Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

How To make Pizza at Home

Pizza is one of the most popular dishes around the world. It is generally a flat round bread which is oven-baked and covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based sauce and mozzarella cheese. Toppings are also added depending on the region, culture or personal preference. In this article, we will be learning how to make a pizza at home.
The basic steps in pizza making are first preparing dough, then pizza sauce. After that, cheese and toppings are added according to taste and then the pizza is baked in an oven. This seems to be simple while reading but preparing a good mouth watering pizza at home drains in a lot of hard work. However, you will be able to make pizza at home easily using this step-by-step guide.
Let's start from the scratch.
Making Pizza Dough
Dough making has been known to humans since ages now, but mastering the art to make perfect pizza dough can be a bit cumbersome sometimes. At home, Pizza dough is prepared by hands, no special machinery is required. However to prepare hand-made dough you will need to have a large mixing bowl, a measuring cup, measuring spoons, a large whisk or wooden mixing spoon and some kitchen film before you start. It will be better if you also keep a small hand towel ready before starting the process.
Ingredients:
1 - 1/4 Oz Envelope - Active dry yeast, (or 2 1/4 Tsp)
1 1/2 Cups - Warm water (110°F - 115°F)
4 Cups - Bread flour
1 1/2 Tsp. - Salt
2 Tbsp. - Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. - Sugar
Extra flour
Extra olive oil

Process
Pour the warm water in a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar and dissolve it. Next, dissolve the yeast by stirring continuously after addition. Allow the mixture to settle down for 10 minutes or extra so that the yeast becomes active.
Now add the yeast and olive oil, when the appearance of the mixture becomes foamy and cloudy at the surface. Dissolve it continuous stirring. Then add 3 cups of flour to the mixture one-by-one and whisk in until dissolved completely. Make sure the mixture is completely smooth. Use your hands to combine the dough until all of the dry flour has moistened into a mass.
When the flour has absorbed all of the moisture and congealed into a firm mass, remove it from the bowl to a floured tabletop to knead it. Fold it in half again and push it into itself, again and again for perhaps 10 to 12 minutes or so, or about 200 cycles. It is very important that the dough is very well kneaded.
After kneading is complete, when dough transforms into a silky, smoothly-textured ball, coat the dough ball with a thin layer of olive oil. After that place it in the bottom of a large mixing bowl that has also been coated on the inside with olive oil.
Now comes the step on panning the prepared pizza dough. One of the most demanding of the pizza maker's many challenges is getting the raw pizza dough ball into a pizza pan. The panning of pizza can be done by various methods as per your convenience. The popular methods are Pizza dough sheeting, pizza dough pressing, hand tossing pizza dough- do it only if you don't get hazy when catching, hand pressing pizza dough, and last is pin rolling pizza dough.

Making Pizza Sauce
Normally at home, we recommend using tomato sauce only which is lightly herbed with oregano and basil. Some pizza lovers prefer to have even simpler sauce than this, however tomato sauce is the simplest to prepare at home.
Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. - Butter
16 Oz. - Can of tomato puree
3 Tbsp. - Olive Oil
1 Tsp. - Salt
3 Cloves - Garlic, minced
1/4 Tsp. - Black Pepper
3 Large - Yellow onions, minced
1 Tsp. - Whole oregano
2 Qts. - Canned whole Italian tomatoes
1 Tsp. - Whole basil


Process
Melt the butter with olive oil in an oven or large skillet. Now slowly but completely sauté the garlic and onion. Then add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and puree. Boil it.
Cover the mixture and let it bubble for two hours. In between, stir it occasionally. Crush the tomatoes with the masher. Continue the process till the sauce reaches the consistency of a soup.
Set the sauce aside to cool before applying it to your pizza dough, or, or refrigerate it for use in the future.
Pizza Topping
Ladle about 7 to 8 oz. of pizza sauce into the middle, bottom of the dough shell. Spread the sauce evenly over the surface of the dough sheet. Spoon the sauce out to the edge of the dough sheet. Leave a small margin on the outer-side of the dough sheet, which allows the crust to rise and crisp more quickly than the covered dough; creating the classic, puffed up edge of the pizza.
Now create a layer of the shredded cheese over the sauce. Shred about two cups of cheese. Arrange your toppings over this layer of cheese.
Add toppings according to your preference.
Baking the Pizza

