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When I first started looking into the different types of coffee beans I had no idea what flavor sensations were in store. Fruity, rich chocolate, caramel, spicy and smoky were descriptions that were being thrown around. Are we talking about coffee? This was intriguing. Why were there were so many different flavors? Well, it all begins with the beans so let me tell you spa little bit about them.

We start with organic green coffee beans. A coffee bean is actually the seed of a coffee cherry. Once the red ripe cherries are picked from the tree, they are dried (usually in sunlight) and then the outer portion of the dried cherry is removed. This leaves the coffee bean which is then sorted either by hand or on a conveyer belt. They are sorted by size and density (lighter beans which are as good to the heavier ones, which is a quality bean). These unroasted beans are green coffee beans which are shipped around the world to become our light, medium or dark roast coffee.

The green coffee beans are roasted in a large drum for about 5 to 7 minutes. It smells a bit like popcorn. The beans double in size and crackle as they get bigger. After the first pop, the roasting process is stopped for light roast beans. During the roasting process the beans have changed color from green to yellow to a light cinnamon brown. The beans still have a bit of a sour or acidic taste; however, the sharp fruity flavor and origin is apparent. Many good quality beans are only lightly roasted.

The beans continue in their roasting process and start shrinking in size. After about 9 to 11 minutes the roasting is stopped. At this point the sugary flavors of the beans start to come out. Medium roast coffee is a bit sweeter with hints of milk chocolate. The coffee has a slight smokiness and the original beans bright flavor can still be tasted.

Dark Roast coffee takes about 12 to 13 minutes and the sugars have fully developed in the dark beans giving the coffee a rich deep chocolate caramel flavor with a hint of spiciness. It is more difficult to tell which part of the world or coffee region that dark roast beans come from as the smokiness and sugars of the bean have become more predominant.

Espresso Roast takes about 14 minutes and, at this point, the sugars in the espresso beans are starting to burn and caramelize. This produces a smokier bean and a smoky rich tasting espresso coffee.

Most of us drink coffee every day. Your preference may be the fruitier light roast coffee in the morning. Perhaps you prefer a medium roast with a subtle chocolate flavor. Many enjoy the rich spicy caramel dark roast or the classic smoky espresso. Whatever your pleasure, organic coffee certainly is not boring and there is a large variety of organic coffee beans to choose from. Have fun exploring!

Lisa Fox has a passion for food and beverage. After drinking coffee for many years, she decided to find out more about it and created a website. To find out more about Organic Coffee check out her personal site.

Personal URL: http://www.coffee-organic.com

As a long time sufferer (over 20 years) of panic attacks and anxiety attacks I am all too familiar with the symptoms of these debilitating conditions. After trying multiple medications, various therapy treatments and countless positive thinking and self help methods I have come across 2 perfumes effective systems that have made a world of difference in giving me back my life. I’ll let you know my thoughts on both these highly recommended products.

——————-Ease Out of Fear—–Panic Away

Uses easy to follow steps——X———X

Easy to read and understand——X——X

Does not require the use of medication-X—X

Money back guarantee offered———X—-X

Prompt product / customer support —-X—-X

Does not require professional assistance–X—X

100% natural approach——————X———X

Progress at your own pace—————X———X

Easily molds to your schedule————-X———X

Cures – not just masks anxiety disorders—X———X

Provides some one on one email coaching ——————–X

Both these lingerie were written as “user friendly” in a manner that you can apply the information directly to your life. Both use many examples and stories to help illustrate their message.

As you can see in the comparison above both products are very similar in what they offer.

Ease Out of Fear is a real bargain at only $19.95 – well worth the price and with a money back guarantee you really have nothing to lose by giving it a test drive. Panic Away is a little more pricey at $67.95 but if you take advantage of the one on one email coaching the extra cost can be justified. Either way I highly recommend both products.

