YumSugar

How Long Do Raw and Hard-Boiled Eggs Keep?

YumSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:00:41 -0700

The answer to this question may surprise you: while uncooked eggs typically last four to five weeks when properly refrigerated, hard-boiled eggs will only last about a week. This is because egg shells, which are highly porous, are sprayed before sale with a thin coating of mineral oil that seals the egg. Boiling the egg washes this coating away, however, leaving the shell susceptible to bacteria.

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Burning Question: Why Are Fresh Eggs Harder to Peel?

YumSugar — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:15:34 -0800

If you often cook eggs, you may have noticed that extremely fresh ones are difficult to peel when hard-boiled. The shell doesn't peel back cleanly and often leaves a pock-marked texture on the surface of the egg. But as eggs grow older, their shells peel more easily. Why is this? In fresh eggs, the albumen (egg white) tends to stick to the inner shell membrane due to the less acidic environment of the egg.

After the eggshell's protective coat slowly wears off, the egg becomes porous, absorbs more air, and releases some of its carbon dioxide. This makes the albumen more acidic, causing it to stick to the inner membrane less. The egg white also shrinks slightly, so the air space between the eggshell and the membrane grows larger, resulting in boiled eggs that are easier to peel.

For ideal peeling, use eggs that are seven to 10 days old and follow Jacques Pepin's tips for boiling the perfect egg.

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Get Fit For 2010: Challenge 10, share your healthy snack.

FitSoccerGirl — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:55:41 -0700

One of my favorite snacks is a hard-boiled egg with hummus. I know, it sounds odd, but it tastes very yummy. I prefer a smooth and creamy original flavor of hummus, or a red pepper flavor. Trader Joe's has a line of smooth and creamy hummus that is excellent with the hard-boiled egg. Hummus is a staple in my refridgerator. It goes great with a lot of stuff. I use it with carrots, cellery and when I need a salty-crunch, I use it with pretzels. I would suggest this snack to anyone, or simply explore the endless possibilities of hummus!

Food Journal

arsshoegirl — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:14:55 -0800

Breakfast, hard boiled egg, over night oats with t of peanutbutter. Lunch two pieces of multi grain bread, 1/2 cup of tuna, 2 small red skin potatoes. Snack, apple and granola bar. dinner grilled chicken salad.

Quail eggs! Soft boil time?

lauren — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:45:04 -0800

I recently bought beautiful quail eggs at the market! I wanted to soft boil them and serve it with a salad! After a quick search on the net, it said soft boil should take 2 mins 45 sec! Well to my dismay they were hard boiled! Does anybody know how long you should boil them for a soft boil?

Ketsana leaves more than 300 dead across SE Asia

starangel82 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:37:09 -0700

MANILA, Philippines – One of the most destructive storms in years extended its deadly path across Southeast Asia, blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides after submerging much of the Philippine capital.

The death toll Wednesday climbed to 331 and was still rising.

"We're used to storms that sweep away one or two houses. But I've never seen a storm this strong," said Nam Tum, governor of Cambodia's Kampong Thom province.

The immediate threat eased as Typhoon Ketsana was downgraded to a tropical depression as it crossed Wednesday into a fourth nation, Laos. But its powerful winds and pummeling rain left a snaking trail of destruction.

Landslides triggered by the storm slammed into houses in central Vietnam on Tuesday, burying people including five members of the same family, the government said. The country's toll rose to 74 as officials recovered more bodies from the muck and swollen rivers, with 179 injured and a dozen missing, the government said late Wednesday.

It said the storm destroyed or damaged nearly 180,000 homes, inundated 150,000 more, and flattened crops across central Vietnam. More than 350,000 people were evacuated from the typhoon's path, posing a logistical headache to shelter and feed them.

"The scale of the devastation is stretching all of us," said Minnie Portales, a World Vision aid agency official in the Philippines. The agency said it was scrambling to assess the needs of victims in four countries, including the possibility that Laos would have damage.