Preheat your oven up-to the temperature of 450° F for about 10 to 15 minutes. When preheating is done, place a prepped pizza in the oven at the centre. Place the pan in the oven such as there is maximum circulation of air around the pan. The baking will take about 10-15 minutes at that temperature.
Signs to look for that the pizza is ready are:

1) The cheese has melted on top and is beginning to brown.
2) The crust edge has browned, from a medium to a golden brown.
3) Now carefully lift the edge of the pizza to inspect its bottom, it should be evenly brown.

If these signs are evident, your pizza's done! Thus now you are ready to throw regular pizza parties of your home made pizza to your friends and family.

Feel Free To Comment

How to Gain weight

Healthy Ways to Gain Weight


For the majority of Americans, "envious" is the word that comes to mind for anyone who needs to gain weight. Most people are on the other end of the scale, desperately trying to lose weight. 
But for people who struggle to maintain a healthy weight or are trying to gain weight, it can be a real challenge.  Reasons for needing to gain weight include health issues, lack of appetite, fueling sports, building muscle, or just trying to overcome skinny genes.
Being a little underweight is not necessarily a problem, says American Dietetic Association president-elect Sylvia Escott-Stump, RD.
"If you are comfortable, able to function and exercise, weighing a little less than your ideal body weight is not a problem and studies show it is associated with good health outcomes," Escott-Stump says.
However, if you want or need to gain weight, do it the healthy way -- which is not about bellying up to an all-you-can-eat buffet. 

Calories Count, But So Do Nutrients

Focus on healthy foods to gain weight, because even though you have more leeway with calories, good nutrition still rules. 
"Weight gain requires eating calorie-rich but also nutrient-rich foods -- not just high-calorie foods with lots of fat, sugar, or empty calories," says Alice Bender, RD, nutrition communications manager for the American Institute for Cancer Research.
The goal is to choose foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and calories so each bite is loaded with good nutrition.
"Start with nutritious foods and then wherever you can, enrich the foods with additional ingredients like yogurt, fruit, nuts, and healthy fats," Escott-Stump says.

Eat Often to Gain Weight

Regardless of why you want to gain weight, eating meals or substantial snacks (think mini-meals) more often is the way to pack more calories into the day. 
"Try to eat six times a day, with each meal (or at least three of them) containing protein, starch, vegetable[s], and fat," says sports nutritionist and Georgia State University professor emeritus Christine Rosenbloom, PhD, RD.
A sample meal would include a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with mayonnaise and tomatoes and a fruit smoothie.
Eat often and choose wisely, and you can expect to gain an average of half a pound to 1 pound per week.

Gaining Muscle Mass

"Athletes who want to bulk up need to add sufficient calories and protein along with proper strength training to make sure they gain weight in the right places," Rosenbloom says. 
She advises athletes to eat protein-rich snacks such as a high-protein energy bar, low-fat chocolate milk, or a protein shake immediately after weight training to give muscles the necessary post-workout fuel.
Rosenbloom instructs athletes to snack on high-calorie, high-protein foods and beverages, such as a protein shake with two scoops of whey protein before bedtime.
Avid exercisers who are not trying to build muscle mass also need frequent healthy snacks to fuel their physical activity and to maintain or gain weight.

Tuesday, 29 April 2014

How to Treat A Headache at home

Work stress, family demands skimpy sleep schedules—everyday stresses can give us all a headache every now and then. Try these natural remedies to help ease your
pain

