RECIPE : How to make spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese 

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

400g beef mince

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

100g carrot, grated

2 x 400g tin tomatoes

400ml stock (made from 3-4 Royco Beef Cubes)

400g dried spaghetti

Salt and pepper

Method

1) Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and once hot add the beef mince and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the mince until brown over a medium-high heat then transfer to a bowl.

2) Add another tablespoon of oil to the same saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and fry until softened and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add the grated carrot then pour the mince and any juices in the bowl back into the saucepan.

3) Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir well. Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer and reduce the temperature to simmer gently for 45 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and rich. Season to taste if necessary.

4) When ready to cook the spaghetti, heat a large saucepan of water and add a pinch of salt. Cook according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and add to the pan with the bolognese sauce. Mix well and serve.

Fashion week

Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese 
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
400g beef mince
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
100g carrot, grated
2 x 400g tin tomatoes
400ml stock (made from 3-4 Royco Beef Cubes)
400g dried spaghetti
Salt and pepper
Method
1) Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and once hot add the beef mince and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the mince until brown over a medium-high heat then transfer to a bowl.
2) Add another tablespoon of oil to the same saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and fry until softened and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add the grated carrot then pour the mince and any juices in the bowl back into the saucepan.
3) Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir well. Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer and reduce the temperature to simmer gently for 45 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and rich. Season to taste if necessary.
4) When ready to cook the spaghetti, heat a large saucepan of water and add a pinch of salt. Cook according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and add to the pan with the bolognese sauce. Mix well and serve.

RECIPES: HOW TO MAKE BANANA BREAD (<> )

 bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and flour.

Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

This banana bread has been the most popular recipe on Simply Recipes for over 10 years. Thousands of people make it every day. Why?

Because it really is the best banana bread recipe, period. You can mix everything in one bowl, you can vary the amount of sugar or bananas. And the secret to its great flavor? Melted butter.

The beauty of this banana bread recipe is you don’t need a fancy mixer! A mixing bowl, a fork to whisk the eggs and a sturdy spoon to mix the batter are all you need. The sugar amount is flexible. The original recipe called for a cup of white sugar, but most people, including me, do just fine with 3/4 of a cup, and many are happy with a 1/2 cup.

You can toss in a cup of chopped nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips if you want, or put the batter into muffin tins and make banana nut muffins instead. You can even go a step further and make chocolate banana bread.

I was given this banana bread recipe years ago from my friend Heidi H, who, many years before, had begged the recipe from a ski buddy’s mother—Mrs. Hockmeyer. (Isn’t it funny how the parents of our childhood friends are always Mrs. and Mr. no matter how old we get?)

Banana Bread Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 55 minutes
• Yield: Makes one loaf

No need for a mixer for this recipe! Clean-up is easy too, if you want, you can mix everything in one mixing bowl.

The best bananas to use for banana bread are those that are over-ripe. The yellow peels should be at least half browned, and the bananas inside squishy and browning.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if more sweet)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter a 4×8-inch loaf pan.

2 In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.

3 Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.

4 Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350°F (175°C), or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

5 Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack. Remove the banana bread from the pan. Slice and serve. (A bread knife helps to make slices that aren’t crumbly.)

Home Remedies for Arthritis & Joint Pain

 

We take the freedom of movement for granted, until it becomes limited. The cause of this for many people comes in the form of arthritis, or the inflammation of one or more of your joints. There are two main kinds, osteo and rheumatoid, both of which affect the joint in different ways. Osteo arthritis is when the cartilage between bones wears down, until bone grates on bone. Rheumatoid is little less straightforward, being caused by an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation of the synovial membrane (a soft tissue that protects joints in the body) and that can lead to bone loss. Whichever you experience, there are natural remedies for arthritis to manage the pain and ease the symptoms.

