2010 February | Mama Knows

Have a Healthy Cat

February 17, 2010 in Animal Care by Hanna Trafford

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If you have a cat and you are seeing some unusual behavior, don’t just take it as signs that the cat is getting older. Your friend will be giving you signs when something is not quite right – and reading those signs can make all the difference in the world. I am listing just a few and if you have others or if you have experience that should be shared, please do that!

Have a Healthy Cat:

Sign: Cat is grooming all the time. So much so that you notice bald spots in his coat and his paws have spots on them.

What it means: Compulsive over-grooming can be a sign of emotional disorder that may require an attention from a veterinarian or animal behaviorist. It is important to take your cat for a check up to that a professional can determine the cause and provide treatment.

Sign: Repeated cold symptom and/or repeated upset stomach:

What it means: It is quite possible that there is something stressing your cat. If you have added another pet to your household – especially another cat, your old friend may be stressed trying to remain alert. If you noticed the above mentioned symptoms and if your cat has stopped grooming itself, it is important to consult a professional, before the problem becomes very serious. Stress in cats can turn into respiratory or intestinal infections quite quickly so seeking help is a definite good idea.

Sign: Overweight cat

This is not an unusual situation. There are car who just love to eat and start gaining weight quite rapidly. If you cat is gaining weight and you are giving it human food, you need to stop that immediately. Feed your cat only commercial food and pick up the weight control one – that will be a good start. And like humans – to loose weight, your cat will need some exercise – not an easy task! But playing with your friend even for a few minutes a day, chasing a toy or the cat itself will make a difference!

Sign: Fading coat colour

This is quite common especially with black cats. The coat will start loosing its luster, and in black cat, start having rusty sheen to it. If it happens in the summer, it could just be that your cat is getting too much sun. If you cat is getting older, it is loosing some of the coats pigmentation. If neither is the situation, changes in coat colour could mean something else – like bad nutrition or parasites. It is always a good idea to have your cat checked out properly by a professional who will suggest a treatment.

Hope this information was helpful to you and as always, I will more than welcome your comments!

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by Hanna Trafford

Breakfast Recipes for Diabetics

February 16, 2010 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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If you or your family member are diabetic, here are some great breakfast recipes for you!

Apricot Morning Drink

Ingredients:

1 – 16 ounce can of sugar free apricot halves

1-1/2 cups of skim milk

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of liquid sweetener

Grounf cinnamon to taste

Orange slices for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except the cinnamon in a blender and cover.
Blend at medium speed for abour 30 seconds.
Pour into glasses and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
Garnish with orange slices if desired.

Broiled Grapefruit

Ingredients:

1 grapefruit

1/2 teaspoon of butter

1 teaspoon of granulated sugar replacement

dash of ground cinnamon

dash of ground nutmeg

Directions:

Cut grapefruit in half.
Loosen sections with a sharp knife or a grapefruit spoon
Place a 1.4 teaspoon of butter in middle of each half
Sprinkle each half with 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar replacement, cinnamon and nutmeg
Broil 4 inches from heat for 6-8 minutes
Serve hot

Italian Scrambled Eggs

ingredients:

1 small butternut squash,thinly sliced and chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons of butter

1 cup of meatless spaghetti sauce

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons of water

Directions:

In a medium skillet, lightly saute squash and onion in 1 tablespoon of butter until onion is translucent.
Add spaghetti sauce and eason lightly with salt and pepper
Simmer for about 5 minutes and set aside
Beat together eggs and water
In a large skillet, scramble eggs in remaining butter
Serve immediately

Baked Apple Fritters

Ingredients

1 cup of honey graham crackers, crushed into crumbs

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 large apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces

4 tablespoon of lemon juice

Directions:

Combine graham crackers with cinnamon
Mix apple slices with lemon juice to coat evenly
Combine graham cracker and apple mixes
Place on greased cookie sheet using tablespoon to form fritters
Bake at 400F for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown
Serve warm

Buttermilk Waffles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of dry oatmeal

1/4 cup of cornmeal

1 tablespoon of baking powder

2 teaspoons of natural butter flavour mix

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 egg

1/4 cup of low-calorie margarine

1-1/2 cup of buttermilk

Directions:

Combine the flour, oatmeal, cornmeal ,butter mix and salt in a medium bowl.
Add the egg and margarine
Stir to mix
Stir in the buttermilk
Cover and allow the batter to rest for 20 minutes or until double in size
Bake waffles in preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions

Baked French Toast

Ingredients

2 eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup of 2% milk

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

6 slices of wholewheat bread

1 cup of bran flakes

1/4 cup of margarine, melted

Directions:

Combine eggs, milk, salt amd vanilla in shallow dish
Dip bread in egg mixture turning once, and allow time for both sides to absorb the liquid
Coat evenly with bran flakes and place in single layer on a well-greased baking sheet
Drizzle with margarine
Bake at 450F for about 10 minutes or until nice and crisp and brown
Serve warm with sugar reduced maple syrup

Hope you enjoy getting these recipes – please share your comments and send in your suggestions – your input is a always very welcomed!

