The Magic of Red Chile

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The Magic of Red Chile

Red Chiles are magical in that they are almost like a completely different food than green chile. Red chiles are higher in sugars than starches and the nutrition components are different.

Red chiles are rich with vitamin A, whereas green chiles are a rich source of vitamin C and contain mainly starch. Red chiles are rarely used fresh.

They are most commonly used in their dried form, so they are not as perishable as green chiles, which are highly perishable and must be frozen or canned to preserve. Amazingly, red chile is the world's best antioxidant and a great preservative.

What this means is when red chile is a major ingredient in a food, the shelf life is greatly enhanced. Also anti-oxidants help prevent cancer.

Traditionally, the first step in preserving red chiles is to tie them into thick red strings of chiles, called "ristras", to accommodate drying. Commercially, the drying is done in large dryers, which are essentially like very low temperature ovens.

Once the chiles are dry, then the pods can be stored for later use. Generally most people store them in plastic bags. In Mexico, they generally store them loose in large baskets. The other way to use dried red chiles is to grind them into a fine powder-like substance.

I prefer the pure ground chiles myself as the flavor is generally much fresher than the pods. Red chiles in any form can become stale rather quickly if stored at temperatures above 72 F, which is the average room temperature. What actually happens is the oils within the chiles become rancid, creating a stale taste.

Pure ground chiles should always be stored in a cool place, preferably the refrigerator or freezer. This assures fresh flavor. As an aside, when the color of the chile becomes less bright red and looks brownish'the flavor will be duller and the nutrition most likely less.

Pure ground chile is much different than the commercially available chili powder. Chili powder is a combined spice mixture containing, on average, 40% salt, 40% ground chile and 20% flavorings and preservatives. Since salt is a desiccate, it will cause the mixture to dry out, hastening rancidity or stale flavor. Also, chili powder is unbelievably salty.

I never use chili powder, only the pure ground chiles, which are always available for shipment anywhere in the world from www.pecosvalley.com . If working with dried chile pods, the process requires at least 30 minutes from start to finish.

To prepare the dried pods, they must be cleaned of any dust or dirt, then the stems and seeds removed and washed. Crush them slightly and lay them out on a shallow pan or plate.

The flavors will be better if the pods are warmed first in a 300 F (150 C) oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the chiles' color heightens and a pungency is noted. Be careful to not burn them. Then the pods are simmered in water, allowing 4 cups water to 1 cup chiles. Simmer about 30 minutes, or until the flesh slips on the skin. Larger quantities of the chile pulp can be made ahead and frozen in small commonly-used quantities such as or 1 cup amounts.

Red chile powders or pods burn quite easily. A good precaution is to remove the pot from the heat before adding the chile. In other words, take the pot you make the roux in or had been previously cooking in off the burner before adding the chile.

RED CHILE SAUCE

This is the basic red chile sauce used to create enchiladas and to serve over burritos, chile rellenos, tamales, and chimichangas.

Yield: 2-1/2 cups

2 Tablespoons butter, lard or bacon drippings
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground mild red chile
1/4 cup ground hot red chile
2 cups beef stock or water
1 garlic clove, crushed
Pinch of ground Mexican oregano
Pinch of ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt (if not using stock)

1.Melt butter in a medium-size saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir until smooth and slightly golden.

2.Remove pan from heat and add ground chiles. Return to heat and gradually stir in stock. Add garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt, if using, and cook, stirring, about 10 minutes. Simmer at least 5 more minutes for flavors to blend. If it gets thick, thin with water and simmer to blend flavors.

Variation: Saut 1 pound ground beef, or beef cut in very small cubes. Omit the shortening, and continue as directed above. Use for enchiladas.
Reprinted from Jane Butel 's Southwestern Kitchen.

The Interesting History of Choux Pastry

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The Interesting History of Choux Pastry

Choux pastry is light pastry dough that uses only eggs, butter, flour and water. It is used to prepare clairs, profiteroles, St. Honour cake, croquembouches, gougres, French crullers, Indonesian kue sus and beignets.

Lets have a look at the history of the delectable Choux pastry. Panterelli, a chef, first invented the dough in the year 1540. This dough was used by him to prepare a gteau which he named Pte Panterelli. As time went by, there were various variations in the recipe and the dough went through various evolutions, and this saw the introduction of Pte Popelin. This was used to prepare Popelins, which were small cakes shaped like the breasts of a woman. Later a ptissier, Avice, created Choux Buns in the 18th century. This dough name too changed as time went by and became Pte Choux. This dough got its name from the resemblance that the dough had to cabbages, as choux meant cabbage in French. Antoine Carme made various successful modifications to the dough recipe, to make it the renowned recipe that is the hot favorite for preparing profiteroles.

