativity and no one will complain that you only have healthy foods available.
Stephanie Foster started http://www.makehealthymeals.com/ as an excuse to research more healthy eating options for her family. You can get healthy recipes and more from her site.

Now You Can Make Exquisite, Perfectly Crafted, Gourmet Cupcakes All From Your Own Kitchen! Over 30 Gourmet Cupcake Recipes In One E-Book with this great little ebook available at www.cupcake-recipes.com

Tired of the same old traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners that you’ve had each year since you could walk? It’s time to break tradition and do a little something different this year! For your holiday dinner, spice up the feast; smoke a turkey and surprise the crowd!! The folks over for dinner will love it and you’ll receive a round of applause for cooking such a scrumptious dish. Once you’ve heard applause from an overwhelmed audience cheering your smoked turkey, you’ll never go back to sticking the bird in the oven again! For me the task of smoking a turkey begins the day before the big event. Since Thanksgiving is in the fall, there is usually a foot of leaves on my back deck where I cook the bird. With a charcoal smoker, it’s not a good idea to strike a match close to an abundance of leaves. It’s a wise thing to use your leaf blower and clean up the deck before you begin. In some areas of the country, instead of bushels of leaves on the deck, you’ll have tons of snow. You really don’t have to do any porch cleaning. Just brush the snow off of the top of the smoker, throw out the old ashes from last summer and you’re ready to go. It is nice to have a little walking around room, so I would clear a suitable area for the grill. Some of you would like to try out the new snow blower I know, but it’s really not necessary. I use one of the tall water smokers; the kind that have two trays. One tray is for charcoal and the other is for water, which helps keep the turkey moist as heat pushes the vapors upward. There are different kinds of smokers, but if you don’t have one, you can use a grill by putting the charcoal on one side and directing the smoke toward the other side where you have the turkey. If you use this indirect method of cooking be sure to put a container of water near the coals. Fire in the hole! Now it’s time to light the charcoal, pour the water in the pan, secure the grill tops in place and start cooking. Wait until the coals have a dusting of white ash before you put on the turkey. If you use a liquid charcoal starter, and the coals have not burned down sufficiently, you’ll probably get a taste of lighter fluid in your turkey. Don’t be impatient! Smaller turkeys seem to taste better when smoked than larger ones. Smaller ones are more tender. On a safety note, I don’t use large turkeys for smoking because they take much longer to reach the proper internal heat of 175 to 180 degrees. Smaller turkeys cook better, faster. After placing the turkey on the grill, then apply seasoning. Some folks soak their turkey in a brine solution the night before while others coat the inside of the turkey with about one tablespoon of salt. The reason for this is that an unsalted smoked turkey tastes terrible. Yecch! Apply any seasoning you prefer. I use a heavy dusting of lemon pepper, mixing the citrus flavoring with the smoke. That special aroma of wood smoke is something that is specific to the person smoking the meat. Some folks use hickory, pecan, or fruitwoods in their smokers. Others pour wine in the water pan so that the fumes from the wine will mingle with the smoke, thereby making the turkey more delicious! Try it some time! I’m partial to hickory, myself. Soak the hickory chips or chunks for at least 30 minutes before you toss them onto the coals. You can even pour the water that you soaked the chips in, in the water bowl to give the smoke an even better aroma of hickory smoke. To many, cooking on a smoker is a vague and mysterious proposition. Instead of being difficult, it really is quite simple. Noted chefs and smoking experts say to cook the turkey about 30 minutes per pound in the winter when it’s cold and about 25 minutes per pound when it’s warm. This rule of smoking works if all conditions are perfect; no wind, not rain or no snow. This rule also applies to adding charcoal at the precise time for optimum heat, making sure the water in the pan has not evaporated. These are good instructions, but they have never really worked for me. To be more accurate, when a meat thermometer placed under the inner thigh reaches 180 degrees, the bird is done. With a 12-14 pound turkey, the average cooking time for me is around 12 hours. I add charcoal every 1-2 hours if I remember to do it at a certain time. I rarely take the meat thermometer out of its holster under 12 hours. When it registers, 180 degrees under the wing, it’s ready. Make sure you don’t touch the bone with the thermometer, because the bone will be hotter. Resist the temptation to check on the turkey every hour. Every time you open the top, you lose some of the heat. It doesn’t take a genius to smoke a turkey and do it well. Have a little patience and you’ll smoke like a champion!
Bob Alexander is the author and owner of this article. He is well experienced in the art of barbeque cooking, outdoor activities and leisure living. Visit his sites: http://www.bluemarlinbob.com http://www.homeandgardenbob.com

Now You Can Make Exquisite, Perfectly Crafted, Gourmet Cupcakes All From Your Own Kitchen! Over 30 Gourmet Cupcake Recipes In One E-Book with this great little ebook available at www.cupcake-recipes.com