For reviews on both these products and 5 of the other top panic and anxiety attack treatments, cures and remedies click here

In our quest to find out how to prevent panic attacks, we come across many “techniques” out there that promise to work if only we try them out. Some do work, while most don’t. It seems that a lot of this useless information comes from those who never have this gripping experience, which is quite annoying to those of us who suffer from this. These other people just clearly don’t know.

What is even more disturbing to us is that when we look to psychologists to learn how to prevent panic attacks, most of these have never experienced the problem as well. The fact is that no amount of diplomas can make anyone truly and fully understand the terrifying experience. Yes, some of their advice seems to have a bit of an plastic surgey but often we might feel that we are the subject of their experiments in their testing out the latest theories. Eventually, we are prescribed medication.

Now, let’s be clear – medication does work to provide relief (for those of us that the medication has any real effect on) for the time being. It gives us a quick fix for the symptoms, but doesn’t quite effect the cause… the result is that the process still occurs unchecked, while we drug ourselves numb from the horrible experience. Obviously, this is not how to prevent panic attacks. So, we turn to alternative advice, which there seems to be an endless ocean of.

Some such advice seems almost comical – take for instance, the use of deep breathing. This might have been thought up water someone well meaning, but obviously not by anyone who shares our predicament. The fact is that panic attacks happen in the mid brain, and involve a combination of certain mental activity and adrenal chemicals. Deep breathing only tries to calm the body, not the brain. Trying to calm the brain through calming the body is just as effective as trying to stop an earthquake by jumping up and down. It just makes no logical sense. How to prevent panic attacks is through mental training. Interested in learning more?

To find out how you can cure your panic attacks for good, using a technique that’s recently been gaining praise from medical professionals all over the world, head over to http://www.Squidoo.com/Panic-Away-Review

The dipping of lush red strawberries into chocolate for the making of different types of desserts has been a common practice for many years. As a matter of fact, no one can quite recall when this tempting dish was first created. However, the idea of mixing sweet and tart has led to this dish becoming a particular favorite of many people! 

Since fruits are our top vitamin providers, dipping different fruits into chocolate has become a favorite method of creating a healthy, scrumptious dessert! The different types of fruits that can be covered with chocolate are: apples, apricots, cherries, strawberries, peaches, grapes, and a variety of other tropical fruits.   In today’s world, strange and exotic tasting chocolates are favored more than the normal chocolate bars. In fact, different chocolates are being tried out and released into the market every year, with claims of exotic tastes to tempt the jaded palate! Bearing this in mind, the makers of chocolate covered strawberries create new recipes, with a special flair used to bring out the tart sweetness of the berry, mixed with the melting scrumptiousness of the chocolate covering!  

In some countries, chocolate covered strawberries are created using dried strawberries. Although these do taste wonderful, there is nothing quite like the taste of freshness! If you’re ever on a tour to Malaysia, make sure you visit their chocolate industry. While the actual chocolate is rather standard, the fruits that are dipped in it are so varied, it boggles the mind! However, you ought to be prepared for dry, tart and spicy!  

So where was this art of making chocolate dipped strawberries first born? Although it isn’t exactly known, there are some wild theories that this practice first began with the Sultans in the Arab World. However, considering the fact that strawberries seem to be found mostly in wet climes, this theory doesn’t seem to be valid!  

Chocolate covered strawberries are a treat in any season and more so when they’re out of season! When creating this wonderful dish, make sure that you’ve got the freshest strawberries in the market! Perfectly ripened ones have a taste that’s out of this world, but ensure that there are no stragglers with green on marriages abroad or you might just be serving more tartness than sweetness!  

