Black eyed peas recipes

Black eyed peas recipes

Black eyed peas recipes _ A staple in the Southern diet for over 300 years, black-eyed peas have long been associated with good luck.

A dish of peas is a New Year's tradition in most areas of the South, thought to bring luck and prosperity for the new year. According to Jessica Harris, author of "Welcome Table," some add a dime to the peas for an extra "boost" of luck to the recipient. Greens, thought to symbolize folding money, are often eaten eaten with the peas. Hoppin' John, a dish made with black-eyed peas and rice, is one of the more popular ways of serving them, but many serve them in salads or simply cooked as a side dish.

Whether you're serving a full meal, appetizers, or gathering around the football game, one of these recipes is sure to fit into your New Year's menu plan.

Recipes

Hip Hoppin' John

Black-Eyed Pea Loaf

Black-Eyed Peas and Hog Jowl

Gingered Black-Eyed Peas

Cheesy Black-Eyed Pea Dip

Cowpeas and Rice - Hoppin' John

Curried Black-Eyed Peas & Bean Salad

Happy New Year Peas

Black-Eyed Peas with Ginger

Black-Eyed Peas Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Related:
Appetizers
Party Snacks
Cornbread
Breakfast & Brunch


source: southernfood

Gene regulates length of sleep

Gene regulates length of sleep

Gene regulates length of sleep_Scientists on Thursday reported the discovery of the first human gene linked to regulation of how much time we sleep.

Writing in the journal Science, Ying-Hui Fu, University of California, San Francisco, professor of neurology, and colleagues reported the identification of a gene that regulates how much sleep one needs.

The discovery explains why some people can thrive on six hours of sleep a day rather than the recommended eight to eight-and-a-half hours.

"Short term and chronic disruptions in the length of optimal sleep can have serious consequences on cognition, mood and physical health, including cancer and endocrine function," said Fu.

Researchers studied a small extended family in which a mother and her daughter had life-long shorter daily sleep requirements than most individuals.

During blood tests of the mother and daughter, researchers said they discovered a mutation on their DEC2 gene which is considered to be rare. The DEC2 gene has been previously identified by scientists to be involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms.

The team then genetically engineered mice and fruit flies to have the mutated human gene. The mice tended to sleep less over the course of 24 hours and in electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) measurements indicating reduced nonREM and REM sleep, said Ying He, a postdoctoral fellow in the Fu lab.

The team also compared the responses of the genetically engineered mice to normal mice on six hours of sleep deprivation. They noted that the mice engineered with the mutated gene needed less time to compensate for lost sleep than normal mice.

"These changes in sleep homeostasis in the mutant mice could provide an explanation for why human subjects with the mutation are able to live unaffected by shorter amounts of sleep throughout their lives," said Fu.

In 2001 the UCSF identified a rare mutated gene that put some family members on an unusual sleep cycle. People with the condition, known as "familial advanced sleep phase syndrome", tend to fall asleep around 7:30 p.m. and wake up around 3:30 a.m.

Source: redorbit

Wifi enabled laptop sperm

Wifi enabled laptop sperm

Wifi enabled laptop sperm_ WiFi technology may cause a major handicap for men hoping to build a family: sperm damage.

A team of Argentine scientists led by Conrado Avendano of the Nascentis Center for Reproductive Medicine in Cordoba found that placing drops of semen from healthy men under a laptop connected wirelessly to the Internet kills or maims the little swimmers.

The scientists reported their findings this month in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility.

After four hours next to the WiFi-connected computer, 25% of the sperm had stopped moving and nine percent showed DNA damage.

By comparison, semen kept at the same temperature but away from the computer showed just a 14% drop in mobility and only 3% suffered DNA damage.

Semen placed under the computer without the WiFi connected did not experience significant levels of sperm damage, the study says.

Avendano blames the discrepancy on the electromagnetic radiation emitted by wireless communication.

"Our data suggest that the use of a laptop computer wirelessly connected to the Internet and positioned near the male reproductive organs may decrease human sperm quality," Avendano and his team wrote in this month's article, Reuters reports.

The study is not the first to sound an alarm over the potential of mobile communications technology to undermine sperm health.

A Canadian study reported last year also found evidence indicating that wireless radiation caused DNA damage in sperm.

Computers also wreck havoc on semen just by being hot.

A 2004 American study found that placing a portable computer on the user's lap could boost scrotum temperature by nearly three degrees. Scientists have established that heat damages sperm.



Read more: nydailynews