Cashew nuts

The cashew is the seed of a tropical evergreen plant related to the mango, pistachio, and poison ivy. Originating in Brazil, the cashew plant made its way to India in the sixteenth century via Portuguese sailors.

Unlike most fruits where the seed is found inside the flesh, the cashew seed hangs from the bottom of the cashew apple. Cashew apples begin to ferment as soon as they are picked and will barely last 24 hours. Cashew apples are highly prized in their growing locale, where they are sometimes found canned, in jams, or used to make liqueurs.

Health Benefits
Cashew nuts, a richly sweet product of the cashew tree, have gained popularity in North America and Europe not only for their succulent flavor but for health benefits, too. Whether roasted, salted, sugared or covered in chocolate, the cashew nut, often used as a flavorful complement to appetizers, main dishes and deserts, packs a mix of nutrients and minerals not found in many common foods.
Cashew nuts has a high content of monounsaturated fats, copper and magnesium, has no cholesterol, helps maintain healthy gums and teeth, contains healthy monounsaturated fat that promotes good cardiovascular health, rich in antioxidants.

Cashew Cooking Tips
Make cashew butter by processing cashews in the food processor until the mixture reaches the consistency of peanut butter. Use as you would peanut butter on bread, crackers, or as a soup thickener.

Cashews shine in curries, vegetables, salad, pasta, rice, stir-fries, stew, and desserts.

Unless intended as a thickener, do not add cashews to hot dishes until near the end of the cooking process as they will quickly become soft and begin to disintegrate. Cashews will become soft in baked goods and do not retain their crunch like other nuts.

Storage
Cashews are highly perishable and can turn rancid quickly due to their high oil content. Choose vacuum-packed jars or cans over cellophane packaging. Store cashews in a cool, dry place in an airtight container to avoid absorption of other food odors. At room temperature, they will not last long, but if you refrigerate them, they can last up to 6 months. Cashews may also be frozen up to 1 year.

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Gourmet truffles recipe

Equipment

You can use a microwave to melt the chocolate, but I don't like to. I find that this complicates the process because you need to keep on stopping the microwave to stir it. Besides, there is something soothing about melting chocolate over a low heat. It releases the scent in the air and reminds me of those chocolate shops.

For the slow-melt method, you will need a double burner. I use a saucepan and a metal mixing bowl. The bowl needs to be big enough so that it completely seals the pan. Put the burner on low, so that the water just gently heats. Eventually, the hot steam will warm the pan and melt the chocolate.

Other utensils you will need are a rubber spatula, for scraping the bowl, and a small spoon. I use a metal tablespoon, but I have to remember to take it out of the bowl or else it will be too hot to touch. You can also use a small wooden spoon.

Ingredients

I use heavy cream, unsalted butter (European style if you can find it), and good quality semi-sweet baker's chocolate. I've on occasion used semi-sweet chocolate chips. I like baker's chocolate better because I find that it melts smoother. I feel that this results in a higher quality chocolate.

Basic Recipe

This recipe makes one batch. The amount of truffles will vary depending on the size.
- Begin by melting 6 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate over the double burner.
- In a separate saucepan, add 2 T unsalted butter and ¼ cup heavy cream.
- Heat on low until the butter is melted.
- Once chocolate has melted, add butter and cream mixture. Stir rapidly until well blended.
- Chill in the refrigerator, uncovered until it is cool and firm. This will take about 30 minutes but it may be longer depending on your refrigerator settings.
- Remove from fridge when firm. Let melt slightly until you can comfortably work the mixture with a spoon.
- Take a small, sturdy teaspoon and scoop some of the truffle cream out. Form with your fingers into small, round shapes.

To make truffles in advance, skip step five. Pour mixture into a freezable plastic container. When ready to continue the process, defrost the truffles until workable. Continue with seven.

Rolling the Truffles

Your next step will depend on what you want to use to coat the truffles. You can dip them in chocolate or roll them into cocoa powder, spices, coconut, chopped dates or ground nuts. Use your imagination!

- Fill a small bowl with the ingredients you will use to coat them.
- After forming the truffles into balls, dip them into the bowl and then place the chocolates on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm.

Dipping the Truffles

Dunking your truffles in chocolate is time consuming but worth the effort. I love the contrast of the firm chocolate and the soft center.

- Place truffles on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper after working them into rounded shapes.
- Refrigerate for about one hour until firm.
- To prepare the dipping chocolate- Melt about 3 ounces of semi-sweet baking chocolate and 1-2 tablespoons grated beeswax in a double burner. (The beeswax prevents the outer layer of chocolate from melting too quickly). Keep the heat on low. Once the chocolate is melted, do not remove from the double burner.
- Remove the truffles from the fridge. Pierce the chilled chocolate/cream mixture with a bamboo skewer. Using the skewer, carefully dip it into the chocolate/beeswax mixture. Place back on the parchment and remove the skewer. Refrigerate again until firm, about 1-2 hours.

