Monte Carlo 5di52bsdl: December 2013

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Top 10 Birthday Gifts For Girls

Kids love opening "real" presents-don't resort to offering a gift card for your next birthday gift. You can offer a fun present that your child (or a friend) will enjoy playing with, and get some other real benefits as well. Choose outdoor toys to encourage physical activity, or an art set to get the creative juices flowing. Consider bringing one of the following "girl" gifts to your next party:1. Barbie with clothing: If you are at all crafty, you can knit, crochet, or sew a unique, one of a kind Barbie wardrobe. Looks for scraps of sparkly and embroidered fabrics or yarns to make your child's Barbie the best dressed on the block.2. Sewing Machine: Choose a basic "grown up" sewing machine equipped with a simple zigzag and straight stitch for an older girl. Girls under 9 may prefer a child sized machine with the same functions. Include a basic sewing book and some fabrics to get her started. This is an "old fashioned" gift, but learning to sew and craft at an early age promotes both creativity and manual dexterity.3. Salon Trip: Plan a mini salon day, including a haircut and style, and a simple manicure and pedicure. This is a great way to spend some one on one time with your daughter, no matter how old she is.4. Sports Equipment: Sports are not just for boys! Most little girls will enjoy a t-ball set or similar item, and girls of all ages can play basketball or soccer. Playing sports builds confidence and fitness, and a child that enjoys sports will develop healthy habits that last a lifetime.5. Play House or Kitchen Set: Even young toddlers enjoy pretend play. If you provide your daughter with a pretend house or kitchen, you are providing her with the opportunity to play "pretend", and role play as well.6. Bicycle, Skates, or Skateboard: Provide a fun way to get around, and add a matching helmet and safety gear as needed.7. Cooking or baking set: Depending on your child's age, you can provide a "real" set of cooking utensils, and possibly some cooking lessons. If your child is interested, you can seek out classes in cake decorating, artisan breads, or other specialty items. This gift is not limited to girls-many boys enjoy cooking as well!8. Art set: Assemble your own art set using a tackle box and basic art supplies. Include paint and brushes, paper, pastels, canvas, scissors, and other fine art supplies. You can also include a collapsible easel for your budding artist to work on.9. Scrapbook Set: Select or make a scrapbooking kit, including an album, specialty papers, scissors, punches and stickers. Include an inexpensive camera, and your child can scrapbook using her own photos.10. Petting Zoo party: If your child is the birthday girl, rent a petting zoo for the big day- hire a travel petting zoo for the day. These small businesses will set up in your backyard, and bring along a variety of kid-friendly animals for your child to meet and learn about. The best travel zoos include an "animal talk" as well, and let your child and her guests meet and learn about animals right in your own backyard.

Denise Sanger is the owner of NewCoolToysOnline.com which features a fantastic selection of outdoor toys including ride-on toys and batt

