Baskets Of Plenty

There must be literally dozens of times, if not hundreds, in our lives when we get stuck for a perfect gift idea for someone special. Even those who are not so special need to be given a gift sometimes, so the problem remains the same.

Imagine being at work and the boss tells his secretary to send something to a friend of his who has been hospitalized. Whatever would she think of sending at such short notice? Even work colleagues who have, unfortunately, suffered bereavement may have to be sent something. What about the new baby born to a fellow manger or director? All very different occasions but with one thing in common, they need a gift to be sent to say; we care; we are thinking of you; sorry for your loss, or great news!

There is one particular gift that says all of these things and more, the gift basket. Gift baskets come chock full of all kinds of goods these days. Remember when all they contained were a few pieces of ripe fruit, topped with cellophane and a paper ribbon? Well, these days are long gone. Now the variety of goodies, available in gift baskets, is awe inspiring to say the least.

But first, it is very obvious that the occasion has to be noted and worked out. For example, many faux pas have occurred by sending the wrong kind of gift basket to a recipient. For example, sending a gourmet basket, complete with several bottles of fine wines, to a person who is well known to be having some problems with alcohol is a big mistake for sure. Or what about the wonderful chocolate or cookie filled gift baskets for the person who has been told to lose weight by the doctor? Another point here is that the recipient could also be a diabetic, a condition that is becoming more common these days in first world countries.

There is no need to panic if there is little known about the recipient. Even if they are sent an inappropriately filled gift basket, they will surely appreciate the thought behind the gift and let it go at that. However, with a little detective work, the perfect gift basket must surely be available for even the most difficult person. Indeed, if it is impossible to find out anything at all about the intended recipient, err on the side of caution and send a gift basket that does not contain food or alcohol of any kind. In this way, no boundaries are crossed and no insult, intended or not intended, will happen.

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When sending a gift basket, there is also one other thing to consider, and that is the status of the recipient. If the intended ‘victim’ is a high flying executive then a bath full of a selection of different beers is unlikely to be taken very well. However, if he is an avid sports fan, a little younger than most and very easy going, he just might love the fact that he is still thought of as ‘one of the boys’. On the other hand, this type of gift ‘basket’ will be a huge hit for those who are celebrating their team winning the league, or for the birth of a new baby. The parents may well appreciate a contribution to the get together for friends and relatives after the baby is born.

Now, let’s get back to that executive. There are some superb gourmet gift baskets filled with delicious foods and marvelous cheeses. Depending on the size of the basket, it can hold several bottles of very good wine, crystal glasses to drink the wine, unusual and tasty treats from around the world, along with some exquisite pates to finish off this highly desirable gift basket.

For Thanksgiving celebrations, some gift baskets consist of a huge cooked turkey, with all the trimmings, to make the day go with a bang. Many families would love to receive this kind of basket, particularly if there is to be a huge family gathering at that time. Even honey roast hams come in the same format and are great for family reunions or just for get-togethers.

It goes without saying that new babies are a wonderful time to celebrate, but this time can be a little overpowering for the young parents. Instead of buying one single item for the new baby, try giving a lovely gift basket containing a complete layette in blue or pink. For those who are close to the proud parents, finding out the name of the baby should be very easy and this means that names or initials can be embroidered onto the bibs or toys to make it extra special. Young parents will surely appreciate this very handy addition to the baby’s wardrobe.

Gift baskets are not just there for individuals. Some offices receive great gift baskets filled with cookies or other sweet things as a thank you from a grateful customer. This is a great advertising tool too because the company logo can be iced onto the cookie. With every mouthful, the recipients will literally have that company’s name on their lips! Other gift baskets are filled with the ubiquitous cup cakes, which seems to be everyone’s favorites right now. One unusual food gift that has just come out is not a basket at all. Try sending out a delicious cheesecake, cut into individual slices, and made up of eight different flavors. This sixteen slice cake would surely be most welcome at a bridal shower or baby’s christening party.

These gift baskets are also a wonderful idea for the boss to say ‘thank you for working so hard’ to his employees; or perhaps given under a gifting policy that includes giving birthday or anniversary presents to the staff. It really gives them an incentive to keep on giving their all for the company.

