Thursday, October 28, 2010

Some Kitchen Tips

To make buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk.
 To make self-rising flour, mix together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, an 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.
 To minimize the tears, put onions in the freezer for about 15 minutes before chopping. 
If you accidentally put too much salt in a recipe, sometimes putting a slice of raw, peeled potato will soak up excess salt.
Store onions and potatoes separately. They both make each other go bad faster.
Separate your bananas as soon as you return from the store. They’ll stay fresh longer.
When reheating bread goods (such as muffins, pancakes, and the like), put a cup of water in the microwave with it. It adds moisture to the air and keeps the bread soft.
 To get the most juice out of a lemon or lime, zap it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so, let it sit for a minute, and then roll it around on the counter a few times.
To peel a whole garlic clove, place the flat side of a knife on top of the clove and give it a good whack. The skin should fall right off.
Get the icky smell of garlic or onions off your hands by “washing” them with water and baking soda. Or water with vanilla essence.
To double the amount of your butter used for spreading, simply whip it with a small amount of warm water until it’s light and fluffy. This isn’t ideal for baking recipes that need a specific fat amount, but it’s great for spreading on your bread or corn-on-the-cob. Just keep it in the refrigerator, and it should stay light.


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Scorpions - Humanity

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Italian Biscuits



INGREDIENTES 
300g de açúcar
300g de farinha de trigo
1 pitada de sal
1 colher (chá) de erva-doce em grão torrada
1 colher (chá) de mel
1 colher (chá) de fermento em pó
1 colher (chá) de extracto de baunilha
2 ovos
150g de amêndoas peladas
100g uva passa

1 gema batida para pincelar
açúcar para polvilhar

PREPARAÇÃO 
Numa tigela misturar os ingredientes secos, excepto a amêndoa.
Juntar a baunilha e os ovos e amassar. Juntar as amêndoas e amassar.
Tender 3 rolos cilíndricos com 12cm de largura e achatar as margens dos rolos de forma a obter-se uma secção em meia-lua, com 2-3cm de altura no centro.
Levar ao forno sobre papel vegetal ou tapete de silicone, afastados, pincelados com gema e polvilhados com açúcar, a 200ºC durante 15-20min..
Retirar deixar arrefecer 5min. e cortar, com uma faca grande de chefe, em palitos da grossura de um dedo.

Levar os palitos ao forno, no mesmo papel, durante 5min. a 200ºC para secarem e ficarem crocantes.

Deixam-se arrefecer completamente antes de guardar.






Words of Wisdom

Monday, October 11, 2010

Cat Joke


A couple were going out for the evening. They'd got ready, all dolled up, put the cat outside, etc.

The taxi arrives and as the couple go out the cat shoots back in. They don't want the cat shut in the house, so the wife goes out to the taxi while the husband goes upstairs to chase the cat out.

The wife, not wanting it known that the house will be empty, explains to the taxi driver, "He's just going upstairs to say goodbye to my mother."


A few minutes later, the husband gets into the cab: "Sorry I took so long," he says, "stupid old thing was hiding under the bed and I had to poke her with a coat hanger to get her to come out!"





THE SERENITY PRAYER

GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY
TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE;
COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN;
AND WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME;
ENJOYING ONE MOMENT AT A TIME;
ACCEPTING HARDSHIPS AS THE PATHWAY TO PEACE;
TAKING, AS HE DID, THIS SINFUL WORLD
AS IT IS, NOT AS I WOULD HAVE IT;
TRUSTING THAT HE WILL MAKE ALL THINGS RIGHT
IF I SURRENDER TO HIS WILL;
THAT I MAY BE REASONABLY HAPPY IN THIS LIFE
AND SUPREMELY HAPPY WITH HIM
FOREVER IN THE NEXT.
AMEN.

--REINHOLD NIEBUHR