Monday, May 01, 2006

Lemon Pepper Flavored Bread with Garlic

Make One 4 Lb Loaf Bread, using Home Baking Machine - WelBilt or any other brand.

Ingredients -- Pour the ingredients into Bread Machine Baking Basket in the Order Listed:
**Make sure the Bread Machine is located in a room above 69 degrees.
**Preheat 1 & 1/4 Cup MILK Plus 1/4 Cup UNFILTERED Tap Water to 120 degrees in Microwave. Let it Sit and ADD it as Ingredient Item 5.

1. 2 Teaspoon of Rapid Rise Dry YEAST
2. 2 Tablespoon Granulated SUGAR
3. 3&3/4 to 4 Cups of Angor Flour for Baking (COSTCO's 25lb bag)
4. 2 Teaspoon SALT
5. ADD 1& 1/2 Cup of Preheated MILK and Water.
6. 2 Tablespoon of Canola Cooking Oil
(6a. DO NOT PUT in YET: 2 Tablespoon of Lemon Pepper w/Garlic flavor Spice.)

Start Bread Machine:
7. Insert the Bread Baking Basket securely.
8. Start the setting - 4 Lb loaf, Light Color, Run now.

9. At the sound of "ADD" ingredients BEEP timer, ADD 2 Tablespoon of Lemon Pepper w/Garlic spice.

Approximate Time of Prep & Bread Completion: 3 hrs 30 min.

The bread tastes with a hint of tanginess from lemon and flavorful pepper and garlic. Great for anytime with butter... butter tastes better, but use it moderately.
Eat Well, Be Well.

MODIFIED Flavor:
Add a 1/2 Cup of Raisins during the "ADD" CYCLE.
Add some Cinnamon spice to the dry ingredients after adding Flour.

Check the height of the dough about 20 to 30 minutes after the "ADD CYCLE". If the dough has not doubled, your room temperature could be the culprit.

Monday, February 13, 2006

Rum Fruits Preserves

The dehydrated fruits and canned pineapple soaked in spirit of Barcardi Rum, Brandy, and Grand Manier provides interesting taste to your regular sponge cake, holiday fruits cake, or just to sample some after dinner.
*This is very sugary and highly spirited. Recipe calls for real liquor.

PREPARE Rum Pot Starter:
1 clean 1/2 gallon or 4lb 6oz glass jar with lid
(use Maraschino Cherry jar)
2 Cups Maraschino Cherry juice
1/4 Cup Grand Manier
1/2 Cup Barcardi Rum
1/8 Cup Brandy
1 Cup granulated sugar
WOODEN SPOON

Total of 3 Cups of various dried fruits cut into 1/2-inch size:
Dried Cherries
Dried Apricot - cut into 1/2 inch
Dried Mango - cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Raisins
Maraschino Cherry

1 Can -- 20 oz Pineapple Chunks drained well
Discard juice or use it for other recipe (for sweet and sour pork sauce for your dinner.)

You can buy large jar of marching cherry at your local COSTCO.
With1/4 jar of maraschino cherry left over, drop prepared 3 Cups of dried fruits and well drained pineapple into the glass jar. Cover the fruits with all liquid ingredients - Rum, Brandy, and Grand Manier. Top it off with 1 Cup of sugar. Place the lid on the jar, but not closed or tightened.

Place the jar in somewhat warm spot in the kitchen, and away from direct light. Sugar will slowly dissolve into the liquid in a week. If you see any sugar left on top on the 7th day, stir it once with the Wooden Spoon.

WEEKLY ADD ONS:
Prepare - 1 Cup of dried fruits or 1-20 oz drained pineapple on Alternate Week
1 Cup of Sugar
Add 1 Cup of dried fruits or drained pineapple.
Add 1 Cup of sugar on top.
Place the lid back (loose)

After two weeks, you can start enjoying the Rum Pot fruits with your favorite desserts or as is (in a small portion).
Always use Wooden Spoon to stir or scoop out.
Add Rum or Brandy when you feel it needs some kick or it started to taste sugary.

e.g.
Prepare your cake mix. Add 1 Cup of Rum Pot fruits. Bake it in non-stick Bundt cake pan.
My favorite fruitcake recipe is from the foodnetwork, but modified in my own way to add my Rum pot fruits in place, etc. and Spray the cake with juice in the rum jar using the sprayer everyday for a week+ before presentation. Serve it warm.

Thursday, January 27, 2005

POLLY'S CHILI RECIPE

POLLY’S CHILI
About 4 hours to soak. 4 hours to cook. 


