The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn is open all year round with collections of old cars which includes a 15 Millionth Model T, a 1948 Tucker, a 999 Racer, a Bugatti Royale, a Ford Mark VI Racer, a Ford Mustang #1 and many more.

There are Presidential Limousines such as the Ronald Reagan limousine, the John F. Kennedy limousine, the Dwight D. Eisenhower “Bubbletop”, the Franklin D. Roosevelt “Sunshine Special” and many more. There’s the Heroes of the Sky exhibit which brings to life the first forty years of aviation. In this exhibit you’ll see the Douglas DC-3, the Sikorsky Helicopter, and the Wright Flyer Replica. There’s an Agriculture exhibit which features the first Fordson Tractor, Massey-Harris Model 20 Combine, and the Oliver Chilled Plow.

There is a collection of old timepieces, a display of four kitchens from different eras, a large collection of American-made jewelry of the last three hundred years, and a silver and pewter exhibit.

There’s a lot to see in Greenfield Village, which is next to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. There’s Main Street which is a bustling place of automobiles and carriages, events and amusements.

There are shops, restaurants, a chapel, an old school and other points of interest. Menlo Park Complex is where you’ll see Thomas Edison’s extraordinary innovations like the first electric light bulb.

There’s also a couple of ponds with ducks and geese in them. There is a horse barn, carousel for children, a train that takes you around the village, and lots more. Plan on spending a whole day there.

There’s a lot to do in Frankenmuth, Michigan from shopping, playing golf, eating famous chicken dinners, a narrated tour up and down the Cass River on a 70-ton paddle wheel boat, watching a free laser light show, and other exciting things to do. Plan on spending a whole day there also or you could spend the night at the Bavarian Inn lodge or other hotels and see some other sites the next day.

If you like to see trees, shrubs, and flowers, with collections of tropical and arid plants you should go to Hidden Lake Gardens in Tipton, Michigan near Ann Arbor. There’s a lake and pond, natural woodlands, hiking trails and paved auto roads. It’s open all year round. They have guided tours and certain events different times of the year.

The best thing to see in Michigan is the Renaissance Festival in Holly, Michigan. Inside the gates you will see a festive marketplace with friendly merchants everywhere. You will be entertained by belly dancers, sword fighters, musicians, and comedians. There are jousting tournaments where knights on horses battle each other.

Everyone is dressed in renaissance costumes even the visitors. There’s all kinds of food from a tasty soup in a bread bowl to a roasted turkey drumstick. Everyone has a good, old time there. Bring a camera so you can recapture the sites of the day. It’s open on weekends August 18th through September 30th.

There’s a lot more to see in Michigan so please come and visit. You’ll be glad you did!

Ireland’s greatest resource is its people and, like any visit to another country, it pays to discover a little about them before you leave. You will find them courteous, gentle, excellent conversationalists, helpful and engaging. Providing you have time and the patience to listen, you will learn a lot. While the official language of the Republic of Ireland is Irish (Gaelic) and learned by everyone at school, the most common language is English and you will have to travel to the more remote regions to hear native speakers. By European standards the speech rate is quite fast, but don’t be afraid to politely ask someone to repeat himself or herself more slowly. There are many other commonalities with the majority of visitors such as currency (the Euro), culture and customs (although there is a rich and interesting tradition, influenced by religious rituals). Travel is relatively easy; there is a good network of public transport between and within the major cities. If you intend to visit the more remote areas, then a car is useful although not essential.

Recent years have seen a major economic boom, resulting in a huge increase in jobs. The result is that many people in the accommodation and retail industry (such as employees of the hotel in which your tour is staying) are no longer Irish-born, and these positions have attracted many non-nationals. In times past you would always meet a large number of Irish workers in your hotel but this is no longer the case, so you need to look further afield.

While you will still find plenty of Irish people working in the major cities, the most interesting folk are found in the rural areas where their culture has not been so affected by the economic boom. One of the best ways to meet such people is by staying at rural bed and breakfast establishments, rather than at hotels. While you might not receive the luxury of a hotel room, most bed and breakfasts are extremely comfortable, each room typically having its own shower/bath and toilet (‘en suite’) and television. More importantly, they bring you into contact with natives, most of whom are interested in your origins and heritage. Do not be offended if they ask where you were born or where you live – these are central questions to a nation with a deep interest and pride in its heritage. Once they are satisfied that they know something about your lineage (and have established that you are not related to them), you can ask your own questions. Bed and breakfast owners are great sources of local knowledge, such as the best restaurants, visitor attractions, walks, drives and (most importantly) pubs.