Whatever the cause, and whoever the recipient is, personalizing the gift with embroidery, engraving or ribbons with greetings on, will put that finishing touch to a well appreciated gift.

The History of the Hazelnut

The modern name for filberts has evolved from European folklore. The original name was connected with Saint Philbert’s Day (Saint Filbert), the day that harvesting the nuts began, August 22nd, the day of observing the Saint’s day of celebration. The famous Roman historian, Pliny, recorded that ‘hazels’ (filberts) were frequently gathered by the Romans as food. Pliny believed that filberts (hazelnuts) had originated in Damascus, Syria, where they grew naturally in forests; however, archeological records have shown some fossilized remains of filberts (hazelnuts) that were 5000 years old in prehistoric excavations from China. Almonds are found growing wild today in many European countries and Asia Minor. There, the climates are mild during winter with cool summers near moist soils and large bodies of water like the Black Sea boundaries around Turkey and near the Mediterranean Sea surrounding Sicily and Italy.

The first commercial nursery in the U.S. was established by Robert Prince in 1737 in Flushing, N.Y. George Washington visited this nursery by river barge in the spring of 1789 just after being elected the nation’s first President. During the Revolutionary War, General Washington sent armed guards to surround and protect this valuable nursery that contained American filbert trees and “Barcelona” filbert trees that were imported from Spain. When Lewis and Clark conducted their exploration of the Northwest during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, they returned with collected specimen plants to be used as nursery stock at Prince Nursery for propagation, research, and sale. Professor of Horticulture and Pomology, Dr. MacDaniels, of Cornell University, did much filbert hazelnut research at a very large nut orchard that he established early during the last century near Ithaca, New York.

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Filberts are alleged to conjure up mystical powers by certain cult members and have been thought since ancient times to be used as ‘divining rods’ to locate underground springheads of water, buried treasure, minerals, ores, and as various remedies for illness and ailments of many kinds.

The European filbert (hazelnut) tree, ‘Corylus avellana L.,’ is the world’s most common and commercially advantageous filbert that is familiar and available to markets of today. This European filbert tree grows to 20 feet in orchards when trained into a tree by removing the lower limbs. Orchardists there expect filbert trees to bear after three years of planting and a mature tree averages 20-25 pounds of nuts per year. Two different trees are necessary to insure nut production through cross pollination.

The developing nuts are green in color, but when mature, the nuts turn a chocolate brown; however, the filberts (hazelnuts) are not released from the hull until 6 weeks later, after drying. The nuts may grow in clusters up to 12 nuts, about the size of acorns, and are usually mature during the last week of August, being collected during the last of September. Although filberts are gathered by hand in Europe for commercial markets, they are gathered mechanically in nut orchards of Washington State and Oregon in the United States.

American filberts, ‘Corylus Americana Walt.,’ were described in historical literature as growing among native forests in bush form, although commercially the plant can be formed into a small tree up to 12 feet tall by removing the lower limbs. This filbert tree is very cold hardy, surviving cold extremes down to minus 30 degrees F; Zone 3 to 9, from a range that extends from Maine south to Georgia and westward to Missouri and Oklahoma. The American filbert (hazelnut) tree is commonly propagated by dividing clumps. This filbert tree is very aggressive and can emerge from severely burned over forests to become reestablished from the very woody, large rhizomes that grow about six inches beneath the soil; the American filbert is very shade tolerant and grows in light intensity as low as 1% along streams, woodlands, pastures, roadsides, and forest edges. The tree can produce nuts as early as the second year. Filberts are eaten by mammals, quail, deer, and large birds. The kernels of filberts are used in cereals, confections, candies, cakes, and canned as pure hazelnuts or mixed nuts for sale at Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Filbert hazelnuts are also used to flavor soups, to be eaten raw or to be ground into a flour to form a cake like bread.

One report from the University of Georgia farm claims that filberts (hazelnuts) have matured on plants that are located there at the trial orchard.