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by Hanna Trafford

All About President’s Day

February 15, 2010 in Featured Articles by Hanna Trafford

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President’s Day is a Federal holiday celebrated in the United States. It is celebrated the third Monday in February. Originally, this date was known as Washington’s Birthday, but since President Lincoln and Washington’s birthdays are so close together ,this day has been made the official President’s Day.

It is honoring the two great presidents – and there are some very interesting tidbits about it:

George Washington

George Washington was actually born on February 11,1731, but everyone knows that his birthday is listed as February 22^nd. When he was born the colonies were using the Julian calendar, which was 11 days behind the Gregorian calendar. And then when in 1752, Britain and colonies switched to Gregorian calendar, Washington’s birthday was moved to February 22^nd.

George Washington created the Purple heart – medal that recognizing soldiers who have been injured in battle. He was a great leader with tons of courage and that earned him the nickname “The Founder of his Country”.

Abraham Lincoln

During his last year as president, his birthday was declared a holiday and was known as “Washington’s birthday”, until 1885 when then president Chester A. Arthur signed a legislation that made it a federal holiday.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12,1809 and his biggest accomplishment is preserving United States during the Civil War. To this day, there are some states that celebrate Lincoln’s birthday as their state holiday – but it was never a holiday elevated to the federal level.

The uniform Monday Holiday Bill was passed by the Congress in 1968, making the third Monday in February “President’s Day” .Subsequent promotions and marketing efforts in 1980′s by businesses really made President’s Day commercial holiday and the public started referring to the holiday by the name of “The President’s Day”.

How To Celebrate President’s Day

If you would like to celebrate and acknowledge this holiday, here are a few ideas:

Read the Gettysburg Address for yourself or read it to your family. Remember that Lincoln was a very powerful writer and orator:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate…we can not consecrate…we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Visit a Civil War battlefield. Gettysburg is the most well-known, but there are many other national monuments that honor the soldiers who died during the Civil War.

Here is where you can find Civil War Battlefields in your state:

Civil War Battlefields

And:

Bake a Cherry Pie! Or if you don’t feel like baking one, just get one to eat. George Washington may not have ever chopped down that cherry tree, but why waste a good story?

Here is how the legend goes:

When George Washington was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet of which, like most little boys, he was extremely fond. He went about chopping everything that came his way.

One day, as he wandered about the garden amusing himself by hacking his mother’s pea- sticks, he found a beautiful, young English cherry tree, of which his father was most proud. He tried the edge of his hatchet on the trunk of the tree and barked it so that it died.

Some time after this, his father discovered what had happened to his favorite tree. He came into the house in great anger, and demanded to know who the mischievous person was who had cut away the bark. Nobody could tell him anything about it.

Just then George, with his little hatchet, came into the room.

“George,” said his father, “do you know who has killed my beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden? I would not have taken five guineas for it!”

This was a hard question to answer, and for a moment George was staggered by it, but quickly recovering himself he cried: –

“I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet.”

The anger died out of his father’s face, and taking the boy tenderly in his arms, he said: –

“My son, that you should not be afraid to tell the truth is more to me than a thousand trees! yes, though they were blossomed with silver and had leaves of the purest gold!”

And here is a recipe for a great Super Simple Cherry Pie for you:

Ingredients:

4 cups of pitted Tart Cherries, well drained

1 tsp of vanilla

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

2 tbsp of cornstarch

Half a package of frozen puff pastry, thawed (1 piece)

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

In large bowl, stir cherries with vanilla.
In another bowl, stir sugar with cornstarch; stir into cherries until blended.
On lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry into thin 14-inch circle. (Edges will not be even.)
Lift onto ungreased baking sheet.
Spoon cherry mixture into centre; gently fold up edges of pastry to partially cover the filling, leaving centre uncovered.
Brush pastry with egg.
Bake on rack below centre of 400°F oven until pastry is golden and filling is bubbly, about 40 minutes.
Let cool before cutting.

Have a great holiday and I hope you have enjoyed receiving all this information. As always, your comments, suggestiong and input is very welcomed!

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by Hanna Trafford

Best Romantic Movies

February 12, 2010 in EBay, Featured Articles by Hanna Trafford

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Watching a romantic movie is a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, whether you’re celebrating it with your special someone or are having a get-together with your friends and family. And there are lots of lovely movies to choose from.