For most preparations Choux pastry is baked, however if you are preparing beignets the Choux pastry is fried. Fried Choux pastry is used to prepare Churros in Latin America and Spain. A variant that is a favored breakfast dish is Choux pastry coated with sugar and a thin layer of chocolate blancmange. Marillenkndel, an Austrian cuisine, is prepared by boiling Choux pastry. This dish is a dense apricot dumpling that does not puff. You can make clairs or cream puff by stuffing the dumpling with cream.

So what is it that makes choux pastry rise? Unlike many similar recipes, Choux pastry does not have any chemical raising agent. However, as the dough needs to rise anyways; Choux pastry makes use of a mechanical raising agent. The dough is stirred persistently, due to which the mixture gets exposed to air and various layers of gas are formed while the mixture expands in volume. These chemicals in the air i.e. hydrogen, oxygen etc serve as the raising agent for the dough.

Choux pastry is what is used to make clairs, cream puffs and profiteroles, and. You can also use it to prepare the yummy Paris-Brest, which is a huge puff ring stuffed with flavored cream. Do not mistake Choux pastry for only sweets; you can add some cheese to prepare gougeres, also known as cheesy puffs. Alternatively you may poach it and prepare Parisian gnocci which is a great appetizer. For some variations in the recipe you may fill the huge choux buns with fillings like chicken salad or tuna. You may also try making some small puffs filled with any filling flavored to your taste. A renowned and delectable Zrich patisserie, known as Sprgli, is prepared by making small puffs and stuffing them with a delicious mixture of butter and Gorgonzola cheese and butter.

The History and Future of OPGW Fiber Optic Cable

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The History and Future of OPGW Fiber Optic Cable

The advent of Optical Fiber Grounding Wire or OPGW revolutionized the electrical as well as the telecommunications industry as it opened the doors for greater efficiency and faster communications. The OPGW fiber optic cable started gaining popularity in the 1980s and is still the preferred grounding wire in many places. The start of the new century saw a boom in the use of OPGW cables and Asia emerged as the largest market for these cables. The success of OPGW (Optical Ground wire cables) cables is due to the fact that these cables offer dual functionality. The primary use of OPGW is that of a grounding cable which shields the overhead lines from lightning and the ability to use the same cable for transmitting data over long distances made it an instant hit with the transmission companies as well as telecom companies. The transmission companies can use these cables for their own need of transmitting data through a secure channel amongst its offices at different locations and they could also lease it out or sell it to telecom companies and generate extra revenue.

The only hurdle which comes in way of leasing or selling the fiber optic line to telecom carriers is the right of way. If the RoW was taken for electrical transmission line then the transmission company cannot sell or lease the same line for other services; this can only be made possible if a separate RoW is taken for telecom or data transfer use. The OPGW fiber optic cable finds favor with the transmission companies just because it provides them with an opportunity to earn extra money from the infrastructure they set up for transmission of electricity. Most of the companies which are in the business of transmission line construction use OPGW cables for grounding. Installation of the OPGW cables is costlier and complex than that of the traditional all metal grounding cables thus we find these cables only in new transmission line constructions and not on the old ones.

Lets take a look at the benefits for a telecom company which decides to use the OPGW cables of a transmission company.

The telecom company does not have to invest time and money on installation of fiber optic line
 Saves cost of labor and machinery for laying underground cables
Telecom companies can further their reach to areas which were inaccessible due to lack of infrastructure
Faster and safer transmission of voice and data
Easy fault detection on overhead lines as compared to the underground cables

The transmission companies are trying their best to project the OPGW (Optical Ground wire cables) fiber optic cable as the best solution to the needs of telecom companies in terms of a high-speed secure way of transmitting data, video, and voice. The future of OPGW cables is quite bright as the companies would certainly find more uses of these cables in near future and the growth of telecom industry is bound to increase the demand for these cables in future. Advancement in technology means that we can possibly see much-improved versions of these cables in future which could further enhance the services. The manufacturers are also striving hard to come up with a wider range of products to ensure that they can fulfill the needs of all kinds of telecom and electricity distribution companies. It is only through a constant evaluation of the products and the global standards that they can get to know the scope of improvement in each product they offer. The possibilities for the manufacturers and telecom companies are endless if they can tap the true potential of this excellent product.

The Future of Playgrounds!

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The Future of Playgrounds!

Can you guess what future holds for your kids? Have you realized how time is changing and how can you make your kids strong enough to cope with it? You never know what challenges your kids are going to face in their lives and you might not be around during their bad times. However, the best you can do is preparing them to meet those challenges, and for that, the commercial playgrounds can play a significant role. 

Talking about playgrounds, some obvious things that come to mind are different types of outdoor playground equipment such as monkey bars, slides, a swing set, or sometimes a junior level jungle gym. But, what if I take you to a playground made up of beautifully colored nylon cord intricately tied into a huge sofa-like structure or where children can play some weird yet interesting games such as hammering nails into garbage pile forts? Yes, this is how the playground structures are transforming from traditional model to a modern one. The latter is currently located in Berkeley and the former in Japan and they have been regarded extraordinary by experts. 

