Bruschetta

Well a week ago I found out I have passed my honors. It was time to celebrate. my man and I decided to invite his parents over for dinner on the Saturday. We had a braai with potato bake, strawberry salad and meat. for starters I made a really nice Bruchetta. Below is the recipe. Please tell me if you tried the recipes and if you liked it.

Makes 8

Ingredients:
4 plum tomatoes chopped
80 ml olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped basil
8 slices Italian bread
1 garlic glove peeled (or I used crushed garlic with little bit of olive oil, soaking)
chopped basil

Method

Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and chopped basil. Season well
Toast the bread on one side (sliced).
Rub the toasted side slightly with a peeled clove of garlic.
Top with the tomato mixture and garnish with the extra basil.
Serve immediately.

Stretch Marks

The owefull word that most woman fear, the lovely stretch marks. They happen to the most of us and what makes it so dreadfull is the fact that it stays there for everyone to see. I have found that there is  no cure for strech marks only prevention. But unfortunatly tehy appear without warning anf we have to live with the marks for life.

Here are some helpfull tips on how to make the marks lighter. I found this on All4woman.co.za.

Stretch marks are caused when skin changes shape too quickly - mostly during weight gain, weight loss, or pregnancy. This sudden change causes a tear in the middle layer of your skin, the dermis. The collagen and elastin fibres in the dermis rupture, and you end up with 'underground' stretch mark scars that look like stripes on the affected area. The sooner you treat them, the better your chances of removing them will be. However, even if you've had your stretch marks for years, it doesn’t mean you're out of options.

Start early to treat stretch marks. Once they pass the initial stage (when they are red, purple, pink, or brown) and become white or silver, it's far more difficult to minimize them.

Massage the stretch mark area three or four times a day with moisturizers that contain cocoa butter as a prime ingredient. This hydrates the skin, making it more pliant.

Apply a natural self-tanner. This will help minimize the appearance of stretch marks. Exfoliate beforehand for best results.

Educate yourself about topical treatments for stretch marks. Many are advertised to "repair" stretch marks, but few have actually been proven to be effective. Here's the scoop on what's available:

• Wheat germ oil - may help improve stretch marks in their early phase.
• Glycolic acid - increases collagen production.
• Vitamin C - certain formulations might increase collagen production.
• Relastin - the effectiveness of this product in treating stretch marks is unknown and unverified.
• Peptide-containing products - these "repair" creams are ineffective.
• Retinoids - they're fairly effective in increasing collagen and elastic production in the early stages, but they should be avoided if you're pregnant or nursing.
• Topical tretinoin can lighten stretch marks and reduce their size if applied in the earlier stages.
• Consider laser treatment. It's used to treat both red/purple and white stretch marks, and generally it works by promoting the formation of collagen. It can be expensive, with limited effectiveness.
• Vascular lasers - won't remove superficial skin, but are effective against redness by treating blood vessels.
• Fractionated laser - minimizes older, more entrenched stretch marks.
• Pulsed dye laser therapy - "remodels" the underlying layers of skin and triggers the production of collagen and elastin.
• Fractional photothermolysis also targets the underlying layers of skin.
• The excimer laser triggers melanin production so that stretch marks take on the same colour as the surrounding skin.

Furthermore

• Stretch mark removal is usually not covered by insurance because it's a cosmetic procedure.
• Other alternative therapies do exist (castor or olive oil, seaweed wraps, or combinations of botanicals, vitamins and fruit acids) but have not been proven effective.
• Surgical procedures that involve the removal of skin (e.g. a tummy tuck) can result in the removal of stretch marks.
• Without surgical procedures, it is virtually impossible to fully remove stretch marks, as they are actually tears/scars in the dermis (middle layer) of skin and the stretch marks are the results of the healing.
• When attempting to reduce the appearance of stretchmarks, always try first to use pure natural ingredients, free of harmful chemicals. Some of the key ingredients often used in natural solutions are: vitamin E, emu oil, glycolic acid, aloe vera, grape seed oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter.