Parts of two Vietnamese provinces remained cut off by floodwaters and downed trees and power lines on roads, officials said.

In neighboring Cambodia, at least 11 people were killed and 29 injured Tuesday as the storm toppled dozens of rickety houses and swept away residents in the two provinces north of the capital that were hit. About 100 houses were destroyed and 400 others damaged, said Ly Thuch of the country's disaster management committee.

Five members of the same family died when their house collapsed as they ate dinner, said Neth Sophana of the Red Cross.

Authorities were searching for more victims and rushing food, medical supplies and plastic sheeting for temporary tents to storm-hit areas.

Light rain fell over some parts of the disaster zone Wednesday, but most rivers had peaked and were starting to slowly recede, Vietnam's National Weather Forecast Center said.

The cleanup task was enormous.

In the Philippines, Ketsana on Saturday triggered the worst flooding in 40 years across a swath of the island nation's north and submerged riverside districts of the sprawling capital of 12 million people.

Officials said 2.3 million people had their homes swamped, and 400,000 were seeking help in relief centers hastily set up in schools and other public buildings - even the presidential palace. The Philippines death toll stood at 246, with 42 people missing.

Frustration boiled over at some sites.

Flood victims rushed at an army helicopter delivering boxes of clothes to a relief center in Rodriguez town in hard-hit Rizal province just east of the capital, an Associated Press photographer at the scene said. No one was apparently injured.

Elsewhere in Rizal, a mob hurled rocks and tried unsuccessfully to block a relief convoy as it passed by.

"Apparently victims who were hoping to receive the relief goods blocked the convoy," police official Leopoldo Bataoil told The AP.

Philippines National Disaster Coordinating Council chief Gilbert Teodoro said the culprits more likely wanted the relief goods to sell, and warned authorities would crack down on looters or other troublemakers.

"We appeal to our countrymen not to use this occasion to do something bad," he told reporters.

The international relief effort picked up pace, with condolence messages coming from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, the EU, Japan, Germany and other nations. Many added pledges of aid to help the recovery.

Three helicopters and 30 rubber boats were being sent by the United Nations and would arrive with 72 hours, Teodoro said late Wednesday.

Philippine military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said at least 30 U.S. Marines and Air Force personnel who were to attend two annual war exercises in the country would join the relief work, bringing trucks bulldozers and forklifts.

At relief centers, women and children clutching bags of belongings lined up for bottled water, boiled eggs and packets of instant noodles for a fourth day. Men waded through thick, gooey sludge back to their homes to clean up the mess with shovels and brooms.

Manila's main downtown business and tourist district was largely unscathed.

Another tropical storm edged toward the southern Philippines on Wednesday packing potentially destructive winds and rain, government forecasters said. It was 560 miles (900 kilometers) off the coast late Wednesday and may hit at the weekend if it says on its present course.

The government estimated the damage cost at more than $100 million.

Source: Yahoo! News

Chocolate Eclairs

celebrity_soup — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 04:36:34 -0800

This recipe is one of my all time favorite french desserts.
I ate like 4 Chocolate Eclairs a day when I went to Paris for a week! So when I got back I went straight to the computer, ok so maybe I went to bed, but right after I searched for the best Eclairs I could find!
Here is the very close version of the delicious Eclairs I ate, so if you go to Paris, search for a big classic cafe behind the Eiffel Tower, I wish I could remember the name!

Filling:
2 cups whole, 2 percent fat, or 1 percent fat milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
Pastry:
1 cup water
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs, plus 1 extra, if needed

Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons water

Chocolate Glaze:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Filling: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the saucepan. Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate until 1 hour before using.
Pastry: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, add 3 eggs, 1 egg at a time. Stop mixing after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add the remaining 1 egg and mix until incorporated.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe fat lengths of dough (about the size and shape of a jumbo hot dog) onto the lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between them. You should have 8 to 10 lengths.

