Cleaning with Vinegar

The kitchen is arguably the hardest room to keep clean. Lots of cooking means lots of greases, spills, stains, etc. I love to cook. I hate to clean. The effort needed in cleaning after cooking is tremendous at times but I've found a way out. Enough of those expensive washing detergents and say hello to vinegar.

• Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.


• 
  Prevent mildew buildup inside your refrigerator or on its rubber seals by wiping occa­sionally with a sponge dampened with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar. No need to rinse.


• 
  Avoid the bad smell when you heat up a newly cleaned oven by using a sponge soaked in diluted white distilled vinegar for the final rinse.


• 
  To clean a grease splattered oven door window, saturate it with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge.


• 
  Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do monthly.


• 
  To prevent good glassware from getting etched by minerals, wash then spray with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Give the glasses a hot water rinse before letting them dry or drying them with a towel.


• 
  For cloudy glassware, soak paper towels or a cloth in full-strength white distilled vinegar and wrap around the inside and outside of the glass. Let sit awhile before rinsing clean.


• 
  Get rid of lime deposits in a tea kettle by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water and letting it sit overnight. If more drastic action is needed, boil full-strength white distilled vinegar in the kettle a few minutes, let cool and rinse with plain water.


• 
  Remove stains from coffee and teacups by scrubbing them gently with equal parts of salt (or baking soda) and white distilled vinegar. Rinse clean.


• 
  For stained and smelly plastic food containers, wipe them with a cloth dampened with white distilled vinegar.


• 
  Remove odors from a lunch box by placing inside a slice of bread that has been soaked in white distilled vinegar. Leave overnight
  


• Clean your grill by spritzing white distilled vinegar over wadded up aluminum foil and scrubbing the grill vigorously with it.

There is an endless application for cleaning with vinegar. Vinegar can even be used to shine pennies, remove odors, or even disinfect toys. Forget those mess in the kitchen with vinegar. It is now time truly enjoy cooking and eating.

Almonds

Almonds is a very common nut eaten today. It could be eaten on its own either raw or roasted. Almonds have plenty of culinary uses such as nougat and sprinkled on sundaes. Believe it or not it is one of the best tree nuts there are because of its health benefits.

Since almonds are native to the middle east let us approach it firstly from the middle eastern way. In Ayuravedic medicine, the traditional health care system of the Indian subcontinent, almonds are nutritious for the brain and nervous system. It is said that almonds help induce high intellectual level and longevity. But that's not all... almonds are aphrodisiacal as well.

Nutritional wise, almonds are high in vitamin B1, B2, B3, E, omega3, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. Almonds have many essential fatty acids which contains monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. Unsaturated fats help increase HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) and decrease LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein). The HDL and LDL level regulates the flow of cholesterol in our blood system. The higher the level of your HDL and the lower the level of your LDL will keep you away from heart diseases. Scientists have proven that a handful of almonds a day can reduce 4.4% of LDL while two handfuls can reduce up to 9.4% of LDL in our bodies. Those who eat 52 grams of almonds daily have 30-50% lower in the risk of diabetes and heart diseases.

Here's how I like my almonds. I have been told to soak 7 almonds in water overnight. In the morning I would peel the skin off and eat it raw with soy milk. Eat it first thing in the morning and wait a while before breakfast. Personally, 7 almonds is not enough, I always end up eating more. Try it at home and you'll see that not only are almonds so wonderful as mentioned above but it helps with detoxification as well. Almonds are great for improving the movement of food through the colon. In addition it is also claimed that almonds improve complexion and prevent cancer.

What is It?

Allow me to introduce you to a rather weird dish.

You may be wondering what kind of food this picture is showing. How about another guess? Noodles? No. This is a picture of deep fried bamboo worms. How tasty that sounds... It doesn't "taste just like chicken". Yet it taste good in its own light. Locals in the Northern provinces of Thailand has been consuming bamboo worms for generations. It is most commonly cooked by being deep fried or roasted with salt. Nevertheless it can also be prepared in many different ways. These worms are nutritious, high in protein, and low in calories. Worm eating isn't restricted to Thailand. Countries like Korea and Mexico also consume worms. So eating worms isn't so strange after all. Have you tried any?