Painstaking gardener

さまざまな素材のマットレスに適した特殊な掃除機を選択するにはどうすればよいですか?

No Name Ninja — 2024-08-07T15:53:44+09:00

私たちの日常生活において最も親密な睡眠パートナーであるマットレスの清潔さは、睡眠の質と健康に直接影響します。マットレスの掃除には、適切な掃除機を選ぶことが重要です。この記事では、さまざまな素材のマットレスに適したmattress cleaner machine専用掃除機の選び方を5つの角度から解説します。

素材の適応性: マットレスの素材と掃除機の相性

マットレスは、スプリング、ラテックス、メモリーフォームなど、さまざまな素材で作られています。素材ごとに、掃除用具に対する要件が異なります。ultraviolet light vacuum cleaner掃除機を選ぶときは、まずさまざまなマットレスの素材への適合性を考慮してください。たとえば、スプリングマットレスの場合、掃除機は奥のほこりや不純物を除去するために強力な吸引力が必要ですが、ラテックスマットレスや低反発マットレスの場合、掃除機はマットレスの表面を傷つけないように穏やかな吸引力が必要です。

特徴: 掃除機の多用途性とマットレスの掃除

最近の掃除機は通常、ダニ除去、殺菌、臭気除去などの複数の機能を備えています。これらの機能はマットレスの掃除にとって特に重要です。ultraviolet vacuum cleaners掃除機を選ぶときは、これらの追加機能が付いているかどうか、そして実際に効果があるかどうかを考慮する必要があります。たとえば、UV 殺菌機能はマットレス内のバクテリアやダニを効果的に殺し、HEPA 濾過システムは小さな粒子を捕捉してきれいな排気を保証します。

テクノロジー：掃除機のコア技術と洗浄効果

掃除機のコア技術は掃除効果に直接影響します。効率的なモーター、最適化されたエアフロー設計、強力な吸引力などは、掃除機を選択する際に考慮する必要のある技術的要素です。さらに、掃除機の濾過システムも非常に重要です。効率的な濾過システムは、洗浄効果を向上させるだけでなく、室内の空気の質への影響を軽減します。

操作性：ユーザーフレンドリーで便利な操作性

掃除機を選ぶときは、機能や掃除効果だけでなく、操作性にも注目しましょう。軽量なボディデザイン、シンプルな操作インターフェイス、ワンボタンコントロールはすべて、ユーザーエクスペリエンスを向上させるための重要な要素です。さらに、掃除機の騒音レベルも無視できない考慮事項です。騒音の低い掃除機は、家族に迷惑をかけずに掃除できます。

メンテナンス：掃除機のメンテナンスと耐久性

掃除機のメンテナンスコストや耐久性も、掃除機を選ぶ際の重要な要素です。取り外しと掃除が簡単なフィルター、交換可能な部品、メーカー提供の保証サービスにより、長期的なコストを削減できます。同時に、有名ブランドの掃除機を選択すると、通常、より信頼性の高い製品品質とアフターサービスを提供できます。

さまざまな素材のマットレスに適した専用掃除機を選ぶ場合は、マットレスの素材、掃除機の汎用性、コア技術、操作性、メンテナンスの耐久性などを総合的に考慮する必要があります。慎重に比較検討することで、適切な掃除機を選択することで、マットレスの洗浄効果を高めるだけでなく、より健康的で快適な睡眠環境を作り出すことができます。

ペットパラダイスの守護者たち: ベッド用掃除機とペットの毛の奇妙な対決

ペットの毛は隠れる場所がない：ベッド掃除機の魔法

素材の選択: マットレスに最適なパートナーを見つけましょう

daughter was ten months

No Name Ninja — 2018-10-12T16:05:37+09:00

　　My freedom was taken away when I was accused of a crime that I didn't commit. I was uh locked up by a sentence to death. I couldn't leave. I couldn't be with my loved ones. I had two young children. My son was nine. My daughter was ten months old and all that was taken away and I hadn't done anything. My husband, unfortunately he was executed again for something we didn't do. He didn't just die when they put him in the electric chair and he caught fire because the electric chair malfunctioned. And at that point when our our daughter, who had been ten months old, was then about fifteen, when she heard how terrible the execution was, she tried to take her own life.

