Thursday, March 31, 2011

Superfood: Dark Chocolate

http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/02/organic_dark_chocolate
Superfood: Dark Chocolate

High in antioxidants known as flavonoids, dark chocolate delivers an awesome nutritional wallop. Studies show that modest amounts–no more than 1 to 2 ounces–eaten every day can reduce risk of blood clots, lower blood pressure, increase endurance, improve skin quality, and even sharpen problem-solving skills. But put down that candy bar–notice the emphasis on dark chocolate, which has less sugar and 2 to 3 times more flavonoids than milk chocolate (white chocolate has none at all). And remember, even dark chocolate still contains calories and fat, so please use in moderation.

Read more on:
Superfood: Dark Chocolate | MyRecipes.com

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Dark chocolate keeps us away from doctors

Photo Courtesy of MyRecipes.com
Dark chocolate keeps us away from doctors

Eight reasons to eat dark chocolate:


1. Lower blood pressure

Flavonoids of cocoa helps normalize blood pressure and lower cholesterol. It was shown that dark chocolate is almost as effective as antihypertensive drugs because not only reduce tension but decreased by 20% the risk of heart attack and 8% risk of premature death.

2. Increases blood flow to the brain

Because of flavonoid cocoa, the brain blood vessels dilate and allow penetration of larger quantities of blood and oxygen. Therefore, when eating dark chocolate help the brain to fight fatigue, insomnia or aging. Flavonoids is also found in wine, green tea or blueberries.

3. Mood

Phenylethylamine, a chemical secreted by the brain, which is found in chocolate, induces a state of euphoria and excitement during eating.

4. Improves blood sugar levels

Is due to all flavonoid. The more chocolate is rich in cocoa, both contain a higher amount of flavonoids. An Italian study shows that dark chocolate rich in flavonoids reduce the risk of diabetes.

5. Reduces risk of heart attack

According to a U.S. study a few squares of dark chocolate consumed daily reduce by 50% the risk of heart attack. The study showed that blood coagulates more hard in people who eat chocolate.

6. Fighting fatigue

A British study shows that adults who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome and eating every day for almost a week, about 50 grams of chocolate with a cocoa content of 85%, do not feel tired.

7. Raises “good” cholesterol and lowers the “bad” one

This benefit is mainly due to antioxidants, which reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

8. Reduces cough

A British study shows that a substance in cocoa may be more effective than even a cough medicine. Moreover it has no side effects as happens in case of medicines.

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Many thanks to Health Magazine!

Dark Chocolate May Harbor Benefits for the Heart

Photo Courtesy of  Health Magazine http://koorosh82.com/
If you can handle the fat and calories, there may be a health benefit to enjoying dark chocolate on occasion. New research suggests that the cocoa ingredient may lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels while preventing diabetes and improving the health of blood vessels.
Read more on....
Dark Chocolate May Harbor Benefits for the Heart | Caring.com
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Many thanks Caring.com!

Polvoron Season











Featured Chef: Heny Sison

This person has greatly inspired me to reinvent myself....to pursue cooking and baking. I remember how I would religiously watch her Sunday cooking show at then Channel 13, paper and pen ready soI can quickly catch her recipes. She showed so much passion and dedication, that these two things can make learning easy and enjoyable. Thanks a million Chef Heny! I wish I could thank you even more.  Hope to see you in one of your classes and follow in your footsteps as the best cake decorator....InshaAllah....

Photo Courtesy of Pinoy Achievers Blog

Chef Heny Sison

Learn more about the popular creator of beautiful cakes
By: Mabel David Pilar

While she is known for her beautiful wedding cakes, Heny Sison has accomplished so much more in her twenty-plus years of culinary experience. On top of establishing the Heny Sison Culinary School, she’s earned the distinction of Certified Culinarian from the American Culinary Federation and has achieved the elite status of Pro Chef Level 1 under the Culinary Institute of America. She has also lent her name and expertise as a food consultant, stylist, demonstrator and product endorser to some leading food brands. And to think she only started selling her baked goods from her home to augment her income.
From her mother, Heny learned the rudiments of cooking and baking early on. When she started working, she began accepting orders for wedding and birthday cakes, and sold sylvannas and fruit cakes from her house. On her free time, she enrolled at various schools for baking and cooking classes. Eventually, she started teaching baking lessons herself. When she got married in 1987, she went to the United States and took classes at the Wilton School of Cake Decorating and Confectionary. When she came back to the Philippines, Heny pursued her passion fulltime and established the Heny Sison School of Cake Decorating and Baking. But she wasn’t one to be contented “what is good enough.”

Heny continued to hone her craft by studying in some of the world’s best culinary institutions and being mentored by some of the respected names in the field—including Sylvia Reynoso Gala, Bo Friberg, Hinnerk Von Bargen, and Wesley Wilton, among others. She also went beyond being an expert in pastries and baking; studying different cuisines in different countries and learning about every aspect of the culinary world.

It’s not surprising then that the Heny Sison School of Cake Decorating and Baking would also expand its expertise and be known as the Heny Sison Culinary School, with Heny as the lead chef instructor handling some of the cooking classes. Recently, she’s been traveling all over the Philippines to search for certain foods she can adapt in her kitchen. “We must always strive to improve and perfect our craft," she says. "To always try new things, travel, explore, and learn different techniques.”

Recipes by Yummy magazine online | Yummy.ph - the Philippine online recipe database | Yummy.ph - the Philippine online recipe database

Many thanks to Yummy.com!

Related Articles:
http://filipinoachievers.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/heny-sison-masterbaker/
You may alsovisit her website:
http://www.henysison.com/

Words from the Wise....


