Country White Bread

Country White Bread

Taken from http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Country-White-Bread

Ingredients

• 1 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110° to 115°) - hand kneading (cool water for food processor kneading)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 1/4 cups bread flour

Directions (for hand kneading)

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt, eggs, oil and 3 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Divide in half and shape into loaves. Place in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

Directions (for food processor kneading)

• Put all the dry ingredients into the food processor. Mix everything.
• Put egg and oil and pulse till incorporated.
• Let the mixer run while you pour the water in.
• When dough pulls away from wall and forms a ball, let it rest for 15 minutes (autolyse).
• After 15 minutes, run the processor for about 45 seconds. I had to pulse it to avoid overheating the processor motor.
• Turn out into an oiled pan and shape the dough to buns or whatever shape you want. Turn the dough to oil the top. Leave it rise in the pan that you intend to bake with. I think I left it there for more than an hour because I forgot. Bake as usual at 375° for 25-30 minutes.

Sachin's Chickpea Recipe

Sachin's Chickpea Recipe

Chickpeas with cumin seeds, tumeric, and cinnamon.

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans
2 tomatoes
1 small onion
1 small clove of garlic    
1 small piece of ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp tumeric powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

Gravy prep:
1. Chop onion, garlic, ginger, cumis seeds and tomato, and saute in a pan together in oil (olive or vegetable) until light brown.
2. Transfer mixture into grinder / blender and blend to fine paste.
3. Place the paste back into pan. Turn on heat.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon and tumeric powder.
5. Let simmer and stop.

Chickpeas prep:
1. Remove from can, and wash. Add to pressure cooker with water enough to cover them and cook to soften (1-2 whistles).
2. Remove and add to gravy.
3. Add salt to taste.

Now, the story - went to Vui's friend's house for lunch. He made chickpeas that tasted really delicious. I got the recipe and attempted it yesterday. Instead of pouring the gravy into a blender, I used a hand blender to blend the ingredients in the small pot but it didn't do a good job. Small drops of the gravy splattered the stove and my shirt. The ingredients didn't get blended properly either, leaving chunks here and there. I still love the taste though. Yum ... I love chickpeas. Chickpeas forever.

Chinese New Year Origami Flower Lantern

Didn't have enough Chinese New Year red packets so I bought scrapbook papers from Joann and some fake flowers from Michaels. Both items were on sale (yay!). I cut the papers into the size of a square red packet, folded, and stapled them. Then, I cut off the flowers from their stalks and hot-glued them to the lantern. 

Secrets to a better brain

Read this article on cnn. It rings so true about our brains. I decided to copy the article just in case cnn removes it in the future.

From http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/health/chopra-better-brain/index.html?hpt=hp_abar


Deepak Chopra: Secrets to a better brain

Editor's note: Deepak Chopra is a mind-body expert, founder of the Chopra Foundation and a best-selling author. Hear more from him on "Sanjay Gupta MD" at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday and 7:30 a.m. ET Sunday.

(CNN) -- There are many books on the market that focus on treating the brain like any other organ of the body. To improve the brain, they advise eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep and avoiding toxins like alcohol and nicotine.

These are sound bits of advice, but in my own book, "Super Brain," written with professor Rudolph Tanzi of Harvard Medical School, the emphasis is on the brain's uniqueness. The secret to improving your brain is to understand that uniqueness.

The brain is the only organ that changes instantly according to how the mind relates to it. You can relate to your brain in positive or negative ways, and depending on which one you choose, your brain cells, neural pathways and areas of high and low activity will be altered.

In short, thinking your brain into better functioning is the most efficient way to improve it. (Other organs of the body also respond to positive and negative thinking, but their response must come through the brain first; it functions as command central for the rest of the body.)

Deepak Chopra

The best way to relate to your brain is to inspire it; the worst way is to ignore it. Since the brain embraces every thought, word and deed, the list of things under each heading is long but very much worth attending to. See which of the following applies to you.