Oh, my aching head! In a world of traffic jams,
tight schedules, and high-speed everything, it’s
no wonder we find ourselves popping an
occasional pain reliever. For a bad headache,
choose one that contains a combination of
aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine. (Off-
limits...if you have a bleeding disorder,
asthma, ulcers, or liver or kidney damage.) But
painkillers are only part of the solution.
There’s much more you can do to escape the
thump and wallop of a throbbing noggin.
Give it some good press
• With a firm, circular motion, massage the
web of skin between the base of your thumb
and your forefinger. Continue massaging for
several minutes, then switch hands and repeat
until the pain resolves. Acupressure experts
call this fleshy area trigger point LIG4 and
maintain that it is linked to areas of the
brain where headaches originate.
Heat up and cool down
• Believe it or not, soaking your feet in hot
water will help your head feel better. By
drawing blood to your feet, the hot-water
footbath will ease pressure on the blood
vessels in your head. For a really bad
headache, add a bit of hot mustard powder to
the water.
• For a tension headache, place a hot compress
on your forehead or the back on your neck.
T he heat will help relax knotted-up muscles
in this area.
• It might sound contradictory, but you can
follow up the heat treatment (or substitute it)
by applying a cold compress to your
forehead. (Put a couple of ice cubes in a
washcloth or use a bag of frozen vegetables.)
Cold constricts blood vessels, and when they
shrink, they stop pressing on sensitive nerves.
Since headache pain sometimes originates in
nerves in back of your neck, try moving the
compress to the muscles at the base of your
skull.
How to clear your mind so you can sleep
Natural home remedies: Fatigue
3 ways to relieve stress
• Here’s an alternative to a cold compress:
Soak your hands in ice water for as long as
you can stand it. While your hands are
submerged, repeatedly open and close your
fists. This works on the same principle as an
ice pack on your head—the cold narrows your
dilated blood vessels.
Try the caffeine cure
• Have a cup of strong coffee . Caffeine
reduces blood-vessel swelling, and thus can
help relieve a headache. This is why caffeine
is an ingredient in some extra-strength
painkillers like Excedrin. However, if you are
already a heavy coffee drinker, skip this.
Caffeine withdrawal can cause headaches,
creating a vicious cycle.
Do something constrictive
• Tie a bandanna, scarf, or necktie around your
forehead, then tighten it just to the point
where you can feel pressure all around your
head. By reducing the flow of blood to your
scalp, this can help relieve the pain caused
by swollen blood vessels. You might try
soaking the bandanna in vinegar, a traditional
headache remedy.
Soothe with scent
• Certain essential oils—especially lavender—
can help ease tension and relieve the pain of a
headache. Gently massage a bit of lavender
oil onto your forehead and temples, then lie
back and enjoy the relaxing scent. For
maximum relief, slip away to a room that’s
cool, dark, and quiet. The longer you can lie
there quietly breathing in the aroma, the
better.
• In addition to lavender oil—or instead of it—
use peppermint oil. The menthol it contains
can help dissolve away a headache. Its
fragrance at first stimulates, then relaxes, the
nerves that cause headache pain.
• If you have a vaporizer, add seven drops
lavender oil and three drops peppermint oil,
then breathe in the relief. If you don’t, try
sprinkling a few drops of peppermint oil on
a tissue. Inhale deeply several times.
• Try wringing out two wet peppermint tea
bags and place them on your closed eyelids or
forehead for five minutes.
Swallow some throb stoppers
• An anti-inflammatory, ginger was
traditionally used to treat headaches, and
it seems to work. Grind up a half-teaspoon
ginger, stir it into a glass of water, and drink
this “ginger juice.” Or pour 1 cup hot water
over 1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger, let the
tea cool a bit, then drink it. Ginger is
especially effective against migraines,
though how it works is not well understood.
Doctors do know that ginger has an effect on
prostaglandins, hormonelike substances that
contribute to inflammation. Ginger also helps
control the nausea that so often accompanies
migraines.
• Try drinking a cup of rosemary tea; some
people say it helps keep a headache from
getting worse. Pour 1 cup boiling water over
1 teaspoon of the dried herb, steep for 10
minutes, strain, and drink.
• At least one grandmother counted on strong
black tea with a few bruised whole cloves
added. Tea contains caffeine, and cloves
have anti-inflammatory properties , so the
brew might indeed help a headache.
• Down a large glass of water and see if it
helps. Dehydration can cause a headache.
The power of prevention
• If you grind your teeth or clench your jaw—
either when you’re awake or asleep—take steps
to prevent the problem. You might need to
wear a mouth guard at night.
• Eat at regular intervals. There’s evidence
that a drop in blood sugar—the result of going
too long without eating—can set the stage for
headaches.
• At least three days a week, spend 30
minutes walking, cycling, swimming, or
doing some other form of aerobic exercise.

