Month: May 2011
Chocolate As a Health Food?
In researching the recent fad of chocolate and Wine pairing, we became intrigued by a statement from one of its proponents stating that chocolate is a healthier choice than cheese to pair your favorite wine with. Obviously, we are big defenders of cheese here, but we did discover that chocolate has a lot of impressive health benefits.
Many of us were already aware that dark chocolate contains cancer-fighting anti-oxidants, but did you know that it contains more than red wine, tea, blueberries, or cranberries?
Chocolate is good for your heart too. The phenols in chocolate can help reduce the risk of heart disease and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). The flavanols in chocolate help the body use nitric oxide, which is essential for healthy blood flow and blood pressure, so chocolate helps reduce high blood pressure as well. A study at the University of California Davis even determined that chocolate causes a reduction in blood platelet activity, which causes blood to clot. So eating chocolate can have an anti-clotting, blood thinning effect similar to low doses of aspirin that are very popular in the medical community these days.
Studies in the past have focused on the health benefits of dark chocolate, but Wheeling Jesuit University determined that consuming milk chocolate can benefit memory, attention span, reaction time, and cognitive problem solving ability. The increased mental performance is associated with theobromine and phenylethylamine, both of which are elements commonly found in Milk chocolate. So chocolate makes you smarter too!
Any chocolate lover knows that it makes you feel good. That may be one more reason many of us are prone to eat too much of it. But there is scientific evidence that eating chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, which provide a pleasurable sensation similar to the one that runners get after jogging a few miles. (Eat chocolate or run? Hmmm…..) Chocolate even contains the neurotransmitter serotonin, that acts as an anti-depressant. A study in England also concluded that even just the smell of chocolate can lift your spirits. No wonder everyone who works in our store is always so happy!
So eating chocolate fights cancer, prevents heart disease, improves brain function, and makes you happy, and we have not even mentioned all of the vitamins and minerals it contains. But of course there is a caveat: the dreadful word that always pops up whenever we are discussing nutrition or healthy eating, “Moderation.” Consuming an overabundance of chocolate is not good for the waistline, which could defeat the purpose of all of the other health benefits outlined here. Too much sugar can also weaken the immune system and present risks for Diabetes if consumed regularly. So indulge in an amount that fits into a healthy daily calorie intake. Lastly, if you’re going to eat chocolate, make sure you indulge in the best. We recommend Heggys Chocolates.
Ohio Business Owner Receives Lion’s Club Leadership Award
District 13G of the Ohio Lions Clubs, at the District Convention, presented the first ever District Governor’s Association Award for Leadership and Dedication to Rita Shisler of the Orrville Lions Club. Rita is an immediate past president of the Orrville Lions, and was president for it’s Charter Year, in 2009 and 2010, helping to form the Orrville Lions. She has been appointed as Zone Chairman for Lions Zone 1, for 2011/2012. Lions International is the world’s largest service organization, with 1.35 million members in 206 countries.
Shisler, owner of Shisler’s Cheese House in Orrville, has been active as a board member of Wayne County Red Cross, Wayne County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Women’s Network, the 2007 ATHENA Award recipient, the 2004 Wooster Chamber’s Small Business of the Year, member of Friends of Every Woman’s House, Have a Heart for Hospice, St. Mary’s Gabriel Project, Startzman Free Clinic’s Meal That Heals, Lincoln Highway Association, Akron University’s International Friendship Club, and past Volunteer of the Year for Quota International.
Rita’s sons are both in the cheese business, DJ is owner of Shisler’s Cheese House in Akron, Dennis is VP of Marketing and Webmaster for https://cheesehouse.com, at the Orrville Shisler’s. When not in the cheese store, or busy volunteering, Rita spends time being Oma to Daniel, Grace and Natalia Shisler.
Amish Country Swiss Cheese Pie
Here is a wonderful recipe with Amish Country Swiss Cheese as the principle element While there are many cheeses on the market that fall under the broad title of “Swiss Cheese”, including almost anything with holes at your local grocery store, we have found that the proper cheese will make or break the recipe. The mass-produced cheeses found at most grocery stores typically use chemicals to speed the aging process. But those chemicals of leave a metallic aftertaste to the cheese, which can negatively alter the taste of the pie. For anyone desiring a bolder flavor, trying substituting the Swiss cheese with Emmentaler or adding some sharp swiss into the mixture.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 ½ cups sifted cake flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
With fingertips, work it until crumbly:
- 1/4 lb. butter or margarine (½ cup)
Slowly add, stirring with fork:
- 1/4 cup cold water
For the filling:
Fry until crisp:
- 12 slices of smoked bacon
- 1/4 lb. of grated Swiss cheese
Into bowl break:
- 4 eggs
then add:
- 2 cups of cream
- 3/4 teaspoon of salt
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Heavy pinch of sugar
- Pepper to taste
Preparation
Crust:
Shape the mixture into a ball and roll it in wax paper; chill it in the refrigerator, about 1/2 hour or until it’s easy to roll. Preheat the oven to 425°F. On a floured board, roll the dough into a large circle about 14 inches in diameter and fit it into 11” pie plate. Make a fluted edge as shown. Aerate the crust well with a fork. Place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Filling:
Beat the mixture thoroughly with an egg beater. Take the piecrust from the refrigerator and rub the inside with 1 tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle the bacon bits, and then the grated cheese evenly in the bottom of the piecrust. Pour the cream mixture evenly over all.
Bake for 15 min., then reduce the oven temperature to 300°F, bake for 40 minutes longer or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Serve hot, cut into pie wedges.