　　And I was helpless to part and I wished for that freedom to be there. I thought that if I could just be there, I could make a difference. It was in that very place when I felt the most hopeless that I realized that I still had a choice, that I didn't have to see it the way they saw it, that I was locked up prisoner waiting for them to take my life. In fact, while I still was living and breathing, I still was in charge of my life. I might not be in charge of my circumstances, but my life still belong to me, and I could still choose what I wanted to do with it and how I would live in. There's a freedom that only you can give to yourself. And that's the most important freedom of all. And so I decided that it was instead of seeing myself as a prisoner in a victim waiting for my life to be taken, I decided that it was um, an opportunity for me to do my spiritual work. I know the dishes to wash. I had no laundry to do. I had nobody to take care of. I didn't have to work. Uh, I was sentenced to death by uh, in the electric chair. So I got free electricity until so that and and so I turn my cell into a sanctuary. And I began to do yoga and meditation and prayer.

　　They chose to believe in hope rather than hopelessness. That's what they wanted me to believe. And so I actually found a freedom that I never knew before. While I was sentenced to that, while they had supposedly taken my freedom away and then finally, one day my sentence was changed from death to life, and things improved. And so finally, with the help of lawyers who work for free and friends who always believed in my innocence, I was released, but freedom wasn't, it wasn't what I thought it was gonna be. See, freedom, that kind of freedom isn't free. Who's gonna feed me? And where would I sleep? I had no money. I had this little cardboard box of stuff. That was all I owned in the world. And I was a forty five year old woman. Oh, no one was going to hire, but it forced me to go back to that the to the lessons that I learned while I was sentenced to death. And that was that there's this kernel of freedom, this essence of freedom that you that only you can give yourself. And once you find that, then nobody can take it away from you. I determined that again, I wasn't going to be a victim and live in misery and anger and fear. And those were not the legacies that I wanted to leave to my children.

　　Freedom is a gift that you give yourself, and you can free yourself from your past and from your circumstances. Not that you can change them, but you can change. How are you within those circumstances? And the main thing that I taught them is that no one can take away the freedom to love one another. I just like to leave you with um, another little song. IT's the song that if you open up your heart and let your lITtle light shine out of your heart, no one can extinguish that this little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine this little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine this little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine let it shine let it shine and let it shine.

Honey Cashew Morning Buns

No Name Ninja — 2015-08-20T16:31:05+09:00

Our famous sticky bun at Flour is unapologetically sweet. It’s drenched in a brown sugar-honey “goo” and chock-full of cinnamon sugar and pecans. Not only did it beat Bobby Flay in a Throwdown episode on the Food Network, he also graciously picked it as his choice for "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" in another TV show. It has become a signature item that has put us on the map.

I confess that I can only eat a few bites and then I’m done. It’s incredibly rich, which is what makes it so good, but I longed for something just as decadent but in a lighter, less sugary way. These morning buns are the answer. Made with a light, yeasted, unsweetened dough, they get filled with chopped cashews (my favorite nut) and then baked in a honey goo that is rich with cream and butter, and sweet with a little honey, but not so much that they hide the flavor of the bun or cashew. I especially love the caramelized pieces on the edge of the pan.

Recipe and headnote excerpted from Baking With Less Sugar (Chronicle Books, 2015).

Makes 12 buns

For the bun dough:

240 grams (1 cup) water, at body temperature (when you put your finger in it, it should feel neither cold nor hot)
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast or 3 grams (0.1 ounces) fresh cake yeast
350 grams (2 1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus up to about 35 grams (1/4 cup) more, if needed
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
50 grams (1/4 cup) olive oil or mild vegetable oil

For the honey goo and the bun filling:

** Honey Goo **
115 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
170 grams (1/2 cup) honey
120 grams (1/2 cup) heavy cream
120 grams (1/2 cup) water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
** Bun Filling **
240 grams (2 cups) raw unsalted cashews, chopped
115 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, very soft
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

To make the dough: Lightly oil a large bowl and set it aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the water and yeast and let sit for 20 to 30 seconds to allow the yeast to dissolve and activate. Dump the flour and salt onto the yeast mixture, and carefully turn the mixer onto low speed. Let the dough mix for about 10 seconds. (To prevent the flour from flying out of the bowl, turn the mixer on and off several times until the flour is mixed into the liquid, and then keep it on low speed.) When the dough is still shaggy looking, drizzle in the olive oil, aiming it along the side of the work bowl to keep it from splashing and making a mess.