World production of filbert hazelnuts is dominated by Europe and the Mideast; 75-80% of the world’s nuts are harvested from orchards near the Black sea, bordering Turkey. Another 15% of filberts are produced from Italy and Sicily, and a 2% share of the market comes from Washington State and Oregon.

As a health concern, many people need to reduce their risk for heart disease. The FDA claimed “consuming just 1.5 ounces of hazelnuts per day may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease” as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Doctors have proven at a Boston, MA hospital health study that states, “men who consumed nuts twice or more in a week had a 47% lower risk of sudden cardiac (heart attack) death, and 30% lower risk of coronary heart disease death.”

Cake Mixing Like the Pros with the Two-Stage Method

Cake mixing techniques are always more important than cake baking temperatures. I demonstrated this in an earlier blog by using a butter cake recipe to demonstrate the creaming method. This method combines butter and sugar to trap air, then uses egg yolks to form an emulsification.

 

The limiting factor of the creaming method is that butter is not 100 percent fat. Butter is composed of 85 percent fat, about 10 percent water and 5 percent milk solids. With less fat, butter will hold less liquid during an emulsification. This means a drier, tougher cake.

 

To make a very moist cake, a greater amount of liquid is needed, and shortening will hold more liquid in a cake batter than butter will.  Regular shortening is 100 percent fats. In the professional bake shop, we use an ingredient called “high-ratio” shortening. This special type of fat creates an even better emulsification in cake formulas with a greater amount of liquid.

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The “Two-Stage” cake mixing method uses this high ratio shortening to create a very moist, soft texture, but firm structure cake. The “White Whisper Cake” that I create in the accompanying video uses this method.

 

The two stage method differs from the creaming method because shortening and flour are combined, rather than butter and sugar, in the first step. The purpose in the creaming method was to trap air. However, the purpose in the two stage method is to simply combine the ingredients because the great amount of liquid is what will leaven the cake, not trapped air.

 

Sugar, vanilla and milk are added to the fat and flour mixture, which is where the two stages of the two-stage method begin. This cake mixing method gets its name from alternating flour, liquid, and then flour and liquid in two stages to get as much liquid into the formula as possible.

 

If you’ve been disappointed with dry cakes and recipes that “didn’t come out”, examine the cake mixing methods that you’re using. When you switch from butter and sugar in a creaming method, to the two-stage method that professionals use with shortening and flour, you’ll never be subject to a disappointing recipe again. You’ll be smarter than the recipe because you know the methods behind them.

 

Chocoholics Delight! Hershey’s Cocoa Bundt Cake From Vintage Recipe Collection

Chocoholics, listen up!  Here is a great recipe for you.  This old Hershey’s recipe for Cocoa Bundt Cake is fantastic.  And it’s great for any occasion from birthdays to parties to pitch-ins, the list goes on and on.  And here’s a holiday hint.  For Christmas, crush a candy cane and sprinkle over the top of the glaze to give the cake a pepperminty, holiday taste and look.

HERSHEY’S COCOA BUNDT CAKE

This recipe was in an old Hershey’s recipe give-away.

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or sour milk*
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze (recipe below)

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Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. In the large mixer bowl, blend flour, sugar, dodoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add remaining ingredients except chocolate glaze. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle with the chocolate glaze.

Yield: 12 to 16 servings

*If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar plus milk to equal 1 1/2 cups. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes before using.

Chocolate Glaze:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Mini-Chips

In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a rolling boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat. Immediately add the chocolate chips. Stir mixture with a wire whisk until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool until slightly thickened. Drizzle over top of cake.

Note: For a pretty presentation, add a few chopped pecans around the top of the cake over the glaze.

Enjoy!

Baby Shower Cakes — How to Buy or Make Wonderful Baby Cakes that Surprise Your Guests

How can you have a complete baby shower without baby shower cakes?

A baby cake is more than a moist, yummy confection to eat.

You can use it as a wonderful baby shower centerpiece to make a special party setting that every guest can share and enjoy.

Also turn the baby shower cake baking into a funny baby shower game if you want to make a special and memorable moment that the mom-to-be can cherish for a long time.

What if you’re looking for something that can do triple duties for your baby shower?