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Sunday, December 8, 2013

Need to Know Salmon and Fish Tips

Salmon is very easy to obtain and not difficult to prepare. Fresh salmon is usually available at your local supermarket, but you can also likely find frozen fillets and/or steaks, packages of smoked salmon, or canned salmon. They are all healthy as long as they are from wild salmon and not farmed fish. Canned is usually from wild fish. Smoked salmon has been showing up as farmed, and thankfully it is usually listed on the package as farmed fish, so it's easy to spot. Another way that you can tell them apart is color. The wild caught is a pale pinkish color while the farmed is colored through color added to the feed, so it looks more orange.Salmon is usually prepared by baking or broiling, and served with vegetables and rice. This is a very healthy choice, especially when you take into account that it is loaded with heart healthy Omega 3 oils. Compare that to steak or pork, which is usually grain fed and full of saturated fat. The typical way that the salmon is cooked is much better than the breaded and deep fried way that other types of fish are usually prepared.Most of the salmon sold in North America is from Alaska. Pacific salmon varieties are represented by Chinook (King), Coho (Silver), and Sockeye (Red) salmon. Atlantic salmon are obviously from the Atlantic ocean. Most of this type is farm raised rather than wild. I have had supermarket fish mongers insist that Atlantic salmon is wild caught because of the name, and they (should) know better. Now you do. Again, remember that pale pink is most likely wild and bright orange is farm raised due to the feed coloring. There is some recent data that farm raised salmon is not as bad as previously thought, but wild is still better. They are just healthier fish.When buying fish, make sure that that fish counter area seems clean and that there is not a smell of bad fish. All of the fish should be under a cover if possible but definitely on ice. If the heads are on, the eyes should be clear and not cloudy, and the gills red. There should be no milky fluids on the fish or on the filet meat. The skin should be shiny and the flesh should be firm and not soft or squishy. Let your nose guide you. Learn to distinguish fresh fish smell to a fishy foul odor. Fresh salmon will only last for approximately 48 hours in the refrigerator. If you need to keep it longer, place it in a freezer bag and freeze it. Once frozen, they should ideally be eaten within 3 months.Salmon can be cooked on the grill, poached, broiled, pan seared, or baked. It is very versatile. If you know how, raw salmon can be smoked and consumed that way. Salmon will cook rapidly in about 10 minutes for each inch of flesh. Baked fillets can cook nicely at 350F in twenty minutes time.Canned salmon, one of my all time easy favorites, is as easy as opening the can. Some people who are not used to it might find the fact that most canned salmon contains skin and bones to be a bit off putting, but it is all edible. The bones are brittle and you can just mush it up with a fork until it is the consistency of mushed tuna fish. You can even mix it with some mayonnaise and light seasonings like black pepper and onion powder, as many people do. Some people opt for the skinless and boneless canned pink salmon, but I am telling you here that the red salmon which is canned with the skin and bones is much more flavorful as well as containing more of the healthy Omega 3 fish oils EPA and DHA. The taste is richer. Pink salmon is okay, but I consider it too bland. To each their own. One way to enjoy canned red salmon is to get yourself some thin sliced Italian bread or Portuguese bread slices. White bread (or any sliced bread) works, but the type of bread I suggest is worlds above plain old supermarket white bread. I am referring to the bread that is in a round loaf style before it is sliced into thin slices, with the center slices being the largest. Take two pieces of this and toast it. If the slices you choose are too long for the toaster just toast half then flip and dot he other half. Take some soft butter and spread a thin layer across the inside of the toasted bread slices. This forms a barrier to prevent the fish juice from making the toast soft. This is optional if you plan to eat the sandwich immediately (although tasty), but a necessity of you plan on packing the sandwich for lunch. Take the salmon and either mush it into a pliable paste with a fork, or use a bit of mayonnaise. The mayo acts like a "glue" and keeps it all together, and if you like mayo it really enhances the taste. Simply put the salmon paste onto the toasted bread evenly, gently press the other slice on top, slice in half so that it's easier to handle, and you have one of the simplest and tastiest sandwiches you will ever have.Smoked salmon slices are likewise not only great on bagels and crackers, but you can make a similar tasty sandwich using Irish style whole grain wheaten bread and buttering two slices and putting the smoked salmon inside. Black pepper and a squirt of fresh lemon juice is highly recommended. Irish style wheaten bread mix can be bought online and it is exceedingly simple to make. The Odlums brand only requires you to add water, mix, and put it into a greased bread baking tin and bake it. It's THAT simple.I sincerely hope that this article will open up or further expand your healthy food repertoire to include healthy salmon, as well as providing you with some simple ideas to add it into your diet. Bon appetit!

Tom has been writing articles on many different subjects because his Bachelor of Arts degree imbued him with a love of knowledge in many different areas. His latest site is about patio chaise cushions and patio chaise cushions which liven up any outdoor r

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Why a KitchenAid K45SS Classic Kitchen Culinary Cruiser?

KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer, the Swiss Army knife of the Kitchen? That is the impression I felt from studying this piece of kitchen equipment.If you've been considering purchasing a KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer for yourself or a loved one, here is the information you've been looking for. There are other options out there but why bother when you are staring the best right in the face. Besides having the basic tools and talent needed for a fantastic mixer, there are other accessories and tools for even more jobs.Most of the time we search for similar products and there are other choices for comparison in price, use, options, accessories, colors and so on. But that search, can be centered into KitchenAid product line alone. All you have to do is try one for a short time and you will quickly understand why these are the most popular kitchen appliances available.I don't have to remind you about what has been happening to food prices lately, but KitchenAid Mixers can be tasked to do more common tasks like bread making, pizza dough, pumpkin pie crusts, apple pie with cinnamon lattice crust, lemon meringue pie, fresh sweet whipped cream, peach cobbler with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon, and hundreds of other delightful culinary adventures await as soon as you plug this in.
These Mixers are designed to reduce hand scraping of the mixing bowls and to more thoroughly mix your ingredients. This double orbital mixing system has been tested to perfection to make mixing simpler and better. Three accessories are included, one wire whisk for creaming eggs and other culinary experiments. Another is a kneading dough hook for bread making, and a third is a flat paddle for general purpose mixing. All of these fit precisely into the stainless steel mixing bowl.The KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4 -1/2-Quart Stand Mixer is a quiet machine and stands on soft rubber feet. Ten speeds are available for whatever you might want to cook up. This comes in several colors to match or accentuate you kitchen preparation space. This mixer measures 13.8/9 x 8.2/3 x 14 inches high and includes a 1 year warranty. Over 60 KitchenAid Mixer Recipes are included to get you started.The head tilts upward for easy access to your bowel and accessories. Speaking of optional accessories, how about an Ice Cream maker?, or a Pasta Press, or a Meat Grinder for that special Sausage or Chili? How about a Juicer, Ravioli Maker, or Vegetable Slicer? The KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4 -1/2-Quart Stand Mixer is the right choice with optional accessories as these other reviewers will tell you here.

