If you're looking for information on baking cakes, you probably heard about Secrets of Cake Decoration and wondering whether it's a scam or not. I have read it and will share with you the results I had with it.

Let me tell you that Secrets of Cake Decoration is NOT A SCAM. It helped me achieve the look and the taste that I was striving for. It was unbelievable considering I had no experience baking cakes.

I have 3 kids and one of my daughters' birthday was coming up. Of course a birthday celebration would not be complete if there was no cake. But this year instead of just buying a cake, I decided to make it extra special by making it myself.

So I decided to bake one to see if I could do it. It did not go as I planned. It did not taste really bad, but it did not look like a cake baked by someone who knew what they were doing. I was so frustrated I just threw it away. I decided to call my best friend who had a lot of experience baking cakes and asked for some advice. She told me about Secrets of Cake Decoration and that it was a very good book. So, as I trusted her when it comes to cooking and baking, I bought the book. It had a lot of information but I was so excited that I just printed it out and went straight to the kitchen and proceeded to bake one.

When it was finished, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was so gorgeous! I tasted it and I was shocked that I could prepare something like this. All I can say is this definitely deserves my recommendation to anyone who wants to bake a cake. There is a lot of information in the book and I'm sure you won't run out of ideas for your next cake.

Sage is a very well known garden herb that also carries many health and healing claims attached. In ancient times it was thought to have powers of immortality, or at least longevity. The scientific name, salvia, means health, and the word sage has come to be synonymous with wisdom, though its origin is more likely the Latin salvare, meaning to cure, or be safe or well.

Sage is a hardy perennial with woody, squared stems, covered in down. There are many varieties of sage, and the plants grow from 1 to 3 feet in height. The long oval leaves are opposite, about 2 to 4 inches long. They look pebbly and puckered and are grayish green. The leaves are softly hairy or velvety and the edges are round toothed. They are at peak flavor just before the plant begins to flower. The flowers are tubular and pink, purple, blue or white. They are a little over a half inch long and grow in whorls of four to eight per stem.

Although these days sage is more known for its culinary use, it is also well known as an herbal medicinal. Sage oil has antiseptic, astringent and irritant properties and is believed to be anhidrotic, or able to dry up body secretions such as perspiration. Sage used as a mouthwash or gargle is useful in treating sore throats and mouth irritations. Sage tea after a meal benefits digestion. It is known to help in the digestion of rich or fatty foods such as pork, and even sweets. While sage has many wonderful and healthful properties, it should not be taken in great quantity for any length of time.

Sage flavor is of camphor and balsam and pleasantly bitter. It is a good partner for strongly flavored foods. Young leaves may be used scattered in salads or cooked in omelets, fritters, soups, yeast breads, sausages, meat pies and stuffing. They are wonderful cooked with meats such as liver, veal, pork, fish, lamb and poultry. Artichokes, tomatoes, asparagus, carrots, squash, corn, potatoes, eggplant, green beans, onions, Brussels sprouts cabbage, oranges, lemons, garlic, cheese and lentils benefit from the flavor of sage. Whole leaves may be dipped in a batter and fried.
I use sage regularly when making pork chops. If it is fresh, chop the leaves and scatter over the pork while cooking. If dried, rub the leaves between the fingers to release the oils and scatter over the meat. Fresh leaves may grow quite large, and may be wrapped around small Cornish hens while cooking. The leaves are wonderful in a rolled pork roast. My sister once made a delicious meal using whole sage leaves rolled into veal cutlets. The veal is pounded thin and dredged in flour, then a slice of prosciutto and a slice of mozzarella placed on top, then one sage leaf over that and the cutlets are rolled, skewered with toothpicks and fried in butter for 5 minutes. White wine is added, some salt and pepper, and the rolls left to cook for another 5 minutes or more until the meat is cooked through.

The four most common varieties of sage found readily in plant nurseries are the folowing. Common Sage, Salvia officinalis, is the one found most commonly, with solid pale ashy green leaves. Variegated sage, Salvia o. Icterina has green leaves with a yellow to white border. Purple Sage, Salvia o. purpurea, has deeper purple veined and tinged leaves, and some varieties of purple sage have the underside of the leaf a paler pinkish color. Tri Colored Sage, Salvia o. Tricolor, has variegated leaves in cream, purple and green. Any of these are fine for use in cooking and are purely a matter of taste and esthetics.