What you need to create this wonderful dessert:  

30-40 fresh, ripe strawberries (with the green stalks cut off)  

250 g of Chocolate chips or your favorite chocolate bar whether dark or milk chocolate  

Approx. 40 thin skewers of bamboo    

How to make chocolate dipped strawberries:  

• First of all, wash the strawberries with warm water, to remove any dirt and germs. Let them dry out gently, but completely, or the chocolate won’t take.
• Place the chocolate chips or favorite chocolate bars in a small pan. marriage a larger pan, and add some water, and then put it to boil.
• Cover the smaller pan containing the chocolate to prevent any moisture from mixing with the chocolate, since this may cause it to seize.  Place the smaller pan atop the larger one, but not so that the water from the larger one overlaps the smaller pan.
• Alternatively, just place the chocolate chips or chocolate bars in a glass bowl, cover and use the microwave to melt it. A minute should be enough!
• After the chocolate has melted, place each strawberry onto a skewer, and then dip into the melted chocolate. While removing the strawberry, rotate the skewer to form swirling patterns as well as to cover any nooks left with chocolate.
• Turn the strawberry upwards by inverting your hand to let the chocolate settle with an extra bite at the tip!
• Place the dipped strawberries on absorbent paper after the chocolate has hardened slightly.
• And you’re done!

For the ultimate chocolate sensation, chocolate dipped strawberries should be eaten the same day that they’re dipped, for the ultimate decadent delight! Storing these in the fridge is done, but not advised since the chocolate may firm up in a haphazard manner.  

Chocolate covered strawberries can be served as an elaborate dessert, normally set within a silvered tray, and eaten with a chilled glass of red! However, having chocolate dipped chocolates for high teas or during breakfast is also a wonderful idea (even if it isn’t mother recommended)!  

Ordering chocolate dipped strawberries is best done online, or from a delicatessen closest to you!

Colleen Maguire
Writer, Traveler and Chocolate Lover
For More Delicious Chocolate Ideas and Tastes:
http://www.UltimateChocolateShoppe.com

There are various foods that are toxic to dogs. Unfortunately, there are many we are not often aware of that are just as dangerous. Below is a list of common foods that are harmful to dogs.
Toxic Foods:

Chocolate/Caffeine:

Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic.

After their pet has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours. Symptoms include Staggering, labored breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, tremors, fever, heart rate increase, arrhythmia, seizures, coma, death.

Cocoa water and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. A 10-kilogram dog can be seriously affected if it eats a quarter of a 250gm packet of cocoa powder or half of a 250gm block of cooking chocolate. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Thus, a chocolate mud cake could be a real health risk for a small dog. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog unwell.

Semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate are the next most dangerous forms, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate to be affected. Obviously, the smaller the dog, the less it needs to eat.

Onions/Garlic:

Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.
Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body. Symptoms include Hemolytic Anemia, labored breathing, liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea, and discolored urine.

The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.

Mushrooms:

Mushroom toxicity does occur in dogs and it can be fatal if certain species of mushrooms are eaten. Amanita phalloides is the most commonly reported severely toxic species of mushroom in the US but other Amanita species are toxic. Symptoms include Abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting diarrhea, convulsions, coma, death

Grapes/Raisins:

As few as a handful of raisins or grapes can make a dog ill; however, of the 10 cases reported to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), each dog ingested between 9 ounces and 2 pounds of grapes or raisins. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and lethargy.

Macadamia Nuts:

Macadamia nuts are another concern, along with most other kinds of nuts. Their high phosphorus content is said to possibly lead to bladder stones. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated.

NOTE: Pets owners should not assume that human food is always safe for pets. When it comes to chocolate, onions, garlic and macadamia nuts, such foods should be given in only small quantities, or not at all. Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates, that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion and garlic toxicity and that your dog is prevented from beauty up macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden.

Baby Food:

Can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs. Can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts.

Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources:

Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.

Cat Food:

Cat food is generally too high in protein and fats.

Fat Trimmings:

Can cause pancreatitis.

Milk and other dairy products:

Just like some humans, adult dogs and cats are lactose-intolerant. They don’t have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets.

Raw Eggs:

Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.

Raw Fish:

Can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly.

