Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Best Corporate Gift Baskets

The idea of giving gifts has been in our culture since times immemorial. We love the experience of receiving and giving gifts for just about every special occasion that's happening in our lives. By means of giving gifts we show our gratitude, express how deeply sorry we are, and show how much we care or appreciate a person. Today giving gifts is not only done during the holidays or for special occasions, but also can be done on a regular day just as a special treat.

Corporate gift baskets, similar to other gifts, help corporations build strong, long-lasting relationships with their business associates, who may include customers, clients, and employees. This is very important whether you own a small business or you have a huge enterprise. It is essential to show your appreciation to your business associates, employees and colleagues. It's also a good idea to ask them if they are satisfied with their work, the benefits they get from your company and if they have any constructive criticisms or suggestions.

If you don't know what items you can put together in your gift corporate baskets then this might help you a lot. There are many kinds of gift baskets including gourmet gift baskets, fruit baskets, Christmas gift baskets, vineyard product packs, floral (fresh and dry) gift baskets and edible gift baskets. If your employees are celebrating a special event on their life you can choose from these and pick the best one that suits their personality and preference. Taking the time and care to pick out items especially for someone makes them feel special and appreciated. This kind gesture can go a long way in helping make important connections, getting referrals, helping deals go through and keeping good employees happy.

For team building or an anniversary party in your company this could be a good idea for a giveaways or raffle. You can make any business event more exciting by adding a basket giveaway to the agenda. People love to play games with winner and find friendly competition a lot of fun.

If this is the first time that you want to give corporate gift baskets but don't know where to go then you can simply start looking on the Internet (there you can always find items to customize your gift). There are a lot of companies that offer shipping for gift corporate baskets. Since you are a busy person you can just call them, or go online, and order then let them deliver the gifts to your office. So, this coming party at your company or after a business deal is completed, treat your employees or associates to some corporate gift baskets.

Tom Budko is a fan of http://nanasbananabread.com/ simple, but yet delicious, Nana's Moist Banana Bread, this corporate gift basket will blow away even the most discriminating palate with our first class ingredients and capricious flavor.


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Sunday, October 23, 2011

Quick, Easy and Economical Recipes For Your Table: Island Burgers and Penne Pasta Casserole

If you are a busy cook who wants to feed your family good meals on a tight food budget, the recipes in this article will be perfect for you. Each is a tasty recipe your family will love yet you can have it on the table quickly. The Island Burgers with their ingredients of honey, spices, soy sauce, and pineapple will transport your taste buds to an exotic island. The Penne Pasta Casserole will treat those taste buds to a bit of Italia!

ISLAND BURGERS
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 lbs lean ground beef
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 can (23-oz) sliced pineapple, drained
8 hamburger buns or sandwich rolls, split, buttered, and toasted
Lettuce leaves, optional

In a large bowl combine the honey, paprika, curry powder, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon. Add the ground beef to the mixture and mix together well. Shape into 8 equal patties.

Grill hamburgers over medium-hot heat 3 to 4 minutes per side. Brush with the soy sauce and grill another 5 or 6 minutes until juices run clear or burgers are done to suit you. Baste and turn a couple of times during this cooking. Shortly before burgers are done, grill the pineapple slices until browned, turning once to brown each side.

To serve, place burgers and pineapple slices on the toasted buns or rolls and add a lettuce leaf if desired.

PENNE PASTA CASSEROLE
1 lb lean ground meat (beef or turkey)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 can (14 1/2-oz) diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 can (6-oz) tomato paste
1/2 cup water
3 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Prepare the uncooked pasta according to the package directions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

While pasta is cooking, brown the meat and onion in a large skillet until the meat is no longer pink; drain off any excess fat. Return meat and onion to skillet and stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add some garlic powder, if desired. Cook just until heated through.

Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the cooked and drained pasta with the meat mixture. Stir in 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese. Pour the mixture into the sprayed baking dish. Spread the remaining cup of cheese evenly over the top of the casserole.

Bake uncovered for 20 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's quick and easy recipes visit her blog at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com/
For her crockpot/slow cooker recipes visit her at http://grandmasslowcookerrecipes.blogspot.com/


http://EzineArticles.com/6507279

Friday, October 21, 2011

See How Easily You Can Prepare a Homemade Caesar Dressing

The famous Caesar salad and dressing is believed by most historians to have been born in a kitchen with depleted supplies-Caesar Cardini's restaurant kitchen to be exact. A restaurateur in Tijuana, Mexico, Cardini was running short on ingredients one particular Fourth of July weekend in 1924. It was then that he gathered what was left of the basic ingredients, tossed them together in front of patrons at the tableside, and fathered the legendary Caesar salad. It gained popularity reaching even the Hollywood crowd, and from then on the Caesar salad and dressing has never left the world cuisine.

There has been multiple variations of the recipe for the Caesar dressing, but the main ingredients remain the same, more or less: olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, egg, and black pepper. If you've been to the salad dressings lane of grocery stores, you'll surely notice a lot of brands of bottled Caesar dressing, ready to be purchased and poured over your romaine lettuce and croutons. But why not avoid the MSG and other additives by being a home chef and making your own homemade Caesar dressing?

To put together your own homemade Caesar dressing, get a hold of the key ingredients: eggs, olive oil, black pepper, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, along with today's commonly added flavor enhancers for the Caesar dressing, such as anchovy fillets or paste, garlic, Dijon mustard and salt. Some even mix in red wine vinegar. If you use anchovy fillets and garlic, mash them with salt in a bowl, then beat the mixture with egg yolks, pepper and mustard until creamy. Stir in lemon juice. To make sure your dressing is emulsified well, add the olive oil into the bowl very slowly, drop by drop, whisking constantly. As the mixture begins to thicken, you can gradually pour in the oil in a slow, steady stream. Continue to beat the dressing until it reaches a thick and creamy consistency.

Plain yogurt also makes an excellent base for homemade Caesar dressing. Simply add plain yogurt and red wine vinegar to the recipe above for a tasty, creamy and healthy version of this classic dressing. Caesar dressing is typically used on salads topped with croutons, parmesan cheese, shrimp and chicken but it can also be applied as a glaze to chicken or fish when grilling. The pepper and anchovies create a sensational flavor for your white meats that is sure to please even the pickiest of pallets. This is an excellent idea for any leftover dressing that you have.

The Caesar salad and dressing has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Learning to make your own homemade Caesar dressing can be an invaluable kitchen skill, because today its popularity wouldn't make anyone think it was once just a combination of left-over ingredients in a busy restaurant kitchen one Fourth of July weekend.

Click here Now to learn how to make a zesty Caesar Dressing and download your FREE gift; Basic Knife Skills and Vegetable Cuts video series!


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