With the mixer still on low speed, knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes, or until it is smooth and supple. The dough should be somewhat sticky but still smooth, and have an elastic, stretchy consistency. If it is much stiffer than this, mix in 2 to 3 tablespoons water; if it is much looser than this, mix in 2 to 3 tablespoons flour.

Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cloth. Place the bowl in a draft-free, warm place (78 to 82° F [25 to 28° C] is ideal; an area near the stove or in the oven with only the pilot light on is good) for 2 to 3 hours. The dough should rise until it is about double in bulk. (This is called proofing the dough.)

Meanwhile, make the honey goo: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the honey, cream, water, and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and let the goo cool for about 30 minutes before using, or until room temperature. The goo can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To make the filling: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350° F (175° C). Put the cashews on a baking sheet and toast for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Turn off the oven and set the cashews aside to cool.

Punch down the dough to deflate it—literally give it a punch in the center of the puffy dough, which will allow you to roll it out more easily. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch (30-centimeter) square about 1/4-inch (6-millimeter) thick. It will be a bit stretchy and it may spring back, but keep rolling gently until it roughly holds its shape.

In a small bowl, with a wooden spoon, mix together the butter, cinnamon, and toasted cashews for the filling. Spread this mixture evenly over the entire surface of the dough square.

Using your hands and starting from the top of the square, and working your way down, roll the dough loosely like a jelly roll until the entire sheet is rolled up. Using a sharp knife, trim both edges of the dough roll about 1/4 inch (6 millimeter) to even out the ends. Using a bench scraper or a chef’s knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces, each about 1-inch (3-centimeter) thick. (At this point, the unbaked buns can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap—either individually or stack them all and wrap as a tower—and frozen for up to 1 week. When ready to bake, remove the buns from the freezer. Leave them wrapped and thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours; proceed as directed.)

Pour the goo into a 9- by 13-inch (23- by 33-centimeter) baking pan. Place the buns in the pan, evenly spaced. If some of the buns have become oblong or oddly shaped from the cutting and moving around, feel free to arrange them once they are in the pan into round spirals. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let the buns proof at warm room temperature (78 to 82° F [25 to 28° C] is ideal; an area near the stove or in the oven with only the pilot light on is good) for 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough is puffy, pillowy, and soft and the buns are touching.

About 15 minutes before the buns are ready to bake, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400° F (205° C).

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the buns are pale and light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 20 minutes.

Using a spatula, invert the buns, one at a time, onto a serving platter. Serve warm. (These are best served warm or within 4 hours of baking. You could make them one day and serve them the next after warming them in a 300° F (150° C) oven for 6 to 8 minutes.)

The Smitten Kitchen's Caramel Cake

No Name Ninja — 2015-05-19T11:43:24+09:00

This cake doesn't care whether you're a buoyant baker or a ham-handed one. Despite its gilt, it's democratic. The recipe calls for cake flour, but you can use a combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch to substitute Dream beauty pro. Improvise the buttermilk by combining milk and vinegar (or lemon juice). And as for the caramel Goliath, there's more wiggle room than you think. If you let it get a bit too hot, that just means it will drape over your cake in fat ribbons (and harden into more of a candy the next day).

Makes one 8-inch square cake

For the cake:

2
cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour
1
teaspoon baking powder
3/4
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt
1
stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1
cup sugar
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
2
large eggs, brought to room temperature for 30 minutes
1
cup well-shaken buttermilk
For the caramel glaze:

1
cup heavy cream
1/2
cup packed dark brown sugar
1
tablespoon dark corn syrup
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
Equipment: a candy thermometer

Preheat the oven to 350° F and place a rack in the middle. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan and line it with a square of parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper. (I know you do not want to do this, but do take these precautions Dream beauty pro hard sell: These extra steps are worth it in the end.)

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (You can also get away with whisking these dry ingredients together in a bowl, make sure to thoroughly aerate and incorporate them.)

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn the mixer to low speed and beat in the buttermilk until just combined (don't worry if your mixture looks curdled). Add flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing until each is just incorporated.

Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan, then knock it on the counter several times to get rid of any air bubbles.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden. A toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean, but be careful not to overbake the cake. It should feel moist on top and be springy to touch.

Cool the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges, invert the pan onto the rack, and cool completely, at least 1 hour. If you want to eat the cake tomorrow, you can store it in an airtight container (or wrapped in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil) at room temperature until the next day Dream beauty pro hard sell.

Once the cake is cool, make the caramel glaze: Attach a candy thermometer to a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan and pour in the cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring, until the glaze reaches 210 to 212° F on thermometer, about 12 to 14 minutes, then stir in vanilla. If you want a thicker caramel topping -- more like a coating of candy rather than a thin glaze -- boil the caramel so that it's hotter. But be careful so that it doesn't burn! And know that the caramel topping will be much harder the next day.

Put the rack with the cake in or over a shallow baking pan and pour the hot glaze over top, allowing it to run down the sides. Do not worry if it puddles in the bottom of the pan -- you can eat this leftover caramel with a spoon later on. Cool until the glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

What to Drink While You Prep

No Name Ninja — 2015-01-30T17:46:06+09:00

If you are hosting a holiday party or dinner this season, you know you have a lot of work cut out for you. Sure, it's fun playing host, but you signed yourself up for long grocery lists, multiple trips to the grocery store, and an unreasonable amount of time in your kitchen.

So the least you can do is enjoy yourself while you are busy cooking up a storm for the big evening. Heck, we not only recommend you pour yourself a drink -- we beg you to do so. The key is to keep that drink light and low in alcohol. You have a long night of festivities ahead, so there's no reason to swig down the hard and heavy stuff before your guests arrive. Leave that glass of Scotch on the rocks for later and stir up a Negroni another day -- instead, go for an easy-drinking aperitif that's low in alcohol and that will keep you upright as you prep for the party.
Here's a few of our favorite low-alcohol cocktails:

White Noise Spritz

St. Germain provides both sweetness and floral notes to this slightly bitter drink that's both light and refreshing.

The Champagne Cocktail

This classic cocktail is the only excuse you need to open a nice bottle of champagne while you cook. You're doing a lot of work, after all, so you deserve it.

24th Street Spritz

This unique aperitif is both herbaceous and savory thanks to celery syrup, which is made with both fresh celery and celery seeds.

Pink Champagne Punch

This festive punch is not only holiday party-perfect but quite low in alcohol, so don't hesitate to pour yourself a glass before your guests arrive.

Ginger Fizz

Spicy ginger syrup turns an ordinary glass of prosecco into something party- (and pre-party) worthy.

Blood Orange Champagne Cocktail

Blood orange juice and black-current liqueur give this twist on a classic Champagne cocktail a rosy hue.

French 75

This is another classic that's perfect to start the evening off with. Shake gin with lemon juice and simple syrup, strain into a flute glass, and top off with sparkling wine.

Hey Hey, My My

Here, citrusy Aperol is shaken with citrus juice and sherry -- the fortified wine is full of flavor but still quite low in alcohol.

le Boulanger de Monge

No Name Ninja — 2014-12-29T18:23:11+09:00

Because of the congés d’été, almost every boulangerie in Paris shuts down for one month of vacation. Luckily it’s carefully coordinated with the other bakeries in each neighborhood so that Parisians never have to go too far to find fresh bread daily, one of life’s necessities in France.

le Boulanger de Monge

I see it as an excuse to leave the confines of my quartier and try other bakeries. Now that the weather in Paris has cooled down enough so that taking a stroll is possible without ending up feeling like you just crossed the desert, ending up drenched in sweat, I mètroed across Paris to a bakery on the rue des Martyrs which Clotilde confided had the best baguette aux cereales in Paris.

But as I arrived (after having to exit the first mètro due to a breakdown, then taking one bus and two mètros, which took about an hour including the time it took me persuading each driver and station agent to let me through using the canceled ticket I’d validated at the first mètro), the window shades were drawn and on the door was the all-too-familiar sign “Fermature pour les Congés”.

“Zut!”

Make that…“Merde!”

So yesterday, I hiked up towards the Pantheon to the rue Mouffetard, a rather well-known market street that I generally avoid since it’s rather pricey. Nevertheless, there’s some great places on that street and I wanted to return to le Boulanger de Monge.