A Diaper Cake decorated with all kinds of baby items is your best choice — it’s not edible!

Keep the guidelines below in your mind.

You’ll find that have the bakery design cakes for you is just a snap.

Set your party theme and budget, it will help you focus on what you really need.

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Check out 4 or 5 bakeries (at least).

Look at their cake pictures and ask for a sample-taste.

Make a decision on the cake that most fits your need.

Tell the baker how many people will attend your party so they don’t make the wrong size.

(A standard round cake serves approximately eight to ten people.  An 11 x 9 x 2 inch sheet cake serves up to fifteen people.)

Tell the baker which day and what time the shower will start.

You should order the cake a minimum of one week in advance of the shower.

Pay a 50 percent deposit.

Ask the bakery to deliver the cake directly to your shower location (again, don’t forget to tell them the date and time!).

Instead of the traditional baby cakes, try baking a batch of baby cupcakes which guests can frost and decorate.

You can even try the idea of an Autograph Cake — it’s a sheet cake only have a standard “Congratulations!” inscription on it and the rest are left plain.

Guests were asked to sign their names on the cake when they arrive.

And imagine a cake with the mommy’s photo or a classic pooh poster on it!

The only thing you need to do is to choose one photo of the mom-to-be or any graphics related to your shower theme.

The bakery will blow up the photo and decorate around it for you — it looks great and inexpensive!

No matter what you’re looking for, put your heart and energy into the cake planning, the ideas are endless.

Indulge your taste buds with some healthy cake

Have you got a special occasion coming up, such as a birthday, christening, or festival? Or do you just fancy a pudding after dinner or a treat after lunch, where you would like to eat delicious cake without worrying about piling on the pounds as a result? Well… there is such a thing as a healthy cake (seems hard to believe I know)- The Healthy Cake Company specialise in baking delicious made to order sugar free cakes, and low fat cakes which means that you can enjoy dessert without undoing all the good work you’ve done at the gym!

When you order one of these tasty cakes from The Healthy Cake Company it allows you to stay on track with your strict diet AND enjoy some tasty chocolate cake too- giving you the best of both worlds!

When you eat these cakes you will be able to indulge by eating a portion of cake, without it ruining your chances of achieving a svelte figure like Nicole Scherzinger. The former Pussy Cat recently celebrated her birthday twice, looking striking in a body con dress each time, and had TWO indulgent birthday cakes.

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The pop star recently celebrated her 33rd birthday in style, by hosting two parties, with two five tier chocolate cakes. Due to her busy schedule of US X-Factor judging commitments she had to take time out to enjoy her double birthday party celebrations. Have you ever wondered how you could have a celebrity body and still eat a tasty desert like Nicole Scherzinger? Well know you know how- by ordering some decadent, custom made free from cakes from The Healthy Cake Company.

Traditional cakes are full of sugar, diary and other fats which put the weight watchers and slimmers out there feeling like they cannot eat cake, even on a special occasion such as a birthday party! However, with these healthy cakes you do not have to hesitate to accept a slice, or feel guilty about taking pleasure in enjoying each and every mouthful.

Eating the healthier option also has other benefits; allergies to different ingredients frequently found in cakes are becoming more common. Also, with the rise in popularity of the vegan diet people are looking for new foods and different ways to cook classic recipes to replace content they cannot eat. Therefore, having free from cakes at your celebrations will cater for everyone’s needs, whether it is preferred for the reason of health restrictions, dietary needs, or your guests are trying to watch their waistlines.

Reaching for this healthier option still allows eating cake to be pleasing- satisfying your sweet tooth. However restricting some of the naughty ingredients doesn’t impact on the taste, texture or flavour, so doesn’t have to take the joy out of eating a cake. So everybody can enjoy a slither of cake every now and again!

If you want to order some healthy cakes that everyone can enjoy at your special event or occasion, please visit http://www.healthycakecompany.co.uk.

Menopause Belly Fat Weight Gain – Hot Flashes

Menopause Belly Fat Weight Gain

Changes to the body’s chemistry are directly linked to menopause belly fat weight gain. With the beginingof menopause and the incumbent hormonal changes comes a mixture of known symptoms. Among the 34 most common is menopause belly fat weight gain.