How to make a free Website Easily

Everyone has a website these days. Your neighbor’s dog probably has its own website. So how can you join in on the fun, and maybe even make some money while doing it? A free website-making service will allow you to create a website quickly and have it live on the web in just a few minutes.

Create a Free Website Step 1 Version 2.jpg
  • 1.Ask yourself what kind of website you want to have. The needs of your website will dictate what kind of hosting service you should be looking for. If you intend to do business through your website, you’ll need to make sure that the host supports online stores. If you want to create a wiki, there are a variety of free wiki hosts that specialize in creating and maintaining wikis. If you want a blog, blogging sites can get you set up in just a few minutes.

Create a Free Website Step 2 Version 2.jpg


  • 2.Find a free online website-building service. There are a lot of options out there; some great, some poor, some cheap, some expensive; so it's worth spending some time comparing features. Most offer limited services for free sites and typically place advertisements on your site. Your website will most likely also be a subdomain of the host site instead of its own site (e.g. yoursite.host.com instead of yoursite.com). Some of the more popular free hosting sites include:
  • Wordpress; great for blogs, small to medium-sized websites of all kinds
  • Drupal; great for medium to large-sized websites
  • Webs
  • Angelfire
  • Google Sites
  • Webnode
  • Wikia; great for wikis

Create a Free Website Step 3.jpg


  • 3.Compare service features. Each host will offer different services at the free level. Most hosts have a limit on how much data you can upload for your webpage, and this is typically very limited. This means that if you intend to have a media-rich site with images and video, you may not be able to effectively use a free site.
    • Different free hosts have different policies regarding creating online stores. If you intend to create an e-commerce website, ensure that the service you pick can adequately support your goals.
    • Most free hosts have low bandwidth limits as well. This means they don’t work very well as filehosts, as downloading files can quickly max your data allowance.
    • Check to see if the host allows you to upload your own websites. Most free services have web page creation tools and don’t allow you to upload your own custom code. This works for most basic needs, but if you want to be able to create your own site, make sure that the host allows it.
Create a Free Website Step 4 Version 2.jpg


  • 4.Choose a theme that suits you or your business. Browse through the available pre-made themes (sometimes called 'templates' or 'styles'); you can use the software's own available themes, as well as browse theme-selling marketplace websites like Theme Forrest.
    • Many hosts have specialized designs for their sites that help maintain a brand identity with that host. Find the design that fits your website’s needs the most.

  • 5.Consider how much it will cost you. Even if the service is for free, the business has to make money to provide it to you; it might use adverts, or it might try to entice you to upgrade to get more features, which might come at a significant monthly cost. Whichever one you choose, make sure you know how much it might cost in the future if you decide to upgrade to get more features.


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  • 6.Continue to create content. Websites that consistently put out new and useful content will get visited much more often than sites that stagnate. Do your best to produce engaging content that brings the reader back for more. Stick to an update schedule so readers can get used to when new content will be available.
    • The number one way to increase traffic to your site is to consistently create good, engaging, original content. This will drive more viewers your way, and help to retain the viewers you already have.

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  • 7.To generate a passive income, place advertising on your site. Check with your host to see if this is allowed, because many free hosts do not support ad revenue going to you when you are using free services. Placing ads on your site can help you monetize it, but may also deter people from reading your content if the ads are too intruisive.


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  • 8.Market your site. Once you have a complete website and are adding content on a regular basis, you can start advertising your site. You can pay to have your site advertised on other websites through programs like Google AdSense, or you can promote your site on your own through social media such as Facebook or Twitter.

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  • Search engine-optimise (SEO) your website. You can start by submitting your site to search engines. Search engines crawl the web, matching content on websites with users’ searches. To really start attracting large numbers of people to your site, you’ll want to submit it to all the major search engines. The process varies depending on the search engine, but almost all will require you to create a sitemap of your website first.
  • For Google, you can choose to just submit your site’s URL, or you can submit the entire sitemap for more optimized searches.
  • For Yahoo! Bing, you can submit just the URL, or submit your sitemap in a variety of different ways. Sitemaps should be in the XML format.