(Update 10/08: Both Octave and Xavier Quere are now closed.)

On page #1 of Le Guide des Boulangeries de Paris, there are only three bakeries in Paris given the lofty 3-star status, and le Boulanger de Monge is one of the lucky few. It’s located at a busy intersection and there’s generally a queue of locals waiting for their daily bread. My first visit was a few months back with my friend Frank, and to be quite honest, I wasn’t won over.

In the window was a multi-layer cake, similar to a Napolean, with alternating layers of puff pastry and cream. Draped across the top were the broken end-shards of the cakes, which I suppose were meant to be decorative, but was suprisingly clunky and amateurish. The tarte aux pommes looked better, but tasted somewhat sec and not-really-all-that-interesting (especially in a city full of very interesting tartes aux pommes.) Perhaps it serves me right for ordering apple tart when apples aren’t in season. But since Frank wrote the book on apples, it just seemed like the right alignment of elements.

But what I came for was the bread.

Le Boulanger de Monge is an open bakery. The bakers are right there beside the patrons making the bread, everything in plain view; the organic flour, the bakers (dusted with organic flour), and the wood-fired ovens with crackly, fresh-baked bread emerging every so often. I loved the look of the levain bread, which is slashed prior to baking so comes out with a crusty sunburst baked into the surface. It’s perhaps the most beautiful bread I’ve seen in Paris. But when I got home and tasted it, I missed the sourdough-tang characteristic of my favorite levain bread from Poilâne (which deserves the 3-stars it got from the same guide), as well as the Bay Area’s Acme bakery. The bread also had a cake-like texture that crumbled when you cut it, rather than gluten-y nooks and crannies and holes, the appeal of well-crafted bread.

Yesterday I thought I would try their pain aux cereales, since as many of you know I am smitten with hearty breads chock-full grains and seeds. It cost a whopping 2.60€ for the small loaf they bundled up for me. From the looks of the exterior, I didn’t have high hopes for the loaf but ordered it anyways. When I hurried home and sliced it open, there were so few grains that I wondered where they got off calling it aux ceriales?

I suppose that I should have simply ordered a baguette, since that’s how these bread guides judge bakeries in Paris, so perhaps I need to go back since the third-time may be the proverbial charm. They did have beautiful looking little round cakes, which I will try next time; the chocolate ones in particular look rich and tasty.

Grilled Pizzas and Ground Chicken Kabobs for Memorial Day

No Name Ninja — 2014-12-03T16:14:51+09:00

Grilled Pizza on Memorial DayMemorial Day has roots, according to Wikipedia, in “decoration days,” post- and even pre-Civil War commemorations and celebrations where people gathered to decorate soldiers’ graves. Afterward they’d have a “dinner on the ground” — a potluck on tablecloths spread on the grass. I guess these potlucks are part of the spirit and the history of the barbecues and feasts we have as Memorial Day traditions today. So even if my friends and I didn’t to pause to remember fallen soldiers when we gathered this past weekend, at least maybe we can say that the barbecuing and feasting was in their honor led light. Here’s to you old soldiers, and thanks.

And boy was there was barbecuing and feasting. There were hotdogs and chickens and there were sausages. There were burgers and potato salad and deviled eggs. There were (this being Brooklyn) homemade pickles and handmade mustard. And there were ground chicken kabobs and grilled pizza. Maybe those last two stretch the traditions of Memorial Day a bit.

The chicken kabobs were simply ground chicken flavored with fresh herbs, along with onion, garlic, lemon, and lots of salt and pepper, grilled on wide, sword-shaped skewers. When I made them once before a friend said “oh, you’ve made fresh sausages.” That first time the kabobs stayed put, but this time they wanted to peel themselves off the skewers and lay down on the grill to cook like salty personal loans, herby burgers. This was no great disaster, judging by how quickly the party guests snatched them up. But still I’d like to know better how to keep them on the skewers. A friend with some experience in the matter suggested tying them in place, so maybe I’ll start practicing my butcher’s knot.

And for Memorial Day what could be more American than pizza? Cooking pizzas on a grill is quite easy, except for the part that’s always hard: stretching and pulling the dough to make a a thin crust. As usual, mine were fat and oblong, making for pizzas that were bready instead of crackery-crisp. Fortunately, the skilled and versatile Cathy Erway was on hand, and she got the knack of thin crusts down right away.

