If the number of people signing up for them is anything to go by, it would seem that cooking classes are truly back in vogue.

We say back in vogue because there was indeed a time when taking cooking classes was fashionable, in pretty much the same way that taking computer classes has been fashionable in the last two decades as technology becomes more and more a part of our day to day lives. In those days, going for cooking classes was one of many peoples idea of leisure time spend well, and attendance of at least some cooking classes was considered an essential qualification for any girl who was considering getting hitched, as that was a time when men really expected their women to cook for them. The men, too, took the cooking classes unabashedly; seeing the ability to cook for it is, namely, an important life skill.

Then came a time when cooking classes became unfashionable. Women stopped cooking for their men, as doing so would be seen as not being assertive enough. Domestic duties had to be shared equally, and since no one wanted to be left washing the dishes, the modus operandi became to eat out whenever possible. And as fast food found more and more mainstream acceptance, people found it a better alternative to cooking at home, thence the fall in overall demand for cooking classes.

But trends go in cycles, and it seems that cooking classes are back in vogue. This can be attributed to a number of factors.

One of the main forces behind the renewed popularity of cooking classes is the growing awareness on the need to make healthier eating choices. As people make the deliberate choice to eat healthier, fast food (whose adoption is what killed the need for cooking classes in many places) is fast being considered a poor eating choice ” and in a way actually unfashionable ” making it necessary for a person to learn how to cook if they are to prepare themselves healthier meals.

Another factor behind the renewed popularity of cooking classes is the rise of online cooking classes, which make it possible for one to learn to cook from the comfort of their homes, doing away with the inconvenience of having to go for cooking classes in brick and mortar schools, which today’s time-starved person just cant get the time for.

Then there is the celebrity factor where as many people considered celebrities started listing cooking as one of their hobbies, more and more ordinary people have found themselves also taking cooking classes in order to be in as the ability to cook starts being viewed as the in thing again.

To learn more about cooking classes be sure to check out our site today.

Tags : Cooking, cooking classes, food, hobby, how to cook, learn cooking, self improvement

By Julie Barros

These Halloween recipes for kids are a great addition to your holiday fare. This time of year is all about ghosts and goblins, witches and wizards, bats and vampires and even monsters and more. Making fun treats to eat at your party will set the tone for a spooky and scary good time. These ideas will need some adult supervision as there is some heating and cooking involved with these recipes. Don’t forget some food coloring to make these ideas even extra special for the upcoming day. You can make creepy ice cream spiders, witches brew punch or even scrumptious munchable scarecrows.

Kids Halloween Recipe #1 – Ice Cream Spider Cups

Everyone loves ice cream and for your festive party they will love the looks of these spiders made from ice cream and other tasty ingredients.

Ingredients
8 individual graham cracker tart shells
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
16 Oreo Cookies (crumbled)
16 red M&M candy pieces
16 pieces of black shoestring licorice

Directions:

Lay out the shells on a baking sheet.

Add 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream to each shell.

In a bowl, crumble the Oreo cookies.

Sprinkle the crumbles on each scoop of ice cream to create a black furry looking spider body.

Put the filled shells in the freezer for 30 minutes or until ice cream is hardened.

Remove from the freezer and press 2 red M&M’s into the front of each scoop for the spider’s eyes.

Cut the licorice strips into fourths.

Press 8 strips of licorice into each ice cream scoop to form the spider’s legs.

Return to the freezer until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings

These simple little spiders are so easy make and the kids will love them. You can use any flavor of ice cream you want and different colors of M&M’s for the eyes. Mix it up and give each guest a slightly different looking spider or flavor.

Kids Halloween Recipe #2 – Red Witches Brew Fruit Punch

This blood red punch will sure to quench the thirst of all the vampires attending your party.

Ingredients

3 (48 ounce) cans pineapple juice
1 (2 liter) lemon lime soda
1 large package strawberry or cherry flavored drink mix
1 can frozen strawberries
12 – 24 gummy worms

Directions

Place a gummy worm in an ice cube tray (1 in each tray). Fill with water and freeze.

