Fresh chestnuts
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Friday, 20 June 2008
Ham, Tomato and Cheddar Quiche
Recipe Courtesy of Cathy Lowe
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1. One package Pillsbury crescent rolls
2. One cup grated Swiss cheese
3. ¾ cup diced soaked ham
4. ½ cup diced tomato
5. 3 eggs, lightly beaten
6. 1 cup cream, light or heavy
7. Salt
8. Pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Fahrenheit or centigrade?)
2. Pat the uncooked crescent roll dough into a 9 inch deep dish pie plate to form a crust
3. Sprinkle in 1/2 cup of cheese on bottom and top it with ham and tomato.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs and cream.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Pour into pie plate and top with remaining cheese.
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until firm.
===============================
Note: The first time I made a quiche was with this recipe and result was excellent. I have since mixed and matched other ingredients.
I use ready made crust or puff pastry, they taste just as good.
If using puff pastry, it's optional to 'blind' bake first or use straight off the package to make a quiche.
To 'blind' bake, prick pastry lightly with fork without cutting through the pastry before weighing it down with beans/rice over parchment/wax paper.
Bake at 180C/350F for about ten minutes or just slightly golden. Cool completely before using to fill up.
Do not throw excess dough as you may need to 'patch' the baked crust after 'blind' baking.
To make a pattern at the edges use a fork; simply press against the dough with back of fork against the pie dish or pinch the edges to make a pattern.
The key factor in this recipe is the liquid mixture of eggs and cream.
If using spinach, ensure it is squeezed dry.
Test doneness of quiche with a toothpick. If it comes up clean, it's ready. Delicious served hot or old. Serve with a simple refreshing salad.
Use a rim cover to protect the crust edges from burning or alternatively, use foil.
For the ingredients, let your imagination works for you. For this recipe, the extra ingredients added were baby leeks, Spanish onions and slices of red peppers to give the quiche an additional kick. If you do not have extra red peppers, just use slices of tomatoes.
I didn't have a chance to take photographs of any slices as I took it to a meeting. The proof of the pudding was in the eating when rave comments were received after the tasting.
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Cheese and Egg Baked
Serves: One
Prep: Five minutes
Ingredients:
1. ¾ cup cheddar cheese or cheese of your choice.
2. One large egg at room temperature.
3. Unsalted butter for greasing bowl.
4. Dash of white pepper (optional)
5. Sprinkling of hot paprika (optional)
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 200C or 400F.
2. Grease a shallow oven proofed bowl lightly with butter.
3. Add cheese into bowl. Push cheese away to side from centre of bowl.
4. Crack egg in centre of bowl. Sprinkle some cheese on the egg.
5. Bake dish on centre shelf of oven for about five minutes.
6. Increase oven temperature to maximum for about one minute for cheese to brown or longer depending on your oven.
7. Serve immediately with crusty bread
Note:
1. Mature cheddar cheese is used in the recipe as we like strong cheese. It's easier to shred cheese directly from the fridge.
2. Delicious with a sprinkling of hot paprika when dish is cooked.
3. Do not over bake lest cheese dries up and egg yolk rock solid. You can always put it back into the oven to extend cooking period if it's not done to your taste, but nothing can be done if it is overcooked.
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
Boiled Egg And Soldiers
Serves: One
Prep: 3 minutes
Cooking: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
One or two large fresh eggs (at room temperature)
Slices of bread of your choice
Butter
Water – Enough to cover egg(s)
Method:
1. Place egg(s) in small pot to conserve energy and with enough cold water to cover them.
Bring water to a boil, and then lower to simmer and put egg(s) into the boiling water. Set timer for 4 minutes.
2. Prepare toast while egg(s) is/are cooking. Butter toast and cut into four or five strips. The strips are known as 'soldiers'.
Assemble soldiers on plate with an egg cup holder.
3. When egg(s) is/are cooked for the desired time, remove immediately and place in egg cup holder.
Cut off egg top immediately with a knife to prevent it from cooking further and serve.
Dip the soldiers into the yolk and enjoy.
Note:
Boil the eggs for a longer time if you prefer your yolk not too runny. I prefer the white cooked with runny yolk.
Monday, 16 June 2008
Visiting US? You'll need to register online next year!
Extracted from another forummer SWA/Cuddlefish
..........
Quote:
Mon, Jun 09, 2008
AFP
WASHINGTON, US - PRESIDENT George W. Bush argued on Sunday that new US regulations for nationals of US visa-waiver countries who want to visit the United States should make trips easier, and not more cumbersome.
'As to whether we have made it harder for visa-waiver countries (nationals) to come to the United States, actually not. We've made it easier,' Mr Bush said in an interview with POP TV of Slovenia, released by the White House on Sunday.
