THE COLOUR IS GRAY

Fresh Fruit Filled Cantaloupe

Fruit filled cantaloupe melons are hollowed out and filled with oranges, apples, peaches, blue berries and strawberries and topped with a honey yogurt dressing.

Did your garden overproduce this year?

Try this cantaloupe recipe and use up the cantaloupe and melons you planted.

Feel good about not letting your produce go to waste with this quick and easy fruit recipe.

Enjoy the best of your garden with fresh cantaloupe or muskmelons and other summer favorite fruits such as blue berries, strawberries, peaches and apples all topped with a light smooth yogurt sauce.

You also get the added bonus that this breakfast and brunch recipe is quick and easy to make and is a healthy food choice for you.

What a great way to start the day with ripe fresh fruit salad topped with a smooth yogurt dressing!

Fruit Filled Cantaloupe Recipe

Labels: Food n Drink Recipes

A summery fruit salad made with oranges, bananas, and pineapple and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar and shredded coconut. Serve in individual parfaits for breakfast or brunch or make one big salad in a large glass serving bowl.

Have your children help you with this quick and easy fruit recipe. As there is no cooking involved, they will enjoy placing the fruit into each dish just right and sprinkling the confectioner's sugar between each layer.

Serve this fruit salad for breakfast or brunch. As it uses common fruits that you may usually have in your pantry, it is a beautiful way to add some color and sparkle to your weekend brunch menu in only about 15 minutes.
 

Labels: Food n Drink Recipes

Ham and Egg Breakfast Casserole

This casserole takes only 15 minutes to prepare the night before. Just take it out of the refrigerator and bake in the morning for a relaxing breakfast or brunch.

It is made with items you normally have in your kitchen so that makes this casserole easy to put together when you have those unexpected guests staying over or are having guests for breakfast or brunch in the morning.

Ham and Egg Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Baking Time: 60 minutes

Ingredient List:

12 slices bread, crust removed
8 oz. extra sharp Cheddar cheese, (cubed to 1/2" or shredded)
2 cups cooked ham, (cubed to 1/2")
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
3 cups crushed corn flakes
1/2 cup melted butter

Baking Equipment Needed

9" x 13" baking pan, buttered
Large mixing bowl
Whisk
small bowl

Instructions:

Step 1: Butter a 9" x 13" pan and place 6 of the slices of bread with the crusts removed into the bottom of the pan.

Step 2: Sprinkle with the cubed cheese and ham.

Step 3: Put the remaining 6 slices of bread on the top.

Step 4: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard, salt, and milk.

Step 5: Pour over the bread.

Step 6: Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Step 7: Remove from refrigerator and allow to stand until room temperature.

Step 8: Melt butter and stir in to the crushed cornflakes. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the bread.

Step 9: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 10:Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Labels: Food n Drink Recipes

Labels: Food n Drink Recipes

3 cups diced ham
3 cups bread cubes
1/2 pound Block Cheddar cheese, grated (16 ounces, pre-shredded)
1 Cup of fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon of dry mustar
3 Tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
4 eggs

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Sauce:

1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup hot water
1 can cream of chicken soup

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Kitchen Equipment Needed

9" x 13" baking dish, greased
Mixing bowls

Instructions:

Step 1: Prepare the night before.

Step 2: Combine ham, bread cubes, cheese, and mushrooms and mix together with mustard and flour.

Step 3: Spread into a greased 9" x 13" pan.

Step 4: Whisk together milk and eggs and pour over the above mixture.

Step 5: In a separate bowl, dissolve 1 chicken bouillon cube in 1 Cup hot water. Add 1 can cream of chicken soup and mix well.

Step 6: Pour over the mixture in the pan.

Step 7: Cover with foil and let stand overnight.

Step 8: When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 9: Bake, covered with the foil, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

Step 10: Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

This Wisconsin brunch casserole serves 12.

Labels: Food n Drink Recipes

Labels: Food n Drink Recipes

Bake Time: 70 minutes

Ingredient List:

8 slices bacon, fried until crisp & crumbled
5 hash brown potato patties, fried crisp
1/2 cup chopped onions
2-8 ounce cans of sliced mushrooms
3 cups cubed medium or sharp cheddar cheese (1/2" to 1" chunks)
3 cups cubed smoked ham (1/2" to 1" chunks)
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk

Kitchen Equipment Needed

9" x 13" baking dish

Instructions:

Step 1: Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Step 2: Spread the crisp fried hash brown on the bottom of the pan.

Step 3: Layer the fried bacon, onions, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and ham evenly over the hash browns.

Step 4: Beat the egg and milk together. Pour over all ingredients in the baking dish.

Step 5: Cover with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Step 6: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake covered with foil, for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 25 additional minutes.

Step 7: Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Makes 9-12 servings.