We’d prepped diligently and so had plenty of toppings: olive oil, canned tomatoes, minced fresh oregano, minced green garlic, chopped spinach, sliced mushrooms, prosciutto, anchovies, Parmesan and mozzarella. The toppings cooked up and melted down quickly on the thin-stretched dough, and the pizzas disappeared as fast as we could cook ‘em.

As for my own skills with stretching dough, well, as with the kabobs it’ll give me something to practice over the summer. I’ll have no problem trying either of them again and again and again . Until then, maybe you’ll have better luck with this recipe for ground chicken kabobs.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chunk Sandwich Cookies

No Name Ninja — 2014-11-06T17:11:18+09:00

With Thanksgiving in the books, my thoughts are now firmly on Christmas baking. To me, that means lots of festive cookies and cakes and brownies and pies and such. But, really, it’s all about the cookies travel mugs wholesale.

Red velvet has become synonymous with the holidays. I’m sure these aren’t the only red desserts you’ll be seeing around the interwebs in the next few weeks. Red Velvet Cake is one of my favorite cakes, although I am pretty sure I’ve never made one. Note to self: Let’s fix that one of these days. But, I digress….

With these cookies, you can enjoy all the flavors of classic Red Velvet Cake in a cute little sandwich cookie.

You may recall that I recently partnered with Betty Crocker to have some fun creating recipes using their new Betty Crocker-Hershey’s products. I used their new Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix, added a little cocoa powder and red food coloring for the cookies. Then, I sandwiched them around cream cheese frosting mathconcept. The result is a compact and portable cousin of Red Velvet Cake!

These cookies are amazingly delicious. I don’t often use cookie mixes, but I was quite pleased with this one. For another shortcut, you can use canned frosting. If you want to make your own frosting, I suggest this one.

I love how festive these are! I think they would be just lovely packaged for a holiday gift or on a cookie tray at a holiday party. Plus, using a cookie mix makes them a great quick treat.

For more recipes using Betty Crocker-Hershey’s mixes, be sure to see these Cookies and Cream Filled Cupcakes and S’mores Swirl Brownies Singapore company formation.

Coconut Caramel Candy

No Name Ninja — 2014-10-20T13:48:37+09:00

Having had my share of baking lately, I wanted to try something I hadn’t made before. It still had to be sweet and not too tough. Recently my cousin had sent me this lovely bottle of cooking coconut oil which I wanted to use, and today I got my chance. I always thought coconut oil was good for hair but little did I know its other benefits. Coconut Oil is ideal for Cooking. Studies show that it is better for you than many of the other options on the market. Plus, it can help you with the good cholesterol that your body needs. We tend to always think of cholesterol as something bad but that doesn’t have to be the case.Many people like to cook with olive oil, but it is expensive. It is no secret that the economy is tough so people have to make cut backs where they can. Every dollar at the grocery store should be carefully calculated. The use of coconut oil for cooking can help you to get value in terms of your health and for taste. At the same time, it can help you to cut back what you are spending on items when you go shopping at the grocery store.There are several brands out there that you can select from, and that will influence the quality of what you get. It is a good idea to carefully evaluate the options on the market so that you can get something that works very well. Don’t be fooled by clever marketing ploys or the packaging End Point Backup. Read reviews online to find out what you should consider buying and what you should stay away from when it comes to coconut oil for cooking. One of the best coconut oils you can buy on the market is from Coconut-Oil-UK.Com. Some of the products offered are organic, and that can be something you are interested in to promote even better health benefits. Make sure you always read the labels carefully. There is both refined and unrefined options too, and there isn’t any evidence to suggest one may be better than the next. If your family enjoys sweets but you don’t want them to have all the bad that comes from them, change the recipe with coconut oil. You can use it to replace butter and Crisco to make pies, crusts, cookies, and more. If you want to encourage your family to eat more veggies, sauté them in a skillet on the stove with coconut oil. The taste is very pleasing and one that may even get your picky eaters to ask for seconds! The food you cook will taste different and it will smell different when you cook it with coconut oil. Most people find the smell and taste it creates to be very appealing. They seem to enjoy their food more and they feel great knowing that they have taking a small but significant step in eating healthier overall.

