Wednesday 31 December 2008

Perfect Boiled Eggs - The Method

Perfect Boiled Eggs - The MethodBoiling an egg may seem the simplest thing to do but boiling an egg will give you poor results. If you boil an egg the end result will produce an egg that has a rubbery texture and certainly won't be enjoyed as a meal. To avoid this the egg should be treated gently with the initial heat and then not to be subjected to the intense bubbling boiling water. The results then will give a simple meal to remember for good rather than bad reasons.

The instructions are very simple. I have used this method for over 20 years and it never fails to give me the perfect cooked egg whether soft medium of hard-boiled. Once you use this method you will never go back to your old ways ever again.

Instructions:

The number of eggs to be cooked at one session can range from 1 egg to 6; it works just as well within this number.

Put the egg(s) in a saucepan and top with cold water until it just covers the eggs. Bring the water to the boil and then cover the saucepan and turn the heat off if gas or remove if the heat is electric sourced.

Leave the saucepan to stand for 2 minutes for if you want soft-boiled eggs, 3 minutes for medium-boiled eggs or 15 minutes for hard-boiled that are cooked right through. At this point the eggs should be taken out of the water.

For the soft and medium-boiled eggs they need to be served straight away in the purpose designed eggcups. They will be eaten up and enjoyed in no time with bread or toast soldiers.

Perfect Boiled Eggs - The MethodThe hard-boiled eggs should be put into a bowl of ice-cold water. Doing this will prevent the yolk from turning green and also this method will make the eggs easier to peel. Leave to stand in the water for around 2 minutes then crack by tapping them on a hard surface. To make the peeling even easier, peel the eggs under cold running water. You will have perfect hard-boiled eggs, without having been boiled!

One final note:

The other beauty of this method is that is save on your energy bills, it is the most energy efficient way to do it.


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Monday 29 December 2008

Save Money - Don't Go Shopping with Children

Save Money - Don't Go Shopping with ChildrenDo you have children and want to save a bit more money this Christmas period after seeing your bank balance plummet? Well if you do have children, there is a way to avoid the temptation of more spending than neccasary, even after Christmas has now passed.

It's the school holidays and your children are around all the time. They may well be getting quite bored by now with the novelty of Christmas presents worn off. Having now had more than a week or so becomes a problem as to what to do with their time. They will want to be doing something and going shoipiing with you is an option they will want to take up.

So where does the saving money come into play? It is really very simple, just don't take the to the shops with you. This is very important in terms of the temptations they will incite you to buy. Especially just after Christmas where all the promotions are waiting to be set upon you. You may be strong, but your children will not let up and this is where the problem lies.

You can escape the pressures of buying by simply not taking you children into shops with you. Pay for a baby sitter for an hour, the investment will be good value as you are sure to spend more in the shops with children than the fee for the babysitter.

Save Money - Don't Go Shopping with ChildrenThe other alternative is to get someone to get your shopping for you or get your shopping online and delivered, this way you are in complete control. The temptation to give into children's' wants in a shop will be completely eliminated.

Finally, if you do have to take you children to the shops and they do kick up for something to buy, just give then a small budget which they will be allowed to spend. This will gives you a controlled limit where you children can then become prudent shoppers as well having to stay within that presented budget. Children will love the freedom and responsibility of shopping within the constrains of funds in hand.


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Saturday 27 December 2008

Jogging - Not Hi Tech but Still Good For You

Jogging - Not Hi Tech but Still Good For YouJogging is something that has fallen out of fashion over the last few years, other hi-tech machines and fitness centres seem to be the craze now. Jogging was at its height in the 1980 with marathon running becoming a worldwide phenomenon. It still carries on now, but not on the same scale.

Jogging is not the same as running, more of a trot It burns calories and gives good benefits for blood circulation and well being. The benefits of jogging and the burning of calories and cardiovascular fitness far outweigh the disadvantages of impact injuries on heels and knee joints.