**Prep time does not include frying bacon or hash browns.

Labels: Food n Drink Recipes

Make this egg casserole the night before and serve it for breakfast or brunch. Crisp bacon and smooth Swiss cheese make a great combination for a family favorite.

Ingredient List:

8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
2 onions, sliced thin
12 slices white or French bread, quartered
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
8 eggs
4 cups milk
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Kitchen Equipment Needed

Frying Pan
9" x 13" baking pan or dish, greased

Instructions:

Step 1: Fry bacon in your frying pan until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel.

Step 2: Using the same pan, saute the onions until they are soft. Remove from pan and let cool.

Step 3: Put 6 slices bread, quartered in a greased 9" x 13" baking pan.

Step 4: Add half of crumbled bacon, onion and cheese; spread evenly.

Step 5: Repeat layer of bread, bacon, onion, and cheese.

Step 6: Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper; beat until mixed and pour over bread.

Step 7: Cover with foil or wrap and store in refrigerator overnight.

Step 8: In the morning, uncover casserole and let stand at room temperature until oven is preheated.

Step 9: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake the breakfast casserole for 45-55 minutes.

Serves 6-8.

If you have leftover Swiss cheese, sprinkle some on top of this bacon and Swiss cheese breakfast casserole during the last 5 minutes of baking for a nice golden brown touch.

Labels: Food n Drink Recipes

By Wahidullah Amani in Kabul (ARR No. 267, 05-Oct-07)

Kabul's narrow streets, recently so crowded, are now unnaturally calm.

The last 10 days of Ramadan are usually the year's busiest, as shoppers rush to buy clothes, presents and food for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that ends a month of fasting. Kabul's daytime population normally doubles during this periods as crowds come in from the provinces to complete their purchases.

But for the past few days, the shops have been empty and the streets deserted. Those who do venture out have pinched faces and a hurried look – they all fear that another suicide attack could come at any time.

"I had to come to the city to buy things for Eid," said Nafas Gul, 28. "But I am sorry I'm here. I am afraid all the time, and I'm hurrying so that I can get home. Everyone there is worried about me."

The past two weeks have seen several devastating attacks that have taken the lives of dozens of military and civilians in various parts of the capital.

The Taleban have claimed responsibility for the carnage, saying it marks a new phase in their "jihad" or holy war against the Afghan government and the foreigners who back it.

The biggest incident was on September 29, when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives on a bus full of Afghan army personnel, killing 30 and injuring 29. The blast shattered the calm of a neighbourhood previously considered safe, Kart-e-Parwan.

Another bomb just three days later made Kabul residents uncomfortably aware that no area of the capital is truly safe any more. The October 2 blast, in the western part of the city, targeted a shuttle bus carrying Afghan police.

Witnesses say 15 people were killed and ten were injured. The interior ministry confirmed the death toll, which included 10 police, but spokesman Zmarai Bashiri put the number of injured at three.

Sher Mohammad, 25, has a shop in the area. He was close to the bus at the time of the explosion, and saw the man police believe to be the bomber.

"There was a man in a large patu [Afghan shawl] sitting under a tree opposite my shop," he said. "When the bus arrived, a number of police got on. He did, too, and a few minutes later there was a big explosion.

"I saw the dead and wounded scattered everywhere. There were women and children among them. I saw one of our neighbours who was injured, and I immediately rushed him to hospital."

Mohammad Bashir, 27, said that he got to the scene of the bombing soon after the attack took place.

"When I got to the bus, I saw five dead children and one woman near the bus. The children had school uniforms on. I got in the bus and took four injured people out. There were a lot of dead in the bus, most of them burnt," he said.

Things have reached a stage where Kabul residents are changing their way of life. Many families are keeping their children home from school, undermining one of the government's major successes.

"I have three children," said 40-year-old Sulaiman. "I am very worried about them when they go out every day. If the situation continues like this, I will have to stop them going to school."

The police are attempting to deal with the problem by increasing their presence on the streets and boosting the number of checkpoints where cars are stopped and searched. But this has not helped calm fears among residents of the capital.

"The police appear on the roads and search vehicles whenever they want to, said 42-year-old Mohammad Rahim. "They only do it for two hours a day, so it does nothing but bother people. They do a search early in the morning, but they're gone by 10 am."

The two latest attacks were both in the early morning.

The interior ministry acknowledges that the recent bombings have increased concerns and spread fears across Kabul, but the spokesman insists that there are new precautions for preventing a repeat of the recent attacks targeting the security forces.

"We have developed good plans, which we hope will achieve positive results," said spokesman Bashiri.

He would not go into any detail, citing the need for confidentiality.

"We want Kabul to be a symbol of security," he said. "We are very concerned about the recent incidents. It is not easy to combat suicide attacks, but we are hoping for the cooperation of the local population."