Egg Wash: In a bowl, whisk the egg and water together. Brush the surface of each eclair with the egg wash. Use your fingers to smooth out any bumps of points of dough that remain on the surface. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake until puffed up and light golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Try not to open the oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet. Fit a medium-size plain pastry tip over your index finger and use it to make a hole in the end of each eclair (or just use your fingertip). Using a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size plain tip, gently pipe the custard into the eclairs, using only just enough to fill the inside (don't stuff them full).

Glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until it boils. Immediately turn off the heat. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Set aside and keep warm. The glaze can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, and rewarm in a microwave or over hot water when ready to use.

Dip the tops of the eclairs in the warm chocolate glaze and set on a sheet pan. Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour to set the glaze. Serve chilled.

Madonna's Trainer: How to Lose 20 Pounds in 6 Weeks

justingirl1989 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:13:28 -0700

Two pounds a week is the typically advised weight loss, but pro Tracy Anderson says she has worked out a way to safely shed even faster!

“It’s perfectly healthy,” the former dancer, 33, tells Us of her plan. And the results of her regime speak for themselves in the super-fit physiques of clients Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna, not to mention her own transformation (the 5-foot mom dropped from 140 to 95 pounds).

“My formula works on everyone as long as they’re consistent,” says the trainer, who has a studio in L.A. She developed her signature strategy, to shape any body into a “teeny-tiny dancer type,” after testing 100 women for five years independently (because “the government isn’t going to fund seeing if you can get a Victoria’s Secret butt out of any woman!”).

The key, she says, is to constantly change the routine. Her students log six two-hour sessions weekly, dancing and hitting the Hybrid Body Reformer (a pulley-system machine available only in her studio, but not necessary to this plan). Promises Anderson, “You’ll keep the weight off!”

The Diet
This short-term diet “ensures you lose between 3 and 5 pounds a week,” says Anderson. The diet bans processed food, dairy and all spices (“They’re bloating and upset your digestive system, which causes you to store fat”), oil and sauces (“They’re just added calories”), discourages drinking alcohol or caffeine (sip 1.5 to 3 liters of water daily instead) and prescribes one serving of whole-grain carbs a day. Once you’re at your target weight, adopt a healthy but less restrictive diet.

Below are three weeks’ worth of menus. You can follow as is, or mix and match complete days’ menus to your liking.

WEEK ONE
Sunday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain - or vanilla - nonfat rice milk
Lunch
3 oz grilled chicken breast - or fresh turkey breast (no deli meat!) - with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoes
Snack
1 cup mixed berries (try raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
Dinner
1 cup organic pasta with ½ cup steamed spinach

Monday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain-or vanilla-nonfat rice milk
Lunch
2 hardboiled eggs with ½ cup each of baby carrots and cherry tomatoes
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed spinach

Tuesday
Breakfast
1 cup steel-cut oatmeal made with water and ½ cup fresh blueberries
Lunch
3 oz grilled chicken breast - or fresh turkey breast (no deli meat!) - with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoes
Snack
1 cup mixed berries (try raspberries, blueberries or red grapes)
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed broccoli

Wednesday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain - or vanilla - nonfat rice milk
Lunch
½ cup each of fresh spinach, beet root, tomatoes and cucumbers, with 2 tsp tahini
Snack
1 snack cup of sugar-free Jell-O
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach

Thursday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain - or vanilla - nonfat rice milk
Lunch
2 hard-boiled eggs with 4 to 5 celery sticks and 4 to 5 carrot sticks
Dinner
1 cup penne pasta with ½ cup each of steamed spinach and chopped steamed tomatoes

Friday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain - or vanilla - nonfat rice milk
Lunch
3 oz fresh turkey breast with ¼ cup each of cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts and beets, plus 1 slice whole-grain bread
Snack
1 cup fresh strawberries
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed fresh green beans