Remember to

• Check carefully with your health practitioner when applying any of the above procedures - especially if you are breast-feeding or pregnant.
• Research the internet, and remember that most treatments are partially effective, at best. Keep your expectations realistic.

Lasagne with a twist

I found this recipe on the internet, tried it and love it. Taste very Yummy and very easy to make. Hope you enjoy =)

Serves: 4-6 people
Time: 10 Minute
Cooking time: 90 min (I used 60 Minute)

Ingredients: 
500g beef mince
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic crushed ( or you can use 2 table spoon already crushed garlic)
2 tablespoon robertsons Thyme ( or fresh thyme works very well)
1 large carrot grated
400g tin chopped peeled tomatoes ( or you can use the onion and tomato mix can)
1 KNORR spaghetti Bologanise Dry cook-in-sauce
2 KNORR classic white sauce
4 potatoes thinly sliced
2 tablespoon parmesan cheese

Instructions:
cook in preheated 160 celcius oven for 60-90 minutes
heat oil in pan and fry mince
add onions, garlic, thyme and carrots, cook until soft
add tomatoes and KNORR fresh ideas spaghetti bolognaise
prepare the KNORR classic white sauce following packet instructions
in an oven dish layer potatoes, mince and white sauce
repeat 3 times and sprinkle sauce. 

Bizarre Mental Conditions

This is kind of ineressting.

Normal is a relative measure, but people exhibiting symptoms indicative of the followings conditions, syndromes and disorders will likely stand out in any crowd.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a form of cognitive bias that renders certain individuals incapable of perceiving their true competency in respects to a certain ability or vocation.
These individuals mistakenly believe themselves to be far better at a given task than they truly are. The bias has been attributed to a metacognitive deficiency that prevents unskilled people from becoming aware of their own shortcomings.
Paradoxically, people with real ability often suffer from low self-esteem, as their insight into the dimensions of a given task or skill allows them to appreciate how much they still have to learn.

Jerusalem Syndrome
Individuals visiting the holy city of Jerusalem are often possesed by thoughts of a religious nature. The great city occupies an important place in several world religions, and its architecture and history is suffused with human conceptions of the almighty.

When these religious thoughts become obsessive, delusional, or psychotic in their dimensions, the person involved may be experienceing Jerusalem syndrome. The syndrome has thus far been experienced almost exclusively by individuals with a history of mental illness.

Exploding Head Syndrome
A form of hypnagogic auditory hallucination, Exploding head syndrome causes the sufferer to ‘hear’ a loud and abrupt noise, seemingly originating from within the cranium itself. The sound is typically likened to a gunshot, an explosion, a screaming voice or an electrical buzzing akin to the sound made by an electric saw.

Making things even harder for sufferers, the noise typically occurs when one is either close to sleeping, or actually asleep. Following an attack, many sufferers report feelings of anxiety or fear, and an elevated heart rate is common. As of now, scientists and doctors are unsure as to what causes the syndrome

Capgras Delusion
Classified as a delusional misidentification syndrome, the Capgras delusion entails the mistaken belief, on the part of the sufferer, that a friend, lover, parent or other close acquaintance has been replaced by an impostor.

The delusion is often experienced by individuals affected by a neurological disorder such as schizophrenia. Injuries to the brain can also result in the appearance of symptoms indicative of the delusion.

William Hirstein and Vilayanur S. Ramachandran have proposed that the delusion occurs as a result of an interruption of the neurological connection between the temporal cortex (which is responsible for facial recognition) and the limbic system (the seat of the emotions).

Freudian theory suggests that an internal conflict, experienced as a result of sexual feelings felt by the sufferer towards one of his/her parents, are resolved by the assumption that the object of desire is not in fact the parent at all.

Fregoli Delusion
The belief that several different people are in fact the same person dressed in different disguises is characteristic of the Fregoli delusion.The condition takes its name from the Italian actor Leopoldo Fregoli, who was renowned for the speed at which he could change his costumes and his appearance on stage.

