The Rules of Chocolate

If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car.
The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite, and you'll eat less.

If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?

Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger. Therefore, you need to eat more chocolate.

Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Now, isn't that handy?

If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's
wrong with you?

If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated. You can't let that happen, can you?

Freeze it!

You use the freezer for many foods that you wouldn’t normally think of putting in the freezer: I keep cheese, milk, nuts, and sometimes tomato paste in mine.


You can freeze many hard or semi-hard cheeses, such as Cheddar, mozzarella, muenster, provolone, Swiss and Parmesan. They may become crumbly after you thaw them, so plan to use them in cooking rather than to slice or place on sandwiches. Wrap cheese tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag for up to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and use within a day or two of thawing.

Unless you know you’ll use a whole container shortly after thawing, it’s best to freeze milk in smaller portions. One-cup or pint-size portions are convenient. Freeze milk in freezer-safe containers or in well-sealed freezer bags – but be sure to include some extra space, as milk expands when it freezes. Use the frozen milk within 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator, and shake it well before using it. Milk sometimes becomes grainy after it’s been frozen and defrosted – if the texture is too unpleasant to use for drinking or on cereal, use the milk for cooking or baking.

Place nuts in an airtight container, or wrap them tightly in plastic and place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator – or, if using them for baking, toss them into a recipe frozen (though you may need to add a few minutes to your baking time).

Spoon tomato paste into an ice cube tray, freeze until solid, then transfer cubes to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Be sure to measure how much you’re putting in each compartment (1 Tbsp. is a convenient amount) and label it on the freezer bag.

Free Photo Software from GIMP

More free software (good for scrap booking or digital scrapbooking blogs): GIMP Free Graphic Software.  If you don’t want to spend big bucks to crop and edit an image or are just beginning to work with graphics, you may want to download GIMP. GIMP is free and can grow with you as your skills or needs grow. You can find out more about GIMP, its features,capabilities, and tutorials here.

Free Sample of Yo-Plus from Betty Crocker

You know yogurt is good for you. Well, it just got better. You can now get added fiber and probiotics in Yo-Plus (Yoplait-Plus). This is just one of the yummy coupons BettyCrocker is sending its newsletter members. There are some restrictions for several US states however they offer an alternate offer as well. This means that you won’t lose out just because of the state you live in. You can get more details here.

Canned Beer is 75 Years Old Today

According to Yahoo News, today, Jan. 24, is the 75th birthday of canned beer.

New Jersey's Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company produced the world's first beer can in 1935, stocking select shelves in Richmond, Va., as a market test. The experiment took off and American drinkers haven't looked back since, now choosing cans over bottles for the majority of the 22 gallons of beer they each drink per year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Canned beer may have only hit shelves in 1935, but the drink's history goes back much further - at least 6,000 years, in fact, to ancient Iraq.

The first archaeological evidence of beer comes from Iraq, where ancient Sumerians built the first agriculture-based cities approximately 6,000 years ago. A stone seal discovered and dated to that era actually details the beer-making process in a poem dedicated to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of brewing.

Two thousand years later, Babylonians living in the same area had perfected at least 20 different brews. Brewing was a highly regarded profession and almost the exclusive domain of the society's women, as females were also responsible for turning grain into bread.

Beer was enormously popular with all early civilizations, historians believe, since grain was always available and the fermentation process relatively easy. It was also viewed as an important source of nutrition and often rationed as payment; the laborers that built the Great Pyrmids in Cairo, for example, were paid partly in beer.

During the Middle Ages, European monks began to make and drink their own stock during periods of fasting as a way to avoid malnutrition.

The pilgrims sailing from England to America aboard the Mayflower in 1620 originally intended to land at Virginia, but arrived badly off course in Cape Cod instead. Realizing their mistake, they debated continuing on to their original destination, but ruled against it due to a general lack of rations (including beer), according to historical documents. The colony of Plymouth, where pilgrims shared beer produced from barley crops during the first Thanksgiving, was the result.

Beer-making improved during the Industrial Revolution, when steam power and artificial cooling made beers quicker to produce and easier to store. Breweries became a big business across Europe and the United States - slowed only temporarily during the Prohibition years of 1919 to 1933.

The stronger beer that was the norm before Prohibition gave way to much weaker varieties afterwards, as people had become accustomed to bootlegged brews, which were often watered down for maximum profit.

The Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company capitalized on the reintroduction of alcohol in the United States in short order, introducing their beers in cans rather than bottles in stores in 1935.

So, pop open a can to celebrate the occasion!

My Next Big Project?