Chopra: Reinventing the brain is closer than you think

How to inspire your brain
Take care of stress. Avoid dulling routine. Do something creative every day. Read poetry, spiritual material or anything else that makes you feel uplifted. Take time to be in nature. Bond with another person who is heartwarming. Pay attention to being happy. Make sure you take time every day by yourself to relax, meditate and self-reflect. Deal with negative emotions like anger and anxiety. Focus on activity that makes you feel fulfilled. Give of yourself. Follow a personal vision. Attach yourself to a cause that is bigger than you are. Take the risk to love and be loved.

How to ignore your brain
Get set in your ways. Don't look beyond your opinions, likes and dislikes. Isolate yourself from others. Take relationships for granted. Reconcile yourself to going downhill as you age. Look upon the past as the best time of your life. Forget about having ideals. Act on selfish impulses. Don't examine what makes you tick. Give in to anger and anxiety. Let life take care of itself. Go along to get along. Assume that you are automatically right. Avoid anything new or challenging. Put up with stress. Take no emotional risks. Distract yourself with mindless diversions like watching sports for hours on end.

The difference between these two lists is pretty stark. In one case, you are approaching the brain as if it had great untapped potential. In the other, you assume that the brain runs on automatic pilot.

It is undeniable that the brain is endlessly adaptable. It turns into whatever you expect it to be. So how you relate to your brain is never passive; you are always instructing it to function in a certain way. Thus the whole package of beliefs, expectations, likes and dislikes that you hold inside are creating change -- or blocking it -- at the level of brain circuitry.

Needless to say, it's better to inspire your brain than to ignore it. Potential is a terrible thing to waste.

The first step in forming a better relationship with your brain is to realize that you have a relationship. Once you realize this, you can choose to pay attention to the relationship and nurture it. You are in on a secret that escapes countless people. Take advantage of it.

Corn Chowder and more

From the Allergy-Free Cookbook by Eileen Rhude Yoder, PhD

Corn Chowder

2 C      boiling water
2 C      canned corn
2 C      diced potatoes
1 tsp    sea salt
2 C      milk or milk substitute

Into boiling water, add vegetables and salt. Cook until tender. Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the milk. Reheat, but do not boil, and serve at once.

Note: I don't have canned corn. Will be using frozen corn and yukon potatoes on hand. Instead of milk, I will substitute with eggs as thickener. Perhaps add a bit of herbs to taste. Another option is coconut milk.


Cream of Vegetable Soup

1/4 cups butter
3 tablespoon flour or rice flour (I didn't know you can use rice flour as substitute!)
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
Dash of sea salt
1 teaspoon sage
2 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
2 cups cooked vegetables and/or meat chunks

In a heavy saucepan, stir the butter and flour together over low heat. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to boil, add the chicken broth and continue to stir until well mixed and hot. Puree the vegetables in a blender. Add the salt, seasonings, pureed vegetables and the meat chunks, if using. Cook until hot.

Modification: Hmm ... wonder if coconut milk will work? Going to have to get some. I don't like pureed vegetable so I'll keep them as is.


Rice Flour Muffins

1/2 cup banana or strawberries, pureed
1/2 cup nut milk or water
1 cup rice flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon oil

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Grease a 6-cup muffin tin.

Stir the fruit pulp into the nut milk. Add the dry ingredients and oil. Mix until moistened. Fill the muffin cups three-quarters full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 6 muffins.

Variations, if tolerated:

• Substitute and equal amount of milk in place of the milk or water.
• Add 1 egg to the liquid and decrease the baking powder to 1 teaspoon

Note: Strawberry puree?? I've never thought of it. I can't wait to try it out.


Corn Muffins

3/4 cup rice flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup water

Preheat the oven to 425 deg F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or fill with paper liners.

In a medium-size bowl, stir together the rice flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the butter, egg, and water to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Fill the muffin cups three-quarters full. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the muffins pull away from the sides of the cups. Remove the muffins from the tin.

Makes 12 muffins.

Variations, if tolerated:

• Substitute an equal amount of milk for the water.

Fruits for shakes:
very ripe banana
very ripe peache
pineapples (perhaps canned version if fresh is too sour)
water melon
blueberry
strawberry

Others (for the shakes):unsweetened coconut (blend together or garnish)
vanilla
nut butter (blend together to thicken)
carrots (liquified!!)
mint leaves (garnish)

Other tips from the book:
use rice or barley in soup to thicken