Laughter: Use It to Pick Up Women

Humour, some say, is the fruit of life, and this is especially true when it comes to picking up on a girl no matter where the location. Make them laugh, and I guarantee, that you are very close to getting their phone number and even to getting them to go out with you.

But, as we all know, making them laugh, is easier said than done. Precisely for those who find it difficult to come up with something funny to say, I am adding some funny anecdotes and wise cracks that you can memorize and then use in those situations where you need to get the girl in front of you to laugh.

1) The Prescription:
Did you hear of the lady, who walked into the pharmacist and asked for arsenic?
The man behind the counter asked in wonder, "What do you need that for?
The lady calmly replied," to kill my husband."
The pharmacist was taken aback," Are you crazy? Do you want to get us both into jail? And, anyway, why do you want to kill him? Go to a counselor. Get help for your marriage."
The lady paused and from her purse she removed a set of pictures of her husband and the wife of the pharmacist in some very creative postures.
The pharmacist looked at the snaps, put them down and smiled," lady, why did you not tell me that you have a prescription?"

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Keep Some Quick Meal Ingredients Handy For When Time Is Short.

All right I admit I don't always like to cook, especially when time is short and we have run behind because of what seems like endless errands and such.  While it would be much easier to just run through a drive thru on occasions like this, I hate doing that especially when it comes to supper.

What I have done is to keep on hand the ingredients for 3 or 4 meals that I can "whip up" in a short amount of time, without having to run to the grocery store.

Depending on the tastes and size of your family you may have other ideas for quick meals but these are mine.

1.  Chicken and Noodles.

I make my own noodles, they are super easy and they freeze well.  I often triple the batch when I am making them, since I am going to have noodles drying out on my table anyway I might as well do a bunch at once and throw a few bags in the freezer.

When I boil a chicken it is just as easy to get a big pot out and do two or three and freeze some of it.  You can even freeze the broth if you have room in your freezer.

So when time is short it is not hard to grab a bag of chicken, a bag of noodles, and either some frozen broth or a couple cans of broth and whip up homemade chicken and noodles.

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Juicer Comparisons: Manual Or Electric?

A juicer is conical-shaped kitchen utensil used for squeezing, or extracting, juice from various foods, especially fruits and vegetables, for the purpose of drinking or adding flavor to other foods. The juicer is simple to use, but, because of the possible dangers involved, should be handled with care, caution, and know-how.

Two kinds of juicers exist—a manual, or hand-operated, version and an electric version.

Manual/Hand-Held Juicer

Juicing consists of placing fruit wedges or vegetable slices cut side-down in the center of the juicer and then pressing down to squeeze the food and moving it back and forth so the juice will run out of the rind and away from the pulp. The pulp and seeds are collected along the edges of the juicer, and the rind it then discarded.

Electric Juicer

Electric juicers mechanically extract juice from fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc. Proper operation consists of placing the article of food within and pressing the button. The juicer then automatically squeezes juice out of the food. Because of its mechanical nature, electrical juicers are far more dangerous than manual ones, and so it is important that users be taught how to properly use them.

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How to buy a used car

Think of buying a car as a game of poker, the seller is your opponent he may be bluffing he may not, but just as you would at a poker room in a casino you have to try to read the seller like you would in a poker room in a casino.

Always remember to keep your eyes and ears open, when talking to someone about a used car. Make sure to ask lots of questions.

In a casino you are risking your money, in hopes of getting a big return, but when buying a car you just want to get your moneys worth, you want a car that will be reliable and dependable. You do not want a car that wont start on cold days or that stalls until its been running for a half hour.

Make sure to check the undercarriage and under the hood for rust. To a car rust is like cancer. Once rust is found it will spread unless it is cut off and replaced. Under the car and in the engine compartment you will find some rust it is only natural, but you want it to only be surface rust. This means if you take a wire brush to the rusted area you will brush off the rust and get to clean metal.