I would encourage you to strongly consider a self-guided tour. You can stay, visit and go where you want, choosing your accommodation when you feel like stopping. There is a large selection of bed and breakfast houses in Ireland; many can be pre-booked but it is more fun to arrive in a town or village and pick your own. You can still visit the major cities and join a guided tour or hop on a tour bus if you like but I suggest that your best memories will be those where you met genuine Irish people over the breakfast table, bar or restaurant.

More and more, Americans are avoiding the kitchen and relying on the convenient yet fattening fare offered at fast food restaurants and other national chains. While most people are aware that cooking at home is an effective way to save money, many of us ignore the fact that preparing our own meals can be beneficial to our health, as well. When taking steps to prepare meals in the healthiest possible way, you can not only develop a healthy relationship with food, but also probably have a little fun in the process. Most importantly for patients of weight-loss surgery, learning to prepare healthy meals is one of the biggest steps towards meeting long-term weight loss goals and maintaining healthy eating habits. The following tips represent just a sample of the many ways you can make the meals you prepare as healthy as possible.

Remove the Skin and Fat

Whenever you prepare chicken or any other type of meat, you should remove the skin and fat before cooking. Not only will you leave yourself the best-tasting portions, you will be able to avoid plenty of unwanted calories and unhealthy fat.

Cut the Oil in Half

If you prepare your meals from cookbooks or family recipes, add only half the amount of oil listed – or less – to all of your dishes. Though many cooking oils – such as olive, safflower, sesame and canola – contain unsaturated fats that can help lower cholesterol levels, these additives can also pack plenty of calories that can jeopardize your weight loss goals. If you consume these oils in moderation, you will be able to obtain the healthy benefits, retain the taste of your meals and stick to your weight loss goals.

Coat Your Pans with Cooking Spray or Chicken Broth

One of the easiest ways to avoid excess consumption of such cooking oils is to use cooking sprays and chicken broth instead. When saut

Healthy Cooking Tips is a post from: Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

]]> http://www.sugar-bliss.com/cooking-tips/healthy-cooking-tips.html/feed/ 0 http://www.sugar-bliss.com/bread/flat-bread-recipes.html http://www.sugar-bliss.com/bread/flat-bread-recipes.html#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:18:45 +0000 http://www.sugar-bliss.com/bread/flat-bread-recipes.html Flat Bread Recipes is a post from: Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

]]>

The bread culture is popular in the West mostly in United States and European countries like Italy, France and Germany. To the bread eating household dwellers, they may find it quicker to just pick their favorite loaf from bread shops or supermarkets. But those who want to sample their own flat bread recipes at home can certainly do so. In that way, they will likely gain a self-rewarding experience of serving bread that they bake themselves.

The food business is not complete with bread not placed on the menu. Bread is part of the appetizing dishes, or they could be main course for others who are on a sandwich diet. There are numerous flat bread recipes one can try out such as chapattis, caramelized apple pecan flatbread, basic pizza dough, corn tortilla, flour tortilla, deep dish pizza crust, herbed foccacia bread, homemade pitas, tomato and cheese filled foccacia, pizza dough, pan pizza crust, walnut cheese snaps, caramel whole wheat pita bread and caramel apple flatbread.

Let’s take for instance the last flat bread recipe and learn how to prepare it at your own home kitchen. The ingredients you will need for your Caramel Apple Flatbread are 2 and

Flat Bread Recipes is a post from: Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

]]> http://www.sugar-bliss.com/bread/flat-bread-recipes.html/feed/ 0 http://www.sugar-bliss.com/breakfast/why-eat-breakfast.html http://www.sugar-bliss.com/breakfast/why-eat-breakfast.html#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:30:24 +0000 http://www.sugar-bliss.com/breakfast/why-eat-breakfast.html Why Eat Breakfast? is a post from: Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

]]>

Why do they keep recommending that you eat a healthy breakfast? This has been discussed for ages and people seem to still skip breakfast.

Probably the most common excuse is time. “There is just so much to do in the morning that taking that time is just impossible.” Maybe you could just force yourself out of bed just 10 minutes earlier. The benefits are usually overwhelming.

What do you stand to gain from this devotion of time?

1. Save you from those cravings later in the morning when you till be tempted to grab a high-calorie, non-nutritious snack.

