Monthly Archives: July 2013

15 Benefits of Baking Soda

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Baking soda is a commonly available mineral full of many cleaning attributes, it is one items no home should be without. It has a surprising number of things you can use it for, here are the top 10 uses of baking soda:

baking-soda

Baking soda is made from soda ash, and is slightly alkaline and neutralizes acid-based odors in water, and absorbs odors from the air.

  • Drain cleaner: Pour one cup down the drain followed by three cups of boiling water.
  • Use it as an antacid.
  • Chemical smells out of clothes: Soak clothes for two to three hours or overnight, in one cup of baking soda.
  • Use it as underarm deodorant by applying it with a powder puff.
  • Agitate the machine occasionally. Repeat if necessary. Wash as usual. (This method is great for removing the new smell out of clothes)
  • Mix half a teaspoon with peroxide into a paste and use it as toothpaste.
  • Dog odors and urine: Sprinkle with baking soda. Let set for a few hours before sweeping up
  • Use it as a face and body scrub.
  • Silver polish: Make a paste of baking soda and water, scoop some onto a clean, soft rag, and polish the silver. Rinse and polish dry.
  • Add a cup to bathwater to soften your skin.
  • Soft scrubber: Pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl and add enough liquid soap or detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop onto a sponge and clean the bathtub or tiles. Rinse.
  • Relieve skin itch from insect bites and pain from sunburn: Put two tablespoons in your baby’s bathwater to help relieve diaper rash.
  • Scouring powder: Simply sprinkle baking soda into a sink and scrub.
  • Apply it on rashes, insect bites, and p>oison ivy irritations.
  • Oven cleaner: Sprinkle baking soda onto the bottom of the oven. Squirt with enough water that the baking soda is damp. Let set overnight, making sure the baking soda is damp before you go to bed. In the morning, simply scoop the baking soda and grime out with a sponge.

Where’s The Party? 2013, all is revealed…almost

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Where's The Party logoSELANGOR, July 4, 2013 – Mere hours to go and the anticipation for Where’s the Party? 2013 is rising to feverish levels. And just when we thought we could wait no longer, Carlsberg at long last revealed the ‘meeting point’ for WTP 2013. Granted it is only the location of a car park, but after months of speculation and wild guesses, this kernel of information is like a soothing balm for tortured imaginations, including the one belonging to yours truly.

We have been bold and willingly taken on the challenge of the Carlsberg WTP. And now our journey to the ultimate party experience will begin this Saturday at the car park of Malaysia Agro Exposition Park in Serdang. And then we’re headed for somewhere in the Klang Valley!

All other information still remains unknown, asides from the dress code. For those of you still in the dark about what to wear, we suggest you rock the night away in casual wear. Keep it comfortable is our advice if you’ve been to any of the past WTPs. After a long night of partying, taxis will be available on standby for hire to get partygoes safely home. These juicy little morsels of info are all we’re getting to satiate our curiosity for now.

So, what could be in store for us? An unexpected theme? Check. An awesome setting? Check. Like-minded pleasure seekers to mingle with? Check. Another epic experience in the iconic WTP series? Check. Ice cold Carlsberg? Check.

What more can we say? Facebook and Instagram contests have come and gone, teaser parties have been held, and the roving WTP crew has made its rounds. Now we patiently wait for a few more hours.

By the way, if you haven’t gotten your hands on an invite to WTP 2013 by now, the only thing you can do is hunt down a friend who has one. You won’t gain entry if you are not among the chosen ones!

See you Saturday!

Oven baked Zucchini Chips

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These oven-baked zucchini chips make a healthy substitute for French fries or potato chips, and they taste as good as their deep-fried brethren with only a fraction of the fat and calories..
zucchini chips

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 small)

COOKING DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Place milk in a shallow bowl.
Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet.
Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp.

breadcrumbs

You can also prepare dips by trying out these lovely salad dressings recipes too!