It was first reported in 1927 by two psychiatrists who discussed the case of a woman who believed that she was being victimised by a pair of actors from her local theatre. The young lady came to believe that the two thespians would take the form of people she knew, or encountered, in order to persecute her still further.

Body Integrity Identity Disorder
People suffering from Body integrity Identity Disorder are convinced that they would feel happier, and more complete, if they could amputate one or more of their limbs. Despite being related, it should not be confused with apotemnophillia, or sexual arousal stemming from the idea of one’s self as an amputee.

One theory as to the origin of the disorder describes it as resulting from a dysfunctional brain mapping function, whereby the brain fails to include the affected limb in its conception of the body.

Although it sounds extremely bizarre to the average human being, the disorder affects otherwise entirely sane people, who sometimes even go as far as injuring their own limbs so as to force their amputation.

Diogenes Syndrome
Diogenes syndrome takes its name from the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes, who made his home in an empty wine barrel and put forward a philosophy of extreme nihilism. The story goes that when the slumbering Diogenes was asked by Alexander the Great what it was he most desired from the world, the grumpy philosopher responded: “For you to stop blocking my sunshine!”

People suffering from Diogenes syndrome show symptoms of extreme self-neglect, social isolation and compulsive hoarding – often of animals. It is mostly experienced by elderly people, and has been strongly associated with the onset of senility.

It’s interesting to note that the name is actually somewhat unfair on poor old Diogenes, who was, though undoubtedly reclusive, never described in historical accounts as being neglectful of his personal hygiene.

Cotard’s Syndrome
Individuals suffering the Cotard delusion (also known as the Walking Corpse Syndrome) maintain an irrational suspicion that they are in fact already dead, do not exist or are in the process of decomposing. Other strange beliefs associated with the condition include the conviction that one has been drained of blood, or that one’s internal organs have been extracted. In a few cases, the sufferer comes to believe that they have attained immortality.

The syndrome was first described in 1880 by the French neurologist Jules Cotard, who called it le délire de négation ('negation delirium'). Those experiencing a mild case of the condition report feelings of despair and self-loathing, while severe cases are characterised by chronic depression and vivid delusional states.

Cotard described the case of one woman, who he called Mademoiselle X, who was convinced that certain parts of her body were not actually existent. She also denied that there was any reason for her to eat. She later came to assume that she was suffering eternal damnation and would not be able to die a natural death. Sadly for Mademoiselle X, her mistaken beliefs led to her eventual death by starvation.

Folie à deux
Folie a deux (from the French for “madness experienced by two”) is a form of shared psychosis in which two people experience the same or similar delusions. Should the shared psychosis involve more than two people, it will be classified accordingly. Thus we have folie à trois, folie à quatre, folie en famille or even folie à plusieurs ('madness of many').

In one case, detailed in Enoch and Ball's 'Uncommon Psychiatric Syndromes', a couple in their thirties experienced similar persecutory delusions. Both of them had come to believe that a third party was entering their house covertly and spreading debris on the floor and furniture. They were also under the impression that this mysterious intruder was “wearing down their shoes.”

Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Classified as a somatoform disorder, Body Dysmorphic disorder involves an excessive pre-occupation with appearance. Sufferers obsess about what they perceive to be a specific physical defect or find themselves overwhelmed by the belief that they are generally unattractive. The disorder often gives rise to feelings of depression and anxiety, and sufferers are often unwilling to leave their homes.

The disorder usually results form a combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors, with the onset typically in adolescence or early adulthood. Sadly, between 1 and 2 per cent of the world’s population meet the dignostic criteria for Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Depersonalisation
An anomaly of self-perception, depersonalization consists of the sense that the individual exists outside of their physical self, engaged in the act of witnessing their own behavior and emotions from a third-person perspective. The sufferer feels they have no power over their actions; the world is experienced as indefinite, illusory and lacking in substance.

