Staycation – Is it For Me?

According to the pundits, this year is the year we all decided to forego the delights of abroad and spend cheap holidays in the UK.

The word ‘staycation’ has entered our vocabulary, whether we like it or not!

So, is staying at home the new going away?

There is a strong case to be made that with a little application and ingenuity, you can have a perfectly nice break that doesn’t entail catching the 5.15 am from Heathrow, and unless you’re a truly terrible cook, no Montezuma’s Revenge at the end of it either!

So here’s my guide to making the best of your staycation. Continue reading “Staycation – Is it For Me?”

Unique Champagne Food Pairings

Without further ado, let me introduce a few off-the-wall champagne pairings that will show how well it holds up against some of the world’s strongest foods. The caveat here is that the use of the word “champagne” is totally incorrect, I’m actually also referring to sparkling wines including cava and even prosecco, but Google thinks the word champagne is cooler. So there!

Champagne and Chili

Without a doubt one of those bizarre perfect pairings that will blow your mind… although I don’t recommend pulling your bottle of 1998 Dom Perignon! I tasted a great value cava, Paul Cheneau Cava Brut, with my favorite red and black bean soyrizo chili. The spiciness of the soyrizo is cooled by the acidity in the champagne. Also, a fruity cava brings out the sweetness of the red beans in the bowl of chili. This pairing will have you running and telling all your pals, in fact, I stole this idea from Rick Martinez at West Street Wine Bar in Reno, NV. Continue reading “Unique Champagne Food Pairings”

Mexico’s Secret Meringue Recipe

SISAL IS A FORMER SPANISH colony on the north-western tip of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It’s a poor place. A lost place. But definitely not a lonely place.

We pulled in at midnight after a five hour car trip across the peninsula with friends. They wanted to introduce us to their home. We wanted to see it. The moon had risen and was casting its glow across the lagoon where the fresh water from the cenotes mixes with the sea. We unpacked our overnight bags and fell into bed in a twelve-dollar-a-night hotel and slept like the dead.

In the grey light of pre-dawn we dragged ourselves from slumber in anticipation of a sunrise glimpse of Mexican-pink flamingos, preferably while we nursed steaming mugs of local coffee. Little did I know my day would go all Anthony Bourdain and I would end up in the kitchen of my host’s great aunt where I would learn recipes carefully guarded and handed down from mother to daughter to wide-eyed traveler.

Continue reading “Mexico’s Secret Meringue Recipe”

Where Did Turkey Chili Originate From?

Chili is a stew composed of mainly meat and sauce of a viscous nature, with some onions, a handful of beans and spices but it is not limited to that, there are more great versions of chili for instance, the turkey chili recipe. There is still speculations about where chili came from or where it was originated (some say it was from the Midwestern areas of the United States) nevertheless it is definitely one of the most enjoyable dishes if you ask me. Chili is one of the best food to experience, especially in cold and frigid temperatures since it is a hearty, fulfilling meal that gives the person plenty of energy, therefore it is not surprising that the countries north from the equator would be the ones that eats chili the most. Continue reading “Where Did Turkey Chili Originate From?”

Puebla’s Mesones Sacristia Cooking School & Mole Recipe

Puebla is frequently referred to as the gastronomy capital of Mexico by many Mexicans. As a result, it was a priority for me to experience. Its cuisine is the result of a strong culinary heritage, a wide variety of spices, and delicious dishes and sweets.

Mole is one of the state’s most important dishes and has become famous worldwide. My very favorite is the chiles en nogada (stuffed peppers bathed in walnut sauce), which is usually prepared between June and September. The legend that accompanies this dish is that the nuns created it to honor General Agustin de lturbide by mixing indigenous and mestizo ingredients, such as chili peppers, castilla walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Experiencing this dish is worth the trip to Puebla. Continue reading “Puebla’s Mesones Sacristia Cooking School & Mole Recipe”

How to Diet Fast For a Wedding Or Class Reunion

Did you want to be camera-ready within a short amount of time and need to drop that weight fast?  I can tell you a few tips that always work for me, as well as tell you about The $100 Diet – How Naughty Pin Up Girls Stay THIN.

Now to lose the weight fast and easily for a shoot or a special event that you may have coming up, you should do the following things:

1. Cut out sugar, most carbs and any food not made from scratch.  A lot of the things people consume on a daily basis are prepared, and prepared usually means preservatives and starches.  This is a big no-no.  make your own salad and salad dressing, make your own chicken and vegetables for dinner, make your own breakfasts.  And do it all from scratch.  Not only will it taste better, your body will drop the water weight alone from cutting out the items like sugar and carbs.

2. Exercise every day of the week, except the day before and the day of the event.  Your body automatically swells a little from exercise and this will make you look even smaller on the day of the event if you don’t exercise.  Strange, but true. Continue reading “How to Diet Fast For a Wedding Or Class Reunion”

The Funniest Words in the English Language

These words sound hilarious to me for some reason, and if someone didn’t know the meaning, one could provide a pretty good guess from the sound.