The GOOD vs THE BAD of Carbohydrates

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Carbs

Carbs

Carbs have been converted into a complicated subject, since what many think about when the word carbohydrates comes up, are bread, rice and pasta, and they make you fat, that’s it! Carbs are much more than that, and they are actually divided in two groups, the bad ones, or simple carbohydrates, which in fact include white bread, rice and pasta, but also candy and desserts, cookies, sodas and sugary juices, and any refined or processed product, and yes, they will fatten you, because they are small particles of sugar and empty calories that do not provide any nutrient nor mineral to your body and have a high glycemic index, which is not good for you in any way. Continue reading →

Berry Patchwork Tart

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tart

Makes: 12 servings
Prep 20 mins
Chill 2 hrs
Bake 12 mins 
Oven 375°

INGREDIENTS

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 18 ounce refrigerated crescent dough
  • 1/2cup honey
  • 1/3cup water
  • 1/4cup loosely packed mint or basil leaves
  • 2/3cup mascarpone or cream cheese, softened
  • 2tablespoons honey
  • 3/4cup whipping cream
  • 6cups berries (red and/or golden raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and halved or sliced small strawberries), not mixed together.
COOKING DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with heavy foil, extending foil beyond pan edges. Lightly coat foil with nonstick cooking spray. Press dough evenly into bottom of pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.2.Meanwhile, for syrup, in a small saucepan combine the 1/2 cup honey, the water, and mint or basil. Bring to boiling. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand to cool. Strain syrup, discarding herbs. Set aside.3.For cheese layer, in a medium bowl stir together mascarpone and 2 Tbsp. honey. (If using cream cheese, beat until smooth, then beat in honey.) In a chilled mixing bowl beat whipping cream to soft peaks; gradually stir into cheese. Spread cheese layer on crust. Use a knife tip to mark two lengthwise lines and three crosswise lines for form 12 squares.

4.In separate bowls toss berries with about 1 Tbsp. syrup for each cup of berries. Spoon about 1/2 cup berries in each square. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Drizzle with remaining syrup, if desired.

5.Lifting foil edges, transfer tart from pan to serving platter. Serve immediately or chill up to 4 hours. Tart is best when served the same day it is prepared.

Chettinad Chicken Masala / Chicken Dry Curry

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INGREDIENTS

(Serves 4 people)

  1. Chicken – 500 grams (chopped into big cubes)
  2. Shallots / Pearl onions – 75 grams (5 onions)
  3. Ginger – 1 inch long piece
  4. Garlic pods – 1
  5. Dry red chillies – 6 to 8
  6. Cumin seeds – 3/4 spoon
  7. Coriander seeds – 1 spoon
  8. Fennel seeds – 1 spoon
  9. Peppercorns – 1/4 spoon
  10. Salt – As per taste
  11. Oil – 5 spoon (Gingelly oil preferred)
  12. Coriander leaves & Curry leaves – Few for garnishing (Optional)

PREPARATION METHOD

  • Wash chicken pieces well in water and keep them aside.
  • Heat a pan or wok and dry roast the following ingredients very slightly until you get a pleasant aroma. Take care not to over roast them or burn them.
(For Masala Powder)
1. Dry red chillies – 6 to 8
2. Cumin seeds – 3/4 spoon
3. Coriander seeds – 1 spoon
4. Fennel seeds – 1 spoon
5. Peppercorns – 1/4 spoon
  • After the dry roasted ingredients cools down and reaches room temperature, add them to a blender make a fine masala powder out of them and set aside. This is the authentic Chettinad chicken masala powder. You will get nearly 2.5 spoons of this masala powder.
  • Peel onions put them in a blender and make a coarse paste out of it and set aside.
  • Also make ginger-garlic paste and set aside.
  • Now heat a pan, add oil and after it heats up add the coarsely ground onions and saute until the raw smell goes.
  • Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a few minutes.
  • Now add the chicken pieces and saute well for 5 minutes.
  • Now add the prepared masala powder and stir well.
  • After 2 minutes pour 1 cup of water, required salt and stir well. Cook on low flame.
  • Close the pan with a lid and cook until the chicken gets cooked well. Sprinkle water if necessary and stir occasionally so that the chicken does not get burnt. Please cook on low flame.
  • When water evaporates and chicken seems well cooked remove from flame and serve.
  • Garnish with coriander and curry leaves if you wish.

TIPS

TIP 1: The masala powder used here can be used to make other chicken curries too. You can prepare it in larger quantities and store them for future use. While preparing this spice powder please be careful not to over-roast or burn the spices. Just a mild roasting will do.
TIP 2: Use freshly prepared ginger-garlic paste for better flavor.
TIP 3: You can also prepare this using a pressure cooker, after adding a cup of water close the pressure cooker with the lid and pressure cook for 10 minutes on low flame. But the pan method will be the best.
TIP 4: If you want a semi-gravy consistency pour another cup of water and cook until the oil starts to peep out of the gravy.

Source: http://www.youtoocancook.net