Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and a Very Prosperous New Year

From the staff at Capico International

Quiznos reported to be for sale

DENVER: Sandwich chain Quiznos, the fastest-growing restaurant chain in the country, is on the auction block and could sell for as much as $2 billion, according to published reports.The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported Thursday the company has hired Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to find buyers and recently sent out material to possible purchasers.

http://www.capico.net

Great Place for Christmas Gifts

A Gift for Christmas

What can be better than giving someone the best coffee in the world as a gift.

Visit: http://www.willoughbyscoffee.com/

And you won't go wrong!!!!

Average Joe

New York is suddenly brimming with Dunkin’ Donuts stores. And with a Starbucks on every corner, a coffee class war is brewing.

Read on for a great story and click on the link below:

The Coffee War

Polish Babka Recipe for the Holidays

A Great Polish Babka Recipe

This is Robert Strydel’s (Warsaw correspondent for the Polish News) recipe for an easy yeast-raised Babka. We have tried it, and like the solid, yet airy, bread-like texture and lemony taste. It is a simple "single dough" Babka, unlike the ones made in a bakery, which are made up out of 5 (fruit-filled) rolls of dough, combined in one pan. Let’s get started. From start to finish, this may take up to 3-1/2 hours.

Ingredients

All purpose flour 4 cups
Compressed yeast 1 cake
Granulated white sugar 1 cup
Unsalted butter 3/4 cup
Milk (very hot) 1 cup
Raisins 1/2 cup
Grated lemon peel 2 tablespoons
Eggs (whole) 3
Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon

Ingredients for the icing

Lemon juice 2 tablespoons
Confectioner's sugar 2/3 cup
Water (boiling) 1 tablespoon


Preparations/ Baking

In a large bowl, mash the yeast cake with the sugar (note: the compressed yeast cake can be substituted with a package of active dry yeast; to activate, follow the directions on the package). Beat the 3 eggs and add to the yeast mixture. Heat the milk to very warm and dissolve the butter in it. Add to the mixture and add the flour, grated lemon rind, vanilla extract and the raisins. Mix well to blend all ingredients, but do not knead.Grease a 9-1/2 inch Babka pan, brioche mold, Bundt pan, or other tube pan and fill with the dough to about 1/3 full. Cover with cloth and let stand in warm place for about 2 hours (until the Babka dough has doubled in size).Towards the end of the rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) place the Babka inside and bake it for about 45 minutes. Note, if you use bakeware that is dark or colored on the outside, set the oven at 325 deg Fahrenheit (162 deg Calsius). It is fully baked when a wooden pick comes out clean.After baking, remove the Babka from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Carefully remove from pan and dust it with confectioner’s sugar or glaze with icing.For the icing, combine the confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, and boiling water in a small bowl and mix together.If you glaze to Babka with the icing, sprinkle it with chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, raisins or finely chopped candied orange rind, before the icing sets.Let it cool completely before serving. Wrap leftovers tightly with plastic wrap for storage at room temperature. For longer storage, you can freeze the Babka, tightly sealed in a plastic bag.

Enjoy your homemade Babka!

Great Organic Dog Treats

They are a burgeoning business focused on making the best possible treats for dogs. At The Doghouse Kitchen, *best possible* means the following:
Organic Ingredients (almost 100%!)
No Wheat
No Preservatives
No GMO, Salt, or Soy
This is a great company for baked organic dog treats.

Visit them at: http://www.doghousekitchen.com