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One of the very best things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. And what a pleasure it must be to be able to touch peoples lives and please them with our cooking.

Now gourmet cooking does not really mean complicated dishes presented with extravagant grandeur. The beauty of gourmet recipes is in their simplicity, their freshness and of course presentation. It incorporates creating a subtle balance of flavours and taking your guests on a culinary experience that they will never forget.

I know you may feel that that gourmet meals are beyond your reach, what with all the skill involved in preparing the food and the fast paced lifestyle that we are now resigned to follow. Where will you find the time to learn the art that is gourmet cooking and then to prepare meals that require such careful preparation and precision in the jam packed schedule that you have?

So here’s something that will make you feel a lot better. ITS NOT ALL THAT DIFFICULT!

Daunting as it may seem, gourmet cooking is essentially making use of the best possible ingredients, creating a dish that pleases your senses (even if it is as simple as mashed potatoes) and presenting it with flair. There is a history behind every dish waiting to be explored. Every corner of this world, every culture, every country has something new to contribute to your food adventure. And knowing and exploring this uniqueness of each cuisine, understanding the key ingredients of every dish and just experimenting and trying new recipes is what makes you a gourmet cook. It doesn’t have to be about complicated techniques, expensive ingredients and pretentious plating. Regional specialties cooked slowly with care and attention are gourmet cooking. When most food is fast food, slow food is gourmet food.

You can join a course to learn the basic skills, or refer cook-books that will offer a wide variety of content on techniques, skills and recipes, but in the end just like any other art form, gourmet cooking is instinctive. You just need to widen your horizon in term of your food experience and begin your culinary adventure that will last a lifetime. In the end cooking is about the heart. It’s about love and pleasing people. It’s about your passion for food. And eventually its all about YOU.

For more of Mishi’s recipe picks, cooking tips and food thoughts visit her blog at http://cooking-gourmet.com/

In all my years of cooking, recipes most often specify quantities that serve 4-6 people. That’s great if you’re cooking for a dinner party, but most often we just want meals for ourselves, or meals for two.

There certainly seems to be a shortage of “cooking for one” recipes, or even “cooking for two” recipes. Cooking for singles seems to be low in demand but I think it is something that needs to be catered to.

When using and modifying a recipe, I have found that simply dividing the quantity of all the ingredients by 2 or 4 or whatever didn’t always result in a good meal. Sometimes it was overcooked, other times the liquid/sauce boiled away to almost nothing.

It was then I realised that although I had reduced the quantity of ingredients, I either kept the same cooking times or used the wrong sized equipment (or both). As well as that, I found that some ingredients don’t need to be reduced in quantity as much as others.

So here are some tips for cooking smaller portion sizes. I hope this will help you cook meals for yourself that taste just as nice as when you make them for 5 other people!

Cooking Equipment Size

The rule of thumb here is: smaller portion size = smaller pan size.

When cooking for 4-6 people, you obviously need larger saucepans and frypans.

Why? Firstly, the pans have to be big enough to hold all the ingredients, and secondly, they have to be the right size to allow even cooking without allowing the juices/liquids to evaporate away. I call this the quantity-of-ingredients: pan-size ratio

So, when cooking for one person, the smaller quantities mean you need to cook in a much smaller pan. That way, the quantity-of-ingredients: pan-size ratio remains more or less the same.

If you cooked in the same larger pan, the ingredients will be spread out through the pan much more thinly and will be more prone to boiling or evaporating away. The end result is you end up with dried out dinners.

Quantity Of Liquids

The rule of thumb here is: don’t reduce the liquid ingredients by the same percentage.

The thing about liquids is that they partly evaporate away during cooking. Since you’ll be cooking at the same temperatures, the less liquid you start with, the more (proportionally-speaking) will be boiled away during cooking, ultimately leaving you with food that’s either too dry or hasn’t enough sauce.

The kinds of liquids that are affected by this include:

- Evaporated milk / cream / regular milk

- Liquid stock (eg. Chicken stock, beef stock)

- Juices (such as orange juice, pineapple juice etc.)

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but gives you the idea that thinner liquids (as opposed to thicker sauces) are more prone to evaporation.

What I have found works best is that you should reduce the quantities of these liquids as half as much as you do the other ingredients.

