faToid
More than 1,500 farmers harvest almost 20000 acres of chile every year in New Mexico, generating $200 million in sales. |
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Motivational Musing ~
She's A Red Hot Chili Pepper
Do your eyes water, does your nose run, do you perspire when you eat red- hot chili peppers? It’s the capsaicinoids!
Capsaicinoids have no flavor or smell, but they make their presence known rather effectively by activating the pain receptors in our mouths and throats. (I like that sensation. Am I a masochist?)
The primary capsaicinoid – capsaicin – is so powerful and spicy hot that just one solitary drop diluted in 100,000 drops of water will cause your tongue to blister.
Capsaicin is largely found in the pepper’s ‘ribs’ that run down the middle and along the side of the inside of the pepper. The seeds are in such close proximity to the ribs that they often ‘catch’ the heat. The capsaicin also disproportionately runs throughout the flesh of the pepper – some areas are hotter than others. It’s a veritable chili pepper mine-field!
Capsaicinoid is measured in parts per million, and these parts are converted into Scoville heat units (an industry term). One part per million is equal to 15 Scoville units.
Wilbur L. Scoville first tried to measure the heat of peppers in 1912. Wilbur was a pharmacologist for the Parke-Davis Company. He gathered the troops for his first experiment. These tasters had to systematically taste a mixture of chili extract and slightly sweetened water for detectable heat. The goal was to determine how much the chili extract needed to be diluted with the sugar water before the heat was no longer detectable to taste.
A typical Jalapeno pepper contains approximately 4,500 Scoville units. In other words, Jalapeno peppers require is about 4,500 Scoville units. This means that 4,500 parts of sugar water to dilute one part Jalapeno extract until its heat can no longer be felt. As you can see, this wasn't the most accurate way of testing for heat, so it is no longer used, but the term Scoville unit lives on.
The capsaicinoid value in bell peppers is a big fat zero; however the hottest pepper of them all, habaneros’ value is 200,000 to 300,000 Scoville heat units. Can you imagine what pure capsaicin feels like? In Scoville units it's a burnin' 16 million!!! A five alarm hot chili pepper fire.
The Scoville count for:
- Cayenne is 30 to 50,000 units
- Thai is 50 to 100,000 units
- Jalapeno is 2.5 to 5,000 units
- Serrano is 10 to 23,000 units
- Sweet Italian is Zero!
LINKS:
Proaji - a beautiful pepper site from Quito, Ecuador. Very exotic peppers.
Grow your own. Burpee offers over 50 varieties.
Throwing a party? Decorate with Chili Pepper Fiesta Lights!
Righteous Recipe ~ Marita's Experimental Zucchini - from Marita F., Vestal, NY. "OK! I am sick of zucchini at this time of year, so I decided to experiment."
Wow, Delicious and Marita grows her own.
Ingredients:
1 med to large zucchini diced.
- I grow Aristocrat. It's mild and has very little seeds.
3 or 4 cloves of garlic minced (More if you dare.)
I grow a
Ukrainian
garlic variety that is moderate in flavor.
Chili peppers, seeded and chopped (use gloves) any spicy hot pepper will do.
These grew well this year so well that I ate them green,
but you can use the red chili peppers.
The flavor is hotter as they ripen to red.
One tablespoon olive oil
Ginger to taste
Soy sauce to taste
1 or 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon (less to taste) sugar.
I usually use this much with my biggest zucchinis.
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Directions:
Sauté garlic until golden in olive oil.
Add chili peppers and
sauté until the oil is flavored
and your nose can smell the pepper.
The chilis will soften.
Add zucchini and
sauté until tender,
but not soft and mushy. Add soy sauce, ginger and sugar.
Stir and let thicken slightly.
Add vinegar and cook one minute longer.
This is great on rice or pasta. Enjoy!
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Want to whip up another dish?
Send Our Lady your favorite recipe! Keep them easy, low-cal and FUN.
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Pious Project™ - Beelzebub's Red Hot Candle - A festive candle for any occasion, hot or otherwise.
Ingredients needed:
Red Candle
Faux pearl beads in different shapes
Faux diamonds
Crafter's Glue
Ball Point Straight Pins (long; variety of colors)
Instructions:
Put long straight pin through beads. Randomly place on candle (pierce through wax).
Dab a bit of glue on the back of the diamonds and randomly place on candle.
They glitter and glow beautifully from the candlelight.
Fruitful Contest - Who is Beelzebub?
RULES: The 18th to enlighten Our Lady wins an Our Lady of Weight Loss prize! (Sometimes people send in their answers within minutes - even seconds - of each other. Our Lady declares them all winners!)
Last week's Fruitful query: A two-part True or False PEAR Quiz.:
1.There are more than 5,000 varieties of pears — not all of which are pear-shaped.