1. Turmeric & Ginger Tea

Turmeric and ginger are both anti-inflammatorys, and will help with oseto and rheumatoid arthritis. Turmeric in particular has gotten a lot of attention lately. Its active ingredient is something called curcumin, which is a powerful antioxidant. In addition, it lowers the levels of 2 enzymes responsible for causing inflammation (which is what we’re often fighting with arthritis.) You can take these in a capsule form or make a nice spicy tea to enjoy daily.

You will need…
-2 cups of water
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
-Honey to taste

Directions
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, and had ½ teaspoon each ground ginger and ground turmeric. Reduce to a simmer and let it be for 10-15 minutes. Strain, add honey to taste, and enjoy twice daily. This yields 2 servings.

2. Epsom salt soak

Epsom salt contains magnesium sulfate which sounds kind of scary, but it’s really quite a wonderful substance. A naturally occurring mineral, magnesium sulfate has been used to get relief from pain for years, namely because of its high levels of magnesium (more on magnesium below.)

You will need…
-1/2 cup of Epsom salt
-A large bowl
-Warm water

Directions
Fill a large bowl with warm water and add ½ cup of Epsom salt. Stir it around, and then submerge your sore joints in the liquid. If you are experiencing pain in a less convenient place to soak, such as your knees, try taking a bath with Epsom salts. Run a tub full of warm water and add 2 cups of Epsom salt. Soak for 15 minutes (at least.)

3. Get more magnesium (seriously.)

Magnesium is something our bodies need, but we can’t make it ourselves. It is used in over 300 different biomechanical responses in our body. It relaxes all our muscles and nerve endings, relieving stiffness and pain. It is even part of what makes our heart beat. Not only does it relax muscles and ease pain (this goes for arthritis pain too, of course) it helps bones to mineralize. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted one of many studies on magnesium that showed people who had a diet high in magnesium/took supplements had higher bone density, and overall stronger bones. There are several ways to get more magnesium and utilize it for arthritis in particular.

Supplements: Magnesium capsules are a good thing to add to your day-to-day life, but they work best when used in conjunction with an improved diet.

Diet: Really this is the clincher-as great as supplements are, they can’t do everything. Eat foods that are high in magnesium, which include dark leafy greens (like spinach), nuts, and legumes (beans.)

Oil: There is magnesium oil that can be applied topically and absorbed through the skin. Try rubbing it on sore joints to relieve pain.

4. Lubricate With Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The very consistency of olive oil makes it seem like something that would lubricate your joints and ease arthritis pain, and it turns out, it actually does. A main compound in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) called oleocanthal inhibits inflammatory enzymes COX-1 and COX-2, just like Advil or aspirin does. The study showed that 1 ½ tablespoons is equal to 200-mg of ibuprofen. However, not every oil is created equal. Heat destroys oleocanthal, so it is necessary to use extra virgin olive oil or “cold-pressed.” The ripeness of the olives at the time they were pressed also determines the level of oleocanthal-generally the stronger tasting the oil, the higher the level there is present. It can be taken internally to reap the benefits, but being high in calories consider replacing any fats, such as butter, with it in cooking instead.

You will need…
-2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Rub a bit of olive oil onto your sore joints twice a day, massaging in to each one gently. You can also take 2-3 tablespoons daily, but be sure to give up some other form of fat due to the high calorie count in the oil (rest easy, these are good calories.)

Cook recipes

Chicken curry

Ingredients
1 Chicken Stock Cube 

15 ml Sunflower Oil 

1 Large Onion finely chopped

10 ml Robertsons Chakalaka Seasoning 

5 ml Paprika

5 ml turmeric  

10 ml Medium Curry Powder 

1 Tomato chopped

Green and yellow peppers, optional

250 ml Water 

1 full Chicken 
Instructions

In a pot, heat the oil and fry the onions together with the Chakalaka Seasoning, Paprika and curry powder until the onions are soft.

Add the chicken and fry until well browned with the lid on.

Add the tomatoes, stock cube and water and stir well.