For example, if you’re cooking a meal that the recipe says would serve 4 just for yourself, then you would divide the quantities of all ingredients by 4. For any liquid ingredients, you should divide the quantities by just 2.

If you find that there’s too much liquid left at the end of the cooking time, then either cook a little longer to boil it off, or use a slotted spoon to remove everything else from the pan leaving as much liquid behind as you want.

Cooking Time

The rule of thumb here is: reduce cooking times when cooking smaller quantities.

Similar to the above section about quantities of ingredients, I have found that cooking times can vary depending on the quantities being cooked. This is especially true for cooking in a frypan.

However, it’s difficult to come up with a hard-and-fast rule about this. With experience, I’ve learned to tell when food is cooked just by looking at it (OK, and occasionally cutting into a piece of chicken to double-check!).

The problem is that although you would be cooking smaller quantities in a smaller pan when cooking for one person, the heat levels remain more or less the same.

By the way I certainly don’t recommend reducing heat levels when cooking! Food needs to be cooked at certain temperatures to ensure it’s free from bacteria.

That leaves time as the only other variable that can be changed. Again, food needs a minimum amount of time to cook properly but overcooking isn’t good either.

I would suggest shaving about 10 to 20 percent of the cooking times off when cooking for one person or two. Of course, you should check first that the food is properly cooked (especially with items like chicken or fish) but by checking early you can avoid overcooking your food. If you think it needs a little longer then let it cook for another minute or so, and check again.

Finally, remember to enjoy your cooking. If at first you don’t succeed, just try again!

Nick Daval has been cooking simple and delicious meals for over 15 years. You can learn from his experience and pick up some great cooking tips and tricks by visiting his website’s Cooking Technique page at http://www.basic-cooking.com/cooking-technique.html.

Though long espoused as crucial for the development of young men, involvement in sports is highly beneficial for girls as well. Young women involved in sports are more likely to achieve academically, have increased self-esteem, experience a higher level of health and wellness, learn crucial skills for entering a competitive workforce, and enjoy the social rewards that accompany working as a team and having fun with others. With the availability of girls’ sports increasing, it is important that young women be encouraged to participate and enjoy the higher quality of life that sports help them achieve.

The most obvious benefit of involvement in sports is a healthier body. All children involved in athletics experience a decrease in the likelihood of developing obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and several other complications linked to a sedentary lifestyle. For young women, in particular, there is a strong correlation between adequate exercise and a decreased risk for breast cancer and osteoporosis, both diseases that typically affect women. Studies also reveal that girls involved in extracurricular activities are less likely to experience an unwanted pregnancy. Being physically active when young increases the likelihood that a person will live an active lifestyle as an adult.

Studies indicate that young people who are involved in athletic activities achieve higher grades and are more likely to complete high school and college. This may be because adequate exercise improves mental acuity. It may also be attributed to the fact that children in sports are less likely to abuse illegal substances, such as drugs and alcohol. Steering clear of these substances helps young people stay focused on their academics and free of dangerous distractions. There is also evidence that young people who play sports are less likely to start smoking.

Women who are physically active generally have higher self esteem. They experience a better body image than their sedentary peers and exhibit more confidence. They are also less likely to develop symptoms of depression. The feeling of accomplishment that athletics can garner, having a healthy body, and feeling strong and capable all help young women feel good about themselves and experience a higher quality of life.

As more women enter the workforce, there are many job skills they can acquire from participation in competitive sports. Young women can learn to work as a team, to value a person’s skills and abilities, to take orders from a captain or supervisor, and acquire the confidence in their abilities necessary to success in a competitive job market.

In addition to all the quantifiable and tangible benefits of sports participation for young women, there is also the immeasurable social reward. Sports offer girls an opportunity to socialize with people of varying abilities and experiences. Through sports, young women can find positive role models. They can learn the importance of working hard, working together, and being fair. Athletics offer children a myriad of social interaction and the delight that comes with playing a game and having fun.

With all the benefits of participating in sports for young girls, it is important to provide opportunity and encouragement to all young women to compete and play. Athletics and competition are an integral part of any child’s growth and development, and young women are certainly no exception.

Darla Blackmon writes for EverythingLongBeach.com ( http://www.everythinglongbeach.com/ ), a community website that covers news, the arts, entertainment and health. On weekends she can be found cheering the girls playing Long Beach soccer as they build the healthy habits that will last a lifetime.