2. Your metabolism will get a kick start.

3. Increase your energy and stamina.

It is the middle of the morning and your stomach starts to tell you how empty it is. You are hard at work and there is certainly not time for anything more than a quick snack at your desk. Maybe, if you are lucky, that could be something reasonably healthy — a piece of fresh fruit or a protein snack bar.

Usually that snack will be a quick trip to the vending machine for a candy bar or chips. This stops the cravings for the moment but does little else. Eating breakfast will prevent that mid-orning crash.

Breakfast has that particular name because it is “breaking” the “fasting” of the night. While you are asleep your body goes in to a calorie conservation period because you are not providing additional fuel to your body. This is done because you are in a period of fasting. When you eat a healthy breakfast, you end this conservation period and your metabolism returns to it normal levels. This increased metabolism rate accounts for an increased energy level.

Actually, if you are dieting and worrying about the calories, skipping breakfast actually as a negative effect. By not allowing your body to return to its normal metabolism rate, your body is not working efficiently and therefore is not loosing weight. This is caused for a loss of a protein called “leptin”.

Now you finally understand the why, what should your healthy breakfast include. Concentrate on complex carbs, lean proteins and healthy fast. Whole wheat bread, cereals, white meats, eggs, low-fat dairy products, vegetables and fruits are excellent choices.

Soon you will be grateful for waking up that little bit earlier. At the end of the day you will have much more energy as well as you will be fitter and healthier — a process that will improve daily.

Having recovered from my action-packed day yesterday which included a photo safari of my home town, some extreme hiking and subsequent culinary feasting (to counteract any potential weight loss), my final day in Austria had arrived and it was also going to be an exciting one. My brother Ewald and my sister-in-law Anneliese had planned an outing to one of Styria’s true medieval treasures: the Riegersburg, a majestic fortress that was first constructed in the 11th century in the strategically important border region of the Austrian empire.

Styria is one of the lesser known Austrian provinces, most people are more familiar with the area around the capital Vienna; the region surrounding Salzburg (“Sound of Music” country) and Tyrol with its high mountains and the capital of Innsbruck. Styria, although the second largest Austrian province that features the country’s second largest city (its capital, Graz), has largely remained below the radar of most North American tourists.

As far as I am concerned, it is one of the most beautiful spots, and I don’t just say that because I am originally from there. As a matter of fact, one of the explicit goals of my trip to Austria this year was to view the area I grew up in through the eyes of a travel writer and put it in context with some of the other areas that I have had a chance to visit over the last few years.

Styria is composed of eight major travel regions:

- the Dachstein – Tauern Region, characterized by high mountains, great skiing and other outdoor diversions

- the picturesque lake area of the Salzkammergut – Ausseerland

- the Murtal holiday region, a densely forested area offering lots of outdoor activities

- Upper Styria, another mountainous region that features the “Styrian Water Road” , the “Styrian Iron Road” as well as the Hochschwab mountain region

- Graz, the province’s capital, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the 2003 European Cultural Capital

- Eastern Styria, my native region, an enchanting region characterized by medium size mountains, Austria’s largest mountain pasture, orchards, fertile farmland, monasteries and castles

- Thermenland Styria, a region full of gently rolling hills, vineyards and ancient volcanic activity that has created six world caliber spa resorts, and

- The South Styrian Wine Region and Western Styria where gently sloping hills full of vineyards and the famous White Horses destined for the Vienna Riding School invite to an area that is often referred to as the “Austrian Tuscany”.

Today’s destination, the Riegersburg, is located just at the southern border of the Eastern Styria travel region, right adjacent to the volcanic region of the Thermenland area. As a matter of fact, the fortress itself is built on the ancient volcanic cone of a long-extinct volcano. We started our drive from Weiz through the Raab Valley and the rural town of Gleisdorf. There we turned off the major road onto smaller country roads that took us through beautiful rolling hills, many of which feature orchards and vineyards.

Many of these small side roads are official bicycle trails which are conveniently signed and many of the local vintners own little rural restaurants called “Buschenschenken” whose garden terraces invite hikers, bikers and other travelers to sit down and enjoy Styrian culinary delicacies and wine. We encountered hardly any traffic, and on this beautiful warm summer day many cyclists were out there getting a good workout and enjoying the scenery.