In some cases, the subject reports experiencing life as a “dream”. Classified as a dissociative disorder, chronic depersonalisation is often the result of a severely traumatic incident or protracted feelings of anxiety. Interestingly, the experience is often the desired outcome of people ingesting certain recreational drugs, such as marijuana or other hallucinogens.

Stockholm Syndrome
Stockholm syndrome involves feelings of sympathy or even loyalty on the part of the victims of kidnapping towards their abductors. It takes its name from an incident in Stockholm, Sweden, in which hostages taken in the course of a bank robbery felt compelled to defend their kidnappers after they had been freed (even refusing to testify against them in court). One of the victims even went on to marry a member of the gang involved, after he had been found guilty and sentenced for the crime. The syndrome is also often referenced in cases of spousal abuse, rape and child molestation.

Perhaps the most famous example of Stockholm syndrome is the case of Patty Hearst (pictured above), the grand-daughter of millionaire Press baron William Randolph Hearst. Kidnapped in 1974 by the Symbionese Liberation Army, she developed so great a bond with her captors that she would ultimately join them in robbing a bank in San Francisco. Hearst later claimed that her former loyalty to the organisation had been the result of a concerted brainwashing program.

Paris Syndrome
Paris Syndrome is brought about by the disconnect between the expectations of visitors to the French capital, and the reality they encounter upon arrival. It is experienced for the most part by Japanese tourists, with about 12 of the millions who visit Paris every year showing symptoms of the syndrome. These symptoms include delusional states, persecution complexes, anxiety, dizziness, tachycardia and excessive sweating.

Psychologists speculate that the syndrome results from an extreme form of ‘culture shock’, wherein the often congested and modern metropolis fails to conform with the idyllic expectations that tourists have of the city, encouraged as they are by a media obsessed with the notion of Paris as the ever romantic “City of Light”.

Stendhal Syndrome
In his book, 'Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio', the 19^th Century French author Marie-Henri Beyle (better known as Stendhal [pictured above]) described a peculiar phenomenon he experienced while touring through Italy in 1817.

Confronted by the surfeit of high art in the country, he found himself struck by a range of discomforting symptoms, including a quickened pulse, disorientation, confusion and even a loss of vitality.

“As I emerged from the porch of Santa Croce, I was seized with a fierce palpitation of the heart (that same symptom which, in Berlin, is referred to as an attack of the nerves); the well-spring of life was dried up within me, and I walked in constant fear of falling to the ground.”

Today, individuals experiencing these and similar symptoms during or after the experience of high art on a grand scale, are said to be suffering from Stendhal Syndrome. The term sometimes also refers to a similar reaction when confronted by an excess of choice in different circumstances.

A similar, but more specific condition, termed Lisztomania by the poet Heinriche Heine, described the delirious frenzy entered into by some fans upon witnessing a live recital by the famous pianist and composer Franz Liszt.

http://lifestyle.howzit.msn.com/men/men-gallery?cp-documentid=251740900#image=15

Apple pie made easy

I made an apple pie about three days ago. very easy and very delicious.

1 packet of puff pastry.
3 green apples
1 small lemon
1 teaspoon cinnimon
3 table spoons appricot jam
1 8cm deep tart pan
1 egg

Method:

Oven on 180 degrees
Peel the apples and slice in thin slices
Soak the apples in warm water, 2 teaspoons of castor sugar
Roll out the puff pastry on little bit of icing sugar. Then line the pan with the puff pastry
place the apples on the puff pastry.
Squeeze the lemon on the apples
Place the in the oven for 20 min
Take out and cool down for 10 min.
while cooling down, mix the cinnimon and the jam together with little bit of water
top the apples with the cinnimon and jam mixture evenly
Use the left over puff pastry to cover and brush one egg over the puff pastry
Place back in the oven for 25-30 min

Take out and enjoy with cream or ice cream.

Very easy to follow and remember to not use to much water as this could make the pie fall apart. If not sure dont add the water.

Hope you enjoy the recipe =)

How to......