2. Pears don’t float. Answer: TRUE and TRUE. And the winners are: Sharon F., Pulaski, NY and Elisa G., Hampton, VA
Write Our Lady.
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Chewing the Fat - How you doin'? Write Our Lady.
If you've written and your letter has not been published, it's probably coming down the pike and will be in next week's KICK or the week after! NOTE: If your letter and/or Weighty Confession and/or Righteous Recipe are published, you will receive an Our Lady of Weight Loss prize! Be sure to send your mailing address with your email.
Dear OLofWL, Just wanted to say thanks for your newsletter. It's always gives me a smile, a chuckle, and a lift of the spirits. I've lost 20 pounds since last year. One of the things that really helped was knitting. Can't do the hand to mouth when your hands are full. I knitted 30 scarves last fall--everyone in my family got one for Christmas, and the rest went to craft show fundraiser for our local food shelter. Thinking about knitting ponchos this year. Keep it up! ~ Kris B., Grand Rapids, MI
Dear Grand Rapid Knitter, You exchanged 20 pounds of excess weight for 30 hand-made art-Scarves! The Fat Exchange!! Congratulations! Here's a link for you and the rest of the knitters and crocheters out there - free poncho patterns and more! Keep us in your (knitter's) loop. ~ OLofWL
* * *
Dear OLofWL, My friends Ken and Nancy, who own the farm where I lived for two years when I first moved to Kansas, grow three varieties of Asian pears, which are an even more unusual pear experience. They’re really crispy and watery and just lovely. Oddly, Kansas is a great place to grow Asian pears. Check out their farm, www.fieldstonee.com. When you come this way on your book tour, we’ll get you a place at their B&B and you can pet the burro and pygmy goats ... KC from KC
Dear KC from KC, I love that one Asian pears are grown in Kansas. Your email put me in the mood for one, so I went to the local supermarket yesterday, and they were $2.50 each. I think it would be cheaper (and a lot more fun) to hop on a plane and visit your friend's B&B, pick up a bushel of Asian Pears than to buy local!!! Here's the link to Field Stone B&B. It looks really lovely! ~ OLofWL
Forgive me, for I have sinned.
Mmmmm! Cold, fresh pears sliced 'n drizzled with honey!
Or... drizzled with caramel then a spritz of whip cream and sprinkle of nuts! or....
peeled, baked, and drizzled with either chocolate or raspberry sauce!
Hooray! No wonder I have a weight prob--
I can take the purest, most wonderful God given good fer ya fruit and make it fattening!
All is Forgiven * Move On.
Send your confession to info@ourladyofweightloss.com.
No Names - Strictly Anonymous
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The Art of Weight Loss Workshops
Six Week Workshop ~
Gain insight into your inner Weight Loss Artist ™ while steadily shedding pounds.
When it comes to permanent fat removal, thinking outside of the donut box is key! New six week workshop forming now.
Six Weeks of Inspirational Weight Loss via USPS Mail ~ Revolutionary Concept!!! Very cool, inspirational, art-filled stuff! Motivational, inspirational and fun!
For more info... click here or contact: info@ourladyofweightloss.com
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The Our Lady of Weight Loss CHEERLEADERS Wendy, Here's to you.
Wendy, here's to you.
Happy trails to Mary Agnes.
Camille, you can do it.
You can do it. If Janice can, seriously, you can too!
Send OUR LADY of WEIGHT LOSS your name, handle, initials (identify yourself in some way, please), and we'll all cheer you on.
Let's all clap and root for each other! Cheering can be healing. Send an email to: Cheer On!
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The KICK in the TUSH Club provides a weekly reminder in the form of an Art-KICK for those who wish to anchor themselves to their weight loss and/or health goals (or for those who need to satisfy their craving for a quirky kick). It's fun, fab and fat-free. Sign-up now (there's no charge). Click here! Our Lady. (Or send an email to: info@OurLadyofWeightLoss.com) and say, "YES! I need a KICK in the TUSH.
Volume II, KICK #37™©
Janice Taylor
www.OurLadyofWeightLoss.com™®
a Division of Oy-Caramba, Ltd!
Interested in reprinting the KICK in the TUSH or licensing the art?
Contact: info@ourladyofweightloss.com
Our Lady of Weight Loss has been recommended by:
The New York Daily News, The Arizona Republic Newspaper, SKIRT! Magazine,
Energy Express, Tribune Media Co., Herbs for Health, Good Housekeeping, First for Women,
Family Circle and Good Morning America.
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Disclaimer: This column is for information only and no part of its contents should be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, recommendation or endorsement by Our Lady of Weight Loss, Oy-Caramba, Ltd! or Ms. Taylor.
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