The most important part of jogging is the jogging shoes. They have to absorb impact shocks and a good effective pair of trainers will reduce the risk of injury substantially. They must have good cushioning soles with added all round protection and support to ankles. It goers against my principles but always opt for reputed brands of jogging shoes, they may be high priced, but in the long run (pun) they payback.

Once you get into a routine of jogging you begin to see benefits coming through. It is definitely the best exercise for overweight people as from the impact they can burn more calories from hips, thighs and abdominal area. It also rotates the body giving an additional strength to the waist muscles.
  • A good pair of jogging shoes is essential.
  • Before starting up jogging consult your doctor, this is important if you are overweight before getting started with jogging.
  • Choose a sensible place to jog, away from crowds and traffic with a good road surface.
  • Don't bounce too much and try and keep an erect posture. i.e. Don’t hunch over.
  • Smokers need to seriously consider giving up. Quite simply, smokers get exhausted much faster that non-smokers and this could well result in palpitations.
  • Hilly terrain should be avoided to prevent injury. Running downhill give more impact on your body, plus you can fall and injure yourself.
  • Your strides should be longer and steadier. Try to mark your steps straight line without splaying to prevent ankle injury.
  • Begin slowly and pick up speed as you get used to jogging. Always listen to you body, it will tell you if you are doing too much or going too fast.
  • Lastly, it can be helpful to carry a radio and earplugs with you Music helps relax and helps your rhythm of stride as well as relaxing you.
Jogging - Not Hi Tech but Still Good For YouThe main thing is to enjoy the exercise and not turn it into a chore. You may find that you will become addicted to it if you make it a part of you routine and the investment you put into jogging will reap benefits not just from health but food will taste better and you can eat more of the forbidden fruits without conscience.




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Tuesday 23 December 2008

Coffee Making Tips - For Further Enjoyment

Coffee Making Tips - For Further EnjoymentSome people can live without coffee. Somehow the moment can't be recreated with any other drink. It is unique and loved worldwide but so many of us don’t really know how to make a decent cup of coffee. Following a few tips the experience can be enhanced further making coffee drinking even more of a pleasure. Most of the advice is about cleanliness, freshness and common sense; this will prevent any foreign flavours and aromas affecting the brew.

  • It is not good idea to leave coffee standing on the burner for too long, the fine aromas will disappear. Use a thermal server if you want it to keep longer.
  • Brew the coffee in fresh filtered water.
  • The coffee pot should be rinsed really well before preparing the coffee making.
  • The coffee in the pot should be stirred before pouring.
  • Always use the filter paper, which is the right size to your system.
  • The coffee should be as fresh as possible.
  • If you use a coffee maker always make sure it is clean before and after you have made the coffee.
  • Once the coffee packet has been opened, keep the coffee in a tightly sealed container.
  • In order to get a consistent flavour, use the same amount of coffee each time.
  • The coffee is evenly distributed to get more flavour when put in the filter bag.
  • 96° Centigrade is the optimum temperature for coffee to be brewed and should be served at 85° Centigrade.
  • The coffee machine will need de scaling regularly, don't forget. How often depends on the hardness of the water in your area.
  • Always use clean serving decanters.

Here is a little guide to the range of of coffee beans that are freely available in most shops and supermarkets:

Coffee Making Tips - For Further EnjoymentAmerican
This is a light roast which has a very mild sweet flavor

Vienna
Light to medium roasted coffee which takes its name from the colour of the coffee bean. It has a more of an intense aroma and bitterness than the American roast. Tis is still not strong enoigh from many coffee drinkers

Breakfast
This has a fuller body with a slightly less bitter taste. A good all-round roast and just as the name suggests is well chosen roast for morning coffee.

French, Spanish or Continental
The beans are dark brown and have a somewhat oily and rich flavour. This type of roast is used in espresso type systems.

