Chocolate Malts
June 6th, 2009
Want a fun dessert your kids around going to love? This chocolate log-shaped treat will surely catch your kids’ attention!
Ingredients:
150 grams cream
25 grams glucose
400 grams milk chocolate
25 grams butter
300 grams chocolate for coating
choquick for rolling
Directions:
1. Scald the cream with the glucose.
2. Pour this over the dark chocolate and butter. Let stand.
3. Mix until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until set. Fold in the Choquick.
4. Once it is pipeaple, scoop using an ice cream scooper or pipe using a plain tip onto a cookie sheet. Chill again until hard.
5. Melt the chocolate for coating.
6. For the logs, Cut the filling into 2 inch logs, dip in the chocolate and roll it in the choquick.
For the truffles, just dip in melted chocolate and roll in choquick
7. Chill until ready to serve.
Food Picturific Whore
June 6th, 2009
Almost everyone who’s a confessed foodie wants a food blog for sharing rave-worthy experiences. And how else to savor delectable moments but through posting photos at par with the real thing? But before you go typing your first blog post, check out these food photography tips we’re dishing out!
Know your cam. Although it might be tempting to get the latest SLR, if you don’t own one, work with what you have first. A compact camera or a point and shoot is fine. Educate yourself with the capabilities of your camera.
Instead of going full auto, there’s the ISO and white balance for you to explore. For indoor shooting, an ISO setting of 400 and up is recommended.
For white balance, sometimes auto does the trick, but depending on the ambient lighting indoors, you might need to use tungsten or fluorescent.
Most cameras have the macro shooting mode that’s perfect for taking food photos you shoot up close. It’s usually the flower icon on your camera’s control buttons.
Look for the right angle. Carefully choose the best angle for taking the picture. Clear the table of any distracting clutter you don’t want to include in your composition. This includes tissue holders, utensils or ogling people.
Place your subject where its shadow falls in front, or on its side. It gives your chosen delicacy depth, making it look more realistic. A big light source such as a window will illuminate your subject without eliminating its details. Then position your camera 30 degrees from the table.
Do not use your flash. Unless you’d want your photo to look like a food mug shot, do not use your built-in flash. It makes the food look flat. Using the flash straight on creates harsh shadows that are not at all appetizing. Work with natural light. It’s safest to position yourself near a big window with a white curtain to diffuse the light.
Play with color & props. A garnish serves a purpose: it makes the food look appealing.
Chopped parsley on a spaghetti brings out the crimson color of the sauce. Herbs and spices sprinkled on soup, or a swirl of cream on dull brown liquid makes a big difference.
Food from hole-in-the-wall eateries may come in styro plates or cracked bowls, but watch out for interesting pieces like bottles of vinegar with lots of garlic and siling labuyo. Printed napkins, condiments, and utensils also make good props.
Learn to color balance. Window tint, wall paint, and too much mood lighting are the usual culprits in making your dishes less delish than they’re supposed to be.
Experiment with your camera’s white balance to correct color: tungsten to remove an orange cast and fluorescent to get rid of the cyan. If it doesn’t work, you might need to do a little post processing.
Get close. Zoom in. You want your audience to feel so close to the food that they can taste it. Fill the frame with its mouth-watering goodness. Use a tripod, or prop your camera on a high-back chair to help avoid getting blurred photos.
Be A Credit Card Professional
May 28th, 2009
A credit card is a privilege, but more a responsibility. A whole new world of delights will open up, and a wise and informed credit card user will be able to enjoy all of these at minimal cost.
Getting a credit card could very well be the best thing that ever happened to your life. Or it could be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
There are a variety of reasons why one would want to own a credit card. You don’t need to carry a lot of cash, especially since there are now more establishments accepting credit cards as payment. It’s handy when buying big-ticket items, or during an emergency, like checking in a relative at the hospital or paying for an unexpected major vehicle repair.
Many credit cards companies could give you up to more than three weeks to pay for what you bought–interest free! You can likewise buy those big appliances on installment at zero-percent interest.
When used with care, a credit card allows safe online purchases for those books from Amazon.com, bargain items from eBay, and airline tickets.
A credit card statement is also a good way of keeping track of your regular expenses: groceries, gasoline, or even the spa or gym use.
Responsible Use
But having a credit card also demands the highest discipline and self-restraint from its owner.
If you have to use the plastic card for recurring expenses, for instance, groceries and gasoline, be sure the total is always within your monthly budget.
If you have to purchase something arising from an emergency or out of the ordinary, earmark any payment for these un-budgeted items from excess funds or an extraordinary income.
Control the urge to buy with a credit card what you don’t really need or have not included in your financial plan. It is easy to succumb to extending your entertainment budget or dine in fancy restaurants.
If you live on a fixed salary, chances are you survive on a fixed–and inflexible budget. When the bill comes in, you may end up choosing not to pay the bottom line amount of the credit card company’s statement.
Unbreakable Rule
And if there is one unbreakable rule in credit card ownership, it is to pay the full amount that is billed you every time.
The worst thing that could happen to a “delinquent” credit card owner is being forced to ford interest rate charges that could go as high as 4% a month–or a total 48% a year. Paying only the minimum due will certainly and quickly drive your bill to the maximum allowable limit.
Credit card debt is not easy to surmount, especially if you keep charging what you buy and don’t settle the full bill every month. When you get into this kind of trouble, it is best to remove your card from your wallet and lock it away; then start paying the bills. The bigger the monthly payments, the faster you’ll get out of debt.
Only when you’ve wiped out your debt should you bring out the card. By this time, having paid so much money to your credit card issuer, you would hopefully have learned a precious lesson and fortified yourself with the right attitude and self-control.
Bad credit? No Credit Checks and Free Credit Builder at AccountNow! Get your account now! Click Here