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The basic strategy and doubling down

There's a sad fact about playing in a casino, whether real or virtual. The operators have worked out how to play the games on offer and set the odds to favor themselves. After all, if the majority did not lose, there would be no money to pay out all the money you win. Needless to say, the casinos have invested time and money into working out every possible variation on the rules and the ways to play under them. So, if you are going to take on the House edge, you have to become as big an expert on the rules as the operators. So let's start with one of the more interesting rules which decides when you are allowed to double down. This applies when you have received your two cards. If you decide you are going to draw only one more card, the casino rules can allow you to double your initial bet. The different possibilities are to double:

• on any card combination;
• only when the two cards total 9, 10 or 11; or
• after splitting.

Why should you double your bet? The answer is deceptively simple. You double the bet when you think you are going to beat the Dealer. That really does make sense. But because you are suddenly investing more money in playing the game and have more to lose, you need to get on board with the math. You need to know the frequency with which the Dealer is likely to go bust based on the card you can see. If the Dealer's card suggests a bust is probable, i.e. the Dealer's hand is weak, you double the bet when you have a strong hand. You are maximizing the chance of making a good profit on the hand. If you build the doubling rule into your basic strategy, you reduce the House edge. If you refuse to play the doubling rule, the House edge actually increases. This is not to claim you will win every hand when you double down. If you are on a losing streak, you could lose every doubled bet for the session. But, in the long term, you will win more than you lose if you double. If you hesitate to double the bet, it suggests you are outside your comfort zone and already playing for higher stakes than you can afford.

At the blackjack table, the Dealer is weakest when showing a card in the range 2 through 6. With a 2, the bust percentage is 35%. It rises to a 42% chance of busting with a 5 or 6. Your hand is strongest if the two card total is less than 11. Do not be thrown off the basic strategy by the casinos that allow you to add less than the original bet. Blackjack is a game for winners. Never give up the chance to double and take the maximum win against the Dealer. Adding a few dollars to the original bet but not doubling is half-hearted and cowardly.

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The first steps to a basic strategy

The game is one of the simplest ever invented. The rules are few and there's no physical effort involved in playing it. You just sit, look at a few cards and make your bets. That's probably why it's become one of the most popular casino games of all time. Of course everyone knows the House has an edge. That's how it pays all the expenses for running the casino. Remember it makes no difference whether this is a casino in the real world or online. You still need people and a base. So common sense tells you that no-one beats the House unless they invest some effort. Put another way: if everyone could beat the House without breaking sweat, the casino would go out of business in a day. This produces the headline: no pain, no gain. You have to put in some study time to master the basic strategy.

So what is this strategy? Over the years, some serious math types did all the work for you. They calculated the best way to play all the card combinations and wrote them down in simple charts. If you were going to play in a real casino, you would have to learn all these rules. That saves you having to pause before every decision to check the charts. Not only would the other players around the table be less than impressed, the casino would probably suggest you leave. But playing online changes all that. You can consult the charts as often as you like before deciding which card to play. It may be slow but, if you get the strategy right for every hand, you just shifted the odds in your favor.

So what are these charts? The first gives you the rules on when to split a pair. The strategy changes depending on the value of the cards dealt to you and the value of the card you can see the Dealer holding. So it starts with the rule that you split a pair of aces no matter what the Dealer holds, and goes down to the choices when you hold a pair of 2s. The other two charts deal with hard hands and soft hands. A hard hand is when neither card is an ace and the strategy changes significantly depending on the card held by the Dealer and the table rules on when the Dealer must stand or draw. A soft hand contains an ace and is easier to play because you can always draw one more card without busting - this takes some of the pressure off the play. I started off by saying blackjack is an easy game but, like all games, you can play for fun or you can take it seriously and play to win. In this case, you are more likely to win if you learn the charts and can play the strategy without thinking. To really take on the House edge, you also have to become a card counter but that's a whole new story because it does not work in a virtual casino. For now, focus on the basic strategy and start your winning blackjack career.

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Shedding off pounds can be cheap

England has never seen this many cases of obesity. In June 2006 over a thousand people were diagnosed with overweight, making it the record. Don't get us wrong, it is not new that overweight is a part of today but England has not known a time when this many people checked in with the same diagnose at the same time. All the patients confessed they are keen on fast-food and they eat up late at night. Some English also noted that cases of obesity are not new to their families.

Anti-obesity treatment propaganda began in July 2006. After all the newspapers and internet blogs brought this topic up very few people became indifferent. England ended up being concerned that month. Many doctors were taken into live studious on BBC where they discussed the problems and possible medical interventions.

When the "sufferers" were asked about their food dependency they say this "we can't help the hunger". That is what happens to people that have obesity diagnosis. They can't control their food consumptions and of course, they never count calories. They also admitted they tried to get on a healthy diet but it would not work and the desire for a yummy cake slice overweighed rationality. But if you think about it, you can't really blame these people. Obesity is a malady and it needs treatment. It is not something you can decide to get over today and lose weight tomorrow. It takes much strengths and dedication, the latter is very hard to find.