Coffee Making Tips - For Further EnjoymentEspresso
Almost black in colour from extended roasting, these beans are shiny with oil. There are two varieties a light roast in the north of Italy and and a dark roast in the south of Italy. Another fact is that the Espresso roast holds less caffeine than any other roast coffee beans.



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Saturday 20 December 2008

Horse Racing Betting - How to Win More

Horse Racing Betting - How to Win MoreHorse Racing Betting is something that I have never really done, but I know lots of people who do and aren't very successful at it. You only hear about when they win and that isn't very often. So I decided to find out about how to improve the odds on winning with bets on horse racing. All for fun of course.
  • If your horse always loses bet on the horse to lose the race! It is called Lay betting.
  • Use a betting system, i.e. bet on multiple horses in a race, try staking plans or betting on particular trainers on certain courses.
  • Do some research through articles help you find out new ways of assessing you bet and finding winners. This includes horse racing magazines, book guides to do with betting basics and race card form publications.
  • Make the most of your computer to help you make the most of your betting. there are programs for best bets and analysis, horse form and predictions of winners.
  • If you don't have the time for form study, check out some tipsters who provide free tips, some charge for this of course.
  • Look up the speed and form ratings services for UK and Irish horse racing which can be found online or in sporting newspapers.
  • Check out message forums on Horse racing and betting message groups. These can include discussions about betting strategies, general racing chat and tips.
  • Up-to-date odds should be compared taking all the major online bookmakers and betting exchanges.
  • Online via the Racing-Index bookshop you can buy books on horse racing gambling written by experts. You'll pick a thing or two up here.
Horse racing is fun and if you have every been to a meeting is it a great day out not just for you but for the family, if you come back richer than you went out, that's a bonus.

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Thursday 18 December 2008

Budget Your Finances - Help is Here

We all have budgets to maintain, from the shoestring budget to the budgets that reach the heights of the wealth, all needs to be controlled within their means to avoid financial problems ahead. Budgeting your finances saves you money as you can plan ahead with a financial forecast and live within the budget you have set. This may well save you much on unnecessary credit or loans that may have to be acquired without a budget in place. It makes good sound financial sense to do this, but how can you get started?

The New Year is nearly upon us, an excellent time to look at how you budget your family finances. It may sound quite a daunting task, but there is help that can support you all the way from start to finish and continue to carry you on indefinitely.

Budget Your Finances - Help is HereMany people I’m sure have had a go at budgeting, usually after the debts had mounted and you were forced to budget. Right now many with the credit crunch upon us you may well be thinking about starting a personal budget – This is good advice and this is where the help is right there to make it a simple task with no mountain to climb.

You Need A Budget (YNAB) has a revolutionary budget software giving you quick and easy interface that lets you see what funds you have available to budget and then allocate those funds to your own custom spending categories. If funds not spent in one month will roll over to the next so your balances can accumulate. You can monitor and customise your spending and savings throughout the month to ensure your budget is in line with your goals.

It reasuring to be know that this money management methodology can work. We all need to take care of our finances, especially in this day and age and we should make the most of today's technology and support which will help us achieve that.




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Tuesday 16 December 2008

Exercise Tips - Don't Wait Until After Christmas

Exercise Tips - Don't Wait Until After ChristmasEvery one thinks that they should try and lose weight and exercise after Christmas and the New Year - I disagree, start now and you'll have less of a mountain to climb next year. Let's face it, most of us have been putting off the exercise at this time of year. Getting into an exercise habit is something that should happen all the time not just once of twice a year after great indulgence of food during celebration times.

There are many forms of exercise, it is a case of choosing the type that is for you. It could be walking, jogging, cycling, gym work, swimming, dancing, team sports, football, netball etc. Whatever you feel would suit you.

Exercise Tips - Don't Wait Until After ChristmasIf you are 'getting on' a bit, i.e. 50 years or over, it is vital you get a medical check before taking up exercise. The same applies if you haven't exercised for ages, better to be safe than sorry.

