Lazy Shortbread
This is one of the easiest shortbread recipes I've ever come across.
9 oz plain flour,
9 oz self-raising flour,
9 oz cornflour,
9 oz castor sugar,
2 250gm packs butter
Method
Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl.
Melt butter gently in a saucepan.
(Be careful at this stage; "chip pan fires" can happen with hot butter!) Pour melted butter into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Divide the mixture into two and spread evenly into two baking trays (approx 16" x 10"). Prick the shortbread with a fork at intervals - create a pattern, if you like. Place the baking trays into a moderate oven (I use a fan oven which I heat to 150ºC) and bake until golden brown.
Take out of the oven and cut into portions, dust with castor sugar and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Zino Davidoff and the Cigar Humidor
Humidors, in the broadest terms, refers to any room or container that is used to maintain constant humidity and can also refer to a room in which priceless art such as paintings or even the United States Declaration of Independence is preserved. However, when most people hear the word humidor, they automatically associate it with "cigar." That is probably not unexpected since the words have very nearly become inseparable in our modern language.
From popular cigar clubs and rooms to tobacco stores in modern malls, nearly everywhere one looks, there is a humidor used to preserve and maintain cigars. Because of the universality of cigars, the pursuit for that perfect "smoke," and the wide range of styles and prices for humidors, anyone who smokes cigars can now afford to own a cigar humidor. This has also served to reinforce cigar humidors as an inseparable term.
Even though humidors can be used to store any tobacco product, be it cigar, pipe or cigarette, since cigarettes are so rapidly consumed, there is no need for people to store them in a humidor. Therefore, most often one will see cigars stored in a humidor along with pipe tobacco.
According to some historians, Zino Davidoff, in the first part of the 20th century, is accorded the honored position of having designed and built the first cellar humidor for storing cigars sold through his family business. Today, there exists a wide variety of cigar humidors from the small, desktop model to the large walk-in room humidors.
While there are many variations in style, size, materials, et cetera for cigar humidors, one constant is that each one must maintain a stable humidity level, generally at 70%, designed to keep the tobacco at its freshest. Some cigar humidors may also offer constant temperatures and some may have fans to help maintain a constant humidity throughout the container (since even in a room, humidity levels may vary from area to area). At any rate, cigar humidors are built, purchased and owned by people from all social strata.
Humidors Info provides detailed information on cigar humidors, travel humidors, and humidor plans. Humidors Info is the sister site of Cigars Web.
Top 10 Mistakes When Buying Seafood
Top 10 mistakes when buying seafood
The best way to break down the mistakes that are done when buying seafood is to look at each type of seafood and the characteristics it should have when you purchase it. You should buy high quality seafood whether it is fresh or frozen and these tips on what to look for to keep you from making the top 10 mistakes when buying seafood.
When you go to buy fresh whole fish do not buy it if the appearance of the fish is not bright and shiny, scales are not intact and adhere to the skin. If the eyes have turned pink, cloudy and sunken, except with small eyes fish like salmon. Gills should not have any type of slime coating or be green or brown in color. Fish should not have a fishy odor.
When you buy fresh whole fish it should be bright, shiny, and most of the scales should be intact and adhere tightly to the skin. Every fish has markings and colors that will fade and be less pronounced as the fish loses its freshness. The eyes should be bright, clear, and full and sometimes protrude according to the species. The color of the gills fade over time, turning from bright red to pink, grey and then to a green or brown color so the brighter red the more fresh. Fish that is fresh will have practically no odor at all, the fishy smell happens over time.
When buying fresh fish filets and steaks do not purchasing if the fishy odor is strong, there are signs of browning or drying around the edges of the filets, if plastic wrapping is not tight, it if there is plenty of space between the fish and the wrapping, and if there is any liquid in the packaging.
Fresh fish filets and steaks odor should be fresh and mild. The flesh should be moist, firm, elastic and have a fresh cut appearance.
When you buy frozen seafood do not buy if it is not frozen solid, if there is any discoloration or any type of drying which can mean freezer burn, if there is an odor. Do not buy any frozen seafood product that has ice crystals or water stains.
Frozen seafood should only be purchased if it is frozen solid and if there is no discoloration and if there is an odor it should be fresh and mild. The wrapping should be moist and vapor proof and should fit around your seafood closely and not damaged in any form. If you notice water stains or ice crystals, the seafood has thawed and been re-frozen. Always look for an expiration date.
When you are purchasing any seafood product fresher is always better. When you buy frozen talk with the person that is in charge of the seafood and learn how the seafood was frozen. If it was "flash frozen" it may in fact be better than fresh. The time it takes to get quality fresh seafood to your store will give the seafood time to age. Flash frozen is when the seafood is frozen within just a few hours of harvesting to ensure the quality that you can buy.
About The Author:
Anita is author of
Seafood
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