Saturday
Breakfast
2 poached eggs with 3 slices veggie bacon
Lunch
1 whole-grain wrap with ¼ cup of chopped avocado and ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoes
Snack
10 to 15 red grapes
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach

WEEK TWO
Sunday
Breakfast
2 poached eggs with 3 slices veggie bacon
Lunch
3 oz fresh turkey breast with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoes
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed Brussels sprouts or ½ cup steamed spinach

Monday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk and one poached egg
Lunch
2 sushi rolls (about 10 pieces total) of your choice (none should include mayo, nor may you add soy sauce)
Snack
1 cup soy pudding
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach

Tuesday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk and one poached egg
Lunch
2 celery stalks with 2 to 4 tsp almond butter
Dinner
3 to 5 oz fresh turkey breast with 1 sweet potato

Wednesday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk and one poached egg
Lunch
1 slice whole-grain toast with 2 slices veggie bacon with ½ cup each of tomatoes and spinach
Dinner
3to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed spinach

Thursday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk and 1 poached egg
Lunch
2 slices whole-grain bread with 3 oz fresh turkey, 2 slices of tomato, 3 to 4 slices of cucumber and romaine lettuce, and 2 tsp mustard
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed kale

Friday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk and 1 poached egg
Lunch
1 cup quinoa with ½ cup each of chopped parsley, spinach and tomatoes
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach

Saturday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk and 1 poached egg
Lunch
2 slices whole-grain bread with 3 oz fresh turkey, 2 slices of tomato, 3 to 4 slices of cucumber and romaine lettuce, and 2 tsp mustard
Snack
1 snack cup of sugar-free Jell-O
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed cabbage

WEEK THREE
Sunday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk and 1 poached egg
Lunch
2 celery stalks with 2 to 4 tsp almond butter
Dinner
1 grilled chicken breast with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoes

Monday
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk
Lunch
1 cup plain penne pasta with ½ cup steamed peas
Dinner
3 to 5 oz fresh turkey breast with ½ cup each of chopped spinach, cucumber and tomatoes

Tuesday
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk
Lunch
1 cup soy yogurt with 3 to 4 celery sticks
Snack
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
Dinner
1 cup brown rice with 3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast

Wednesday
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk
Lunch
3 oz chopped turkey with ½ cup each of chopped tomatoes, cucumber and spinach
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed kale

Thursday
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk
Lunch
2 hardboiled eggs with ½ cup each of baby carrots and cherry tomatoes
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach

Friday
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla - or plain - nonfat rice milk
Lunch
3 oz grilled chicken with ¼ cup of chopped avocado and ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and beets
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed spinach

Saturday
Breakfast
2 poached eggs and 1 slice whole-grain toast
Lunch
3 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoes
Snack
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, red grapes)
Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed spinach

The Workout
While following this plan six times a week, use 3-pound weights, max. Anderson explains, “It’ll get you to your tiniest, tightest point without overdeveloping muscles.” Get video footage of the workout at tracyandersonmethod.com.

WEEK 1
Make a 20-minute iPod playlist and do a different cardio activity (treadmill sprints, jumping rope, running on a trampoline) for each song. Switching activities will keep any one group of muscles from bulking up. “You should be dripping sweat and taking very few breaks,” she advises.

Get crunching! Do these three moves on a mat:
1. Lie flat on back, legs straight, then bend legs and pull to chest, feeling exertion in abs (50 reps).
2. With legs at 90-degree angle, do 50 crunches.
3. Lie with legs straight, feet apart. As you slightly lift one foot, crunch straight up and down; return foot to floor and lift the other while crunching. Do 60 times, each side.