  I found this great looking chalkboard calendar by Pinch Design (a company in London). This is an idea that could work well with families with lots going on - teacher conferences, piano lessons, doctor appointments, soccer practices, and more. Everything is clearly written but can be changed at a moment's notice. Another good organizational idea: buy a box of colored chalk so everyone in the family could be represented by a different color on the calendar.

I think I could make my own: I know you can buy chalkboard paint, and I could use 2-foot square panels, and may-be just paint the name of each day on each one instead of above the panel like it shows in the picture. What a great project for my own “office” space!

Easy Raspberry Salad

This will remind you that Spring is just around the corner!

2 small packages raspberry gelatin
1 1/2 cups hot water
2 cups orange juice
1 jar cranberry-orange relish
1 small can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Disolve the raspberry gelatin in the hot water and then add the orange juice.  Chill until the mixture begins to set. 
Stir in the relish, pineapple, and nuts.  Chill until set. 

Ten Reasons You are Rich

1. You didn’t go to sleep hungry last night.
2. You didn’t go to sleep outside.
3. You had a choice of what clothes to wear this morning.
4. You hardly broke a sweat today.
5. You didn’t spend a minute in fear.
6. You have access to clean drinking water.
7. You have access to medical care.
8. You have access to the Internet.
9. You can read.
10. You have the right to vote.

 

Betty Crocker's Desktop Calendar--It's Free!

Betty Crocker is giving a free desktop calendar for your computer--with great recipes for each month!  Download the calendar here.

Potato Fudge

Domino Sugar has this very interesting recipe on their website for

 Potato Fudge:

• 3 ounces - (3 squares) unsweetened chocolate 
• 1/4 cup - (1/2 stick) butter or margarine 
• 1/3 cup - cold mashed potatoes 
• 1 tsp. - vanilla 
• Pinch salt 
• 4 cups - Domino® Confectioners Sugar

Grease an 8x8x2-inch baking dish. In medium heavy saucepan, melt chocolate and butter. Remove from heat. Add potatoes, vanilla and salt. Beat in sugar. Turn out on work surface and knead until smooth. Press into baking dish; chill.

Makes 36 pieces.

Check out the Domino Web Site for lots more fun recipes. You also can be a Face Book fan, follow them on twitter, and sign up for the online newsletter.

McDonald's has Free Wi-Fi Now

On Friday McDonald’s officially added free Wi-Fi to the menu at most U.S. locations. Now you can have your Big Mac, fries and free Wi-Fi at 11,500 McDonald’s across the country.

I was never pleased (and didn't use the service) that the fast food chain was charging $2.95 for two hours of Wi-Fi internet access, but it seems that AT&T swooped in to the rescue. By eliminating the cost, McDonald’s is taking yet another step to position their brand as an alternative to higher priced coffee retail chains.

Gramps really likes their Café Mocha, so I bet we will can take our mini computers for afternoon coffee now!

Buttons

Have you ever wondered why are the buttons on mens' shirts are on the opposite side to those on ladies' garments?



Men have been using button on vests, coats, jackets and shirts since the 13th century. Women didn’t start using buttons until the late 18th to early 19th century. At that time, buttons were very costly; only Royalty and the very wealthy could afford such a fashion novelty.

Most people are right handed. Men have always dressed themselves, so the buttons have always been on the right. The Royalty and Aristocracy had maids to help dress the Ladies, so the buttons were on the left, so that the person doing up the buttons, facing the lady, had them on the right.

A Short List of Vitamins

Here is a small list of main vitamins and their main functions in human body:



Vitamin A (aka retinol):

- Good vision

- Hair growth

- Healthy skin

- Acts as anti-oxidant

- Guards against bacterial & viral infections

- Lowers blood cholesterol level


Vitamin D:

- Maintains levels of calcium & phosphorus in blood

- Helps in developing strong bones

- Prevent Rickets


Vitamin E:

- Powerful antioxidant

- Helps in smooth blood flow


Vitamin K:

- Essential for blood clotting

- Helps in absorption of calcium


Vitamin C:

- Helps in repairing of body tissues

- Helps in treating cold

- Reduces risk of getting certain kinds of cancer

- Helps in preventing cataracts

- Can regulate blood sugar to some extent thus helping in diabetes


Please keep in mind that I'm not a health professional, this is the information that I've come to know about during normal day to day life. Please consult a qualified professional before making any decision.

Get a Free Board Book for LeapFrog

Did you purchase or receive a Leapfrog toy for Christmas? You may be able to get a free board book by linking the toy up. Check out the details here. This offer is good until the first of March.