Here are a few suggestions and movie trailer links to help you choose:

An Affair to Remember (1957)

Director: Leo McCarey Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Richard Denning, Neva Patterson, Cathleen Nesbitt.

Plot: Handsome playboy Nicky Ferrante and beautiful night club singer Terry McKay have a romance while on a cruise from Europe to New York. Despite being engaged to other people, both agree to reunite at the top of the Empire State Building in six months. However, an unfortunate accident keeps Terry from the reunion, and Nicky fears that she has married or does not love him anymore. Will he discover the truth behind her absence and reunite with his one true love, or has fate and destiny passed them by?

Watch trailer for An Affair to Remember

An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

Director: Taylor Hackford Starring: Richard Gere, Debra Winger, Louis Gossett, Jr., David Keith, Lisa Blount.

Plot: Zack Mayo is a young man who has signed up for Navy Flight School. He is a Navy brat who has a bad attitude problem. Sgt. Foley is there to train and evaluate him and will clearly find Zack wanting. Zack meets Paula, a girl who has little beyond family and must decide what it is he wants to do with his life.

Watch trailer for An Officer and a Gentleman

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Director: Mike Newell Starring: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet.

Plot: The film follows the fortunes of Charles and his friends as they wonder if they will ever find true love and marry. Charles thinks he’s found “Miss Right” in Carrie, an American. This British subtle comedy revolves around Charlie, his friends and the four weddings and one funeral which they attend.

Watch trailer for Four Weddings and a Funeral

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Director: Nora Ephron Starring: Dana Ivey, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O’Donnell.

Plot: Tom Hanks stars in this film as widower and single father Sam. When Sam’s son, Jonah (Ross Malinger), calls into a talk radio program looking for a new mother, Sam ends up getting on the phone and laments about his lost love. Thousands of miles away, Annie (Meg Ryan) hears the program and immediately falls in love with Sam, despite the fact that she has never met him and that she is engaged to humdrum Walter (Bill Pullman). Believing they are meant to be together, Annie sets out for Seattle to meet Sam, who, meanwhile, contends with an onslaught of letters from available women equally touched by his phone call. Will they ever unite?

Watch trailer for Sleepless In Seattle

Titanic (1997)

Director: James Cameron Starring: Dana Ivey, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O’Donnell.

Plot: This fictional romance features Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, and Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater, two members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ‘unsinkable’ ship RMS Titanic. But on 15 April 1912, Titanic meets with an accident on her maiden voyage. What happens to the lovers? Will their love survive?

Watch trailer for the Titanic

The Way We Were (1973)

Director: Sydney Pollack Starring: Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Bradford Dillman and Lois Chiles.

Plot: The film tells the story of an intense Jewish woman who marries a carefree WASP following World War II. Fundamental differences in the way they engage the world – as revealed in their responses to the rise of McCarthyism – eventually pull them apart. The film is both a romance of star-crossed lovers and a morality tale about the importance of commitment to both individuals and relationships.

Watch trailer for The Way We Were

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Director: Rob Reiner Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby, Steve Ford.

Plot: This romantic comedy centres around Harry and Sally both of whom search for love, but fail, bumping into each other time and time again. Finally a close friendship blooms between them, and they both like having a friend of the opposite sex. But then they are confronted with the problem: “Can a man and a woman be friends, without sex getting in the way?”

Watch trailer for When Harry Met Sally

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Director: Jon Turteltaub Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden.

Plot: This fairytale romance stars Sandra Bullock as a love-starved subway toll booth operator, Lucy,who pines for regular customer Peter (Peter Gallagher), and rescues him from almost being run over by a train. While he is in a coma in the hospital, his family mistakenly believes Lucu to be Peter’s fiance. In this confusion, Lucy finds true love in Jack (Bill Pullman), Peter’s brother.

Watch trailer for While You Were Sleeping

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Director: Hallee Hirsh, Michael Palin, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, Greg Kinnear, Jean Stapleton

Plot: Kathleen Kelly, owner of a little and famous bookstore for children’s books falls in love with a man over the internet without knowing him in person. Suddenly, her business gets endangered by the opening of Fox Books discount store just “around the corner”. Although getting advice by her anonymous mail-pal, she has to close down her store and is full of hatred for Fox Books. Will she ever know that her anonymous mail-pal is actually Joe Fox, the son of the owner of Fox Books?

Watch trailer for You’ve Got Mail

Two Weeks Notice (2002)

Director: Marc Lawrence Starring: Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant, Alicia Witt, Dana Ivey, Robert Klein.