After about 45 minutes we had reached our destination: a basaltic rock crowned with the majestic Riegersburg fortress was right in front of us. We parked the car in the village at the foot of the rock and started our ascent up to the castle. The narrow road lacks pavement and is essentially composed of dark volcanic rock that features many narrow grooves and ruts from hundreds of years of use by horse carriages. We entered through the first gate which was one of many. Altogether the Riegersburg has seven major gates and eleven bastions. The defensive wall around the fortress is an impressive three kilometers long. The combination of these features made the fortress the most important fortification at the Styrian border of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

The strategic importance of this border region becomes evident in the context of the 16th and 17th century Ottoman Wars between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. The area of Eastern Styria in particular was often under threat of invasion by forces from the East. In 1664 a decisive final battle was fought in nearby Mogersdorf which ended the two-year war against the Turks. The Riegersburg itself was never conquered and as a result it came to be referred to as the “strongest fortification of Christianity”. It was part of an entire series of border fortresses along the boundary of the Habsburg Empire.

We walked slowly up to the castle on the rutted road that was surrounded by a crenellated wall that would allow sharpshooters to target potential invaders approaching the fortress. On an open plateau below the actual castle building there are numerous plaques mounted on a wall, providing a memorial to hundreds of soldiers from surrounding villages that fell during World War II. Each village had its own plaque. Another picturesque gate took us to the last part of the path that would take us right up to the fortress. At the foot of the fortress is the “Burgtaverne”, a restaurant with a beautiful large outdoor patio that features a gorgeous view of the surrounding countryside and entices with traditional Austrian cuisine.

As we approached the fortress itself we walked across two moats that were each equipped with a drawbridge and the second inner moat actually still had water in it. We were now truly inside the building complex of the fortress and through a large inner courtyard we approached the central building which features the retail store where we purchased our 9.5 Euro admission to the central part of the fortress.

The name of the Riegersburg fortress was originally mentioned in 1138 as “Ruotkerspurch”, which actually means “R

Hello from Austria – Medieval History Up Close at the Riegersburg Fortress and Explorations of Styri is a post from: Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

]]> http://www.sugar-bliss.com/renaissance-culinaire/hello-from-austria-medieval-history-up-close-at-the-riegersburg-fortress-and-explorations-of-styri.html/feed/ 0 http://www.sugar-bliss.com/bread/how-to-make-bread-crumbs-at-home.html http://www.sugar-bliss.com/bread/how-to-make-bread-crumbs-at-home.html#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 23:31:27 +0000 http://www.sugar-bliss.com/bread/how-to-make-bread-crumbs-at-home.html How to Make Bread Crumbs at Home is a post from: Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

]]>

Making bread crumbs at home is not only inexpensive but also fun. Bread crumbs at markets are available at high prices while making them at home saves a lot of money. In fact, the entire process of making bread crumbs is very easy.

Bread crumbs can be made out of any type of bread like wheat, white, sourdough, or rye bread. This inexpensive way of making bread crumbs also ensures that you use bread that would otherwise be wasted and thrown away.

In order to make bread crumbs, you first have to start collected bread. Try mixing different types of breads as this would add different taste and flavors. After you have sufficient amount of bread, make sure you dry out the slices. Fresh bread can also be used.

Now place the bread onto a baking sheet. Brush the slices with butter and cheese if you want to add some flavor to the crumbs. Bake the bread in the oven at 300 degrees until the slices start appearing lightly brown and totally dry. At the half way mark, turn slices over so that they dry evenly. In case the bread slices are not dry enough, place them in a single layer on the baking sheet, giving them enough room to dry easily and fast.

Once all the slices are evenly browned, remove them from the oven. Allow the bread to cool and then start tearing the slices into small pieces. Put these small pieces into the food processor and start whirling until you achieve the desired coarseness.

Breakfast is considered to be the most important meal of the day. Every mother asks her child to have a healthy breakfast. A nutritious breakfast is a great way to start the day. Why so much emphasis on breakfast? Read on to find yourself.

Children, generally, sleep early. When they get up the next morning, their body needs to get sufficient nutrition to break fee from the long hours of fast. A nutritional breakfast not only gives strength to the body, it also energizes the brain of children. An alert brain, in turn, would allow your child to be attentive in class, and understand the concepts taught by the school teacher.

Studies have shown that children who skip breakfast tend to show low self-confidence, lack of concentration, and laziness. Attention span of kids who don’t eat their breakfast also reduces considerably over a period of time. Irritability (mood swings) and restlessness are also some of the immediate consequences of a skipping breakfast.

It might surprise you but not having breakfast is a major cause of obesity. How? When a child does not eat his breakfast, he starts feeling hungry during the day. As a result of this, he might overeat. Overeating might also involve consumption of calorie-rich food, especially junk food. This can directly result in weight gain, and hence, obesity.

