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Saturday 16 July 2011

Apricot Ice Cream

Apricot Hokey Pokey Ice Cream


Ingredients

  • 350 g dried apricots
  • 34 cup water
  • 3 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoon castor sugar or to taste

Servings

6

.1
Chop apricots finely. Place in saucepan with water and add lemon juice and sugar.
2.
Simmer over low heat until apricots are soft. Blend roughly.
3.
Soften Blue Ribbon Hokey Pokey ice cream. Mash with a fork. Fold through apricot mush.

4.
Refreeze.
5.
Serve in cones or on biscuits or in a bowl.

Banana Split... Ice Cream

Banana Split

Ingredients

  • 4 banana
  • 12 lemon juice
  • 12 cup roasted peanuts
  • 1 cup cream
  • 12 tablespoon  vanilla /chocolate and strawberry ice cream
  • 1 chocolate sauce
  • 1 maraschino cherries


1.
Split banana lengthwise and brush with a little lemon juice.
2.
Wash, hull and crush strawberries
3.
Chop peanuts into small pieces
4.
Whip cream until stiff peaks form.
5.
Place 2 banana halves in a long shallow dessert dish. Top each with 3 scoops of Blue Ribbon vanilla ice cream then with crushed strawberries.

6.
Drizzle over chocolate sauce.
7.
Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and dollops of whipped cream.
8.
Top with a maraschino cherry.
9.
Serve immediately.

Strawberry Ice Cream Soda

Strawberry Ice Cream Soda

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoon strawberry syrup
  • 250 ml soda water
  • 2 dessertspoon  vanilla ice cream




1.
Mix syrup with soda water in tall glass.
2.
Add 1 or 2 scoops of Blue Ribbon vanilla ice cream and stir carefully. Watch out as the soda will foam.


3.
Serve with a straw.

Friday 15 July 2011

The Art of Napkin Folding


Napkin to serve dishes
The napkins folded like this will let you arrange small dishes and appetizers, as well as empty plates. 
Join the corners of a square linen napkin in the center twice. 
Then turn the napkin over and join all the corners again. 
Place on a plate and arrange the dish or a flower.
 
Tulip
This beautiful and striking tulip can be done from bright one-colour napkins.
Fold napkin in half diagonally. Fold corners to meet at top point.
Turn napkin over with points to the top, fold lower corner 2/3 way up. 
Fold back onto itself. Bring corners together tucking one into the other. 
Open base of fold and stand upright. 

Pocket
Coloured or white linen napkins folded into pocket will let you serve table setting in a very original way.
Fold a square napkin in half. Take upper looser corner and pleat.
Take the other upper corner and pleat as the first one, but the pleat should be on the top.
Hide the corners inside. 

Rolled napkins
This version of folding is extremely effective and simple at the time.
Fold napkin in half and in half again. Then fold it diagonally.
Tie the lower corner with a beautiful ribbon.
Spread out and decorate with flowers.
Bird Of Paradise napkin folding directions

The Bird Of Paradise Napkin Fold

This is a classic and classy napkin folding technique that requires a stiff napkin. If you don't have any dinner napkins made of stiff linen then a light starching should fix you right up.

Napkin Fold #1
1. Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
Napkin Fold #2
2. Fold the napkin in half.
Napkin Fold #3
3. Fold the napkin in quarters.
Napkin Fold #4
4. Fold the napkin in half diagonally, creating a triangle.
Napkin Fold #5
5. Orient the triangle so the open tip is facing away from you.
Napkin Fold #6
6. Fold the right corner diagonally towards you - laying it down along the centerline of the triangle, making a new tip pointing towards you. An iron can make this important fold a whole lot easier.
Napkin Fold #7
7. Do the same with the left corner, fold it diagonally toward you and press it down next to the previous fold. Now you have a diamond, you're rich! Yay!.
Napkin Fold #8
8. Fold the two "wings" that you just made in folds 6 and 7 under so that you have your original triangle shape back. Once again an iron can make a world of difference.
Napkin Fold #9
9. Fold the triangle in half by bringing the center seam towards you and allowing the ends to fall.
Napkin Fold #10
10. This bird's almost ready to fly, but first you must give it some feathers. While holding the base firmly to keep your folds together, pull up the four 'flaps' created by the napkin's corners.
Folded Napkin
Pretty cool fold, isn't it? It makes you wonder if there are people sitting around in basements performing experimental napkin folds while the rest of us are sleeping. This fold can be difficult if you don't use an iron or have a fairly stiff napkin so be prepared to put a few minutes into making each one.

Napkin ring folding

Napkin Ring Fan Fold

The Napkin Ring Fan Fold

Fan folds are always a simple way of nicely presenting your napkins. This one uses a napkin ring to hold the base. Ooooohhhhhhh.

Napkin Fold #1
1. Lay the napkin face-down in front of you.
Napkin Fold #3
2. Fold the napkin in half and the re-open it, leaving a crease in the center.
Napkin Fold #4
3. Accordion-fold the napkin up to the crease, ensuring that the final fold rests nicely on the crease. This will help you keep the ends of the fan uniform.
Napkin Fold #5
4. Finish accordion-folding the napkin.
Napkin Fold #6
5. Fold the fan in half as shown.
Completed Napkin Ring Fan FoldInsert the folded end into a napkin ring. It's a fan suitable for a samurai. A hungry samurai.

Napkin folding for wine glasses

The Goblet Candle Fan Napken Fold

The Candle Fan Fold

Sometimes you just need something a little different. The candle fan stuffed into a goblet or mug is very different. The larger the napkin that you use is, the longer the 'candles' will be.

Napkin Fold #1
1. Lay the napkin face-down in front of you.
Napkin Fold #2
2. Fold both sides in so they meet at the center. Press the folds down well.
Napkin Fold #3
3. Take each of the four corners (now sitting at the center of the far and near sides) and fold them out diagonally, pivoting at the center of the napkin as shown.
Napkin Fold #4
4. Starting at one end, tightly roll the napkin half way along it's length. The tighter the better.
Napkin Fold #5
5. Accordion-fold the other side of the napkin and gather it together.
Napkin Fold #6
6. Fold the napkin in half with the roll in the middle.
Finished Folded Napkin
7. Place it into your goblet of choice and you're done! Mmmmmm, nothing like a crappy blue napkin to demonstrate with, eh? Larger ones look
much nicer.

Take tea without milk for weight loss......

lose-weight-drink-tea To lose weight, drink tea without milk
Beware, especially if you want to lose weight - don't add milk to tea, or you would pile on the pounds. 

Scientists have discovered that tea contains high levels of compounds that help reduce the amount of fat but proteins found in cows' milk neutralise this fat-fighting ability. 

New research has shown that the compounds, called theaflavins and thearubigins, prevent obesity when given to rats that were also on a high-fat diet. 

Researchers now believe this could explain why people in Britain appear not to benefit from the healthy affects of tea despite being among the world's biggest consumers of the beverage, theTelegraph reports. 

Devajit Borthakur, a scientist at the Tea Research Association at Jorhat in the Indian state of Assam, said: "When tea is taken with milk, theaflavins and thearubigins form complexes with the milk protein, which causes them to precipitate." 

"It means that we don't get the health benefit from these compounds nor from milk protein. Therefore, it is always advised to take tea without milk." 

A study by scientists in Japan, reveals that extracts from tea leaves inhibit the absorption of fat in the guts of rats being fed high-fat diet. 

These rats also had less fat tissue on their bodies and lower fat content in their livers, reports theJournal of Nutrition. 

Hiroaki Yajima, a scientist with the Kirin Beverage Company in Japan who carried out the Japanese research, said: "Black tea extracts may prevent diet-induced obesity by inhibiting intestinal lipid absorption."

Using Oregano is Good


Oregano belongs to the mint family of plants. Besides culinary purposes, oregano can also be used for its medicinal properties. 

Here are some of its varied benefits... 

- Oregano leaves are a good source of manganese, iron and Vitamin A. Regularly eating these fresh leaves can help boost the immune system. 

- Thymol and carvacol compounds present in oregano are beneficial in aiding digestion and treating stomach upsets. Drink a glass of water with two to three drops of oregano oil for relief. 

- Oregano is known to relieve menstrual cramps. Chew a few leaves thrice a day to seek relief. 

- Severe cold and lung congestion can be treated using oregano oil. Add a few drops of this oil to a glass of water and drink for about three to five days. 

- Oregano oil contains antibacterial and antiviral properties, and is useful for treating skin infections. 

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Sushi Rolls....Kimbap(Korea)



Gimbap or kimbap is a popular Korean dish made from steamed white rice (bap) and various other ingredients, rolled in gim (sheets of dried laver seaweed) and served in bite-size slices. The basic components of gimbap are rice, meat or other protein-rich ingredients, and a large variety of vegetables, pickled, roasted, or fresh.
Short grain white rice is usually used, although short-grain brown rice, like olive oil on gim, is now becoming more widespread among the health-conscious. Rarely, sweet rice is mixed in gimbap rice.
Gim is dried, pressed seaweed made from the edible species, laver. Gim may be roasted and seasoned with oil and salt, roasted but unseasoned, or raw and unseasoned. For kimbap, the roasted, unseasoned variation is typically used.Gim is known to be abundant in protein and vitamins, especially vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and B12. It is also known to have a high content of mineral salts, particularly iodine and iron, and essential amino acids and properties that dispose of cholesterol, earning its reputation as a “healthy food”.
No. of servings: 5
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Spice level: 2 out of 5
Ingredients:
  • Roasted seaweed (Gim or Kim) – few sheets
  • Short grain white rice – 1 cup
  • Soybean sprouts – 1/2 pound
  • Pickled radish – 1 (7 oz or 14 oz)
  • Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
  • Avocado – 1
  • Cucumber – 1
  • Carrots- 4
  • Eggs – 3 (optional)
  • Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
  • Sugar
  • Soy sauce
  • Rice vinegar
  • Sriracha hot chili sauce or regular red chili sauce
  • Sesame oil
  • Kimchi
Method of Preparation:
Preparation of filling:
  1. Cook rice with 2 cups of water, 1 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of rice vinegar.
  2. Boil about 1 quart of water and add washed soybean sprouts and let it cook for 5 minutes and plunge the cooked sprouts into ice cold water to stop cooking. Let it sit for sometime and drain it.
  3. Heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a wok or pan at high heat and add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute and add sprouts followed by 2 tbsp of soy sauce, a tbsp of sriracha sauce and a tsp of sugar. Saute for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
  4. Wash and peel the outer skin of carrots. Cut it into thin strips using your peeler or knife.
  5. At medium high heat, add a tbsp of sesame oil in a pan or wok and add sesame seeds. After a minute add carrots and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Saute for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
  6. Beat the eggs with a tbsp of soy sauce and 1/2 tsp of sugar and make an omelet and cut it into thin strips as shown in picture.
  7. Cut avocado into thin strips.
  8. Peel cucumber’s skin and cut into thin strips.
  9. Cut the pickled radish into thin strips.
Preparation of rolls:
Layout the bamboo mat on a flat surface and place the roasted seaweed or kim.
Spread the cooked rice evenly on the kim.
Leave about an inch of space at the bottom and place the filling one by one close to each other and on top of each other.
Now it is time to roll. Slowly roll the bamboo mat that is close to you and let the edge of kim touch the rice after the first fold. Make sure the filling doesn’t fall apart.
Pull the mat towards you and finish the roll and maintain the shape. After you finish rolling, encircle with the bamboo mat and gently squeeze the roll to make it firm.
Remove the bamboo mat and place the roll on the cutting board and have a wet napkin and your sharp knife ready.
Cut the roll into slices and wipe your knife everytime you cut a piece to avoid the stickiness.
Serve it with Kimchi or hot sauce or wasabi and soy sauce mixture.

Chocolate Sandwich with Marie Biscuit



Time of Preparation : 20 minutes
No of Servings : 5
Ingredients:
  • Marie Biscuits – 20
  • Unsalted Butter – 4 tbsp
  • Swissmiss / Drinking Chocolate – 5tbsp
  • Instant Coffee Powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Powdered Sugar – 1/2 tsp
  • Milk – 1/4 Cup
Method of Preparation:
  1. Make a paste with butter and the Swiss miss (chocolate drink powder).
  2. Warm the milk and mix the coffee powder and sugar.
  3. Take 4 biscuits in the milk and spread the paste between each one like a sandwich.
  4. Do the same for remaining biscuits and keep them in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours.
  5. Cut it in the center and serve it.
Alternate Method:
Ingredients:
  • Marie Biscuits – 20
  • Unsalted Butter – 4 tbsp
  • Cocoa powder – 1 tbsp
  • Powdered Sugar – 4 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
  • Coffee Powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Milk – 1/4 cup
Method of Preparation:
  1. Make a paste with butter, 4 tbsp sugar and cocoa powder.
  2. Warm the milk and mix the coffee powder and 1/2 tsp sugar.
  3. Take 4 biscuits in the milk and spread the paste between each one like a sandwich.
  4. Do the same for remaining biscuits and keep them in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours.
  5. Cut it in the center and serve it.
Note:
  • We can use any chocolate flavored powder (