Serves 4 for two suppers
INGREDIENTS:
1 small bag of Pinto Beans              2 Cans of 1 lb Cut Tomatoes or Crushed Tomatoes
2 bags of McCormick Chili Powder Mix or McCormick's "Tex Mex Chili" Powder Mix
1/3 C Chili Powder               1 C chopped onions
1 tsp Black Pepper               1 tsp Paprika                         1 Tbsp Salt
1 Large Pot about 8 Quarts size pot.
METHODS:
1.  1 small bag of Pinto beans.
2.  Wash beans and soak in water for 4 hours.
3.  Change water often.  Soak beans until doubled in size--rehydrated.
4.  Fill a 10 Quart size pot with water 3/4 of the way.  Bring to boil.
5. STRAIN BEANS 2 TIMES:  Add beans into boiling water.   Let the water come to boil    Strain the beans and add fresh water and bring to boil.   Strain again and add fresh water and bring to boil.  Turn the heat to simmer.
6. Boil the bean until soft and water level is at the same level as the bean + 1 inch above it. About 2+ hours.    If you use pressure cooker - it is faster.  Follow the pressure cooking guide on how to cook beans.
If the bean is still hard to the touch, put more water and boil long - 1 more hour or until soft.
WATCH out for the boil over. It will make a mess on your stove. If you have a gas stove, this is very important that you do not let it boil over. As soon as it boils/steam, keep the lid propped open (use a long cooking chop stick, if you have one, across the pot and prop one side of the lid on it.)
7. Open two cans of 1 lb size CRUSHED/Cut Tomatoes.
8. Add tomatoes into the pot.
9. Add Salt to taste -- 1 Tablespoon.
10. Turn heat to Med-low.
As the chili mixture is very thick at this point -- to avoid splatter -- keep the pot covered with lid -- propped open.
11. Get two packages of McCormick "Tex Mex" Chili powder mix or the regular McCormick's Chili Powder Mix. Add only 1 package of Tex Mex Chili powder if the preference is low heat chili.
12. Put 1/3 cups of chili powder into the pot with beans and tomatoes.
13. Stir well to get rid of the Chili powder clump, but without mashing the beans. -- Chop stick is the best to stir with.
14. Mix in Black Pepper, Paprika 1 teaspoon at a time.
15. Use a clean spoon and Taste.
16. Mix Tex Mex Chili Mix and stir well to get rid of the clump.
17. Taste. Add more salt, if needed.
18. Heat it up thoroughly -- low heat and stir occasionally.

SERVE:
** Serve with Honey and homemade Non-Yeast Sopapilla

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Computer Support Help:

There is a help for your PC-- PCdaVinci.
Contact PCdaVinci for any computer system issues with Windows, OSX, and Linux.

Fees:
Home Client:
$35 flat fee for 1 - 2 hours troubleshooting support; ask for details.
Additional $10 for software install. $5 for hardware replacements;
Client responsible for software license; hardware replacement and purchasing.

Business:
$55 per hour.
Additional $10/hr for Software Installation and Configurations.
Client responsible for software license; hardware replacement and purchasing.

*Free e-mail support depending on the complexity of the problem.
Visit: www.pcdavinci.com Serving Sacramento to South Bay--San Jose area (California)

For your company's computer system and network support, send e-mail to helpdesk@pcdavinci.com
For your company's new logo creation, send e-mail to info@pcdavinci.com
For your company's webpage design service, send e-mail to info@pcdavinci.com

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Business and Career Tips:

New to Career Market? Feel a Bit Powerless?
Come on! Get Empowered! & Be Empowered!

Internship as a starter:

Average young adults do not know where to look or where to launch their first career. Jobs are everywhere if one looks around, but the career that they want, the ones that they want to build to look back many years later require some planning and startup support system. Whether the individuals just got out of high school or college, if they did not have some sort of support system, from parents, relatives, community programs, government, private industries, etc, it is difficult to gain work experience that employers are looking for. With combinations of the two together, it could help many young adults launch their first career step into the corporate world or their own business.


Some young adults have ideas about what they want to do, but they lack experience to be hired. Some are still searching what they want to be. Corporate Internship is an excellent place to start for many individuals. For young adults with energy and enthusiasm to find the right career or even if they know what they want to be but don't know where to start, the "Internship" is an excellent way to launch that first step.

Tip(s):
1. Stay in school. For example - Foothill College (Foothill, CA) has an excellent Internship program with NASA/Ames. Interesting and challenging internship programs in diverse career fields are available (depending on their budget.) Computer science, physicist, clerical, accounting, aeronautics, sales management, computer support, administrative assistant, Unix system administrator, etc, etc.... Check with Foothill College's Internship Program administration. Many employees at Ames research center in Mountain View, California started out as Interns. Some of them worked as Intern for several years. At the end of their Internship program, since they already have good inside reference and gained new knowledge, skills, and education, subsequently, they are hired into full-time position. Remember - Get Empowered!

2. Almost all corporations in the Silicone Valley offer internship program. Why not visit their websites and find out about their Internship program? Whether the position you are interested is posted/available or not, Let's get your resume and cover letter ready! Contact their human resources, get their name and mail your resume to apply for the Internship. You never know. It could be the best thing you ever done for yourself to layout your career path. Remember - Be Empowered! At the end of your internship program, you might get hired into the open position. If not, you certainly have gained job experience to launch your next success in your career.

3. Have you ever calculated how many hours a day you spent watching TV or playing Video Games? or spending hours talking to your friends? Unless you turn them into a career such as TV critics, Video Game tester, sales or consultants, they might be robbing you of the time from launching your career. Balance and control are both desirable traits and they can become your strength. Let's balance and prioritize.

4. Have you wondered about interpersonal relationship skills? Are you born with it? learned at school? or taught by parents? through experience? But most of us are definitely not born with it. A poor interpersonal relationship skill can cause stress, misunderstanding, frictions between friends, co-workers, family members, etc. Your local college has wonderful business management class called "Interpersonal Relationship and Management class". Try it. You will soon find out what it takes and it means by "You are okay. I am okay."

5. Other very useful classes that will help out in career building are: Management 101, Ethics and Critical Thinking. Believe it or not, we are using management 101 skills in our daily activities with our family members, at the shopping mall, with vendors, with friends, etc. Did you try to solve an issue today? How did you handle it? Are you sure you didn't decide in haste? What are Fallacies? Can you identify a fallacy when you see or hear one? Why not learn to identify them and learn to use it effectively.

That's all for now.
From Bee with Style