A little search on coconut oil and I found me a nice recipe that reminded me of my days in Ghana. These beautiful Amber coloured chewy candies are a household treat and unimaginably delicious. the flavour of the coconut is so mild and the caramel just perfect.

And on this sweet note and the Holy Occasion of Eid-ul-Adha may the blessings of Allah lighten up your way & lead you to happiness mathconcept, success and peace A very Happy Eid Mubarak to all of you.

Ingredients

adapted from Saveur

2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted, plus more for cutting caramels
1-16 oz. can coconut milk
? cup corn syrup
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
1? cup sugar
? cup water

Instructions

Line the bottom and sides of an 8″x8″ square baking dish with parchment and brush with coconut oil; set aside. Combine the coconut milk, corn syrup and sea salt in a 4-quart saucepan. Heat over medium low, stirring constantly for 2?-3 minutes until mixture is just warm and any coconut milk clumps are dissolved.Remove from heat and set aside. In an 8-quart saucepan, combine the sugar and the water and stir until sugar is wet. Place over medium high heat and let cook, without stirring, till the sugar turns a light amber colour. I made these by judgement as I did not have a candy thermometer. This should roughly take 10 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and pour melted sugar into the coconut milk mixture, a little at a time. Be careful, as the mixture will bubble and splash. Return saucepan to medium low heat, stirring continuously until all the caramel is dissolved. Raise the heat to medium high. If the mixture begins to boil over, reduce heat and continue to cook, stir continuously, and cook until caramel becomes quite thick. This could take a good 15 minutes. But just make sure the caramel is really thick. Immediately remove from heat and pour into the prepared pan. Let cool completely and cut into 1″ squares. Mine were a bit sticky so I put them in the fridge to set a little.Make it easier to cut them hong kong company setup.Brush your knife with melted coconut oil between cutting to avoid sticking. Wrap individually in wax paper squares. Store at room temperature.

Food Festival Queen Caryl Chinn's 5 Most Memorable Nights In

No Name Ninja — 2014-09-27T09:56:20+09:00

Giada de Laurentiis joined Caryl Chinn for Easter

This is not an atypical text message from food festival doyenne Caryl Chinn, who recently joined sports and entertainment marketing firm Octagon as vice president of its new culinary division: "Are you free Sunday curly wigs? Barbara got a pound of caviar and we're chowing down!"

While they say people who work at Ben & Jerry's don't eat ice cream, throwing this kind of crazy dinner party is what Chinn enjoys doing on her days off. It's the food-world version of Dre Day every day, with ballers like Chinn's meat-master pal Ed Murphy, who will wake up early on a Saturday and decide that barbecuing pork shoulder for 12 hours is the perfect way to spend his morning, afternoon and evening. Not surprisingly, Murphy, GM of Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, is often in charge of the proteins at these dinner parties.

Nye-caryl-chinn

Caryl Chinn celebrated New Year's Eve with (clockwise from top left) Jet Tila, Betty Fraser, Barbara Brass, Ed Murphy, Mimi Mok, Aarti Sequiera, Manouschka Guerrier, Stef Kelly and Joe Moller.

These days, Chinn, whose recent credits include being executive director of Coastal Luxury Management's LA festival, often criss-crosses the country to develop events for Octagon. But when she's home in LA, she's sending out the most coveted invites in town, for 20-person gatherings much more exclusive and delicious than even the awards season parties where many members of Chinn's culinary club have cooked.

For Chinn's birthday, Giada De Laurentiis, the Food Network superstar who's now getting ready to open her first ever restaurant at the new Cromwell resort in Las Vegas, made three desserts while "The Next Food Network Star" champion Aarti Sequiera took care of the savory side with her gorgeous lamb palau.

Ed-murphy-brisket

Ed Murphy's brisket is Texas-worthy.

But Chinn's core cooking crew is a group that became known as Hoodwinked Catering after the night that Chinn, Murphy, entrepreneur Mimi Mok (now in the process of creating a gourmet market in LA) and private chef/Food Network personality Manouschka Guerrier were invited to an '80s supermodel's mansion and quickly found themselves alone in the kitchen cooking dinner for two dozen revelers they did not know. As they did their prep, Chinn concluded that they had been hoodwinked Natural stone, especially because the model's dinner guests thought the foursome were hired caterers.