Plot: Lucy Kelton (Sandra Bullock) is the Chief Legal Counsel for one of New York’s leading commercial real estate firms, the Wade Corporation. George Wade (Hugh Grant), is the eccentric and remarkably self-centered head of the firm who seems entirely incapable of making a decision without Lucy’s advice. When things start to get too much for Lucy, she gives him two weeks notice, and George reluctantly accepts, under one condition — Lucy has to hire her own replacement. After extensive research, Lucy picks June Carter (Alicia Witt), a Harvard Law graduate determined to make a career for herself. Lucy soon begins to suspect, however, that June plans to hasten her rise up the corporate ladder by winning George’s hand, leaving Lucy to wonder if she should warn George about his beautiful but calculating new attorney — and whether she should tell George that she has finally realized she’s in love with him.

Watch trailer for Two Weeks Notice

Casablanca (1942)

Expatriate Rick Blaine, a cynical nightclub owner in Casablanca, discovers that his ex-lover Ilsa, who abandoned him years before, has arrived in Casablanca with her Resistance leader husband, Victor. With the Germans on Victor’s trail, Ilsa has come to the club to beg Rick for the precious letters of transit that have come into his possession. The documents would allow Victor to escape Casablanca…

Watch trailer for Casablanca

Gone With the Wind (1939)

Scarlett O’Hara is in love with drippy Ashley Wilkes, and is devastated when he announces that he plans to marry his cousin Melanie. She pleads with Ashley to marry her instead, but then, on the first day of the Civil War, she meets mercurial Rhett Butler. A man to match her strength of character and romantic desires, Butler changes the course of her life. Despite hunger, and the burning of Atlanta…

Watch trailer for Gone With the Wind

The Ghost

teh ghost.jpg

Sam and Molly are a very happy couple and deeply in love. Walking back to their new apartment after a night out at the theatre, they encounter a thief in a dark alley, and Sam is murdered. He finds himself trapped as a ghost and realizes that his death was no accident. He must warn Molly about the danger that she is in. But as a ghost he can not be seen or heard by the living, and so he tries to communicate with Molly through Oda Mae Brown, a psychic who didn’t even realize that her powers were real.

Watch trailer for The Ghost

Whatever you choose to do to celebrate Valentines Day – have a great day!

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by Hanna Trafford

Say I Love You

February 11, 2010 in Featured Articles by Hanna Trafford

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Say I Love You in Any Language

Just in time for Valentines Day and just in case you have friends or loved ones you want tell you love them several different ways….. here are those special three words – in any language!

Afrikaans – Ek het jou lief

Albanian – Te dua

Arabic – Ana behibak (to male)

Arabic – Ana behibek (to female)

Armenian – Yes kez sirumen

Bambara – M’bi fe

Bangla – Aamee tuma ke bhalo baashi

Belarusian – Ya tabe kahayu

Bisaya – Nahigugma ako kanimo

Bulgarian – Obicham te

Cambodian – Bung Srorlagn Oun (to female)
Oun Srorlagn Bung (to male)

Cantonese/Chinese Ngo oiy ney a

Catalan – T’estimo

Cheyenne – Ne mohotatse

Chichewa – Ndimakukonda

Corsican – Ti tengu caru (to male)

Creol – Mi aime jou

Croatian – Volim te

Czech – Miluji te

Danish – Jeg Elsker Dig

Dutch – Ik hou van jou

English – I love you

Esperanto – Mi amas vin

Estonian – Ma armastan sind

Ethiopian – Ewedishalehu : male/female to female

Filipino – Mahal kita

Finnish – Mina rakastan sinua

French – Je t’aime, Je t’adore

Gaelic – Ta gra agam ort

Georgian – Mikvarhar

German – Ich liebe dich

Greek – S’agapo

Gujarati – Hu tumney prem karu chu

Hiligaynon – Palangga ko ikaw

Hawaiian – Aloha wau ia oi

Hebrew – Ani ohev otah (to female)

Hebrew – Ani ohev et otha (to male)

Hiligaynon – Guina higugma ko ikaw

Hindi – Hum Tumhe Pyar Karte hai

Hmong – Kuv hlub koj

Hopi – Nu’ umi unangwa’ta

Hungarian – Szeretlek

Icelandic – Ég elska þig Ilonggo -

Palangga ko ikaw

Indonesian – Saya cinta padamu

Inuit – Negligevapse

Irish – Taim i’ ngra leat

Italian – Ti amo

Japanese – Aishiteru

Korean – Sarang Heyo

Latin – Te amo

Latvian – Es tevi miilu

Lebanese – Bahibak

Lithuanian – Tave myliu

Macedonian Te Sakam

Malay – Saya cintakan mu / Aku cinta padamu

Maltese – Inhobbok

Mandarin Chinese – Wo ai ni

Mohawk – Kanbhik

Moroccan – Ana moajaba bik

Nahuatl – Ni mits neki Navaho – Ayor anosh’ni

Nepali – Ma Timilai Maya Garchhu

Norwegian – Jeg Elsker Deg

Persian – Doo-set daaram

Pig Latin – Iay ovlay ouyay

Polish – Kocham Cie

Portuguese – Amo-te

Romanian – Te ubesc

Russian – Ya tebya liubliu

Rwanda – Ndagukunda

Serbian – Volim te

Sign Language – ,\,,/ (represents position of fingers when signing ‘I Love You’