Mix all other ingredients together and chill.

Once the ice cubes (with the gummy worms) are frozen, place in the punch and serve.

Makes about 1 to 1 1/2 gallons

You can make your witches brew even scarier looking by adding raisins and/or other frozen fruits.

Kids Halloween Recipe #3 – Coconut Munchable Scarecrows

These yummy scarecrows will brighten up your party with their bright clothes and tasty hat. Kids will have a blast frosting these little guys.

Ingredients

1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 cup flaked coconut
Yellow, orange, red and blue food coloring
18 gum drop fruit slices
1 can vanilla frosting
1 package mini chocolate chips

Directions

Roll out the cookie dough on a flat surface. You can flour the surface to prevent sticking.

Use gingerbread men cutters and cut out 18 shapes.

Place the cutouts onto a baking sheet and bake according the directions on the package.

Remove the cookies and cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Using a small bowl, mix the coconut and yellow food coloring to achieve a straw like color.

To make the scarecrow hats place the gum drops on a lightly sugared surface and press and roll them flat.

Using a butter knife, cut hat shapes for each flattened gum drop.

Place the vanilla frosting evenly into 3 separate bowls.

Add drops of orange, red and blue food coloring into each of the bowls (one color per bowl).

After the cookies have cooled, frost each cookie with the blue and red frosting making the shirts and pants. Make some shirts blue and pants red and with some shirts red and pants blue.

Next frost the head, feet and hands with the orange frosting.

Press your colored coconut into the hands and feet to form the straw.

Place the hat onto the scarecrows head by placing a little orange frosting on the back of the hat and pressing it onto the scarecrow.

Place 2 to 3 of mini chocolate chips down the front of the scarecrows shirt for buttons. Place chips on the head for the eyes, nose and mouth.

Makes 18 cookies.

These scarecrows will look so yummy that your guests will eat them quickly.

In addition to these kids Halloween recipes, try making your own decorations with these kids Halloween Crafts.

Article Source: Julie Barros == Spooky Treats and Ghoulish Eats – Kids Halloween Recipes

The Wilton Giant Cupcake Pan is very popular among cake makers and dessert lovers all over the world. Who would dislike a huge cupcake at their next party?

Everyone is used to seeing the generic sheet cake at a birthday celebration. But, what if you walked into the event and noticed a giant cupcake sitting in the center of the table?

This pan is made from heavy gauge cast aluminum, and it makes a very large cupcake that can be shared by your guests. Most people connect cupcakes with childhood, so this is a great way to make your party more fun.

This cool 3D cake pan will create a dessert measuring about 7.25 inches by 7.5 inches. Everyone will have a full belly after eating this tasty treat.

The pan even has a sculptural top and bottom to give it a more realistic look. It has ridges on the bottom and a swirl on top, so it is quite fun to decorate.

Once you have baked each piece, it is simple to put them together using a layer of icing. Then you have your one huge cupcake!

Believe it or not, this pan holds a whopping 10 cups of batter so it can definitely feed a crowd at a birthday celebration with ease. Reviews say the top piece cooks more quickly than the bottom, so remember that when cooking.

The non stick surface makes for an easy release of the cake and a very simple cleanup. What can be better than that? This pan would be great for any party, especially a childs first birthday!

If you want to get the best deal on the Wilton Giant Cupcake Pan, you should check out this website. Make your next gathering a fun one with an enormous cupcake on your table!

Tags : cake decorating, cakes, Cooking, desserts, food, home

By Melinda Stanfield

These cookies will be the hit of your party. I have made these cookies for years for our yearly pumpkin carving party. The kids look forward to the fun of decorating them. These are made ahead and piled on a plate waiting for the faces to be added using chocolate gel. It is amazing to see the creativity of the kids(and adults) as they decorate their pumpkin cookies.