It can be hard to get started again so I have given some tips to get back into the habit that should lead to a healthy extended lifetime.

  • The best way to keep things going is simply not to stop. Don't have long breaks in exercising or rebuilding the habit will take some effort. Try not to give up at the first sign of trouble.
  • Make a commitment to exercise every day even if it is only a brisk walk for just for 20 minutes. Make this a daily point to cover a month. This will give you a good start of the exercise habit.
  • If you don’t enjoy the exercise you're doing i.e. at the gym, it is going to be very hard to keep it a habit. there are many other way to exercise, so don’t give up, just try something different.
  • Don’t exercise during times where it can easily be pushed aside. Right after work or first thing in the morning are the best times. Lunchtime you may be tempted to miss it if work demands start mounting up.
  • Take a friend to join you, it will boost your commitment to the exercise habit.
  • You can worry about your weight, amount of laps you run or the amount you can bench press later, just get started.
  • Your workout routines should be in a strict, as if your workout times are completely random it will be harder to benefit and see the improvements you are making.
  • Use a calender and mark off the days you have exercised, i9t is a very good motivator.
  • Exercise can be a great way to relieve stress, it releasing endorphin which will improve your mood. Feeling stressed or tired? Try doing an exercise during these moments.
  • Record your exercise, this will encourage you when you see improvements on paper.
  • Trying to run 10 miles miles your first session isn’t a good way to build a habit. Start of with 1 mile mixing walking and jogging and build it from there.
  • Exercise Tips - Don't Wait Until After ChristmasExercise for yourself, not to impress the onlookers, you will overdo it otherwise.

With all this in place, you will reap the benefits and have a head start for the New Year, you'll probably enjoy the festivities more with less worry about calories being put on as you already have worked some off.


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Saturday 13 December 2008

Feng Shui - Tips To Try

Feng Shui - Tips To TryI have recently being looking at the practice of Feng Shui. It is a fascinating concept of creating a balance in your environment.

Feng Shui originates from and is practiced in China. this has spread to millions of other people who now firmly believe in it. These people say that their lives are controlled by natural forces around them. Although there are many schools of thought of Feng Shui systems, there are many factors that have a common trend in the use and positioning of many items changing colours scheme to mention a few.

Feng Shui - Tips To TryA Feng Shui specialist may give many ways to improve your environment and create a harmonic balance in homes or even in businesses. They use five elements, xuan kong flying star, colour, positioning of furniture, simple remedies and cures for problem areas and many other practices beyond these. those who practice Feng Shui claim that it enhances and attracts good health, wealth and relationships.

Much advice has been thrown around, and it can be quite confusing to many on how to achieve this balance in you own environment. So I have taken a few of Feng Shui instructions and simplified them. You may want to try out to see whether it makes a difference to your life.

  • Remove all your shoes and slippers and allow main door to be free and clear.
  • No televisions in the bedrooms or cover it over with a plastic cloth when not being watched.
  • No mirrors opposite or by the side of your bed.
  • Get an indoor water fountain in your home, you can put this anywhere you like.
  • If you have had bad luck and have a fish tank in your house, move it somewhere else in the house. If you still get bad luck after a few more months, move it again.
  • Your cooker in the kitchen should have no refrigerator, washing machine or toilet opposite it. The fire and water is bad and causes arguments.
  • Mattresses on the floor should not be slept on by children. It will cause them to be sick often.
  • Young children should have their backs to the wall when they write.
  • Double bunk beds are bad for children. The child sleeping underneath will not have "fresh chi" and their health might be weak.
  • Your bed should always have a solid wall behind it.
  • On top of your bed there should be no beams.
  • A marble table in your dining room may give you pressure at work. Get it replaced with a wooden one!
  • If your child is sick put them into another bedroom or hang a six-rod metal wind chime in the room. Put it by a window where the wind can make it chime is a good idea.
  • Red coloured sofas are bad and will give rise to heavy work pressure, troubles and obstacles.
  • Your bedroom windows should remain open at least once 20 minutes a day to allow fresh chi to come in.
Even if you can't manage all these, just a few may well make a difference to you life, luck and even love.