Tone Do 100 reps each, or 200 for moves that alternate sides:
1. With feet shoulder-width apart, hold arms out in a T and rotate palms from -facing floor to ceiling.
2. In same stance, bend one wrist and pull across body, arm straight, in a smacking motion across your body. Alternate arms.
3. Then, with arms straight behind you, palms to-gether, snap your wrists from side to side.
4. Hold a 3-pound weight above your head with elbow bent at a 90-degree angle. Then lift weight straight over head. Do all reps on one side, then switch arms.
5. With weight in hand, hold one arm out in a T, bend at elbow to cover eyes, then straighten, keeping arm lifted. Do all reps on one arm; switch.
6. Do grand pliés: Stand with feet -shoulder-width apart, toes pointing out. With hands on hips and back straight, slowly bend knees until thighs are parallel to floor.

WEEKS 2–6
Increase cardio 10 minutes each week, so by week six, you’re up to 60 minutes daily, plus toning exercises

http://www.usmagazine.com/madonna-and-gwyn-diet-tips

A brief tutorial on cupcakes and buttercream icing.

ashleycakes — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:59:04 -0700

I needed to make a small batch of cupcakes for a man at church, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to both try out The Pioneer Woman's Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever and to show you a small tutorial on how I make buttercream icing and how to pipe it onto cupcakes. I felt the need to try this recipe because I have heard so many wonderful things about it, but I wanted to try it in cupcake form, so I halved the recipe. Here's the recipe and the following pictures that I took during the process. My pictures are not as great as PW's because 1. I am a terrible photographer, and 2. I don't have a mack daddy amazing camera like PW does, so if you want to see cool pictures, check out her site. If you want to see cooking in reality without the aid of photoshop and wonderful snazzy photography equipment, continue here.
Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake (HALVED!!)
Combine in a mixing bowl:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt:
1 sticks butter
Add 2 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1/2 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/4 cup buttermilk.
Add:
1 beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan (or cupcake tin with cupcake wrappers) and bake at 350-degrees for 15-20 minutes.

There is an "icing" that goes with this recipe, but since I am later going to be adding a simple vanilla buttercream icing, I opted not to make PW's recipe for icing this time.

Making vanilla buttercream icing
1. Start by putting the amount f butter you are going to be using in your mixer. For this recipe, I only needed a very small amount of buttercream icing, so I only used 1/4 stick. I use both salted and unsalted butter, it really just depends on what is on sale that day!
Generally when I am making a large layer cake, I will make batches of buttecream at a time so I don't bog down my mixer, and generally this is the recipe I will use:
Vanilla Buttercream Icing
1 stick butter
8 cups powdered sugar (this is one entire 32 ounce bag)
1 tbsp. vanilla
Heavy cream (I usually just eyeball the amount while the icing is mixed, it probably ends up to be around 1/2 cup)