http://bit.ly/sxhuw7 for personal reviews and other comments and information on this product or go to http://kitchenaidk45ssmixer.suntrackdata.com/.Ed Sunderland reside

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Monday, December 2, 2013

4 Easy Steps To Wine Making At Home

Step One: Primary FermentationPrimary Fermentation is the main alcohol producing process in Wine Making. During fermentation, wine yeast consumes the sugars in your must (the grape juice, and skins) and excretes ethyl alcohol (Ethanol). To start your primary fermentation, simply prepare your must in a fermentation vessel (usually just a 5 or 6 gallon bucket). You can also add Yeast Nutrient, Yeast Energizer, Pectin Enzyme, Acid Blend and Campden Tablets, each are highlighted below:

Yeast Nutrient: Adds essential minerals and nutrients that yeast need to survive and reproduce.
Yeast Energizer: Even more nutrients for your yeast, this really helps the yeast reproduce and ensures a vigorous fermentation.
Pectin Enzyme: Helps breakdown the cell walls in your fruit. This allows for extraction of more juice. Which, of course, equals more yummy wine.
Acid Blend: Used to increase the Ph balance of your wine. Acid Blend usually contains 50% tartaric acid, 30% malic acid, and 20% citric acid.
Campden Tablets: These are pre-measured amounts of potassium metabisulfate. One tablet per gallon provides the perfect amount. These tablets will kill any unwanted bacteria in your must, preventing spoilage or off flavors. This will also kill any wild yeast that may be present. Be sure to let your must sit for 12 to 24 hours after using this before adding your own yest.
Once everything is in the bucket, follow the instructions on your packet of yeast. Usually this just means reconstituting with warm (not hot) water for 15 minutes, then add it to you must and give it a little stir.Within a day or two you should see some very active yeast hard at work. Once the active fermentation slows down (you should see less bubbles) move on to Secondary Fermentation.Step Two: Secondary FermentationOnce the rolling boil of primary fermentation slows down, you want to get your wine into a safer environment. You need to protect your treasure from exposure to oxygen and other foreign contaminants. You'll need to rack (siphon) the wine from your primary vessel into a glass carboy. Leave as much Lees (dead yeast) in the primary bucket as possible. If you have any empty space between your wine and the top of the carboy, top it up with water (or more juice) until the wine level is almost to the top. Next add an airlock to keep out any invaders and also to allow air pressure to escape.You'll want to rack the wine to another clean and sanitized carboy at least once a month during the aging process, leaving behind any sediment or Lees each time. Again, be sure to top up with water to reduce oxygen exposure.
Continue these rackings as your wine ages. Depending on the wine this can be anywhere from a few months to a couple of years. Once aged and the wine is nice and clear, move on to bottling.Step Three: BottlingWhen you are ready to bottle, you will need to stabilize your wine. This will kill off any remaining yeast, preventing further fermentation after sweetening. To do so, add campden tablets and potassium sorbate in the appropriate amounts.I like to sweeten my wine at the same time as stabilization, then wait a few days before bottling to ensure fermentation does not start up again. If fermentation happens in the bottle, corks will explode out and send wine everywhere. To sweeten, add sugar (dissolved in water) to taste.Once sweetened and stabilized, clean and sanitize your wine bottles and corks. Each gallon of wine will give you about 5 regular sized bottles of wine, so plan accordingly. Rack the wine from your carboy into the bottles and cork them. Then get ready to enjoy the final step with friends and family.Step Four: DrinkingFinally the fruits of your labor can be enjoyed. Now that you have all this extra wine in your wine racks, it's time to start drinking it. All wines can be enjoyed either at room temperature or chilled. But, I think that white wines are best chilled and reds are best at room temperature. Your mileage will vary.Be sure to bust out your own bottles whenever you have company over, it'll be sure to impress. Also, your homemade wine is great as a housewarming present, or to just bring along to a party.

Adam Courtney has been busy with his Wine Making for over 10 years. He enjoys sharing his tips and hearing what you have to say. Get all the latest tips and Wine Making How

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