In addition to hormonal changes, there a several additional causes for menopause weight gain and menopause belly fat which are also important. Cravings are a large part of menopause belly fat weight gain. If some types of food tasted ‘good’ prior to menopause (women reaching 51 is the American national average), then these foods are likely to taste ‘very good’ during pre menopause and menopause.

Among the primary causes are any foods high in fat or rich in calories and carbohydrates. Among these are (anything) chocolate, ice cream, brownies, pizza, wine, beer, donuts, cakes, pies, milk shakes, potato chips, pasta, etc.

The purpouse that the body may feel ‘out of control’ due to the cravings for certain foods is that the body is trying to adjust for the hormonal imbalance.

This is especially true after pregnancy. However, following pre menopause and menopause many women experience a cosmetic shift from hip and thigh weight gain in deference to weight gained around the middle.

Binge Eating

Unfortunately, binge eating is common with food cravings. Before, a woman may have instintualy sensed which foods (or food types) were ‘danger’ foods and instinctively tried to monitor the over consumption of these ‘decadent pleasures’.
Following perimenopause and/or menopause these ‘sensible’ precautions could virtualy be flung out the window. Comfort foods

In much the same aspect, a craving for or the over-consumption of comfort foods can lead to menopause belly fat and menopause weight gain. Comfort foods are traditionally associated to high fat, excessive calories and carbohydrates. Most people can associate to ‘Thanksgiving Dinner’ as the ultimate comfort food experience. However, the regular over-indulgence in these foods, more so in later life, can lead to menopause belly fat weight gain.

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To further acerbate this condition, there is also clinical evidence that ‘stress’ is linked to comfort foods.

It should be of no big surprise that Americans exercise less as they age. This fact is also true of peri menopausal and menopausal women. Unfortunately, peri menopausal and menopausal women usualy are less active and exercise less than in their 30′s and 40′s. Load bearing exercise can also be a deterrent to osteoporosis and joint related issues. As we age, our metabolic rate decreases, which means that not as much food is needed to have consistent weight levels. If food consumption goes up without a corresponding rise in metabolism, women of advanced age run a serious risk of incurring menopause belly fat weight gain.

When We Eat

When we eat also has a association with menopause belly fat weight gain. Heavy meals ate late in the day followed by late-night binge/craving snacks can esspecialy add on the pounds and are a leading cause of menopause belly fat weight gain. Other Catalysts and Eating Concerns

As previously discussed, stress can be a precursor to binge eating and over eating. Pre menopausal women also need to be informed about that some foods and beverages can also ‘trigger’ other common peri menopause or menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.

For this purpouse, smoking and the use of all alcoholic beverages (including beer and wine) are expressly discouraged. Chocolate and other foods have also been known to trigger hot flashes and night sweats. There are multiple dangers that go along with menopause belly fat weight gain. As a result of this fact, women are at equal risk of developing heart disease (at this age) as their male counterparts.

As a result, many health professionals and nutritionists are now encoraging as many as 4 or 5 very small meals per day as compared to 3 regular large meals for persons of advanced age.

Diseases of the digestive tract (including colon cancer), as well as liver and kidney disease, can directly lead to increased menopause belly fat weight gain.

Altering the Symptom at the Source

FemFlax is an all-natural menopause support supplement and can help to eliminate menopause belly fat in 3 ways.

1. Concentrated Fem-Flax has been especially formulated for women of menopausal age in an effort to combat “hot flashes” and “night sweats”, as well as “food cravings” which can lead to increased menopause belly fat weight gain. The active ingredients in Fem-Flax are commonly referred to as “flax hull lignans”. The highly concentrated (and encapsulated) full-spectrum of 27 flax hull lignans found in FemFlax act as weak estrogen replacements, and in this way, help to alleviate hot flashes, night sweats, accelerated food cravings, as well as other symptoms associated with peri menopause and menopause. FemFlax acts to naturally balance hormones and can help to eliminate the cravings and natural urges that can lead to menopause belly fat weight gain.
2. FemFlax is naturally high in fiber and can swell to ten-times its encapsulated size in the stomach and digestive tract. If taken prior to a meal, FemFlax can provide a “full feeling” which discourages over eating.
3. The high-fiber nature of FemFlax also leads to big improvements in the elimination process. High-fiber FemFlax (taken prior to or immediately following a meal) not only helps in the elimination process but also means that fewer calories and carbohydrates may be absorbed, which may also help to eliminate an elevated risk of menopause belly fat weight gain.