2. So it's best to work with room temperature butter, but sometimes I get impatient and just have to nuke cold butter in the microwave. Notice in my picture that the butter is softened, not completely all melted. Mix your softened butter in the mixer until it is all one consistency.
3. Add the desire about of powdered sugar and vanilla to the mixer. Here since I only used 1/4 stick of butter, I only needed 2 cups powdered sugar and a very small amount of vanilla. Start the mixer and let that incorporate a little. The powdered sugar should start to incorporate into the butter in lumps, and then it's time to add the cream!
4. You can honestly just use water or milk in this step, but I find that (obviously) heavy cream tastes much better in the final product. With the mixer running, pour a very thin line of whipping cream down the side of the mixer into the sugar/butter mixture. You have added enough cream when all of the ingredients are mixed together thoroughly and looks like how you would imagine icing to look!
There can be different consistencies of icing based on how much liquid (cream, water, etc.) you add to the icing while mixing. Thicker icings are best to be used to make icing roses and flowers and intricate decorations on sides of cakes. Thinner icings are best to be used to fill, "crumbcoat", and ice cakes since it doesn't pull on the delicate structure of the cake and get crumbs in your icing. I will probably do a tutorial on how to fill and ice a cake soon to show you what I mean about this!
5. When your icing ingredients are all mixed together, your'e done! Or, you can do as I've done and add some food coloring to make the icing a pretty color. In this case, I have chosen pink. Mix the icing in the mixer a little bit longer to fully incorporate the color. After it mixes for a little while, I still usually have to use a spoon to get the icing incorporated to the icing on the side of the mixing bowl that stubbornly didn't want to be pink.
6. Now it's time to add the icing to the bag! I have chosen a large "closed star" decorating tip. All of the cake supplies I use are usually either bought from Michael's or Hobby Lobby, but if you aren't near either of these types of arts & crafts stores, you can also buy cake decorating supplies from Wilton online.
Add the decorating tip to the plastic decorating bag (you could theoretically use a Zip-lock bag as a decorating bag, but for my large-scale cake decorating purposes, they just don't work that well for me. Anyway, throw the tip in the bag, and then cut a small portion of the end of the bag out so that the tip fits securely in place at the bottom of the bag.
7. Roll down the top portion of the bag about halfway so that it's easier to get the icing down into the bottom of the bag, and so that it doesn't get icing toward the top of the bag that you will later have to twist to close. Don't add all of your icing to the bag at once, fill it with probably about 3/4 cup of the icing at a time or else it will turn into a pretty big mess by squirting out the open end of the bag. You can always go back later and add more icing to the bag when you run low.
8. Pull the top of the bag back up and knead the icing in the bag a little to remove any air pockets.
9. Twist the end of the bag so that the icing is enclosed securely and then get your cooled cupcakes out and get ready to decorate them!
10. Starting at the outside edge of the cupcake, squeeze with medium pressure on the bag to start the flow of the icing out of the bag. In one continuous motion, begin working the icing around the cupcake in a circular motion working toward the middle. Once you have made it to the middle of the cupcake, squeeze a little on the bag and because the tip has a star pattern, a cute little star will finish off the decoration on the cupcake.
11. You're done! Now stand back and admire your hard work! And also try not to notice that 2 of my cupcakes are missing. After all your hard work is done, you deserve to enjoy one (or 2) of your creation!

64 Uses for Vinegar

Shiloh Jolie Pitt — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:18:00 -0800

http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=973779

1. Kill grass on walks and driveways. Pour full strength on unwanted grass.

2. Kill weeds. Spray full strength on tops of weeds. Reapply on any new growth until plants have starved.

3. Increase soil acidity. In hard water areas, add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of tap water for watering acid loving plants like rhododendrums,gardenias, or azaleas. The vinegar will release iron in the soil for the plants to use.

4. Neutralize garden lime. Rinse your hands liberally with vinegar after working with garden lime to avoid rough and flaking skin. Clean pots before repotting, rinse with vinegar to remove excess lime.

5. Deter ants. Spray vinegar around door and window frames, under appliances, and along other known ant trails.

6. Keep car windows frost free. Coat the windows the night before with a solution of three parts vinegar to one part water.

7. Polish car chrome. Apply full strength with a soft cloth.

8. Soak new propane latern wicks in vinegar for several hours. Let dry before using. Will burn longer and brighter.

9. Clean milking equipment. Rinse with vinegar to leave system clean, odorless, and bacteria free without harmful chemical residue.

10. Remove skunk odor from a dog. Rub fur with vinegar.

11. Keep cats away. Sprinkle vinegar on an area to discourage cats from walking,sleeping,or scratching on it.

12. Keep dogs from scratching ears. Clean the inside of the ears with a soft cloth dipped in diluted vinegar.

13. Keep away fleas and mange. Add a little vinegar to your pet's drinking water.

14. Keep chickens from pecking each other. Add cider vinegar to their drinking water.

15. Make buttermilk. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of milk and let it stand 5 minutes to thicken.

16. Tenderize meat. Soak in vinegar overnight.

17. Freshen vegetables. Soak wilted vegetables in a quart of cold water and a tablespoon of vinegar.

18. Replace a lemon. Substitute 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar for 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

19. Firm up gelatin. Add a teaspoon of vinegar for every box of gelatin used to keep those molded desserts from sagging in the summer heat.