"Probably you don't need other people. But I can guarantee: other people need you."....Paulo Coelho

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

God's Wings

The painters of these Feathers are outstanding,
But the message below the Feathers, "God's Wings," will touch your heart......

God's Wings
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast...because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.
'He will cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you will find refuge.'
(Psalm 91:4)

Courtesy of: Featherfire SilverCloud Lennon

The Friends of Allah (Walli-ullah)

PRAYER: Its importance

Protect Your Heart

Top 10 Offensive 1930s to 1950s Vintage Ads



Photos Courtesy of TotallyTopTen.com
Vintage Ads - Top 10 Offensive 1930s to 1950s Vintage Ads: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Edible Pen

PhotoCourtesy of  Toxel.com
Edible Pen: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Heart over Mind....

Artwork by Rij
Use your heart where your mind has forgotten....

ADHD: It's The Food, Stupid -- Health & Wellness -- Sott.net

Photo Courtesy of TriliumHealth.com /Sott.net
Over five million children ages four to 17 have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the United States and close to 3 million of those children take medication for their symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But a new study reported in The Lancet last month found that with a restricted diet alone, many children experienced a significant reduction in symptoms. The study's lead author, Dr. Lidy Pelsser of the ADHD Research Centre in the Netherlands, said in an interview with NPR, 'The teachers thought it was so strange that the diet would change the behavior of the child as thoroughly as they saw it. It was a miracle, the teachers said.'

Read more on....

ADHD: It's The Food, Stupid -- Health & Wellness -- Sott.net

40 Amazing Shots of Motion Blur in Photographs






Photos Courtesy of SmashingHub.com
40 Amazing Shots of Motion Blur in Photographs

Motion blur is the apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a still image or a sequence of images such as a movie or animation. You can artificially achieve this effect in a usual scene using cameras with a slow shutter speed. Also Adobe Photoshop can be used for this purpose, though sometimes images may look unnatural and unprofessional. You may want to take a look at resources provided in the end of the article — they show how one can add the motion blur effect in photos.

Many thanks SmashingHub.com!

Swiss Black Forest Cake

PhotoCourtesy of HotPolkaDot.com

Chocolate. Cherries. Whipped Cream. « Hot Polka Dot

Swiss Black Forest Cake

Source: Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible.

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup boiling water
4 eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cake flour (or substitute)

2 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin
1/3 cup water
3 cup whipping cream
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 454g can pitted bing cherries
3 tbsp spiced rum

1 ounce semisweet chocolate, grated or shaved

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9 inch spring form pan and set it aside.

In a small heavy sauce pan combine the chopped chocolate and water then bring it to a slow boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove it from the heat once it thickens to a pudding consistency and stirring leaves temporary lines in the surface. Set it aside and let it cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer and the whisk attachment beat the eggs and sugar until they triple in volume. Gently but quickly fold in the cake flour half at a time until it's just incorporated. Next fold in the cooled chocolate mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared spring form pan and bake it for 25 - 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. The top of the cake will rise while baking then lower slightly when it's done and feel springy to the touch. The sides will also shrink as they pull away from the pan.

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow it to sit for 10 – 15 minutes before releasing the cake from the spring form to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling start on the Super Stabilized Whipped Cream. Refrigerate a large mixing bowl and whisk attachment for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small heatproof bowl combine the gelatin and water. Let it soften for about 5 minutes then place the bowl in a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the gelatin is dissolved. Set the gelatin mixture aside and let it reach room temperature before adding it to the whipped cream, about 7 minutes.

In the chilled bowl beat the cream and sugar until traces of beater marks begin to show distinctly on the surface. Add the gelatin mixture in a steady stream while beating constantly then add the vanilla and beat it further until stiff peaks form.

Drain the can of cherries and reserve the syrup. Set aside 12 cherries to top the cake later. With a cake leveller or a long serrated knife level off the top of the cooled Chocolate Génoise Cake and slice it into 2 even layers. In a small bowl combine the reserved cherry syrup and spiced rum then drizzle it evenly over each cake layer.

Place one layer on the cake plate and wrap it snugly with a spring form pan or wax paper collar that is at least 2 1/2 inches high. Reserve 2 1/4 cups of the whipped cream and spread the rest over the bottom cake layer. Poke cherries into the filling then smooth it out with a knife or offset spatula. Top it with the other cake layer and evenly spread about 1 cup of the reserved whipped cream. Scoop the remaining whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe 12 rosettes around the edge of the cake then press the reserved 12 cherries into the middle of each. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate shavings then refrigerate it for at least 4 hours. Unwrap and enjoy!

Many thanks toHotPolkaDot.com!

I am like a traveller....

"The worldly comforts are not for me. I am like a traveller, who takes a rest under a tree in the shade and then goes on his way." (Tirmidhi)

Le Bonhuer....

Meet Perry

My photo
Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
I got a confession to make. I am food addict, over-indulgent! I crave for anything especially sweets, chocolates, cakes, ice cream, strawberries, halo-halo, leche flan, banana Q, breads, pasta, Nasi Goreng....tell me what you got in your fridge ;-D. Thank heavens for I got my mum's genes, I can gain and lose pounds that easy and quick. I am here to share with you my food recipe collection (almost forgotten in a corner of my room) and search for new, exciting recipes, meet good people, and discover more about the world of baking. I am no professional baker or chef (just a wanna-be for now) but we'll get there in time. In sha Allah. Afterall, DREAMS just got to start somewhere, and it starts right here, right now! Meantime enjoy this food journey with me among other stuff....amigos to the kitchen! [Thank you for visiting my blog,you're always welcome to come by! Feel free to dig deep into the posts, much treasures there. And leave your comments, I'd appreciate your words....] [P.S. Borrowed articles/photos can be deleted anytime, please advise.Thank you.]

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