  • Boondoggle – whatever it is, you know it’s not good and you don’t want to get involved
  • Donnybrook – throw two groups of drinkers together from different countries, this is what you get. You know one when you see one.
  • Hootenanny – I’ve known musicians in every era since the 60’s, so I have a sign in my house that says “No Hootenannies”, the word is more fun than the actual event
  • Doodle – everyone does it, not many will admit it, but its funny
  • Banana – fun to say even if you add more syllables. I like 5, then it rhymes with “Roseannadanna”
  • Pajamas – is this singular or plural, can you have one?
  • Armadillo – some type of military vehicle isn’t it?
  • Folderol – sounds like something for drinking, as in “last night I was so ripped I folderol over the place”
  • Whippoorwill – what did poor Will do?
  • Loquacious – famous Latin philosopher, or maybe a character on Star Trek, “Spock, go get Loquacious, he knows intergalactic philosophy”
  • Testicle – led to testify, testimony, testament, as you swear you grab the family jewels when you do it (or as the Bible says in it’s original TESTAMENT, “Abraham grabbed his thigh” – close enough!)
  • Ne’er-do-well – funniest expression ever for deadbeats, has to be Shakespeare
  • Roustabout – see “ne’er-do-well” cuz it’s funnier
  • Oil – is an ancestral clue, pronounced with two or three syllables, as in “aw-eee-yull” down south, sometimes “awl”, and pronounced “earl” on The Honeymooners, “oh-ill” elsewhere
  • Knickerbockers – and can you believe people would hear that and still wear em? “yep, I gotta get me some of them knickerbockers, see what those are all about”
  • Haberdashery – a place for fast food from the middle east?
  • Peccadillo – this could mean several things, one is a small armadillo
  • Swamp – usually said with two syllables, if you’re from one, it’s not so funny.
  • Impudent – from Lawrence of Arabia, “you, sir, are an impudent rascal.” (it’s funnier if the British use it)
  • Elbow – you have to pause between syllables, and when you think about it, where did this word come from? why are there no other bows on the body like the kneebow, the neckbow, the legbow.
  • Pumpkin – this is a compound word made of two smaller words and funny that way too cuz it’s one step past kissin cousins
  • Burly – yessir, he was a burly man, not any girly girl
  • Gargoyle – wait, is this English? gargle came from the sound gargoyles make during rainstorms anyway.
  • Oblivion – it’s either an Irish valet or a Greek author, “O’blivion, let’s go with the seersucker today, and fetch me that new volume of Oblivion as well”
  • Gerrymander – a small amphibian? some cricket position, as in “he’s now starting gerrymander for Manchester”
  • Anonymous – most prolific writer in any language; the only word that rhymes with “Hieronymous”
  • Booger – funny no matter how you use it, applies to many as in “that ole booger!”
  • Petticoat – a small coat? and it goes where? it’s a coat for what exactly?
  • Copacetic – I think my granny used to prescribe this homeopathic remedy as a pharmicist in the 1920’s before it was declared illegal
  • Weenie – we laugh at em, we make fun of em, and we eat em!
  • Pomegranate – let’s see, what shall we call yon fruit? is perhaps related to granite?
  • Rutabaga – that street urchin was certainly a pest, have you ever seen a rutabaga?
  • Jellyfish – is it edible, on a sandwich with tartar and peanut butter? now that’s just plain disgusting..
  • Daffodil – either a cartoon character or an Irish herb
  • Sabbatical – this can’t be good, I think it involves devil worship and naked dancing in groups
  • Kumquat – this is a word you don’t say in mixed company, and all kids know it’s a certain unmentionable body part
  • Discombobulated – I had to be gassed to have this done once

Source by William Sinclair

Culture Shock From Thailand to the United States

Introduction

At the age of fifty-seven, I was a divorced man not particularly keen on spending the rest of my life alone. I decided to try online dating. I had always been a world traveler and my two children were grown, so I could go wherever the wind took me.

After some false starts, I found a wonderful woman in Thailand. She was a Public Relations Manager and Psychologist working at a government hospital. We exchanged emails and talked on Skype for six months. I made two trips to Thailand, and a year later, we married in a traditional Thai ceremony. I had to return to the United States, but my wife could not travel until she received her visa. So I flew back to Arkansas, where I worked as a database administrator, and patiently waited for ten months. Continue reading “Culture Shock From Thailand to the United States”

Declare WAR And Lose Abdominal Fat Fast! (Your 3 Key Weapons To Fight Your 2 Primary Enemies)

War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing… unless you want to destroy that stubborn belly fat! If you want to lose abdominal fat fast, then you must have a battle plan and the right weapons to annihilate this annoying fat that just seems so hard to get rid of. If you want to know who your primary enemies are and the 3 key weapons that will destroy them, join me in the situation room and let’s map out a battleplan!

Alright, to lose that stubborn belly fat (and to of course help lose total body fat and drop pounds as well), then you first need to know your 2 primary enemies.

Continue reading “Declare WAR And Lose Abdominal Fat Fast! (Your 3 Key Weapons To Fight Your 2 Primary Enemies)”

Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance

Living a life full of joy and peace requires that you are financially secure. No, not wealthy, no not rich, but financially secure. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that the way to joy and peace is money, but you will never experience true joy and peace while being in debt. These are principles that I was taught at a young age.

I was never given an allowance rather, I earned a few dollars by sitting on my father’s lap while “we” drove the lawn mower around. I was taught first, to give back to God what He has blessed us with. Second, wise spending leads to a wise future. Then lastly, save everything I can. Dave Ramsey, a well-known Christian financial expert, was and is my role model when it comes to budgeting money. One of the greatest statements he ever said was, “Know where your money is going before you ever spend it.” It was on this statement that I started my first budget, and it is on this statement that I will explain how to become financially secure at a young age. Continue reading “Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance”