Double Dipped Chocolate Covered Strawberries

As if a chocolate covered strawberry wasn’t a good enough idea we have a double dipped chocolate covered strawberry. Tying together the wonderful taste of dark chocolate with milk chocolate, dark chocolate with white chocolate or any other concoction you can gather, leave this fun and delicious idea to satisfy your lovely ladies appetite.

What you will need:

24 strawberries With a stem. (roughly two small bins of berries)

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cups Dark Chocolate (or chocolate of your preference)

Wax Paper

2 Double Boiler

Large Cookie Sheet

Prep Time: 15minutes

Method Time: 25 minutes 

Method:

Line large baking sheet with the waxed paper. Wipe strawberries clean; dry with paper towels we don’t want any water left on these pretty ladies. (Water makes for non stick chocolate patches, we definitely don’t want that!)

1 Stir chocolate chips and shortening in top of double boiler set over simmering water until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. (do method for both double boilers)

2 Place chocolate in shallow bowl. Holding 1 strawberry by its green top, dip 3/4 of berry into melted chocolate. Let excess chocolate drip off, then dip partially into second chocolate again let excess chocolate drip off. Place on waxed-paper-lined sheet.

3 Repeat dipping remaining strawberries into chocolate. Place on waxed paper.

4 Refrigerate until chocolate coating is firm, about 1 hour.

Tip: After strawberries have hardened, with remaining chocolate feel free to drizzle over the strawberries, write messages with a toothpick, or make a design with a toothpick. This adds that special little touch and makes it a little more personal for your gal.

Presentation:

Presentation for these lovely ladies is simple. Find a nice platter, one with a nice trim or even one with an interesting shape. Place Strawberries around the plate and place randomly small mint sprouts to accent it. Its quick, its simple and delicious. What more could you ask for! 

Chicken a la kiev

Ingredients


  2 Boneless chicken breasts
* 60 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
* 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
* 2 tbsp plain flour
* 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
* 100 g dried breadcrumbs
* 1 egg
* 6 tbsp vegetable oil
* salt
* freshly ground pepper


Method:
1: In a small bowl, blend the butter with the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Keep it out at room temperature and put into a piping bag.
2: Using the chopping knife, cut a horizontal pocket into both chicken breasts.
3: Fill the pocket of the chicken with the butter mixture and fasten the openings with a toothpick.
4: Pour the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese into a bowl and stir until well mixed.
Season the flour well with salt and pepper.
5: Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat it well.
6: Line up the flour, the egg and the breadcrumbs in the three small bowls.
7: Take the chicken and dust it with flour, then roll it in the egg and finally the breadcrumbs.
8: Refrigerate the chicken. Place your breaded chicken kiev in a shallow dish, then cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. This makes the butter less likely to leak out of the chicken during cooking.
9: Heat up the vegetable oil in a frying pan on a moderate heat. Place the chicken in the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through thoroughly. If the chicken is thick, crispen up the outside by frying for a few minutes and then place in the oven for 7-10 minutes at 220° C.
10: Place the chicken on kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil.

10 Exercises to burn 200 calories daily!

There is nothing better than being in great physical shape. You look attractive to yourself, and to your partner, not to mention how you light up every party. So look and feel on top of the world by trying out these exercises which will help you burn at least 200 calories daily. 

Qigong: These exercises involve various breath control techniques, meditation and relaxation. It is similar to pranayama. While doing Qigong, the practitioner spends little energy, but at the end of a session there is profuse perspiration, little elevation in blood pressure, but increased levels of energy.

Budokon: If you enjoy yoga but are also in love with the high-intensity kickboxing class across the hall, try a fusion class like Budokon (bu-do-kon) and get hip with the Hollywood crowd.

Spinning: This is a relatively new phenomenon, which is performed on a specialised cycling machine. The classes take place in a fitness studio with specialised lights and music that create an upbeat atmosphere.

Aerobics: A great form of exercise to fast paced racy music makes you lose enough calories. Whether it is for 45 minutes daily or every three days, there's something about aerobics that will bring a smile on your face.

Yoga: Whether it is power yoga, artistic or ashtanga yoga, the lightness of body, serenity and bliss you feel will keep you hooked for ever. You may never want to try out another form of exercise ever.

Hooping: A form of aerobic exercise, it uses the hula hoop and has moved from being a toy to being a dance and exercise aid. It is fun, childlike, and meditative, all of which make it good for the spirit.

Walking: 20 minutes of brisk walking everyday will make sure you don't put on an ounce of weight. It will keep you in such great shape that you wouldn't ever feel the need to go on a diet!

Dance: The best form of exercise, it helps you lose plenty of weight apart from keeping you lithe! US research shows that a vigorous dance class can burn as many calories as a gym workout. Calories danced away per hour: Ballroom: 180-480; Belly dancing: 180-300; Jive/swing dance: 250-400 Salsa: 400.

Jump rope: Single-rope freestyle jump roping is one sport that is increasingly becoming famous among fitness freaks, both as a competitive activity and a way to increase strength, balance and cardio-respiratory endurance.

Aero boxing: The workout involves a combination of aerobic exercises with boxing techniques and has been formulated for the first time to help people stay fit. 

Marbled Iced Mango Ice Cream

Delicious dessert and you can make it as far ahead as you like.

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour freezing
Serves 6 

500ml (18fl oz) tub vanilla ice cream
500ml (18fl oz) tub mango ice cream
400g (14oz) fresh raspberries l 3tbsp icing sugar

1 Line a 450g (1lb) loaf tin with clingfilm. Let ice cream stand for 10 minutes, then spoon each ice cream randomly into the tin to create a marbled effect, pressing down well. Freeze until solid.
2 Blend raspberries and sieve to remove seeds. Stir in icing sugar to taste. Then tip ice cream onto a chopping board, remove clingfilm and slice. Garnish with fresh summer fruits and serve with raspberry sauce.

Per serving: 369cals, 16g fat, 11g saturated fat, 51g carbohydrate

Mango Smoothie

YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chopped peeled mango
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preparation

• Place all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Serve over ice

Mango Salsa

Fresh Mango Salsa

1 large fresh mango
1 or 2 jalapeño chile peppers, seeds and membranes removed and finely diced
1 small clove of garlic, crushed fine with 1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 large red onion, finely diced (1/4 cup sliced green onions may be substituted)Juice of 1/2 fresh lime

Peel and dice the Mango into 1/2-inch pieces. 

Prepare the jalapeno by removing the seeds and membranes and dicing, add to the Mango. 

Yakhni Biryani

Ingredients Of Yakhni Biryani

• ½ kg chicken
• 1 cup clarified butter
• 1 glass water
• 2 onions
• 250 grams yogurt
• 3 tbsp. kewra
• ½ tsp. yellow color
• 6 to 8 green chilies
• 4 to 4 aniseeds
• 25 grams whole spices
• 300 grams rice
• 1 tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• 2 tbsp. turmeric powder
• Salt to taste

Method Of Yakhni Biryani

• Soak 300 grams washed rice for half an hour.
• In a pan, heat 1 cup clarified butter. Add 2 tbsp. ginger garlic paste, 2 sliced onions and ½ kg chicken and sauté until color begins to change.
• Make a pouch of 250 grams yogurt, 1 tbsp. fennel seeds and 1 tbsp. coriander seeds with a piece of cotton and add to chicken.
• Then add 25 grams whole hot spices, salt to taste, 2 tbsp. turmeric powder and 6 to 8 green chilies and mix.
• Add 1 glass of water after some time. In a another pan, boil rice with salt to taste, 1 tbsp. cumin seeds and 4 to 5 aniseeds.
• Make a layer of rice on the top of chicken gravy. Top with melted clarified butter, kewra and yellow color and allow simmering for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Delicious Yakhni Biryani is ready to serve. Serve with salad and yogurt dip.

Hot And Spicy Fried Chicken

Ingredients Of Hot And Spicy Fried Chicken

• Chicken with skin ( i used skinless) 1 kg

For Marinade

• Ketchup 1tb
• Hot Chili sauce 2tb
• Salt 1tsp
• Paprika powder 1tsp
• Meat tenderizer 1tsp
• Mustard powder 1/2 tsp.

For Batter

• Self Raising flour 1 cup ( 1cup Plain Flour add 2tsp baking powder )
• Corn Flour 2tb
• Baking powder 1/2 tsp.
• 1 egg
• Salt 1 tsp.
• Black pepper crushed 1/2 tsp.
• Paprika powder 1/2 tsp.
• Chilled milk to make batter

Method Of Hot And Spicy Fried Chicken

• Marinade the chicken pieces in all marinade ingredients and leave it for 4-6 hours.
• Mix all the ingredients of batter and make a medium consistency paste.
• Now Dipped the marinated chicken in batter. Roll in self raising flour and keep a side for 5 min.
• Then dust with self raising flour again very lightly don’t try to press hard. Dust away excess flour.
• Deep fry with out over lapping pieces on medium to slow heat for 20 Minutes or until golden in color
• Done Serve with Coleslaw and Garlic Sauce ,Fries …

Fish Tempura

Ingredients Of Fish Tempura

• 1/2 kg beckti fish/or any fish fillet, cut in fingers
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper

For Batter

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder, heaped
• 2 tbsp. corn flour, heaped
• 3 tbsp. flour, heaped
• Chilled water as required

Method Of Fish Tempura

• Marinate ½ kg fish fingers with ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. white pepper.
• Make a medium consistency batter with 3 tbsp. flour, 2 tbsp. corn flour, ½ tsp. baking powder, 1 egg, ¼ cup oil and chilled water as required.
• Dip the marinated fish in batter, deep fry for 5 minutes till light golden, remove and re fry once again before serving

Orange Ring Recipe

Ingredients Of Orange Ring

• 1 tin evaporated milk
• 6 ounces caster sugar
• 8 ounces fresh cream
• 2 ounces cream for decoration
• 2 egg whites
• 1 packet orange jelly
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp. gelatin powder

Method Of Orange Ring

• Dissolve 2 tbsp. gelatin in ½ cup orange juice.
• Beat chilled evaporated milk until it is very thick, add in 1 packet orange jelly crystals and dissolved gelatin mixture.
• Beat 8 ounces cream with 3 ounces of caster sugar, beat 2 egg white stiff with 3 ounces of caster sugar, fold cream lightly in the beaten milk mixture, also fold in the egg white.
• Pour mixture into a ring mold and chill till set, decorate with whipped cream and orange segments.

Chicken In Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 37g gm boneless chicken
• 2 medium onions thin sliced
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup boiled corn
• 1/2 cup boiled peas
• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 green chilies chopped
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1 tbsp crushed red chili
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3 garlic cloves chopped

Method

• Heat oil and sauté garlic, add onions and cook till the onions become soft on low flame. Don’t let it to be brown. Add oregano, cumin, and black pepper. Mix it well.
• Now add tomato, green chili. When tomato become soft then add chicken and cook it for 3-5 minutes.
• When chicken changes it color then add corn and peas, mix it all well.On this stage add red chili.
• Remove it from heat and then add cream. After adding cream put it again on heat and cook till the chicken becomes soft and gravy thickens.
• Serve it with boiled rice or garlic bread.

Chicken Filled Buns

Ingredients

For Dough

• 3 cup plain flour
• 1.1/2 tsp. yeast
• 1tb oil
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• Luke warm water as needed

For Filling

• 1/2 kg chicken
• Salt as required
• Black pepper as required
• 1 tbsp. soya sauce
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• Sesame seeds as required
• 1 egg

Method Of Chicken Filled Buns

• Mix all the ingredients of dough and knead it. Set it aside until it doubles its size.
• Boil chicken with little salt, pepper and soya sauce until its tender. Shred the chicken.
• Heat oil in pan sauté onion, add green chilies and chicken and salt and pepper and fresh coriander. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Cool down the filling.
• Now shape the dough in equal size balls. Spread each ball add little bit stuffing and close and let them rise in baking tray, while raising cover them with wet tea towel.
• When double in size brush the top with egg, sprinkle sesame seeds..and bake at 180 C until brown from top ,after baking apply some butter on top of each bun.

Mango Fool

Ingredients Of Mango Fool

• 4 mangoes, cut in cubes
• 1 lemon’s juice
• 4-5 tbsp coconut cream
• 1 cup cream
• 2 cup yogurt, drain water in fine cloth
• 5-6 tbsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt

Method Of Mango Fool

• In a grinder add coconut cream, cream, sugar, mango chunks,lemon juice and yogurt.
• Blend it until all ingredients are combined well.
• Pour it in glasses and chill it in refrigerator. Serve it with mango cubes and cream on top.

Icelandic Pancakes

Icelandic Pancakes are small, round, thin and sweet and are either rolled up with sugar or wrapped up in squares filled with jam, often blueberry, and whipped cream.
A few decades ago, traditional Icelandic pancakes were still an inseparable part of the buffet in every birthday party, anniversary, baptism and confirmation party. They have since been replaced by more modern foods.
The recipe for these pancakes dates back to the 18th Century and the pancakes are supposed to be very thin. In fact, according to legend, experienced housewives made pancakes so thin that they could read the daily newspaper through them. They should be served with coffee in the afternoon.
Serves 4

Ingredients:

25g butter
1 cup of flour
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp of sugar
¼ tsp salt
600ml milk
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla essence 

• Melt the butter in a saucepan and leave to cool
  
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl then add the sugar and salt
  
• Add the 300ml milk into the bowl and stir until there are no lumps in the dough.
  
• Add the eggs and then another 300ml of milk along with the vanilla essence.
  
• Finally add the melted butter and stir until the mixture is light and thin.
  
• Heat a frying pan on medium heat and add a little bit of butter or oil if necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to the surface of the pan.
  
• When the pan is hot, pour about half a ladle of dough into the pan and distribute the mixtures as quickly and evenly as possible.
  
• When the pancake is dry on top, it is time to flip it or if you are not feeling that adventurous simply turn using a spatula.
  
• When both sides of the pancake have a golden color, it is ready
  Sprinkle sugar, add whipped cream and jam and enjoy!

Sloppy Joes,Red cabbage,meatballs,beans salad,tuna macaroni salad

Sloppy Joes Recipe

The trick to this recipe is to brown the meat well, on high heat. Don't crowd the pan, work in batches, and don't stir the meat until it is well browned on one side. It helps to use a large cast iron pan, or an anodized aluminum pan, as these pans can handle the heat and are relatively stick-free.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced carrots (can sub chopped bell pepper)
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt
• 1 1/4 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 cups tomato sauce (or 1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, puréed)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 turns of freshly ground black pepper
• 4 hamburger buns

METHOD

1 Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. (If you are using bell pepper instead of carrots, add those at the same time as the onions.) Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent, about 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from heat. Remove vegetables from the pan to a medium sized bowl, set aside.

2 Using the same pan (or you can cook the meat at the same time as the vegetables in a separate pan to save time), generously salt the bottom of the pan (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon). Heat the pan on high. Crumble the ground beef into the pan. You will likely need to do this in two batches, otherwise you will crowd the pan and the beef won't easily brown. Do not stir the ground beef, just let it cook until it is well browned on one side. Then flip the pieces over and brown the second side. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ground beef from the pan (can add to the set-aside vegetables), salt the pan again and repeat with the rest of the ground beef.

If you are using extra lean beef, you will likely not have any excess fat in the pan. If you are using 16% or higher, you may have excess fat. Strain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.

3 Return the cooked ground beef and vegetables to the pan. Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and brown sugar to the pan. Stir to mix well. Add ground cloves, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Lower the heat to medium low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Serve with toasted hamburger buns. Serves 4

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 2-pound red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 12 cups)
• 6 Tbsp sugar
• 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

METHOD

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add cabbage and sauté until slightly wilted, about 5 minutes. Add sugar, toss to coat evenly. Add vinegar. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, simmer until cabbage is tender, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 6-8.