Sage is easy to grow, needing full sun and well draining soil. It will come up year after year in most climates, though after 4 or more years the plant may become too woody and need to be replaced. The plant itself is quite decorative and is a great addition to any garden purely for its looks. The flowers of common sage are a striking lovely blue. Even if grown as an ornamental, it is handy for use in the kitchen. Try growing sage to see just how rewarding it can be.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope it was informative and helped you along your own culinary journey. You will find many more recipes and helpful tips on my web site. I am on Facebook at A Harmony of Flavors and share a recipe or tip each day to the fans that have liked my site. I hope to see you there soon.

The word Spices, needs no introduction, attributing to its familiarity among all the human communities, especially among food freaks. Spices are part of daily human use. As per the layman knowledge, spices are the ingredients used in the preparation of the food to enhance its taste. In fact, these aromatic parts of the trees that add aroma, flavor and color to the food have many health benefits. There are different species of spices available. Some of the commonly used spices are Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, ginger, garlic, turmeric, fennel, fenugreek, cardamom, mustard, poppy, vanilla, cassia, saffron, etc.

Spices are available from different parts of the plants. Most of the spices are either dried fruits or berries or seeds of a plant. Some of the spices are also from roots, rhizomes, barks, arils, flower buds, stigmas, resins, etc. Unlike other food ingredients, spices are often added in minute quantities while preparing delicacies. The essential oils present in the cells of these plant parts are responsible for adding flavor, aroma and color to the food. Every spice has its own essential oil, which has different chemical compounds in different proportions. Spices can perform their function by releasing essential oils, for which the spices have to be crushed and then used. As these oils are volatile, they tend to spread in the dish as soon as they are crushed and added.

Health benefits
Besides improving the taste of the food, the spices are also found to have many medicinal benefits. Their ability to kill harmful bacteria made them popular for curing and treating many health problems. Some of the commonly available spices used for their medicinal properties are: garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, cloves, cardamom, etc. These are used in every household, almost on a regular basis. They are found to provide many health benefits. Let us discuss in brief about the various health benefits, provided by some of these spices.

Garlic
Garlic is one of the many spices having maximum health benefits. It is a favorite among the individuals struggling to control weight. It is found to have a wide range of medicinal properties, such as, anti-fungal, antiviral and anti-bacterial. It is used as a part of treatment for cancer (especially colon cancer), heart diseases (as it prevents clotting of blood). The phyto chemical substance present in garlic, called Allicin, helps in reducing cholesterol, insulin and triglycerides. Apart from these, it is also a rich source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Magnesium and Selenium.

Ginger
Ginger is widely known for providing remedies for digestive problems, such as, nausea, flatulence, and other gastro intestinal problems. Ginger is found to be rich source of fibre, iron, vitamin E and Magnesium. It is also found to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which are very much essential in boosting our immune system. Apart from this, they are the natural relievers for cold and flu.

Cayenne pepper
This spice contains an enzyme called, Capsaicin, which is found to be anti-inflammatory in nature. Its antioxidant property helps in breakage of fatty cells, thus reducing body weight. It also acts as a cure for arthritis, due to its pain relieving properties. It is also found to boost immune system, prevent heart diseases and stomach ulcers.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon is known to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and also sugar. It is mainly used for treating type 2 diabetes. It is natural aphrodisiac for males. It is a high source for iron. The major benefits of cinnamon are prevention of thinning of blood, clotting in blood, proliferation of cancerous cells. It has got antibacterial, anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory properties.

Cumin
Cumin is one of the best sources for iron among all the other spices. It is a best remedy for most of the severe stomach problems. It helps in easy digestion as it facilitates easy breakdown of food molecules.

Cloves
Presence of Eugenol, makes cloves the anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and mild anesthetic. It has got antiseptic properties and hence used in mouth washes to destroy bacteria present in mouth. It also facilitates easy digestion.

Cardamom
It acts as a detoxifying agent and performs cleaning of kidneys. It is helpful in curing problems of indigestion and flatulence.

Turmeric
Turmeric is known as universal medicine, as it is useful in treating almost all the commonly occurring health problems. The chemical compound present in turmeric, called Curcumin is anti-inflammatory in nature and is used to cure arthritis, small wounds and is also found to prevent cancer. It is a rich source of antioxidants.

Knowingly or unknowingly, we take spices as a part of our daily diet. Though they are used for improving the taste of the food, they have health benefits of their own. Spices are valued the most for the medicinal benefits they provide, as not everything that tastes good is healthy. Hence, efficient usage of spices helps in preventing major complications concerning health.

This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is for educational purposes only. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.