You food can turn out to become your biggest enemy. "Junk food brings people pleasure; it gives them the taste of paradise and the body from hell." This is how Doctor Rick Paterson described fast-food addictions. He also explained that some people do not understand how harmful weight gain is for them. Everything has a limit. There are people that get to a certain level because of their inability to cope with their appetite and there are people that take themselves to this level and don't bother to care.

When we asked Doctor Paterson about the treatment he said this: "You should want to treat yourself from obesity and it should be your own decision. Nobody can help you if you are not willing to help yourself." When we asked him about the drug he usually prescribes from obesity is - he named Acomplia. He said this is a good medication that has active ingredients that suppress appetite and doesn't give people discomfort.

He also added this: "There are certain side-effects and special restrictions people should be aware about. If you are over 75, Acomplia is not good for you. If you have kidney or liver problems, if you ever suffered from a heart attack or a stroke, if you ever tried to commit a suicide, if you are allergic to drugs, take other medication or are about to get pregnant - please stay away from Acomplia."

It should be mentioned that those English people, back from June 2006, that were diagnosed with obesity were prescribed this drug. And it did help them. We will not lie and say that they saw a 100% result but some of them could boast with impressive scale numbers. We hope you know how to keep yourself away from the food that may do you wrong. That is what Doctor Paterson would advice you to do.

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Stanford Wong

Stanford Wong self-published his first book, Professional Blackjack, in 1975. It was later published by the Gambler's Book Club in Las Vegas, then revised and expanded numerous times and published by Wong's own company, Pi Yee Press.

Wong is widely regarded as one of the sharpest analysts of systems and methods for beating the casinos. In Professional Blackjack, he described a never-before-revealed table-hopping style of playing shoe games, a method of play now known as wonging. Professional Blackjack had a profound impact on serious players because it provided card counters with an easy yet powerful method for attacking the abundant four-deck shoe games that had taken over Las Vegas. Many pros still think of card-counting opportunities as "pre-Wong" and "post-Wong."

In his second book, Blackjack in Asia-a book priced at $2,000 and one of the rarest gambling books sought by collectors today - Wong discusses the unique blackjack games he had discovered in Asian casinos as a professional player, along with the optimum strategies he had devised for beating them. The book also included underground advice for exchanging currencies in these countries on the black market, as well as an account of his own hassles with customs officials when he attempted to leave the Philippines with his winnings. Of all of Wong's books, this is my personal favorite, as it reveals more of his anti-establishment personality than any of his later books.

In 1980, Wong published Winning Without Counting, priced at $200, and again, on a personal note, this is my second favorite book by Wong (and another collector's item if you can find one). He not only discusses many hole card techniques that had never before been mentioned in print-s-front-loading, spooking, and warp play-but he also delved into many clearly illegal methods of getting an edge over the house, including various techniques of bet-capping, card switching, card mucking, etc. He was widely criticized by those in the casino industry for the amusing way in which he discussed and analyzed such techniques, but anyone with half a brain could see that he was merely informing players with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.

Wong subsequently published Tournament Blackjack (1987), Basic Blackjack (1992), Casino Tournament Strategy (1992), Blackjack Secrets (1993), and since 1979 has published various newsletters including Current Blackjack News, aimed at serious and professional players.

Mr. Stanford Wong is a life legend of blackjack and we highly recommend his website http://www.bj21.com/ to anyone seriously interested in blackjack game.

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Edward Oakley Thorp from Blackjack Hall of Fame

Edward Oakley Thorp is widely regarded, by professional players as well as the general public, as the Father of Card Counting. It was in his book, Beat the Dealer, first published in 1962, that he presented his Ten-Count system, the first powerful winning blackjack system ever made available to the public. There isn't any card-counting system that is in use today and is not variation of Thorp's Ten-Count.

When Thorp's book became US best seller, its popularity was so big that the Las Vegas casinos attempted to change the standard rules of blackjack, but their customers would not accept the changes and refused to play the new version of the game. So, the Vegas casinos went back to the old rules, but switched from dealing hand-held one-deck games to four-deck shoe games, a change that the players would accept. But this was useless: in 1966 Thorp's revised second edition of Beat the Dealer was published. This edition presented the High-Low Count, as developed by Julian Braun, a more powerful and practical counting system for attacking these new shoe games.

In 1961, Thorp and C. Shannon jointly invented the first wearable computer, a device that successfully predicted results in roulette. Thorp has an M.A. in Physics and a Ph.D. in mathematics, and has taught mathematics at UCLA, MIT, NMSU, and U.C. Irvine, where he also taught quantitative finance. For many years Ed Thorp wrote a column for the now-defunct Gambling Times magazine. Many of these columns were collected in a book titled The Mathematics of Gambling, published in 1984 by Lyle Stuart.

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