Sindhi – Maa tokhe pyar kendo ahyan

Sioux – Techihhila

Slovak – Lu`bim ta

Slovenian – Ljubim te

Spanish – Te quiero / Te amo

Surinam- Mi lobi joe

Swahili – Ninapenda wewe

Swedish – Jag alskar dig

Swiss-German – Ig liebe di

Taiwanese – Wa ga ei li

Tahitian – Ua Here Vau Ia Oe

Tamil – Naan unnai kathalikiraen

Thai – Chan rak khun (to male) Thai – Phom rak khun (to female)

Turkish – Seni Seviyorum

Ukrainian – Ya tebe kahayu

Urdu – mai aap say pyaar karta hoo

Vietnamese – Anh ye^u em (to female) Vietnamese – Em ye^u anh (to male)

Welsh – ‘Rwy’n dy garu

Yiddish – Ikh hob dikh

Zimbabwe – Ndinokuda

Happy Valentines Day and enjoy!

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by Hanna Trafford

Valentines Day Sweet Recipes

February 10, 2010 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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Valentines Day would not be complete without special sweet treats – here are few of my favourite recipes for you. Hope you enjoy them and have a great Valentines day!

Valentine’s Day Triffle

Making this delicious desert is not at all difficult and the colours will most certainly add to the festivity of your Valentine’s Day table!

Ingredients

1 (7 ounce) package of jellyrolls, each cut into 3 slices
1 (5 ounce) package of instant vanilla pudding mix
1- 1/2 cups of milk
3 cups of frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups of sliced fresh strawberries

Directions

Arrange jellyroll slices on sides and bottom of a 2- 1/2 quart glass bowl or trifle dish.
Prepare pudding according to box directions, except use only 1 -1/2 cups milk
Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
Fold in 1 cup whipped topping.
Arrange 1/2 strawberries on jellyroll slices; top with pudding, then remaining strawberries and whipped topping.
Garnish with strawberry halves, if desired.
Cover and chill for 8 hours; serve.

Strawberry Shortcakes

Flaky buttermilk biscuits, rich strawberry topping, and cool whipped cream combine beautifully in this classic Valentine’s Day treat. Cutting the biscuits into heart shapes makes a memorable presentation.

Ingredients

2-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of shortening, chilled
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, chilled and cut in small pieces
1 cup of buttermilk
1 quart of strawberries, cut small
1/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.
In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine.
Cut in the shortening and butter using two knives or a pastry blender until the pieces are about the size of peas. Add buttermilk and stir to blend.
Turn out on lightly floured board.
Knead about 4 times and pat into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle.
Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter, cut out biscuits.
Cut as many biscuits as possible by reforming scraps into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle.
Bake about 20 minutes or until golden and baked through.
In a medium bowl, mix strawberries and sugar to combine.
Let sit until juice forms.
In a large bowl with a beater on medium-high, beat cream with sugar and vanilla until whipped.
To serve, slice through biscuit horizontally and place cut sides up on a plate.
Top with 1/4 cup berries and juice and 1/3 cup of whipped cream.

Tip:

For a richer taste, brush the tops of the biscuits with beaten whole egg or heavy cream.

Chocolate Kiss Cookies

chocolate kiss cookies.jpg

Ingredients

1 cup of margarine, softened
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1- 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup finely of chopped walnuts
1 (6 ounce) bag of milk chocolate candy kisses
1/3 cup of confectioners’ sugar for decoration

Directions

In a large bowl, cream margarine with sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Mix in flour and walnuts, beating on low speed of an electric mixer until well mixed.
Cover, and refrigerate dough for 2 hours, or until firm enough to handle.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Remove wrappers from chocolate kisses.
Shape approximately 1 tablespoon of dough around each chocolate kiss; be sure to cover chocolate completely.
Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven.

While cookies are still warm, roll them in confectioners’ sugar

Have a beautiful, sweet Valentines Day and share your experiences! Your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated!

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by Hanna Trafford

Valentines Day Dinner Recipes

February 9, 2010 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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You can make a very special Valentines Day dinner – for two or for ten! I am sharing three of my favourite recipes – one with beef, one with chicken and another one with shrimp. You can make just one of them or all three if you are having a larger group of people to celebrate the love holiday!

Beef Wellington

Prepare the Beef Wellingtons ahead of time and you’ll have enough time to change into something more comfortable before you sit down to dinner. Just the two of you.