Breakfast is important for keeping the metabolism in right working condition. Now that you know that breakfast is vital for your child’s health, and growth, we must also talk about the right kind of breakfast. Many people believe that a nutritious breakfast is often expensive. This is however far from being true.

Nutritional Breakfast

Fresh fruit juice is one of best things that should be an essential part of your child’s breakfast. Fruits can also be included. In fact, fruits are better than fruit juice as they also contain a lot of fiber. Whole grains and milk should also be included in the breakfast. Items rich in fat should be avoided. For example, butter and high-fat cheese would not provide healthy fat to children. A balanced breakfast should be rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, calcium, minerals.

Working parents have a little difficulty finding time to cook their children a healthy breakfast. This can be taken care of by following the tips mentioned below.

Waking up a little early Making the breakfast preparations a day in advance, preferably the previous night. Eggs come handy when you have little time to make breakfast
Don’ts

Avoid serving food that has lot of sugar in it. Pastry, cakes, muffins, and jam are some of the things that should be kept away. Try to avoid a lot of processed items in the breakfast. Whole grains are always better. Brown bread should be preferred over white bread.

Parents should make it a point to include breakfast in their routine so that their children also follow the same. Remember, a healthy breakfast will keep your child active and strong. Serve your child a nutritious breakfast and see him excel at studies and sports!

You are probably spouting all the normal excuses right about now:

I’m not hungry in the morning.

If I eat breakfast, I am hungry again before lunch.

I don’t have time to make a good breakfast.

Fill in your favorite excuse ________________.

Let’s take a look at these excuses:

I’m not hungry in the morning.

Yes you are. Your body is starving for energy first thing in the morning. You have not eaten in 10-14 hours. How could you not be hungry. You have trained your brain to believe you don’t want food when you first wake up and your brain has accepted the starvation technique so it no longer sends you the hunger signals that early.
But, did you know that your body will not start aggressively burning calories until you add some food in the morning. If you wait until lunch before you eat, you have wasted half a day of calorie burning where your body has been trying very hard to conserve energy and not burn any fat. This is why you are feeling sluggish. By not eating breakfast, you are contributing to your weight problem in a BIG way.

If I eat breakfast, I am hungry again before lunch.

Good, you should be. This is proof that your body is doing it’s job and burning those calories. As long as you keep feeding it, it will keep burning. Eat-eat-eat… this is how to lose weight. Don’t believe me? What have you done in the past to lose weight? Starve-starve-starve, right? Did that work? Hmmmm…

I don’t have time to make a good breakfast.

Yes you do. If you have time to live, you have time to nourish your body. Breakfast is not pot roast and baked potatoes. It only takes a couple of minutes to cook an egg or toast a muffin. You don’t realize how much more energy you will have after a good breakfast. This energy will more than make up for the few minutes you took to prepare and eat breakfast.

Your excuse?

Trust me, it is not valid. You must eat breakfast or you will remain overweight.

If your way hasn’t been working, and you know it hasn’t, try my way. What’s the worse thing that could happen? Nothing? Not likely. Just try it, you will see the many great changes a breakfast can do for your mind and body.

You are going to eat breakfast, right? Great! I knew you would make the right decision. You will be so pleased with the results.

You are on your way to a much healthier, happier, slimmer you.

Keep it up!

This is only the beginning. Visit All Natural Cures (http://www.allnaturalcures.net) and get your health back. All safe, natural cures and home remedies.

Copyright 2005 ~ AllNaturalCures.net ~ All Rights Reserved

Have you ever had a delicious meal at an Outback Restaurant, and when you got home you wanted some more? The way the steak is cooked just right, and the way the Blooming Onion dish is represented…why it just makes you want some more! This article will explore cooking some Outback Restaurant Recipes at home.

The average American family eats out 3-4 times a week. Depending on how many family members you have, and on how far you have to travel (guess how much gas costs these days!), this can add up to a hefty penny. I agree, there is a certain taste to a restaurant meal, but does it justify the cost?

Outback restaurant recipes and recipes from other famous restaurants are closely guarded secrets. But, today, lots of cooks have sort of “cloned” and copied their dishes. These people love to cook and recreate the delicious taste. These recipes are then tested and re-tested in cooking forums where thousands (sometimes over 30,000) people cook these copy cat recipes and give their opinions. It is then tweaked just so, that you won’t be able to tell the difference!

Lots of people go crazy over the food (& d

Outback Restaurant Recipes is a post from: Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

]]> http://www.sugar-bliss.com/recipe/outback-restaurant-recipes.html/feed/ 0