Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Free Rapid Weight Loss Tips - Don't Believe the Hype

By Peggy Armstrong

Have you ever noticed that some of the most popular free rapid weight loss tips are not free at all?

When people are looking for free rapid weight loss tips they will usually look to the things that they refer to most often. For most people this is either the television or the newspaper.

But often times these flashy ads that promise free rapid weight loss tips are not being straight with us. What they are really offering are a bunch of cleverly constructed marketing campaigns dressed up as free weight loss advice.

You have to be sure that even the most seemingly credible testimonials aren't being paid a load of money to promote a certain product. Restaurants are sometimes guilty of this, they pay someone who has lost a lot of weight recently to say that it was their product, food, or service that gave them such spectacular results.

This average Joe then goes on a whirlwind tour telling every form of media that will listen that they lost all their weight just from eating a certain kind of sandwich or something.

But savvy marketers know, more often than not, what is not mentioned is the amount of exercise that person had to also do to get the kind of results being touted all over town.

So despite what you've heard, if you're looking for free rapid weight loss tips then don't be fooled. You will need to do more than just eat a load of fat free sub sandwiches to get the kind of results you're after.

Don't believe that water is your golden ticket to weight loss heaven either I'm afraid.

Free rapid weight loss tips are often provided by companies that are just trying to sell more of their stuff. And the rumour that water will make you lose all the weight you want was of course started by all the bottle water companies trying to sell more.

Drinking water will help you lose the water weight you gain from drinking all that water if that makes any sense at all.

Everyone Wants A Piece Of The Action

In the end when it comes to free rapid weight loss tips you have to do what is best for you.

Sporting goods companies will tell you that more exercise is the way to go because that means you will buy more equipment.

Farmers markets will tell you to eat your 5 a day to lose weight quickly so they can sell you more fruit - it's pretty obvious.

So check with your doctor if someone tries to give you free rapid weight loss tips that you are a little concerned about as they will give you the straight dope.

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Monday, April 6, 2009

Do You Wish Your Kids Would Cook More. Teach Them To Cook Homemade Candy.

By Peter Bertonich

School holidays have arrived, the kids are home. But occasionally mom isn't quite so delighted. What are you going to do with the kids? How will you keep them entertained? Teach them to make homemade candy.

There aren't many people who don't like candy, homemade candy especially. And the kids love making it and eating the results too. It's not that hard to make candy if you choose one of the easier recipes and the kids will enjoy the process.

Last night I spent the evening making candy with my kids. They loved it and you should have seen them lick out the bowl. They could hardly wait till it was ready to eat.

I really think it's important to get the kids cooking early. The earlier the better. They will start to enjoy the results and the process and start learning some skills. And making homemade candy is the very best place to start.

And it seems to me that the art of cooking is slowly declining. I believe that they are even making new homes now with no kitchen. But it's sad to think that so many kids will never learn the joy of a family day spent with everyone in the kitchen.

But there's a few things to remember. Always allow plenty of time because cooking with kids always involves more time than you imagine. And you will always have mess, that comes with the territory. Kids must make mess to cook it seems, so you'll have to clean up later.

And remember the golden rule. Always cook double the recipe, because if it's good then everyone wants some and you run out so fast you'll be cooking some more again tomorrow.

And it's not just the kids that love homemade candy. It makes a fine gift for friends and family, and it's something that the kids can give that they really did make themselves. And grandma will just love getting candy from the grandkids.

So if you've got kids, and you're looking for good ideas for things to do in the school holidays, get them making some homemade candy. It starts them off learning a skill they'll use all their life, the skill of cooking.

So get the kids making candy and into the kitchen. But remember, don't eat all the candy in one go like the kids and I did last night.

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Sunday, April 5, 2009

History of Wisconsin Cheese

By Ian Kleine

A year after, most cheese makers from other states and other countries had adopted Wisconsin as their new home. This continuous supply of man power, both in physical labor, experience and innovation, had kept the Wisconsin cheese industry continuing strong. Most of these men were Europeans, some French and most were cheese makers by trade. Their work ethics, determination, ambition, love for cheese, family secrets and recipes, unique tastes and techniques all fused and combined with those of the Wisconsin cheese makers, making some of the world's finest and celebrated cheeses of our time.

Swiss cheese makers had created the first batches of Swiss cheeses in Wisconsin. Italians made with flavor and depth, bringing in recipes of Gorgonzola, Mozzarella and that of Provolone. The English folks gave Cheddar, a robust flavored cheese. The Dutch contributed the recipes for Edam Cheese and Gouda. The French, Camembert and Brie, equally soft cheeses. Brick cheese and Colby cheese were some of the original cheeses created by the Wisconsin folk.