Ingredients

3 tbsp. of butter, divided
1/3 cup of minced shallot or red onion
1-1/2 cups of coarsely chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup of red wine
2 beef tenderloin steaks — 4 oz. each, cut 1 inch thick salt and pepper to tast
1/2 pkg. of frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
1 egg
1 tbsp of water

Cooking Instructions

Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
Add the minced shallots and cook, stirring, just until softened — about 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms have started to brown.
Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.
Add the remaining 1 tbsp of butter to the skillet and increase the heat to high. As soon as the butter has melted, add the steaks to the pan, sprinkling them with salt and pepper and quickly sear both sides until browned — about 1 minute per side.
Remove steaks from pan immediately. Let cool.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the block of puff pastry dough out to a 12-inch square. Cut the square in half, then cut one of two halves in half again (reserve the remaining half of the dough).
Beat together the egg and the water and brush lightly over the surface of the two small squares of dough.
On each square, spoon half of the mushroom mixture and top with one steak. Pull the corners of the dough up and over to wrap the whole thing up like a package — seal up any openings by pinching and folding them together.
Turn over and arrange on a baking pan.
Brush with egg mixture. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut shapes out of the reserved pastry dough to decorate the top of each packet and brush with egg wash.
You can prepare the Wellingtons to this point as much as 3 or 4 hours before you want to serve them. Refrigerate, covered until about one hour before you want to begin baking.
Remove Wellingtons from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking to allow them to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
Place Wellingtons in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken in Champagne and Mushroom Sauce

chicken in champagne and mushroom sauce.jpg

Now that you’ve opened that bottle of champagne to use in this wonderful recipe – you will have to drink the rest of it!

Ingredients

1/4 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
2 tbsp. of olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
1 tbsp. of butter
3 cups of sliced mushrooms
1 cup of champagne (or other sparkling white wine)
1 cup of whipping cream

Cooking Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper.
Dredge the chicken breasts in this mixture, one at a time, and arrange them on a plate.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken breasts and cook quickly until lightly browned on both sides, turning once — 1 to 2 minutes per side.
The chicken should be browned but not cooked through.
Remove to a plate.
Add the butter to the skillet, then dump in the mushrooms.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has evaporated.
Pour in the champagne, stir around to dissolve any crusty bits from bottom of the pan, then stir in the whipping cream.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes.
Return the chicken breasts to the skillet, nestling them into the mushroom sauce, lower the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened — 6 to 8 minutes.
Serve immediately with crusty bread or steamed rice to soak up the velvety sauce.

Sexy Shrimp Scampi

sexy shrimp scampi.jpg

This wonderful dish will surprise everyone and is perfect for that special Valentine’s Day dinner!

Ingredients

30 medium shrimp – peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F
Toss the shrimp in a bowl with the olive oil, melted butter, garlic, salt, and pepper; set aside for 10 minutes.
Arrange the shrimp in a circular pattern in a round casserole dish.
Bake in the preheated oven until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Have a wonderful Valentines Day dinner and please share your experiences and send in your comments and suggestions – your input is always very much welcomed!

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by Hanna Trafford

Valentines Day Breakfast Recipes

February 8, 2010 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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I think Valentine’s Day is such a nice thing! As much as it is sort of intended for lovers, it is definitely a holiday to celebrate love. And to me, it means celebrating the love you have for your spouse, your family, your children, friends…. and love in general.

One of the nice things to do on this day is to prepare a special breakfast – and here are some recipes that will help you to say “I Love You” first thing in the morning!

Valentine’s Day Breakfast Recipes

Berry Mimosa

Put a fresh spin on the traditional mimosa — minus the alcohol — with cranberry juice and a fizzy mixer.

Ingredients

1/2 cup cranberry juice
1 cup raspberry flavoured ginger ale
1 strawberry, top removed, sliced in half
Spring of mint

Directions:

Combine juice and ginger ale in a small pitcher; pour into champagne glasses.
Garnish with strawberry slice and mint sprig.

Another idea:

Trade the ginger ale for a raspberry-flavoured sparkling water or berry-flavoured sparkling lemonade.

Mixed Berry Compote

This simple mix of fresh berries will without a doubt sweeten your Valentine’s Day breakfast or brunch meal and added benefit is that it is healthy!

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup blackberries
1 cup strawberries
1 cup raspberries
2 tablespoons butter
Sprig of fresh mint

Cooking Instructions

In a large saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil.
Simmer for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat.
Add the blackberries and strawberries, stir to mix thoroughly and simmer on low for 2 minutes.
Add the raspberries and butter to the mixture; warm until butter just melts.
Remove from heat; let cool slightly.
Garnish with mint.
Top with fresh whipped cream.