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Thursday 11 December 2008

Green Car Maintenance

Green Car MaintenanceIt is well known and written about, that I have a particular pet hate for cars, but I know this has to be accepted, the fact is they are here to stay. You can't fight the inevitable every increasing swarm of cars that are filling the roads, choking the air and ruining the environment. The only option left is to try and work alongside cars trying to make then more efficient, green and environmentally friendly in their running and maintenance.

Over the last three years I have owned a Lada and picked up some useful tips locally in Bulgaria where I live. These tips are given here to help out if for some reason there is a problem with not just Lada cars but any car.

A Bulgarian Lada dealer told me this one. If your car battery is dead, no hills to bump start and you are stuck. Even if you have flagged someone down to give your battery a boost with jump-leads and it still won't turn over, this is not the end. No matter how run down your battery is it is never completely dead. If you open a can or bottle of fizzy drink and pour it on the corroded areas of your battery terminals, the acid from the drink will wash away the corrosion on your contacts and improve the connection. There will be a new lease of life there and the jump-starting system should now work.

Green Car MaintenanceI have actually used this tip and it works a treat. In case of emergency a pair of stockings or tights can easily replace a broken fan belt. This will last for miles more than enough to get you home or to a garage where a new fan belt can be fitted. The beauty is you don't need any tools to fit the stockings or tights in. Make sure you have some tights in the glove compartment, they will always come in useful for your fan belt or female partner who may need then one day.

If your car radiator decides to spring a leak just place some chewed chewing gum over the leaking hole to plug it up until you get home or to a garage where it can be repaired or replaced. There are products for sale that recommend sealing the radiator by mixing commercial chemicals in the radiator water. Firstly, the use of chemical is not a good idea, secondly it will clog up other parts of the radiator and make it less efficient. Thirdly, these are quite expensive considering you are just going to drain the whole system prior to repairs.

Green Car MaintenanceIcy windscreens can be scraped using a phonecard or a credit card if no ice scraper is to hand. Never use the spray-on de-icer on to your windscreen. These chemicals will corrode right through the rubbers on your window seals through time causing your windows to leak. On top of this you will then have a smeared window which will need washing later on and disposing of the spray can afterwards is a liability Simply use lukewarm water! You will save money as well.

It's all about avoiding the use of chemicals and unnecessary waste, therefore saving money and reducing pollution. If you have a car, it's all about just trying to be a bit more responsible with your driving and maintenance, every bit helps.

Monday 8 December 2008

Shaving - The Best Method for Men

Shaving - The Best Method for MenIf you're like me chaps, you like to get up early and shave more or less straight away, it really does freshen you up. This isn't the right thing to do; you should wait 10- 15 minutes after rising from bed before hitting it with the metal. You face needs to wake up as well as you.

Before having your shave you should wash your face, this will get rid of any dead skin and soften up your face. This should be done with warm water. The best way is to use a flannel or face cloth. If this advice is followed it will cause the swelling of your facial hair shafts and make it much easier for closer shave with the blade.

Shaving - The Best Method for MenI know it is a bit old fashioned but the advice is to always use a shaving brush. Most chaps have one tucked away somewhere as an old birthday or Christmas present, the cream and aftershave used left with a solitary shaving brush used once or never at all. Get into the habit; it's there for a good reason. The technique is easy. Wet the shaving brush with warm water and put a little shaving cream in the centre of the brush. Or you can just work the brush into your shaving soap directly.

There are many pre-shave oils on the market, get hold of a decent on and use it. It does what is says on the label. These pre-shave oils or pre-shave gels will give a good lubricate to your face therefore give you a perfect foundation for not only a close shave, but also a comfortable one. It will reduce razor burns, rashes and blotchy skin.

