Back to the future ??

"You have TWO TV Sets?" These are the lines heard in the movie Back to the Future PART 1 when Marty McFly travels back to the year 1955 and meets his family; his then 10 year old uncle literally freaked out when he learned that the 1985 "nephew-from-the-future" Marty had not one but TWO TV sets in his house.... imagine that .... 2 BIG, BULKY, SPACE CONSUMING BOXES called Televisions. But that was 1985, fast forward to today and it looks just like the scene in the sequel where McFly is watching TV and having a conference video call thru a screen popping out of the ceiling, this looked "futuristic" when the movie came out but very familiar to what we are able to see nowadays in any household.

Technology has been very good to us and we should be grateful; imagine that one time we had to have enough space to accommodate another TV set and therefore we had to settle for a 13" BOX SET, whereas today we can have several 60" LCD or LED screens with not only TV functions but also music and video streaming, picture watching, computer screen and video conferencing hanging on a wall, weighing a fraction of what our old sets used to weigh and with picture quality comparable to a live scene. Let's not even get into 3D where we are leaping forward exponentially towards being able to be "IN THE PICTURE" ....

 How about that "Doc" Emmett Brown?. 

Let's not forget that space saving technology has come to our rescue as far as being able to actually live and function in smaller living spaces where nowadays we have individuals sleeping, bathing, cooking, eating, working and relaxing all in a 400 Sq.Ft. urban condo, so flat computer screens and TV sets whereas Plasma, LED or LCD play a very important role living us with the ability of using more efficiently our space to store all the junk that we have accumulated throughout the years, like those old Betamax tapes or  a cassette deck that we don't use anymore but still keep it "Just in case...."!!! and that's why I have my tv buying guide... 

Anyways, time for me to jump on my DeLorean and head back to my time....I will see you all when I get Back to the Future..... Hey MacFly here I come !!! 

Sugar Lips

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Overview
Lip scrub is a gentle exfoliant used to soften dry, chapped or peeling lips. A gentle exfoliating scrub can be the most effective treatment for dry, peeling lips. The exfoliant helps to remove layers of dead skin, and the moisturizing ingredients keep your lips soft and smooth. Lip scrubs can be quite expensive, hey but you don't have to spend a fortune to have kissable lips

Let me show you how to make your own homemade lip scrub ...

Ingredients:

•  1 tsp of coconut oil, 
• 1 tsp of raw honey, 
• 1.5 – 2 TB of raw/granulated sugar mixed
•  a dash of lemon juice. 

Don’t worry if you happen to taste it – it’s absolutely DELISH!

Mix these ingredients together to make a sugary paste. Use a soft bristle toothbrush or finger to dippy-dip into the scrub. Use soft circular motions across your lips. Rinse with water and apply your favorite lip balm afterwards for soft n’ silky lips. Now tell me those aren’t beggin’ to be kissed!

XOX 

Credits and more info on www.pinkpistachio.com

Cheese Matters

Looking for an excuse to sip wine and feast on Gruyère? Look no further

Just Say “Cheese”

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Enjoying cheese is even more pleasurable when it is well matched with a suitable wine, yes you can never forget the wine  or even sparkling 
wine, because they are simply made for one another There are a few helpful "rules of thumb" when pairing wines with cheeses, but since much is based on individual preference, there are really no wrong choices. 


Give me a decent wine with an assortment of cheeses, a good bread and I am a happy girl! 

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My favorite wine pairings:

• Sauvignon Blanc is nice with blue cheese, goat's milk cheeses, Comte and Gruyere. 

• French Champagne is also paired well with Real Brie or Fontina.

• Cava goes well with Garrotxa Cheese

• Lambrusco it's best served with Parmesan Reggiano (My favorite)

• Rioja or Shiraz goes beautiful  with Manchego Cheese

• Cabernet Sauvignon is paired well with harder cheeses such as sharp cheddars, Swiss, or Asiago

But How to host a Cheese Party

Get inspired by pretty and practical ideas for a Cheese Party

• Start by sending guests invitations that fit the Cheese theme. These invites are cuting boards  with your invitation and a cute bow...

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• Or this one from Real Simple (Free Printable)

Free Printable can be found here

• Nice decoration:  You can use a rustic chic look for decoration or a modern look.

Here are some ideas:


Chalkboard... because I just love chalkboard...  