Breakfast Strata

breakfast strata.jpg

To make this tasty dish, you can prepare ingredients the day before, store them in plastic containers in your refrigerator and bake the Strata in the morning!

Ingredients

3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
3 cups chopped zucchini
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
12 eggs
4 cups cubed day-old bread
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, zucchini, ham, onions, green peppers and garlic in oil until vegetables are tender.
Drain and pat dry; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and cream until smooth.
Beat in eggs.
Stir in the bread, cheese, salt, pepper and vegetable mixture.
Pour into two greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dishes.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Waffles

chocolate waffles.jpg

There in nothing wrong with having chocolate for breakfast – especially not on Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon milk

Directions

Preheat waffle iron.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa.
Stir in milk, eggs and butter until mixture is smooth.
To make hard sauce: stir together softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and milk.
Sauce should be fairly stiff.
Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray.
Pour mix onto hot waffle iron.
Cook until golden brown.
Serve hot with hard sauce.

Heart Breakfast

Simply cutting out a shape from a piece of bread turns a breakfast standard into a special treat.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon butter
1 slice bread
1 large egg

Directions

Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter, or sharp knife, cut heart out of the center of the bread.
In a medium non-stick skillet over medium low heat melt butter. Place the bread, heart stencil and cut-out heart, in the skillet. Cook about 2 minutes, or until bread is toasted on one side.
Flip bread over and add egg to the center of the cut-out heart. Cover skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes, or until white of egg is cooked.
Salt and pepper to taste. Spread heart cut-out with jam, if desired.

Tips & Tricks

- If your skillet is too small to fit the stencil and cut-out heart bread pieces so that they lay flat, the cut-out can be toasted in a toaster.

- If sunny-side up eggs are not to your liking, then once the egg is set turn over the filled stencil and cook about 1 minute more, or until the yolk is set.

Valentine’s Day Pancakes

Ingredients

Pancakes:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Maple Raspberry Sauce:

3/4 cup seedless red raspberry jam
3 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine.
Make a well in the dry ingredient. In the well add the buttermilk, egg and butter. Stir to moisten. It will not be smooth.
Grease and heat griddle over medium low heat. For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle Cook about 1-2 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes. Turn and cook about 1-2 minutes more or until just cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.
With 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut pancakes into hearts.
For sauce: In medium microwavable bowl cook raspberry jam with maple syrup on high; stir to combine. Continue to heat in 30 second intervals, stirring to combine, until raspberry jam is melted

Cinnamon Toast

Toast your favourite kind of bread and spread with butter and dust with icing sugar and cinnamon to add a special sweet surprise to your special Valentine’s Day breakfast..

Ingredients

2 slices white bread
2 teaspoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Use a toaster to toast the bread to desired darkness.
Spread butter or margarine onto one side of each slice.
In a cup or small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon
Sprinkle generously over hot buttered toast.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences! You input is always very much welcomed and appreciated!

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by Hanna Trafford

How to Plan Valentine’s Day Party

February 5, 2010 in Featured Articles by Hanna Trafford

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Valentine’s Day is the occasion to have some fun with your friends, close ones and the love of your life. Check out some exciting tips to arrange a perfect Valentine’s Day Party:

Invitations:
First – make a list of people who you want to invite for your Valentine’s Day party. Send out cards to the intended guests in the shape of a heart or cupid, or with the shape of a heart on the front. It’s even better if you can make some invitation cards yourself for your Valentine’s Day party. You can make them quite attractive by designing them with pictures of famous lovers and putting in some famous love quotes. Tie each card with a red satin ribbon, put inside a small red box filled with candies and stick an invitation note to it. If at all possible, deliver your invites personally. If you are going to mail your invitations, allow extra time for postal delivery – either way you do it, you guests should receive their invites no later than 2 weeks prior to the party.

The Place:
Where you hold your Valentine’s Day Party depends as much on you as on your guests. You can throw a party at your house, provided your celebrations are a family affair and you have the confidence that you can make all the necessary arrangements for it. If you want to make it a little bit different, you can invite your sweetheart/friends to a play at the theatre nearest to your home and have a little get-together before or after. You can also arrange a picnic on the lines of a camp at some good location, one that is safe and nice to spend time at. Getting creative and making a memorable event where everyone is comfortable and having fun is the key.

Decorations:
That depends mostly on the nature of your celebration. If you’re planning a special Valentine’s Day evening for you and your honey, a handful of candles and a bouquet of red roses are enough to set the mood. But if you’re throwing a Valentine’s Day celebration for your friends and family, your will need a good theme and appropriate decorations. Proper decorations go a long way to set the mood for a party and make it an outstanding one. You need to decorate your house according to the theme of the party. You can place heart shaped candle stands and flower vases at different corners and windows.