But that may a tough sell for residents like Gul Wali, 57. He is angry and bitter, and despite the Taleban's clear acceptance of responsibility, he is in no doubt as to whom to blame.

"There is no security in the city," he said. "The police do nothing except take bribes. This whole situation is because of the government. I don't let my family members leave the house any more. If they go out, I have to worry about them until they get back."

Wahidullah Amani is IWPR's lead trainer and reporter in Kabul.

Labels: News

BANGKOK, Oct 8 (TNA) - Thailand's Prime Minister Gen. Surayud Chulanont said on Monday he had asked Myanmar's junta leader to end violence against Buddhist monks which he branded as the "wrong action". Speaking at the prime minister's Meet the Press session at Government House, Gen. Surayud said he had sent a letter last week to Senior General Than Shwe, chairman of Myanmar's State Peace and Development Council, calling on the junta leader to halt violent actions against his country's Buddhist monks. "As a Buddhist-majority country, Thailand cannot accept the use of violence against the Buddhist monks in a neighbouring country," the premier said, adding that what further action could be taken would depend on consultations among the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Thailand is a founding member.   "We want to see a dialogue between Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar's  junta as the ASEAN had clearly stated earlier," the Thai premier said.   Last month Thailand and ASEAN expressed grave concern over the Myanmar government's use of violence against demonstrators and called on it to exercise the utmost restraint and resume efforts to end street protests through peaceful means. "Both Thailand and Myanmar, being predominantly Buddhist, share in the belief of nonviolence and tolerance. So, Thailand finds unacceptable the commission of violence and bodily harm to Buddhist monks and demonstrators," the Thai premier said on behalf of ASEAN in his address to the 62nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly being held in New York from September 22-29. It came after almost two weeks of repression in which the Myanmar authorities said 10 people were killed as the recent protests were dispersed. Diplomats and activists though say the number of dead was many times higher. The military regime said it was still holding some 1,000 persons arrested during the protests -- including more than 100 Buddhist monks. But foreign governments and dissidents fear the real number of detainees could be several times higher. (TNA)-E001

Labels: News

The Associated Press

RANGOON, Burma -- Residents of Burma's biggest city, Rangoon, are keeping up a low-key resistance against the country's military regime, harassing soldiers by tossing rocks at them at night, student activists said Monday.

Security forces have responded to the activities, which have taken place over the past two to three days, by detaining the rock throwers they catch after curfew, they said.

In some cases, members of the families of those detained -- including children -- have also been detained, the activists said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of arrest.

No figures were available on the number of people engaging in such activities or how many may have been detained. The reports came as the government has announced numbers of those detained in connection with the anti-regime protests of the past few weeks.

Burma authorities also said weapons had been seized from Buddhist monasteries and announced dozens of new arrests, despite global outrage over the junta's violent repression of protesters who sought an end to 45 years of military dictatorship.

Recent raids on monasteries turned up 18 knives, one ax, slingshots and one 9mm bullet, though it was not yet clear to whom they belonged, according to state-run The New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Monday. The government threatened to punish any monks that violate the law, stepping up pressure on clerics who led the protests.

In a commentary, the newspaper stressed that those arrested during the unrest would be treated as criminals rather than political prisoners.

"Supporters of the protest who claim themselves pro-democracy activists will not be pardoned if they break the law, as no man is above the law," the paper said on its comments page. "Those who are found guilty of breaking the law will be imprisoned."

State media including The New Light of Myanmar newspaper are only propaganda organs and not taken seriously in Burma, said Soe Aung, a spokesman for the National Council of the Union of Burma, a coalition of opposition groups based in neighboring Thailand.

"The government newspaper is not read by most people. It is used for wrapping paper," he said in a telephone interview.

Security has eased in the largest city of Rangoon more than a week after soldiers and police opened fire on demonstrators. Some roadblocks were removed and visitors began trickling back to the heavily guarded Shwedagon and Sule pagodas, the starting and finishing points of protests that began in mid-August over a sharp fuel price increase.

The junta says at least 10 people were killed in a crackdown Sept. 26-27 -- though independent sources say the toll was likely much higher -- and that some 1,000 remain in detention centers.

At least 135 monks are being held, according to The New Light of Myanmar.

In addition, 78 more people suspected of involvement in the rallies were being questioned by investigators, it said.

Inspired by the participation of monks, who are revered in the country, thousands of people turned out for the protests last month, the biggest in nearly two decades against brutal military rule. The junta's bloody crackdown sparked international condemnation -- including from its Southeast Asian neighbors.

The military has ruled Myanmar since 1962. The current junta came to power after routing a 1988 pro-democracy uprising, killing at least 3,000 people.

Labels: News

Labels: News