At present, from the original less than three thousand factories, the number was somewhat fluctuating with the combining and splitting of companies of different cheese makers. The dairy farms, however, was a different story. Milk will always have a strong base in Wisconsin, and thanks to milk, the cheese industry will stay strong.

At least fifteen thousand dairy farms exist today, providing the core ingredient for cheese-making. Dairy farms, maintained with milk by one million two hundred thousand strong cows, produce an average eighteen thousand pounds of quality milk. A lot of these are used for cheese making as well, approximately 90 percent of the value, with over one hundred fifteen plants processing and manufacturing cheese at a commercial level.

Wisconsin also strives to maintain and uphold this tradition, employing universities to teach cheese making courses, as well as cheese making licenses. At least over two billion pounds of cheese are produced per year, supplying America's demand for quality cheese.

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Saturday, April 4, 2009

How to Taste Wine

By Ian Kleine

Wine testing is a very rewarding experience for those who glorify and for those who mine wine their life. However, it is not the simple matter of indulging your thirst and outright chugging the whole thing down like water. Wine should be treated like ambrosia: precious liquid that should be served and drunk sparingly and with utmost responsibility. Wine represents art, represents food and drink, represents happiness and culture. In short, wine represents the good things of life and possibly more.

There are a select number of ways to enjoy wine tasting and to get the best out of your money. But what are these steps? Try and follow these to make sure your wine tasting excursion doesn't end up in a blunder or in a foul setting. Most wine newbies often leave and desist from taking on another wine excursion if they have had bad experiences with the first.

Firstly, observe the wine with a steady and sharp eye. Pour the wine into the glass and observe the coloration. Watch as it morphs and changes its intensity with every gentle swirl of your glass. Contrast the wine with the pure white color of a tablecloth, a napkin, or a piece of paper, to see the true essence of the wine.

Observe the lines and the patterns revolving around the glass. White wine becomes deeper, darker with age; while red wines soften, lose their sharp redness and turn a bit more brown. Sediments may develop over time, but these sediments are harmless, and if nothing more but simple nuisances. Swirling the wine could also help with catching preliminary odors that could be tell tale signs for spoiled, or re-corked wine.

You would know what re-corked wines would smell like especially after a good swirling. It has already lost its fruitiness, has an oxidized smell, and oftentimes, feels 'rough' to the tongue.

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Friday, April 3, 2009

How Do Large Companies Make Chocolate

By Colin Joss

Any idea how chocolate is manufactured by large companies? What they require is capital, all the good quality equipment and obviously the ingredients.

As we all know that the there are not many places on the earth where the cocoa tree is being found these companies have to move as far as to South America, the ivory coast and if possible even to deep jungles of Ghana because deep in these jungles is what they want.. "The Cocoa tree"

The Cacao trees grow a fruit that has white pulp and seeds varying from 20-40. The pulp is trashed while the seeds are the cocoa beans.

After the beans are taken out, they are treated in the process of fermentation. This process makes the shells hard, develop the flavor of cocoa and the beans get darken up which over all takes a week. Once its all done they are delivered to the chocolate factory for further manufacturing.

Since companies that import cocoa beans order these in vast quantities, it is more practical to transport these back to the US by ship than by air. Once they reach the dock, it is then transferred to rail road cars on the way to the factory so they can be cleaned and stored.

Chocolates as we know taste different and this is depends on the country of origin of the beans. The first step in converting these into chocolate is to roast these in large revolving roasters at high temperatures.

Then the shell of the cocoa is removed by a specially designed hulling machine. The content inside the bean in called NIB. This is that part of the bean which is required for the making of chocolate.

The next step is to turn the nibs into its liquid form. This process is known as milling and to give you that added taste, other ingredients are added and these include chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar and milk.

What really is chocolate liquor? It is a simple combination of milk and sugar. The end product of this coarse brown powder called a chocolate crumb. As for the milk, it is taken from farms where the milk is tested, pasturized, Uht Treated and then this milk is being mixed together with sugar to form a thick liquid material.

Afetr this is done, cocoa butter is thrown into it to bring out the taste and the rich creamy look of the chocolate. After this another machine which is known as steel rollers grind and refine the mixture to make it much more smoother

After all that, the mixture becomes a thick liquid often referred to as chocolate paste. Since there still may be some gritty particles, it is placed inside another machine called the conche for 24 to 72 hours.

When the paste has been smoothened, this is the time that the liquid chocolate is poured into the mold. The process is very fast inside a factory as some produce about a thousand of these a minute that is something that can never be done manually. If the chocolate comes in many varies, this is also the time that almonds and peanuts are added.

In the machine, air bubbles are removed so the chocolate is able to settle evenly. They then make their way through a cooling tunnel so the liquid chocolate is turned into a solid candy bar.