Today while sitting and reading the news like I do everyday, I came accross a very interessting article. From Woman on MSN. How to. There are alot of obsticles in the kitchen and I have found this article very interessting. Hope you enjoy it as well.

1. How to make fridge cold butter spreadable.
You know how it is. You're in a rush, you're trying to make a sandwich or a packed lunch and the butter's straight out of the fridge. There's a simple solution: reach for the cheese grater. If you grate your fridge-cold butter, it will be spreadable within a minute.

2. How to make perfect bacon
Prepping a lot of bacon? There's a very easy way to make sure it's cooked consistently and have it all ready at the same time. Forget the pan, forget the grill: line a baking tray with foil and bake it at 190C for about 20 minutes for perfectly crispy bacon in large volumes.

3. How to save money on fresh herbs ( and this I know is true, grow your own)
Limited for space? Don't have a garden? Or just bored with paying lots of money for bunches of fresh herbs when you just need a couple of sprigs? Plant a herb window box - or a hanging basket. They smell delicious, give you a handy source of herbs and save money.

4. How to core and chop a pepper quickly
There's a very easy way get all the flesh off a pepper and remove the core whole. Slice off the top and the stalk. Slice off the bottom. Then spiral cut the rest of the pepper around the core. It's also a great way to remove the seeds from chillies - which, of course, is where the heat is.

5. How to chop onions easily
Onions are great at this time of year but it's amazing how few of us know how to slice them easily. Cut your onion in half through the root. Place the flat side down, root-end away from you and slice vertically from tip to almost the root. Then hold the root and chop across. Result: Diced onion, no slippage and, because the root bulb is the bit that makes you cry, fewer tears.

6. How to remove garlic and onion smells from your hands
After chopping onions or garlic, your hands will smell of, well, onions or garlic. One of the most efficient ways to remove the smell is stainless steel. Be it kitchen sink or a handy spoon, 'wash' your hands with it for 30 seconds. No, we don't know why it works but it does.

7. How to peel ginger
You can, of course, slice away at your ginger with a sharp knife but that wastes a lot of the good stuff. That's where a teaspoon comes in. The skin of the ginger might look gnarled but it's actually surprisingly soft and very thin and the edge of a spoon takes it off cleanly with no waste.

8. How to remove a broken egg shell from a bowl
When breaking eggs into a bowl, little bits of shell often fall in. If you've ever tried removing them with a finger, you'll know how you end up chasing them around the bowl. Next time, use another piece of broken shell and they'll stick right on and lift out easily - according to @1accidnetalchef, you can use the same trick to remove specks of yolk from egg whites. Alternatively, to reduce the problem do what @lauraroweeats suggests and break eggs on a flat surface rather than an edge.

9. How to make your own sundried tomatoes
It's the end of tomato season. If you've got a glut and fancy a change from frozen portions of tomato sauce, why not make your own sundried tomatoes? 'Sun', however, is something of a misnomer: it's actually done in the oven. Set the oven to the lowest possible temperature, halve your tomatoes, lay them on a cake rack and leave them in there for 10-20 hours.

10. How to squeeze more juice from a lemon
Or a lime, or an orange. Any citrus fruit as it happens. Simply apply a reasonable amount of pressure and roll it on the counter before you juice it. Result, an increase in the amount of juice it produces.

11. How to salvage old fruit
We all do it. Buy fruit and then just leave it turning wizened and overripe in the bowl. But you can salvage most of it. Peel overripe bananas and freeze the flesh to add to smoothies and milkshakes. If you've got shrivelled looking lemons or limes, a five- to-10 second blast in the microwave makes it easy to juice them still.

12. How to fry things properly
When using a frying pan, don't overcrowd the pan. Doing so makes the temperature fall rapidly and the contents will steam rather than fry. That means less caramelisation, less flavour and a longer cooking time. And if you need to add more oil, add it steadily at the side of the pan - by the time it reaches what you're cooking, it'll be hot.

13. How to store fruit for longer
A wet summer with a little sunshine at the end has meant two things: lots of slugs but also lots of glorious blackberries. If you've ever picked such fruit, you'll know how quickly it can go off so wash it straight away, dry it and store it on kitchen roll in the fridge for an extra three or four days of edible life.