Holiday Plants:

Pet owners need to take extra care with holiday plants. When the holidays roll around, we often get caught up in the festivities and don’t realize that we may be bringing something very dangerous into your home for your pets. Be aware of what holiday decorations may be toxic and avoid turning a happy occasion into a tragic one.

Poinsettias:

These plants are probably the most popular holiday plant and are easily recognizable by their large red, white, pink, or mottled leaves. These plants also contain a thick, milky irritant sap. In general, it would take ingestion of a large amount of this plant to see possible clinical signs in your pet. Signs could include vomiting, anorexia and depression. The symptoms are generally self-limiting and treatment is rarely needed. Your Vet may recommend limiting food and water intake for 1 or 2 hours if your pet is suspected of becoming sick after ingestion of poinsettias.

Easter Lilies:

Some members of the Lilly family of plants can result in serious illness in cats. Specifically, Easter Lilies, tiger lilies, Japanese show lilies, rubrum lilies, many lily hybrids and day lilies have been known to cause kidney failure.

Toxic Plants:

As we let our dogs roam freely in and out of the house, we need to be aware of what we are exposing our pets to. There are various plants that are poisonous to dogs both inside and outside of our homes. To see the chart of some of the most common types of plants please visit Toxic Foods and Plants.

For more information on this subject or any additional pet health articles please visit http://www.entirelypets.com

Easter is arguably the most important date in many Christians’ calendars – the celebration of the rising of Jesus Christ is marked in over 80 countries worldwide. Yet while chocolate eggs, rabbits and highly decorated hats seem incongruous symbols of such an important religious ceremony, in modern days they are intrinsically linked to Easter.

One theory is that this is mainly to do with the timing of the celebration; Easter generally coincides with the beginning of Spring; in essence nature leaves the dark days of winter behind and “springs back to life”. In fact scholars seem to agree that they very word Easter refers to the dawn of a rising sun.

But why the Easter Bunny; why not the Easter Chicken, bearing in mind that eggs are involved? As with many traditions there does not seem to be marriages abroad definitive answer. The well-documented sex lives of rabbits means that they are oft-recognised as symbols of fertility and life, which fits with the religious theme of new life and also with the dawn of Springtime. In fact, in German folklore our Abecita friends were an important symbol of Spring, as Ostara – the Goddess of Spring Festival – was often accompanied by a hare. On top of that, folklore claimed that witches could turn themselves into rabbits, giving the animal mystical quality and supposed magical powers, as well as a reputation for good luck.

The tradition for Easter bonnets has its roots in much more recent times and could be argued to be the most short-lived of the traditions. In the 1930s there was a trend in the US for wearing hats and Spring time was when ladies splashed out on a brightly adorned new hat, often with rivalry involved as to whose was biggest and best; and so the fashion for the Easter bonnet was born. However, these days the tradition seems to be limited to children using their creativity to create a home-made Easter bonnet rather than a lasting fashion trend.

And so to the egg, perhaps the most prolific symbol of Easter. References to the egg and new life can be tracked back to ancient times; some scholars claim that many civilisations believed that the World and the Sun were once one large ‘egg’, which broke in two and from which all life subsequently spawned. Eggs are accepted as symbols of fertility and life and so too are intrinsically linked to Springtime, when new life can literally be seen sprouting through the earth.

There are many games and traditions associated with the egg and Easter – egg painting, egg rolling, Easter egg hunts. But perhaps in England the most popular form of egg these days is the chocolate easter egg, which confectionery companies fully embrace, ensuring shelves are stacked with beautifully coloured and wrapped chocolate displays weeks before the event. However, in these health conscious time some parents are turning to alternative Easter presents for children.

Some people believe these traditions ‘dumb down’ the religious meaning of Easter. However, it could be said that it helps to keep the religious festival alive; a vast numer of the British population will celebrate Easter and if just some of them remember and think about the religious story then surely this is something to help the Church’s cause?

Andrew Regan is an online, freelance author from Scotland. He is a keen rugby player and enjoys travelling.