An easy entertainment idea for your next Halloween party.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour, all-purpose
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon margarine
enough milk to make thick frosting
yellow and red food coloring
tubes of premixed chocolate frosting gel that you can buy at any grocery store in baking section.

DIRECTIONS

1. Cream margarine and peanut butter until fluffy. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.

2. Chill for 2 hours

3. Roll out on floured board and cut into pumpkin shapes using pumpkin shaped cookie cutter.

4. Placed on greased cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Cool

5. Make frosting by mixing powdered sugar and butter then adding enough milk to make thick spreadable frosting.

6. Add red and yellow food coloring until desired orange color is accomplished.

7. Frost cooled cookies and let dry until frosting is set.

8. Can be stored in air tight container for overnight.

9. Give kids a tube of premixed chocolate frosting gel and let them decorate their own pumpkin cookie.

To see pictures of these cookies go to http://www.greatrecipesite.com/pumpkin-recipes/frosted-pumpkin-cookies.php.

Melinda Stanfield has loved to cook all of her life. She has collected many recipes from all over the world as well as good old fashioned American recipes from her mother, aunts, cousins and other friends and relatives. To see more recipes from Melinda, please visit The Great Recipe Site at http://www.greatrecipesite.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melinda_Stanfield
Pumpkin Frosted Cookies

Healthy Chocolate is a great addition to your diet and is loaded with very important nutrients that your body needs and will crave from time to time.

The cacao tree is where chocolate comes from and is found inside of the beans or seeds of the cacao fruit. Chocolate nibs are another name given to the chocolate that’s found inside of these beans or seeds.

Greatest Quantity of Flavonoids

Real chocolate has more antioxidant flavonoids than any known food on this planet. Antioxidants protect your body from the aging process created by free radicals. The more unprocessed and low temperature treated the chocolate, the more antioxidants it will contain.

Antioxidant Flavonoid Health Benefits:

Helps prevent damage to your cells

Reduces blood clotting

Improves circulation

Lowers your risk of heart disease

If your looking for a high antioxidant chocolate treat, choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate and for the highest amount choose raw chocolate.

Contains the Highest Magnesium Levels

Healthy Chocolate is an excellent source of the mineral magnesium. We need magnesium for many of our body’s functions such as balancing our brain chemistry. This could be the reason women crave chocolate more during their menstrual cycle.

Approximately 80% of Americans are deficient in magnesium which is needed for the regulation of your heartbeat and blood pressure. Therefore, chocolate can be considered a heart healthy food.

Beneficial Fatty Acids

The fats found in chocolate are called saturated and monounsaturated fats. It appears that chocolate is a heart healthy food and will not raise your cholesterol levels.

Chocolate contains the same fatty acid that makes olive oil so healthy. Oleic acid is found in chocolate’s monounsaturated fat just like in olive oil.

Contains Chemicals that Make You Feel Good

The chemicals that affect your brain chemistry are called anandamide and phenylethylamine.

Phenylethylamine has the ability to increase alertness and focus, but the most important feeling it gives you is the same feeling as when you are in-love.

Anandamide levels increase in your brain with the consumption of chocolate. This chemical produces a feeling of relaxation and just makes you feel good.

Healthy Chocolate is Uncooked Chocolate

Low temperature treated chocolate is considered a super food because it retains its valuable nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Magnesium is the most abundant, but also present are minerals such as iron, copper, zinc, calcium and potassium. Along with these minerals there are B vitamins and vitamin E.

Raw cacao contains very small amounts of caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine is the sister molecule of caffeine and is less of a stimulant.

Experiments have shown that these stimulants are far different when consumed raw. Chocolate has a much more stimulating effect when it is cooked or roasted.

To locate some of the best quality low temperature treated chocolate bars, Click Here. You can locate more antioxidant loaded foods by checking out Destination Healthy Foods.

Tags : flavonoids, Foods, health, Health Benefits of Chocolate, Healthy Chocolate, Healthy Eating, Healthy Foods, raw cacao, raw chocolate