For more information on FemFlax can be found at www.femflax.com

Fort Collins Fitness Trainer Discusses the High Price of Comfort Food

The holidays are upon us—first Thanksgiving, then Christmas—quickly followed by New Year’s celebrations and then Valentine’s Day. Even with a steel will and a padlock on your fridge, it can be nearly impossible to walk away from the veritable onslaught of family traditions and comfort food about to reach your stomach and derail your fitness goals. Don’t be tempted by the siren call of high-salt, high-sugar treats. They do, after all, come with a high price tag attached.

A lot of my personal training clients swear that their comfort food preferences are regional. For instance, one of my personal training clients hails from Alabama, and she heads straight for mashed potatoes (and the sour cream, butter, and half-and-half her mother uses to make them). Another client is from New York—food heaven for her means potato latkes and deep-fried jelly doughnuts. Finally, another client is from Wisconsin and loves cheese—and lots of it. Other clients claim that they gravitate towards one comfort food over another depending on their gender—i.e., women have to have their chocolate; men can’t live without their chicken wings and dark beer.

I think foods join the comfort category whenever they:

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- Fulfill an emotional need rather than a nutritional one.

- Come in large portions that leave you feeling elated one second and then bloated the next.

- Contain a ridiculous amount of empty calories in a single serving.

- Fall into the sugary or the salty category.

- Happen to be fried, or smothered, and/or covered in cheese.

- Increase the likelihood that you’ll mindlessly munch them.

Surely, one of these categories brings a knowing nod and a sad smile to your face. I know this because everyone has a weakness for at least one food. And that food is our “go-to” treat. It never lets us down, fails to show up or disappoints. People run to their comfort food for all kinds of reasons.

- Habit (“I always eat chips when I watch my American Idol, it just wouldn’t be the same without it.”) Interestingly, breaking the cycle is possible. Your body can get just as acclimated to a positive diet habit as a negative one.

- To mask/alter/avoid an uncomfortable or scary emotion. Or to celebrate a positive one. (“My boyfriend just broke up with me! Let’s eat the whole carton of ice cream,” or “I got a new job, let’s eat that carton of ice cream!”) Either way, it’s mostly emotions (not physical hunger pains) that trigger this kind of overindulgence or mindless raiding of the fridge. You would probably be amazed at the amount of self-medicating people do with food.

- The join-the-crowd-syndrome. (“It’s a party, after all!  Everyone else gets cake, why can’t I have cake?”) This “might as well join them” mantra is especially rampant during the holiday season. Often, friends don’t help in moments like these. The pressure from friends to join them can bring even the strongest individual to their knees.

So what is it about comfort food, really? It’s because they taste so darn good right? And for those first few moments, it’s sheer joy. But what about after? You feel bloated, swollen, thirsty, embarrassed, frustrated, fatigued—is it really worth it, holidays or not?

Few of us can do comfort foods in moderation. Just say no. Remember, your fitness fate lies in your BRAIN, not your taste buds, not your past and not in the words of friends. Don’t sabotage your fitness goals. You must have the mental fortitude to not give in to the temptations of comfort foods.

How To Keep The Family Healthy Over Christmas

Christmas is often a time of over-indulgence and it’s not uncommon for people to come back after the break carrying a little extra ‘holiday weight’. Here are five ways to help your family stay healthy over the festive break.

1. If you plan on preparing a lot of food for your clan this Christmas and you’re worried about what to make, do some research for some healthy family recipes that are also delicious and avoid some of the fattier foods available.

