Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Great Ideas for Kitchen and Home....







Arroz à Valenciana




Ingredientes para 8 pessoas

4 colheres de sopa de margarina
1 dl de azeite
300 g de lulas em argolas
500 g de tomate
3 cenouras
300 g de ervilhas descascadas
2 pimentos verdes
250 g de miolo de berbigão
400 g de carne de porco limpa
6 salsichas
600 g de gambas
açafrão
400 g de arroz
sal
pimenta
pimentos morrones

Preparação
Aqueça 2 colheres de sopa de margarina e o azeite num tacho grande e com o fundo espesso. Junte as lulas em argolas e deixe fritar. Adicione o tomate, sem pele nem sementes, cortado em cubos. Quando o tomate estiver macio, junte as cenouras cortadas em rodelas, as ervilhas e os pimentos verdes cortados em tiras. Deixe as cenouras amolecerem e adicione o miolo de berbigão. Tape o tacho e deixe suar enquanto frita a carne de porco cortada em cubos pequenos na restante margarina. Adicione as salsichas em rodelas e deixe saltear um pouco.
Entretanto, coza as gambas em água a ferver temperada com sal durante 2 minutos. Escorra e reserve o caldo depois de coado. Descasque as gambas, reservando algumas com casca para decoração.
Junte a carne ao refogado de legumes e regue com a água de cozer os mariscos (2 vezes e meia a quantidade do arroz) onde previamente diluiu um pouco de açafrão. Assim que o caldo levantar fervura, deite o arroz, tempere com sal e pimenta e deixe cozer durante 13 minutos. Um pouco antes de terminar a cozedura do arroz, adicione as gambascozidas e descascadas. Enfeite o arroz com pimentos morrones e as gambas reservadas.


fonte
http://www.vaqueiro.pt/receitas/detalhe/1370/arroz-a-valenciana




Tuesday, August 5, 2014

ASK; BELEIVE: RECEIVE







15 Things that should not be refrigerated.


There are certain items, even against popular belief, that should not be stored in the refrigerator. By refrigerating many items, the flavor can be lessened or change the texture, and in some cases, even make it spoil faster because of condensation from the refrigerator. 



Hot Sauce
It can live happily in the pantry for up to three years and this includes Tabasco and Frank's Red Hot sauce. You can also include 
WorchestershireHeinz 57Soy Sauce and Sriracha as all non-refrigerated items!


Potatoes
The refrigeration effects the flavor of all potatoes and that includes all kinds; white, baking, red, purple, fingerling etc. Store in dry pantry in a paper bag. Plastic bags promote moisture and mold.


Bread
The refrigerator dries out bread very quickly. Keep what you will eat within 4 days in a dry pantry at room temperature and freeze the rest. 

Onions
Try to keep in their original mesh bag or any other that allows circulation and keep in the pantry. Keep away from potatoes which causes onions to rot. 


Tomatoes
Refrigeration kills the flavor of tomatoes and causes them to be mealy. Keep them out of plastic bags. To ripen faster store in paper bag. 

Avocados
Avocados should not be refrigerated until they are ripe. Once ripe, they can be kept refrigerated for up to a week. If you are refrigerating a whole avocado, it is best to keep it whole and not slice it in order to avoid browning that occurs when the flesh is exposed to air.

Coffee 
Surprisingly to me, you should not refrigerate or freeze coffee because it causes condensation and changes the flavor. Goes for beans and grounds. Keep in airtight container in pantry. 

Garlic
It will last in the pantry for two months. Refrigerating garlic can reduce the flavor and actually cause mold. Store loose and once head is broken should use within 10 days. However, you can put minced garlic in the fridge as long as used as soon as possible. 


Honey
Placing honey in the refrigerator will thicken and crystallize the honey. Honey is all-natural and can stay good almost indefinitely in the pantry. 




Winter Squashes
Any type of winter squash from acorn, butternut, spaghetti squash will taste better and last about a month or more in the pantry. 


Melons
Keep whole melons on the counter to achieve the best flavor. Research has found that storing at room temp helps to keep antioxidants better intact. Once cut you can store in the fridge for 3-4 days. 


Oils
Oils get thick and cloudy when you place them in the refrigerator. The only oils that must be refrigerated are nut oils. Otherwise keep them in the pantry. 





Fruits
Certain fruits like apples, berries, peaches, apricots and nectarines should be placed on the counter until ripe. It can change the flavor of the fruit so that it is not as flavorful if refrigerated.

Non-Foods


Batteries
It is a common myth that you should store batteries in the refrigerator, but extreme heat or extreme cold actually diminishes their performance. 


Nail Polish
The only thing that refrigerating nail polish does is thicken it and change the chemicals. Keep at room temperature and away from direct sunlight. 



Beautiful Kitchens







Sunday, August 3, 2014

Cat Joke

A man runs into the vet's office carrying his dog, screaming for help. The vet rushes him back to an examination room and has him put his dog down on the examination table. The vet examines the still, limp body and after a few moments, tells the man that his dog, regrettably, is dead. The man, clearly agitated and not willing to accept this, demands a second opinion.
The vet goes into the back room and comes out with a cat and puts the cat down next to the dog's body. The cat sniffs the body, walks from head to tail, poking and sniffing the dog's body and finally looks at the vet and meows.
The vet looks at the man and says, "I'm sorry, but the cat thinks that your dog is dead, too."
The man, finally resigned to the diagnosis, thanks the vet and asks how much he owes. The vet answers, "$350."
"$350 to tell me my dog is dead?!" exclaims the man.
"Well," the vet replies, "I would only have charged you $50 for my initial diagnosis. The additional $300 was for the cat scan."









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