Lastly, it is wrapped up, put in boxes and delivered to the stores. They are available to be sold now.

Customers then buy these off the shelf and then enjoy its yummy taste without ever thinking for one moment how do large companies make chocolate.

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Thursday, April 2, 2009

Making Chocolate and the Right Way to Market Your Biz

By Colin Joss

In this whole universe there is a next to impossiblity that there is a person who does not like chocolates as its a sweet that is being liked by each and every person around the globe and that is why its business has got such a boom. If you are known to the ways of making chocolates you can also earn profits.

Well marketing this treat is really very easy as you will find people who oves to have it every where. Now the thing you must emphasis on is how to do marketing that is most beneficial in your regard.

Great 4 Ps of every marketing:

Consider this strategy when you are on the planning stage of your sweets biz. If you are just starting out and just want to make extra income through the product that you will also enjoy, here's a brief explanation of this concept.

Product

Your product is the first P. You need to know all about your product that is your chocolate. So you can explain your targeted market good things about your chocolate and how is it different from others.

It will be a good idea if you spend some time researching about the scientific and historical background of the treat. Focus on what you can and then what are you going to sell. You may focus on a specific type of chocolate.

Place

Where are you located? Who lives in your neighborhood? And how often do you think they will buy? You have to think about those things to be able to plan out accordingly what will be a big hit for these people. You must give them what they are looking for. You must present them with new ideas that you are very sure that they will like.

It is a good thing that you are from the area. You no longer have to resort on hiring people to do a market analysis to know who these people are. Just spread your wings and increase your public relations. This will also increase the probability that these people are going to buy from you.

Price

The price must not be set so high that most people will not buy it. To know the right price for you, you have to know about your competitors. For this you just have to buy their products and know the prices. Your strategies must be close to theirs. People look for products that are of good quality and not too expensive to buy.

Promotion

Whatever your business is small or big, if you dont promote your business, you should not even expect your business will survive for a long time! For a wonderful beginning you can start promoting by the speaking yourself. To avail this, you must start with a good product. In beginning, give those all to the customers for few days. If you are sure and confident that the product what you are going to sell is good, people will also accept it surely. Your customers will be a wonderful source for your free advertising!

Make your name as a well know chocolate maker in the industry by taking interest in your biz and focus on generating reasonable profit by selling quality products. You not only have to stay in the competition but also make a good reputation so people will have trust on you and will look forward to your upcoming products as well. When you have the trust of general public, the market truly belongs to you. Keep coming up with different set of ideas. Give new tastes to the people by using your creativity effectively.

In time, you will find your niche. You never know, your hobby can turn into one money-making road to your own success.

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Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Removing Red Wine Stains

By Kim Masters

A red wine stain on the brand new carpet? What can be done about this? When this happens, every thought will be running through your head. You see your friends coming in and seeing the big red stain on your carpet. Perhaps a repairer comes in and he can't help but notice it. You don't want people to walk into your house and think that you are clumsy, when it is a known fact that sometimes accidents happen.

Firstly, we have to clear up a rumor. There are much more effectives ways of removing the stain. One of these ways is to put ice on the area immediately after it happens. You should place it on the spill quickly so that the wine doesn't have time to soak in. Wait for the ice to melt about halfway and then clean the area with your standard rug cleaner.

The best solution to clear carpet stains will also work on table cloths, clothing and what ever surface which you might get a red wine stain on. It is easy to do, just take a small amount of hydrogen peroxide and dish soap and pour it or spray it on the stain. You can also substitute the soap for something like Woolite. Please take note that peroxide is a bleaching agent and it can bleach your clothes and carpet, so ensure that you test a small amount of the solution on an area before applying elsewhere.

If you're worried that the peroxide solution will bleach your carpet, then you can still rely on the ice remedy, but it is important that the ice remedy is used immediately after the spill, or the stain removal will not be successful. If it is not successful, make sure you are careful with the peroxide and soap solution.

If you're uncomfortable with a home solution, you may find carpet cleaner liquids that can clean your stains. Some of these liquids can be found at your local supermarket. You may also rent steam cleaning machines to clean the carpet and remove the stains. But if the stains are too severe, you may consider hiring a carpet cleaning service to clean the stains for you.

Carpet cleaning companies employ very effective ways to get rid of wine or any stains in your carpet. That is when you might as well have them do a complete service for all the upholstery in your house. But if you do not want to use these services, then you can clean off the stains yourself with items from your home. Just make sure when that glass is just crashing to the floor, that you have an ice cube and your carpet cleaner ready at hand. In other words, be prepared with ice and cleaner when red wine is being consumed near or on your carpets. Be even more prepared when everyone is situated around the coffee table.

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