Now, the question is what is so extraordinary about these playgrounds? The trend is now shifting from structured to unstructured playgrounds and it is helping kids grow a lot more than before. According to psychologists specialized in children psychology, imaginative play with controlled danger elements enables kids to make stronger and grow better. It doesnt mean you should let your kids fall down or avoid safety measures, but the crux of this idea is to let them explore things on their own, and for that, you have to let them play in unstructured playgrounds.  

How and Why Unstructured Play is Important?

Talking about the benefits of unstructured playgrounds let me tell you why it is so important for kids to play freely. Unfortunately, parents know how to boss their kids and set routines for them, rather than focusing on whats important for them. Its a national dilemma that suppresses children inborn need of playing and exploring. 

Most of the parents in America are entirely focused on the high academic grades rather than making their kids more creative and innovative. Sometimes, they dont even realize what their kids interests are and impose their own decisions on them, and its destructing. Have a look at the benefits of unstructured playing!

1. It Creates a Sense of Adventure

The free range play is the natural source of joy and happiness as it boosts the sense of adventure. When they arent bound what and what not to play, they explore things on their own that results in making them stronger and more challenging. As a result, they are better able to cope with whatever comes in their way. 

2. Enables to Pursue their Own Interest 

The unstructured play helps children in discovering themselves and in identifying who they are. It is such a massive societal dilemma that we spend the entire life without realizing who we are, what we like and dislike, and where we want to be. Your child would go through the same problem if you dont let him play freely. 

The unstructured play helps kids in determining their own interest, likes and dislikes, and strengths and weaknesses. Once your child knows who he is and where the gaps in his personality are, he can work on them and be a better person later on. 

3.  Learning Through Experience

Learning isnt just about bookish knowledge. Several types of research have highlighted how playing boosts neural signals to learn more and more and in a better way. However, you might be ignoring the importance of learning through failure and experience kids go through while playing.

What The Future Holds?

Luckily, the abovementioned facts have now been put to light and this is the reason why structured playgrounds are now transforming into unstructured ones where imaginative and free play are encouraged. Such playgrounds are already located in some parts of the country, but they are rare. The time isnt far away when you will see interesting playground structures where your child will grow and thrive. Would you take your kids to the future playgrounds to make them stronger and more challenging?

The Four Types of Criminal Laws

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The Four Types of Criminal Laws

Society is built upon carefully crafted laws. The founding fathers first started creating laws centuries ago, and since then the United States government has been expanding upon them. These laws keep up safe, civil, honest, and free from tyranny. As citizens, our government expects us to adhere to these decrees, not only for our own good, but for the good of the population as a whole. There are several types of criminal laws in place, all of which guide the American people to be safe and responsible citizens.

The first set of criminal laws, and perhaps the most fundamental, applies to the safety of people. These rules govern what we as a person cannot do to one another. Examples include: armed or unarmed assault, criminal harassment, lascivious exploitation, rape, and murder. All of these laws involve a direct threat to our fellow people and the consequences for breaking them are often severe. These are taken very seriously and there are a number of arrests each year for violating laws like this. When arrtested, the alleged criminal can face a number of charges, can be put on probation and can even be sent to jail. This is a whole other issue that will addressed in a future article.

The second form of laws involves transportation, and is known as traffic laws. Most people become aware of these laws when they first start learning to drive, as following them is crucial to avoid being pulled over and fined or possibly arrested. Some common examples of traffic laws involve: speeding, drunk driving, not wearing a seatbelt, operating an unregistered car or truck, and leaving the scene of an accident. In some cases, a court may even suspend a drivers license if they violate these laws too many times.

The third kind of criminal laws regard property. When a person intentionally damages or destroys another persons property, they may find themselves facing legal action. Property laws restrict people from littering, committing arson, stealing, vandalizing, trespassing, and any other similar crimes. Many times, when the law catches someone violating these rulings, that person will have to pay the property owner for the damages they inflicted. Additionally, the criminal may have to pay the court a fine or spend time in jail.

The fourth and final category of laws are ones that keep the community safe. Feeling safe in ones own home town or city is a cornerstone of a peaceful society. Community laws attempt to stop people from buying, selling, or using drugs, protesting without a permit or with aggression, concealing a weapon in public without permission, going on riots, and knowingly spreading false information about other people publicly. Should someone violate any of these laws, the legal system may sentence them to jail or prison, depending on the severity.

There are many laws in place to keep us and our neighbors safe. The government has worked carefully over the centuries to ensure these laws are fair and effective at stopping crime. Because not everyone accused of breaking these laws is truly guilty, the court has the final decision in each case. This is where things get a little messy. There are plenty of instances over time where innocent people have been proven guilty and guilty people have been let off because they are perceived to be innocent. This will forever be a battle in our legal system as we spend all of this money on lawyers, court caues and juries, but the judge still has the ultimate say. Hopefully, going forward, we as a society will be able to revert back to how our founding fathers handled everything and go back to a much simpler time where we did not have to deal with so much crud regarding laws, lawyers and court cases.