Or this personal Cheese tray also can be used as a name card. 

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If you use this cheese Tray. It was made from a Melted Pinot Noir Bottle now. Can be found here

Or this cute presentation with "mice".. Perfect for a Halloween Cheese Party :)

Get ready to fall head-over-heels in love with the details of this Cheese Table created by  the talented people Sunday Suppers!. The use of Cheese, in its blocks and wheels and the color palette used was cream and white... just perfect and chic!!

Don't you just love this Cheese Table??

TIPS

• Limit the number of cheeses: Cheese should be savoured, go for quality not quantity.

• Determine how much cheese do you need : For a dinner party it is recommended two ounces of cheese per person, for a cocktail party one ounce of cheese it's enough but it's the focus of your party it's a cheese tasting, the experts says that you will need four to six ounces of cheese per person 

• Remember, do not serve strong and mild cheeses next to each other and keep cheese separate from any other food so it doesn't acquire alternate flavorings
• Stay away from crackers... Use a good quality bread.
• Use corks as a part of decorations... easy and free :) because presentation it's EVERYTHING!!

Cheers!

Hope you have a day filled with tasty cheese and wine!!!

How to make homemade GHEE

via pinterest

A lot of people ask me.. what do you use instead of butter... (my son is also casein free due to allergies). Sometimes I use a buttery spread..until I discover GHEE!! The first time I saw this in a naturist store, I had no idea what GHEE was and didn't know I can prepare it at home.  So finally I decided to make ghee at home using unsalted  organic butter. I somehow feel it is better than the store bought ghee and cheaper. So this is what I have been doing for last many monthsThe well-prepared ghee should not contain any casein or lactose. But it may contain traces of both casein and lactose. Also many people with lactose intolerance or casein consumed ghee without problems.
As always recommend checking with your doctor and follow their recommendations.But what is GHEE exactly? 

Ghee is a Sanskrit word for a clarified butter used primarily in Indian cuisine. Because the preparation of ghee involves heat, it has a distinctive toasted flavor, often described as nutty. Before the advent of commercial vegetable oils, ghee was widely used for deep frying. Unlike other butter-based products, ghee has a high smoking point and can be stored without refrigeration for weeks. As long as ghee is stored in air-tight containers, it does not spoil easily.

 I was thinking of this post for a long time now, because of the increasing number of cooking newbies who read my gluten free recipes. 

- Heat 8 sticks of butter in a clean heavy bottomed pan. When all the butter is melted, keep the heat on medium-low. Let it boil.

Keep the stove on low heat even after all the butter has melted and it begins to simmer and slightly boil.

Wait for the simmering butter to begin to separate. The top layer will be foam, carefully with a spoon start taking out this foam which is the butter's water content; the second layer will be the actual butter liquid, and the bottom layer will be the milk solid (see the picture)

Remove from the heat immediately once the milk solids are in the botton, you can wait until is a little bit brownish and the butter has . become a clear, golden hue.

via Pinterest

When your ghee is cooled a bit, carefully pour ghee into clean glass jars (I used a fine mesh to prevents the sticky milk solids from getting into the ghee) and allow to cool completely. Your cooled ghee should be a solid at room temperature and will keep for ages in the pantry

via pinterest

Pretty. Healthy. And yummy. Can't beat that.

Have a great day! 

Potato Chips Anyone??

French fries are one of those things that should be easy, but sometimes are hard to get it right. You’ve got to use the best potatoes you can find in the market, then you have to cut them right and you have to cookfor the right amount of time at certain temperature or you can get Burned fries…. 

Potatoes are one of those essential food in a kitchen a very versatile you can make fries, mash potatoes, bake potatoes... the possibilties are endless.

But today I want to show you a Potato Chips with a twist...

I do love  fries, but sometimes you get bored to do the same thing everyday. When I discover this Potato Chips .. I was super excited to make it and yes  they are easy, fast and will surprise everybody in your house because they are original and super cute

INGREDIENTS

• POTATOES
• OIL
• PARSLEY/CILANTRO

PREPARATIONWash and peel potatoes. Cut  very thin potato slices. Place the parsley or cilantro on a potato slice and cover with another slice.  Fry in plenty of oil until golden, turning carefully. They must be ready in just one minute or less. So be careful.Enjoy your Potato Fries and Y'all make my day shiny and bright! Wishin' you the same!Credits: here