2. While Christmas tradition for many families means slumping in front of the TV and watching movies and TV specials, it could be time to take action by switching off the box and looking for more energetic activities to do.

3. One such activity could be riding bikes, especially if that’s what you end up buying your little ones this Christmas. It’s always a popular present and, as an alternative to video game consoles, it will help keep your children entertained and active. Why not ask Santa for a bike too and make it a family activity?

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4. Don’t over-do it on the desserts. If you are going to put on weight this Christmas, then chances are it’ll be down to the chocolate cake and Christmas pudding. Choose one or the other and avoid having dessert with every meal.

5. If your children have written their lists for Santa and they contain a number of gift ideas that are more suited to sitting inside, make sure you compensate for them by including some sporty or active gifts. Tennis rackets, skateboards, footballs and yoga mats are all popular presents and will help your children to stay fit and healthy.

Family health is a major issue for many parents, but with exercise, healthy family recipes and a little imagination, you can make sure your brood are still in peak fitness when the New Year rolls round.

How To Make A Cake

Baking a cake is my hobby in life. I also teach How to make a cake. I just can’t go a day without eating a slice of the most indulging treat in the world.Lets face the facts, no one is able to resist the amazing cake.Here is a finger licking’ good chocolate cake recipe which is healthy and you don’t need to hear from anyone out there who tells you that chocolates cakes aren’t good for your health.I have been eating cakes for almost every day of my life. Cakes wouldn’t make you fat or do anything bad. In fact, they seduce your taste buds.Here’s my favorite chocolate cake recipe :

Make sure you have these ingredients:

Soy milk, unflavoured : 8 fluid oz.

.75 cup of pure cocoa powder

Applesauce : 8 oz.

Natural Extract of Vanilla : 1 tsb.

Wheat flour, whole : 16 oz

Table sugar : 12 oz

1/2 tsb. of Baking Powder

Baking soda, 1/2 tsb.

1/2 tsb. of Table Salt.

4 1/2 liquid egg whites, uncooked.

Instructions

First of all, turn on your oven. Turn the heat knob to 350 degrees.
When you’re finished with that , the next thing you need to do is fetch a couple of cake pans, 9 inches round each. Then, you will take both of your pans, and spread them out with vegetable cooking oil. Then, sprinkle the pans with whole-wheat flour on both pans.

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Secondly, get your soy milk and pour it in a medium sized saucepan. Heat it up, to the point where its almost boiled. Next, take the saucepan off of the heat and pour the milk into a whisking container and whisk in the cocoa until where it becomes viscous and consistent. Mix in the applesauce for about a minute. Then you need to add the vanilla extract and give it a good mix. You’re doing great!

Once you’re done with that , take the table sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and table salt and put them in a large bowl.

Now, break the eggs and separate the egg whites. Put the liquid egg whites to a medium large bowl.
Grab an electronic mixerwhisker} and whisk the eggs until the mixture becomes creamy and foamy. Next add the table sugar(sucrose) and continue to beat slowly until the mixture is smooth and consistent.

Now you need to add the cocoa mixture on the whole wheat flour. Mix till the ingredients are evened out.

Next grab of a non stick spatula, and stir about 1/4thone fourth} of the egg white mixture in the wheat flour mixture. Now add the remaining egg whites, and fold in till the point where it is smooth, and no visible lines of white remain. Pour this mixture in the pans you earlier prepared.

Place the pans in your oven. Let it ba|e for 30 minutes.

Baking Test:

Just grab a toothpick ,insert it inside the cake. If it comes out clean, without residue, then the cake has been baked

Hold Up! Where’s the frosting?

Since we’re done with learning How to make a cake, its quintessential to know how to prepare the frosting for it too!

Things required:

2 liquid egg whites, uncooked
Cream of tartar : 1/2 tsb

4 tsb honey

1oz natural vanilla extract

16 teaspoons quick dissolving fatless milk powder

Procedure:

Whisk the liquid egg whites in a bowl until smooth and frothy. Get the tartar cream and add it to the bowl and keep mixing.Finally add the natural vanilla extract and mix. Then add instant non fat milk powder to finish it all off.

Find out more about How To Make A Cake.