14. How to stop a pot from boiling over
It sounds like an old wives' tale and thinking about it, it probably is. But, somehow, it works. Put a wooden spoon or a spatula across a saucepan and, should the phone ring and you have to wander away, you don't have to worry about what's happening in the kitchen.

15. How to season a dish while cooking
When cooking, add salt and freshly milled pepper by hand from a bowl. Using grinders or mills over steaming saucepans will clog up the mechanism. You''ll probably also add more seasoning this way too - and that's one of the reasons restaurant food generally tastes better than your cooking.

16. How to make perfect pasta
Coming into the autumn - and after THAT summer - minds are on comfort eating. That often means pasta and there are many simple ways to make that better. Boil it for one minute less than the packet dictates and cook it for one minute in the sauce. And before you add sauce, sprinkle the pasta with parmesan - that gives the sauce something to stick to.

17. How to cut a cheese or big cake evenly
Need to cut a big cake evenly? Need to cut cheese - particularly soft cheeses and stilton? Or stuck in a hotel room with lovely local cheese and nothing to cut them with? Go to the toiletry bag and reach for the unscented dental floss.

Hope this helps and learns you more about the kitchen cause I have learned alot.

The well known LOVE HANDLES

Today I read this article in all4woman. I found it very interesting as most of us have them: LOVE HANDLES..... We all dislike them and wish they could go away. So I hope that this article will make all aware on how to get rid off them and why we should. Summer time is coming and so is having fun next to pool and having the awfull LOVE HANDLES won't want you to wear the new swimsuits for the season.

Regardless of what we call them, love handles are not lovable and cuddly. Love handles indicate stubborn fat around the midriff which is not only annoying and unsightly, but dangerous to our health as well.
Interestingly love handles seem to bother slimmer people more than those who are already extremely overweight.
There are only two ways to rid yourself of love handle fat – correct eating and correct exercise.
It’s a good idea to start with an eating plan. Even though you might not have a lot of fat on your body, it is vitally important for your health to deal with the problem that you have on each side of your waist. A sensible diet could be the most vital part of getting you to where you would like to go with your whole abdominal area.
Drink more water to lose love handle fat
You've probably heard it a million times before but if you're like the majority, you’ll probably be tempted to forego the water for carbonated soft drinks. However, if you do not drink at least two litres of plain filtered water per day, the chances of losing your love handles will be minimal.
Water flushes out your system, helps you to feel fuller, and prevents you from eating as much. It is one of the most significant things you can do for your body and your wellbeing.
Eat vegetables and fruits to lose love handle fat
Your body needs nutrients to perform the functions it must in order for you to lose the love handle fat around your midriff. Veggies and fruits, particularly those that are eaten raw, are packed full of a selection of nutrient elements including antioxidants which fight off disease and also strengthen your immune system. They offer you fibre for digestion to help keep your body clean and toxin free at the same time as filling you up.
Ditch the fast food to lose love handle fat
Oily cheeseburgers, French fries and a soft drink isn't going to help you to lose those love handles or burn any fat. It is only going to contribute to the issue. A part time approach will not get the job done. Additionally, when you eat a lot of processed food with trans-fats, salt and sugar, you are putting yourself in danger of diabetes and heart disease.
Get moving to lose love handle fat
You need to raise your level of activity to burn any body fat that you do have in this area but it's also necessary to do some exercises that may strengthen the muscles in your abdominal area. The obliques are the muscles on either side of your abdomen.
Exercises that involve toning your obliques are bicycling (lying on the floor on your back, hands clasped behind head, bringing knee to elbow on opposite sides) is one of the finest examples of oblique exercises for dealing with love handles.
You really can lose your love handles fat by eating right, using up fat, and toning, and by applying dedication and persistence to your diet and exercise plan. It's essential, however, to consult your health practitioner before starting any weight loss or fitness regime.
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