Zoe-caryl-chinn

Zoe goes in for a New Year's Eve kiss.

Regulars at Hoodwinked Catering gatherings, often held in Chinn's West LA house or Murphy and Mok's Mid-City digs, also include Thai food expert and TV/radio personality Jet Tila, who just announced that he's taking over the kitchen at Pakpao Thai in Dallas; "Top Chef" alum Betty Fraser, who runs Hollywood's Grub restaurant and As You Like It Catering; Stef Kelly, who does double duty as the creator of chocolate treats including the award-winning Shmookie and as a big-hearted C-CAP cooking instructor for at-risk students; Joe Moller, an upper-tier event producer who recently ran the Downtown LA Art Walk; Barbara Brass, a Wolfgang Puck Catering executive who'll often arrive with the most extravagant wine and directions on how to pair it; and Zoe, Chinn's beloved French bulldog who is the sitting-in-your-lap star of many bashes.

Chinn moved to LA about three years ago. When she lived in Manhattan, she worked at Bon Appetit for a decade and collaborated with Lee Schrager to launch his New York festival. And at her home, there were, not surprisingly, dinner parties with Marcus Samuelsson and Tyler Florence cooking and Josh Wesson pouring wine. There was also the night Tom Colicchio, fresh off opening Craft, showed up late and started making himself a sandwich. Then Daniel Boulud asked Colicchio to make him one. A couple years later, Colicchio started slinging sandwiches at 'Wichcraft. We're going to believe that this was more than just a coincidence.

But often, it's chefs who don't cook for a living who make the food you will crave for all time.

Ed-murphy-pasta

Ed Murphy's epic baked pasta for NYE.

While Murphy once worked in Boston restaurants, he doesn't consider himself a professional chef. But his food is legendary. Tila has said that Murphy's pork and 10-hour brisket is the best barbecue in LA. And the first time we met Murphy, it was at Chinn's New Year's Eve party, where he brought an eggplant incaciata: a pound of baked pasta, a pound of sausage, a pound of mozzarella, all wrapped in eggplant and baked. It was a big night indeed.

Next month, Murphy is planning weekly themed dinner parties during the World Cup: Think lots of beef and maybe even choripan if Argentina is playing. But given that Chinn and friends are involved panamanian foundation, don't be shocked if it turns out to be yet another night of champagne wishes and caviar dreams.

Here are five of Chinn's most memorable parties:

The birthday bash: Two Food Network chefs, no waiting. After Sequiera's lamb palau, De Laurentiis' desserts included iced lemon cookies, a pumpkin cheesecake and an amaretto chocolate tart.

Giada-de-laurentiis-caryl-chinn-tart

Giada De Laurentiis piped apricot cream on her amaretto chocolate tart.

New Year's Eve: Tila brought over roasted Thai salmon with a green papaya salad, and Brass cooked four racks of lamb with herb butter. Moller made uni/caviar toasts, and we also remember having easy access to four containers of caviar (American hackleback, two Russian osetras, Chinese beluga). For dessert, Mok baked chocolate bouchons from a Thomas Keller recipe, and Fraser served strawberry and balsamic souffle with black pepper creme anglaise to guests including actor Chris Williams.

Betty-fraser-caryl-chinn

Betty Fraser served dessert to Chris Williams.

Fireworks and snow cream: Tila, who runs Kuma Snow Cream in Las Vegas, brought over his snow cream machine and all the requisite toppings on July 4. The taro cream was a refreshing ending to a summer soiree that also featured a mixed grill of tri-tip and sausages.

Jet-tila-caryl-chinn

Jet Tila working on his Kuma Snow Cream machine at Chinn's.

Easter paella: Yes, this was Easter, so there was lamb, potatoes and green beans. But what everyone lucky enough to attend remembers most is actor Andoni Gracia's paella, overlowing with head-on shrimp, clams and mussels. Because every Easter should have soccarat. Mixologist Rich Andreoli (Harvard and Stone) added to the festivities with Moscow Mules.

Seafood-paella

Seafood paella should become a new Easter tradition.

The caviar party: Guerrier's Facebook post says it all: "Barbara asked me make to make cappellini with butter & lemon. So I made angel hair in a lemon butter sauce with chives & then she SLAPPED on alllll this caviar on top... yup."

Caviar-spaghetti