Cover with a lid and allow to simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the peppers in the last 5 minutes.

10 More Beauty Cheats Every Girl Should Know

 

 

beauty  ,beauty hacks,beauty tips, Makeup tips

 

10 Beauty Cheats Every Girl Should Know is one of the all-time most popular posts on my blog. I love that I’m not the only one who appreciates a good beauty hack!

It’s been four years since I wrote that post (!!) and I’ve learned a lot of good tricks since then. Here are 10 more of my favorite beauty cheats:

1. Tightline your eyes. 

For subtle definition and fuller-looking lashes, run a waterproof black or dark brown eyeliner under your lashes on your upper waterline. I love this matte gel liner crayon for the job: it glides on easily without tugging at my eyes, lasts all day, and doesn’t smudge or transfer onto my lower waterline.

Check out this helpful how-to for details.

2. Match foundation to your body instead of your neck.

I’m diligent about exfoliating and SPF, so my face is always lighter than my body, especially in the spring and summer. My neck is even lighter than my face because it’s less exposed to the sun. If I matched my foundation to my neck, I’d look pale and washed out, so I match it to my chest and shoulders instead, and make sure to always blend the foundation down my jawline. Then I warm up my neck with a light bronzer to make it all seamless.

Here’s a super helpful video by Sona Gasparian about makeup mistakes to avoid that shows this foundation-matching rule in action.

3. Add a drop or two of your favorite beauty oil to your full-coverage liquid foundation.

I love this trick when I’m getting ready for an event. It gives your skin a luminous, airbrushed finish and adds boost of hydration for dry skin types.

Go for something like a light argan oil mixed with an oil-based, full-coverage foundation. (It won’t work with a water-based formula, because as we know, oil and water don’t mix.)

4. Short on time and need to look pulled-together in a pinch? Define your brows.

Shaping and filling in your eyebrows with a soft pencil and/or tinted brow gel goes a long way in defining your features and brightening up your face. I love this waterproof gel brow filler for everyday, one-step brow maintenance.

5. Customize your foundation coverage with moisturizer.

Turn any liquid foundation into a tinted moisturizer by mixing it with a moisturizer. This French pharmacy cream is a makeup artist favorite, and it’s the perfect blending medium for normal to dry skin types.

I squeeze a dollop of moisturizer onto the back of my hand, add 2-4 drops of foundation to it — the amount depends on how sheer I want the coverage to be — and mix it together before applying it to my face with a Beautyblender or brush.

6. Revive dried-out mascara with eye drops.

This tip is from thebeautydepartment.com. Although it’s ideal to toss your mascara after 3 months for sanitation purposes, some formulas seem to dry out after several weeks. (Lookin’ at you, Better Than Sex.) If you splurge on a mascara and find it’s dry and clumpy well before it’s time to throw it out: remove the wand, add about 10 drops of a lubricating contact lens re-wetting solution to the tube, shake, and replace the wand. You’re good to go! It re-hydrates the mascara and it’s safe for your eyes.

7. Stash an eye cream in the fridge for your AM skin care routine. 

It’s the best way to refresh and de-puff tired eyes in the morning, especially in hot and humid summer months.

8. Nail polish lid stuck? Wrap a rubber band around it.

It will give you extra grip to twist it open.

9. Apply a thin layer of powder under your liquid foundation.

This sounds crazy, but it really works. It locks your foundation in place all day and keeps the finish luminous and dewy. Use a powder brush to dust a light layer of a translucent setting powder over the last step of your skin care routine — which should be moisturizer and/or SPF — and use a Beautyblender to apply foundation on top of it. This Wayne Goss video lays it out step-by-step.

I love this trick because I personally don’t like a matte or powdery finish on my skin.

10. Spray your bobby pins with hairspray.

It makes them sticky so they won’t slide out of your hair! Also, make sure you insert them with the wavy side against your scalp for the best hold (I had this one wrong for years).