Decorate the ceilings by hanging heart shape balloons, cupids and paper hearts made of yarn, string or streamers. Red, pink, purple and white are the traditional Valentine’s Day colors. Cut paper hearts of various sizes from construction papers and write messages like “Be Mine”, “My Love” or “I Love You” on them. Add some sequins for that extra colour and sparkle. Scatter the cutouts randomly over tabletops and beds. Cover your table with a white table cloth or sheet and put little candy hearts at one side of the table. These will be your party favours. Fill candy bowls, champagne flutes and martini glasses with colourful treats. And for a special little touch, place a Happy Valentine’s Day banner on the main door.

You can also buy some of vintage Valentine’s Day cards and stand them up across a fireplace mantle or on your drawing room table, or tape them to the bathroom mirror. And last but not the least, to really complete the theme, place a statuette or cardboard cutout of arrow-toting Cupid on your dining table. No Valentine’s Day party is complete without this item. To add to the mood of your party, play some nice romantic songs and spark the mood for romance. Prepare garlands of valentine flowers and place them all over – and your entire home will be saying: “Happy Valentine’s Day”

The Ambiance:
Creating the right ambience for your party is very important – that is what will make the time a memorable one. Dress up your party zone according to the theme of the party. Choose your bed sheets, table covers and curtains in colours like red or pink that goes with the mood of Valentine’s Day. If you are having a private romantic evening with your sweetheart, plan to get some special movie to watch – or select some romantic music to set the mood. If you want to celebrate the time with your friends and family members, groovy numbers or dance tracks will be the best. Make sure, however, that the music for your party suits the taste and preferences of your guests.

The Food:
You will never go wrong if you think hard about pleasing the tastebuds of your guests so what you will select to prepare and serve at your party is an important factor. If you prefer – you could organize a get-together with your friends and family, select your favourite restaurant to meet up with your them and order what you enjoy the best. If you are planning a party in your home, write out the names of your intended guests and think about the selection of foods you will need to prepare based on what you know about them. If your guest list includes vegetarians, make adequate provisions for them. If you want to restrict the celebrations to yourself and your sweetheart, go in for a romantic candlelight dinner. For desserts, chocolate recipes like chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate truffles, chocolate fondue or chocolate heart-shaped cookies are just great.

The Party Favours
It is always nice to send your guests home with a small gift or party favour. It ends the festivities on a sweet note and keeps the memory of the party alive for your invited ones. These party favours can range from little candy hearts and chocolates to small cupid dolls. Purchase heart shaped boxes to pack sweet treats and heart-shaped chocolates for your guests to take home. It is a good idea to match the party favours to the theme of your party.

Hope these tips were helpful to you – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences! You input is always very much appreciated!

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by Hanna Trafford

Best Pizza Recipes

February 4, 2010 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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Your Super Bowl Sunday party will not be complete without pizza! I know that it is easier to pick up the phone and order varieties that will come to you hot in cardboard boxes, but believe me – making your own pizza is easy and it really is so much better!

You can prepare the ingredients ahead of time and keep them in ziplock bags or plastic containers ,all ready to put on the crust you either purchase from your local bakery or make it yourself.

My absolute favourite is Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza – ever since I made it the first time, it has been very hard to order a pizza – you will keep on comparing and changes are that you will decide you will always make your own!

Here is how to go about making your own pizza and few of my favourite recipes:

How to Make Your Own Pizza

And please do try making the Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza – you will not be sorry!

Homemade Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

If you want the Authentic Italian Pizza – check out these recipes! You will also find directions to make you own pizza sauce:

Authentic Italian Pizza Recipes

There are more recipes available on this site :

Homemade Pizza on the Grill

Homemade Summer Pizza Recipes

Enjoy making your own pizza and enjoy your Super Bowl party!

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Monthly Archives: February 2010

Have a Healthy Cat

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Ingredients:

4 cups of pitted Tart Cherries, well drained

1 tsp of vanilla

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

2 tbsp of cornstarch

Half a package of frozen puff pastry, thawed (1 piece)

1 egg, lightly beaten

Best Romantic Movies

Say I Love You

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Valentines Day Sweet Recipes

Valentines Day Dinner Recipes

Valentines Day Breakfast Recipes

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Ingredients: 4 cups of pitted Tart Cherries, well drained 1 tsp of vanilla 1/4 cup of granulated sugar 2 tbsp of cornstarch Half a package of frozen puff pastry, thawed (1 piece) 1 egg, lightly beaten

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Ingredients:

4 cups of pitted Tart Cherries, well drained

1 tsp of vanilla

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

2 tbsp of cornstarch

Half a package of frozen puff pastry, thawed (1 piece)

1 egg, lightly beaten