Flair for Creative Writing ? Submit your articles to Sizzlingpots

Dear Friends,

SizzlingPots is looking for original, quality articles in the areas of Indian and American cuisines, food products or trends, reviews, restaurants and lifestyle. If you have a flair for writing and are passionate about something, read on- I’d love to hear from you! Even if you haven’t written or published before, send us your thoughts and articles for an editorial review. If you are interested in providing this then please let me know at once. Articles will be considered for the print "Magazine" edition of SizzlingPots that will be published and distributed in Houston TX as well as online at www.SizzlingPots.com. Your name and photograph will be displayed and proper author attribution will be given for selected articles. You will have to sign a release form allowing SizzlingPots to modify, edit and use the article and other content that you submit, for online or print editions as needed. Photo features or accompanying original pictures are also welcome. Be as creative as you feel like, but please submit original content only. SizzlingPots reserves the right to reject any article. No fiction but any other food or lifestyle related creative writing is welcome.

At this point SizzlingPots is unable to offer any monetary compensation for your articles but we are definitely considering ways and means to compensate regular writers in the future.

To submit your articles please use the following format and guidelines:

Article Submission format:

· Title

· Date written

· Your name and optionally, photograph

· Article summary

· Article details or main content

Provide a short paragraph summarizing your article, or your views. This could also be a snippet describing what inspired or led you to writing the article.

Write clearly, accurately, and engage the reader using simple descriptive and conversational language. Your content should not include heavy technical details unless relevant to the article. Avoid insider jargon- explain acronyms used if any, and be generous with explanations and background. Here’s an interesting article on Creative Writing http://rso.cornell.edu/dke/writing.html

Check & recheck your facts. Online editions can get a broad audience, and before readers start picking holes in your story… remember your name and picture are posted in the article.

Write informally, using the first or second person. Please try to write in a friendly, familiar, descriptive style, as if narrating something to a friend. However do not write any slangs or abbreviations as in chats.

Use active verbs. Avoid passive statements and impersonal pronouns. Say "you" instead of "they" to involve the reader, and avoid saying "we" when you really mean "I

If you have external sources including books and other online articles, don’t directly cut and paste information from outside sources (don’t plagiarize!). Instead, weave the information into the article and then attribute the source and author information if available. See http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

Article length: Ideally 2000 words or less (2 pages) . We welcome short pieces too.

No offensive or foul language. Run a spelling and grammar check in MS Word. It is a good practice to read out articles loud before submitting

Photographs: Include photos if appropriate to your article---everyone loves viewing photos

Please email articles and photographs to Jo Sawant, SizzlingPots Executive Editor:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Yours Sincerely

Jo Sawant

Executive Director and Editor

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

http://www.sizzlingpots.com/

 

Here is a Sample of what your article will look like:

 

Herbs n’ Spices(Title)

Written by Jo Sawant

Friday, 23rd October 2009

It is difficult to imagine what cooking would be without the wonderfully aromatic herbs and spices that we use today. Besides infusing our cuisines with great flavors, many herbs also provide health benefits. Herbs can also add texture and color to your food .

Basic Rules for Herbs and Spices: Every herb has its distinct aroma and unique taste. In order to use these herbs and spices in your meals, it is important that one understands and is aware of these differences, whether subtle or obvious . The art of cooking is to know how to use just the right amount of spice and herbs to compliment your dish without overpowering it. Herbs and spices can give any dish a whole new meaning if they are understood well and used in the right way. In some cuisines, herbs and spices are used as an integral part of the cuisine. Wisely applied, they can make any dish very distinct from others. On the other hand, some cuisines use herbs and spices in a mild manner that enhances their food very subtly

Growing your own herbs and spices: Most popular herbs used for culinary purposes are very easy to grow in your garden or even inside your house preferably in wooden boxes that can be place on your kitchen window. There are many techniques to grow these herbs and they require very little care, while giving you great results in cooking and a lot of flavor due to its freshness. Besides the convenience of reaching out for a twig of the right herb, most fresh herbs give more flavor and taste to your food. Some herbs however need to be dried before their flavor can be experienced.

In culinary terms, fresh leaves and the tender stems are considered to be the herbs whereas spices come from seeds, flower buds, fruits, roots and barks of aromatic plants. Since herbs give the best flavor when they are young, it is best to grow your own herbs. On the other hand spices are dry and can be bought in most grocery stores.Different herbs and spices go well with specific food ingredients, and this is what makes cooking such an exciting and creative art. The secret of a great recipe is often in the type and quantity of herbs or spices used. Once you understand flavors and aromas of the most commonly used herbs and spices, it will give you a totally new outlook towards cooking. Visit the SizzlingPots Cooking Glossary for a complete list of popular Herbs and Spices, or just click on the links in this article

Hints for using Herbs and Spices:

1. Typically you would use at least twice the amount of fresh herbs to give the same intensity of flavor as its dried equivalent.

2. When using dried herbs, crush them before adding them to your dish to release fresh aroma and superior taste.

3. When cooking many dishes, such as for a large party, try using different herbs for different dishes so as to make each dish taste distinctly different from the others.

4. Spices will deepen the flavor of your dish if they are roasted and freshly ground at the time of use.

5. While substituting whole spice for ground spice, use double the quantity of whole spice than the ground spice.

6. To grind large quantity of herbs or spices, you can use a coffee grinder.

7. One bunch of a fresh herb is approximately one cup of the herb un-chopped or ½ cup of the herb if chopped.

Some of the most commonly used herbs in the culinary world are basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, curry leaves, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, horseradish, lemon grass, marjoram, mint, onion, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, saffron, tarragon and thyme

We have been using spices in our food for decades now. Spices were originally and are still sometimes used to hide the strong or distinct smell of meat but often they are simply used to stimulate our taste buds. Use spices creatively in your food to make every plate a surprise, full of rich and interesting flavors. But always remember, too much spice and your dish will be overpowered by its flavor

The most commonly used spices in the culinary world are allspice, aniseed, asoefetida (Hing in the Indian vernacular) , bay leaf, black cumin, black pepper, capers, caraway, cardamom, cayenne pepper, celery seed, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, licorice, mace, mustard, nutmeg, paprika, poppy seeds, saffron, sesame seeds, star anise, tamarind, turmeric and vanilla bean.

Jo Sawant

Writer, SizzlinPots.com magazine

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jo Sawant left a career in Property Management so she could focus on her primary passion, cooking and all things culinary, as a full time career. With a post graduate background in Economics as well as Information Technology, work experience in Marketing and general management, and a skill developed since childhood in cooking and specifically, innovative and fusion dishes, it was a logical step to launch her own website that addressed the interests of cooking enthusiasts worldwide. Her concept and unique ideas slowly but surely were realized into SizzlingPots.com, a website that leverages technology while serving as a information resource for cooking fans - whether novices or master chefs, vegans or non-vegetarian, regardless of which part of the world.