Lather your face in a circular motion with laden shaving brush. Be sure you lubricate every part of your skin getting under any beard stubble. You can dampen the brush head with more warm water, doing this and re-applied it to your face will create even more lather.

Use a sharp blade is essential, double or triple blades for shaving give both a safe and close shave if used. If you shave with grain of the hair on your face you will avoid burns, cuts and rashes. The head of your razor should be rinsed in warm water after every stroke. Strokes of the shaving action should be slow and deliberately.

Once you shave is finished, rinse your face in warm water and gently apply some aftershave, balm or even moisturiser. This will sooth and protect the face.

Shaving - The Best Method for MenYou need to rinse your shaving brush thoroughly in clean warm water and then squeeze the head of the brush with a few flicks to get rid of the excess water. Your shaving brush once cleaned and just damp should be placed on a brush stand. This is to enable the water to drip away from the base of the brush hair. If it is stood on its end to dry all sorts of bacteria will cause it to smell, rot and become mouldy.

With these tips taken on board and applied daily you will feel good, look good and your women (or men if you're that way inclined) will be able to get closer to your face with touches and kisses.



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Wednesday 3 December 2008

Sea Fishing for Free - A Beginner's Guide

Sea Fishing for Free - A Beginner's GuideFishing by rod is free in the sea, no fishing licences, rod licence or fees to pay and the food you catch is also natural and free. What could be better than taking home some sea fish to cook for an evening meal that has been freshly caught a few hours earlier?

It is not expensive to set up some fishing tackle it's not that expensive and once you have it, it will last for years so I recommend a mid-range outfit to start with. If you really get into it then you can always add more expensive tackle specific to certain fish with the experience you will gain.

You need something that can cope with a range of applications essentially an all-round set up. The type for beginners will be gear that will work for harbour, pier fishing, rock, estuary and beach fishing.


The Fishing reel

Sea Fishing for Free - A Beginner's GuideA medium sized fixed spool reel will set you up nicely. It can deal with heavy weights and is an ideal for every type of fishing mentioned above. A fixed spool reel is quite easy to cast with and requires a lot less skill than other types. You shouldn't pay more than forty pounds should buy you a decent reel.

The Fishing rod

The rod you choose should flex easily, smoothly and gently without snapping back straight. A 10 to 12 footer would be an ideal starter rod as shorter ones makes rock and pier fishing more difficult as it take longer to master.

The Weights

A light casting weight will suite the pier and estuary fishing, but if casting out quite a distance is important then consider a heavier casting weight. Casting weights of 1-3 ounces are considered light and 3-6 ounces are moderate; 4–8 ounces are heavy.

The Fishing line

This is simple, for a beginner just stick to old-fashioned monoline. Until you become more confidant at what you are doing this will suit admirably.

The Rig

Sea Fishing for Free - A Beginner's GuideThis is the system that the fish will be faced with and can be as simple or as complicated as you like. The best tip is to know what species of fish are around, this advice from you local fishing tackle dealer is invaluable; he will tell you and also get you a good quality rigs, weights and other end gear for the type of fish locally found. You will begin to set up your own system of rig once some experience is behind you.

The Bait

Again, local knowledge is best, seek advice from the fishing shop, they will have all sort of bait for sale and also tell you where you can dig up your own if you wish.

More Tips

Sea Fishing for Free - A Beginner's GuideThe more you plan your fishing the more successful you will be. Also make sure you have everything you need and some spare rigs and line just in case you lose some. I always find that a bucket or plastic bags are very useful to when the fish are caught so they can be kept in until you go home.


Food and Clothing

Take some food, drink and extra clothing. The food always tastes better by the sea and there is always a wind that eventually will get through to you. Other than that, enjoy all the excitement of fishing the sea.

Finally, don't forget to check the tide times, the last thing you want is to get there and find the tide is out.


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