20. Boil better eggs. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to each quart of water before boiling eggs, keeps them from cracking.

21. Prepare fluffier rice. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water when it boils.

22. Make wine vinegar. Mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar with 1 teaspoon of dry red wine.

23. Debug fresh vegetables. Wash leafy greens in water with vinegar and salt. Bugs float off.

24. Scale fish more easily. Rub with vinegar 5 minutes before scaling.

25. Dampen your appetite. Sprinkle a little vinegar on prepared food to take the edge off your appetite.

26. Soothe a bee or jellyfish sting. Douse with vinegar. Will soothe irritation and relieve itching.

27. Relieve sunburn. Lightly rub white or cider vinegar on skin. Reapply as needed.

28. Conditions hair. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to your rinse to dissolve sticky residue left by shampoo.

29. Relieve dry and itchy skin. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to your bath water.

30. Fight dandruff. After shampooing, rinse with a solution of 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.

31. Soothe a soar throat. Put a teaspoon of vinegar in a glass of water. Gargle, then swallow. For another great gargle: 1 c. hot water, 2 tbsp. honey, 1 tbsp. vinegar, gargle then drink.

32. Clear up warts. Apply a lotion of half cider vinegar and half glycerin.

33. Treat sinus infections and chest colds. Add 1/4 cup or more vinegar to the vaporizer.

34. Feel good. A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, with a bit of honey added for flavor, will take the edge off your appetite and give you an overall healthy feeling.

35. Deodorize the kitchen drain. Pour a cup down the drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water.

36. Eliminate onion odor. Rub on your fingers before and after slicing.

37. Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards. Wipe with full strength vinegar.

38. Remove fruit stains from hands. Rub with vinegar.

39. Cut grease and odor on dishes. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to hot soapy water.

40. Clean a teapot. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in the teapot. Wipe away the grime.

41. Freshen a lunchbox. Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and let it sit in the unchbox over night.

42. Clean the refrigerator. Wash with a solution of equal parts water and vinegar.

43. Unclog a drain. Pour a handful of baking soda down the drain and add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Rinse with hot water.

44. Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through a minute.

45. Clean and deodorize jars. Rinse mayonnaise, peanut butter, and mustard jars with vinegar when empty.

46. Clean the dishwasher. Run a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once a month to reduce soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on glassware.

47. Clean stainless steel. Wipe with a vinegar dampened cloth.

48. Clean china and fine glassware. Add acup of vinegar to a sink of warm water. Gently dip the glass or china in the solution and let dry.

49. Get stains out of pots. Fill pot with a solution of 3 tablespoons of vinegar to a pint of water. Boil until stain loosens and can be washed away.

50. Clean the microwave. Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.

51. Dissolve rust from bolts and other metals. Soak in full strength vinegar.

52. Get rid of cooking smells. Let simmer a small pot of vinegar and water solution.
53. Unclog steam iron. Pour equal amounts of vinegar and water into the iron's water chamber. Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes in an upright postion. Then uplug and allow to cool. Any loose particles should come out when you empty the water.

54. Clean a scorched iron plate. Heat equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Rub solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains.

55. Get rid of lint in clothes. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.

56. Keep colors from running. Immerse clothes in full strength vinegar before washing.

57. Freshen up the washing machine. Periodically, pour a cup of vinegar in the machine and let in run through a regular cycle (no clothes added). Will dissolve soap residue.

58. Brighten fabric colors. Add a 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.

59. Take grease off suede. Dip a toothbrush in vinegar and gently brush over grease spot.

60. Remove tough stains. Gently rub on fruit, jam, mustard, coffee, tea. Then wash as usual.

61. Get smoke smell out of clothes. Add a cup of vinegar to a bath tub of hot water. Hang clothes above the steam.

62. Remove decals. Brush with a couple coats of vinegar. Allow to soak in. Wash off.

63. Clean eyeglasses. Wipe each lens with a drop of vinegar.

64. Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar for each quart of water.