Swedish Meatballs Recipe

Lingonberry jelly is traditionally used with Swedish meatballs; you can substitute cranberry, red currant or raspberry jelly if you can't find lingonberry jelly.

INGREDIENTS

Meatballs:

• 1 large yellow or white onion, peeled, grated (through a cheese grater)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2/3 cup milk
• 4-5 slices of bread, crusts removed, bread cut into pieces
• 2 eggs
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

Sauce:

• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 quart beef stock
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup sour cream
• Salt
• 2 to 4 Tbsp of Lingonberry, cranberry, red currant or raspberry jelly, more or less to taste (optional)

METHOD

1 Sauté the grated onion in the butter over medium-high heat until the onions soften and turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

2 In a medium bowl, mix the bread pieces with the milk. Set aside for 15-20 minutes, or until the bread soaks up all the milk. When it does, pulverize the bread in a food processor and pour it into a large bowl.

3 Add the cooled onions to the bowl of milk and bread. Add the rest of the meatball ingredients—eggs, ground pork, ground beef, salt, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper. Using your (clean) hands, mix well for about 2 minutes until the ingredients are well combined.

4 Use a tablespoon to measure out the meat for the meatballs. As you form the meatballs, set each one aside on a sheet pan or plate. You should get 40 to 50 meatballs.

5 Heat 6 tablespoons of butter for the sauce in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, reduce the heat to medium and add some of the meatballs. Do not crowd the pan. Work in batches, browning them slowly on all sides. Be gentle when you turn them so they don't break apart. Do not cook the meatballs all the way through, only brown them at this stage. Once browned, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pan, setting them aside so you can make the sauce with the remaining pan butter.

6 Start the sauce. (Check the pan butter to see if it has burned. If the butter tastes burnt, discard the butter and replace with new 6 tablespoons.) Heat the pan butter on medium until hot. Slowly whisk in the flour. Stirring often, let the flour cook until it is the color of coffee-with-cream; this is a classic roux.

7 As the roux is cooking, heat the beef stock in another pot until it simmers. When the roux has cooked until the color of coffee-with-cream, slowly add the hot beef stock a little at a time. Everything will sputter at first, and the sauce will seize up and solidify. Keep stirring and adding stock slowly, and it will loosen up and become silky.

8 Add the meatballs to the sauce and turn the heat down to low. Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. You might need to do this in batches.

9 To finish, move the meatballs to a serving dish. Add the sour cream and mix well. Either add the lingonberry jelly to the sauce or serve it on the side.

Yield: Serves 4 vikings, or 8-10 regular people.

Three Bean Salad Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 15-oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 celery stalks, chopped fine
• 1/2 red onion, chopped fine
• 1 cup fresh, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbsp fresh finely chopped rosemary

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

METHOD

1 In a large bowl, mix the beans, celery, onion, parsley and rosemary.

2 In a separate small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the dressing to the beans. Toss to coat.

3 Chill beans in the refrigerator for several hours, to allow the beans to soak up the flavor of the dressing.

Yield: Serves 4 to 8.

Tuna Macaroni Salad Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 quart water

• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 cup chopped red, orange, and or yellow bell peppers, seeded and de-stemmed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, packed
• 2 cans of tuna, packed in olive oil (do not drain), or if you get tuna packed in water, drain the water out and add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil.
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
• 1/4-1/3 a head of lettuce (preferably iceberg lettuce), sliced first and roughly chopped into 2 inch long strips
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (we use sweet Hungarian)
• Fresh ground pepper

METHOD

1 In a saucepan, add 1 cup of elbow macaroni to 1 quart of boiling water with an added teaspoon of salt. Simmer either covered or uncovered for about 10 minutes until the macaroni is just a little more cooked than al dente. When ready, remove from heat, drain and rinse with cold water.

2 While the macaroni is cooking, assemble the other ingredients. In a large bowl mix the green onion, bell peppers, parsley, tuna, celery and lemon. Add the cooked and drained macaroni. Fold in the iceberg lettuce and mayonnaise until well mixed. Add the paprika. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

Eat up. This salad does not make good leftovers as the lettuce will eventually get soggy.

Serves 4.