The new rules, to take effect in January, will require three days' advance registration and aim to make it more difficult for potential terrorists to enter the United States from various countries, including France, Germany, Switzerland, Britain, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Singapore, New Zealand, Japan and Australia.
The government will ask for the same information that travellers currently fill out on the I-94 card which is handed out on the plane and turned in to customs on arrival in the United States.
That includes such information as passport number, country of residence, disclosure of communicable diseases or involvement in terror activities. Now, however, it will be requested in advance of travel.
'In other words,' Mr Bush said, 'you file your paperwork online before you come to the United States, which should actually facilitate travel, we hope.'
'But look, I am concerned that people say, well, America no longer wants us to come, when it's the exact opposite of my personal point of view and the view of my government,' he allowed.
The visa waiver programme was created in 1986 'with the objective of eliminating unnecessary barriers to travel, stimulating the tourism industry,' and allowing the government to 'focus consular resources in other areas,' according to the State Department website.
Critics of the new rule have raised concerns about the possibility of reduced tourism and difficulties with last-minute business travel. -- AFP
Unquote
Likewise before entering Spain. HB
..........
Quote:
Mon, Jun 09, 2008
AFP
WASHINGTON, US - PRESIDENT George W. Bush argued on Sunday that new US regulations for nationals of US visa-waiver countries who want to visit the United States should make trips easier, and not more cumbersome.
'As to whether we have made it harder for visa-waiver countries (nationals) to come to the United States, actually not. We've made it easier,' Mr Bush said in an interview with POP TV of Slovenia, released by the White House on Sunday.
The new rules, to take effect in January, will require three days' advance registration and aim to make it more difficult for potential terrorists to enter the United States from various countries, including France, Germany, Switzerland, Britain, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Singapore, New Zealand, Japan and Australia.
The government will ask for the same information that travellers currently fill out on the I-94 card which is handed out on the plane and turned in to customs on arrival in the United States.
That includes such information as passport number, country of residence, disclosure of communicable diseases or involvement in terror activities. Now, however, it will be requested in advance of travel.
'In other words,' Mr Bush said, 'you file your paperwork online before you come to the United States, which should actually facilitate travel, we hope.'
'But look, I am concerned that people say, well, America no longer wants us to come, when it's the exact opposite of my personal point of view and the view of my government,' he allowed.
The visa waiver programme was created in 1986 'with the objective of eliminating unnecessary barriers to travel, stimulating the tourism industry,' and allowing the government to 'focus consular resources in other areas,' according to the State Department website.
Critics of the new rule have raised concerns about the possibility of reduced tourism and difficulties with last-minute business travel. -- AFP
Unquote
Likewise before entering Spain. HB
Earthquake - How to Save yourself and Others
Quote:
Remember that stuff about hiding under a table or standing in a doorway?? Well, this guy has a completely reverse opinion. This is very interesting, different from what we were all taught. Is this ever an eye opener? Directly opposite of what we've been taught over the years! I can remember in school being told to, 'duck and cover' or stand in a doorway during an earthquake. This guy's findings are absolutely amazing. I hope we all remember his survival method if we are ever in an earthquake!!! Please read this and pass the info along to your family members; it could save their lives someday!
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'
My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake. I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries. I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something. Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see in a collapsed building.
TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1) Most everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.
2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.
6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!
7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building).The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible- It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.
9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper. Spread the word and save someone's life...
The entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared! In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul, University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did 'duck and cover,' and ten mannequins I used in my 'triangle of life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover. There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the 'triangle of life.' This film has been seen by millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen in the USA, Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV Yahoo!
Unquote: Please share the information. Thanks, HB
Remember that stuff about hiding under a table or standing in a doorway?? Well, this guy has a completely reverse opinion. This is very interesting, different from what we were all taught. Is this ever an eye opener? Directly opposite of what we've been taught over the years! I can remember in school being told to, 'duck and cover' or stand in a doorway during an earthquake. This guy's findings are absolutely amazing. I hope we all remember his survival method if we are ever in an earthquake!!! Please read this and pass the info along to your family members; it could save their lives someday!
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'
My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake. I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries. I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something. Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see in a collapsed building.
TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1) Most everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.
2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.
6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!
7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building).The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible- It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.
9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper. Spread the word and save someone's life...
The entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared! In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul, University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did 'duck and cover,' and ten mannequins I used in my 'triangle of life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover. There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the 'triangle of life.' This film has been seen by millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen in the USA, Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV Yahoo!
Unquote: Please share the information. Thanks, HB
Sunday, 15 June 2008
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