Next make sure to check the body of the car, for waves and any bubbling in the paint, this would indicate that the car was in an accident or some rust was incorrectly repaired. It is not uncommon for someone selling a car to have rust spots sanded down and painted over to give the car a fresh look, but what will happen is after a month or two the paint will start to bubble as the metal begins to rust again.

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Home Bar Stools

If you have a bar in your house or have a kitchen counter creating a partition between the kitchen and dining room, it would be a good idea to add some bar stool chairs to make the divide seem like less of a divide and add an extra bit of comfort to your home.

Bar stool chairs are a marriage between a barstool and a tall chair. They have seatbacks, cushioned fabric, leather, or wood seats, and often have armrests. These bar stool chairs are primarily for the home, to add an air of distinction to anyone’s kitchen counter or home bar, but they also fare well under the rigorous workout in the public bar or restaurant.

 A relatively new concept for bar stool design has been the introduction of ergonomics (the science of comfort). Bar stool chairs that you would have in the home boast features such as tilting seats and seatbacks, adjustable height and added cushioning, these features are appearing on more and more bar stools that are being bought for home use.

Another clear benefit of this kind of bar stool in the home is versatility. The height can be adjusted so the kids can use them for doing homework, having dinner, drawing or watching TV and the adults can use them for virtually anything else. Because these are a combination of both chairs and bar stools what you end up with is a more comfortable style of seating that increases the practical uses.

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Chocolate Party Favors

Everyone loves chocolate and Americans eat 10-12 pounds of it every year, so it makes the perfect party favors. Chocolate is considered a food that is relaxing the body, and it has a calming effect. It calms our nerves and helps us feel good. Some consider it a sinful indulgence, but it is not necessarily the case. If you choose your chocolate wisely, you can enjoy it without the guilty feelings we usually associate with it.

Party favors are small gifts the host gives each guest to show their appreciation. It is a great way to say “thank you for being here.” There are many different party favors, but the most popular of them all is chocolate.

Chocolate party favors can be further enhanced with personalization. Personalized chocolates enable you to communicate a message to your guest. For example, if you are celebrating a birthday party you can include a message such as “Happy Birthday Joe.” You can have a date, the place of the party, or any other message printed on the chocolate wrapper.

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Sunflower Seeds as Food

Sunflower seeds contain large amounts of healthy fat acids and can be enjoyed fresh or used in bread and dishes. They are very popular in candy in deserts and many sunflower lovers make their own brine to spice up the taste of the sunflower seed. Creating your own brine is easy if you follow the simple steps outlined below. The first humans that enjoyed tasty sunflower seeds were the Native Americans. They even used them to cook and bake cakes; sunflower seeds were grounded into a nutritious flour that could be used for a wide range of dishes.

If you want to try making your own sunflower seed brine you should begin by washing the seeds. Place your sunflower seeds in a large bowl filled with cold water and stir them around until dirt accumulate at the bottom of the bowl and any dust particles float up to the surface.

If you prefer sunflower seeds without shells, you don’t have to make any brine. The brine is only a way to add taste to sunflowers without having to remove the shells. With shell-less sunflower seeds, you can simply add salt and spices directly to the sunflower seeds. If you coat the shell-less seeds with cooking spray or vegetable oil, salt and spices will stick better to the kernels. Sunflower oil is of course a good choice here.

The next step is to roast your sunflower seeds. This is not mandatory, but roasted seeds can be stored much longer than fresh ones. If you plan to eat your seeds soon, you can skip this stage. The easiest way of roasting sunflower seeds is to spread them out on a plate in a single layer. Heat to oven to approximately 275 degrees Celsius and place the plate in the oven. After roughly 10 minutes the seeds will be finished. It is important to keep an eye on the seeds since they can turn dark rapidly if left to long in the oven.

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Tea and Time

Tea and time have something in common. They both begin with letter "T". There is a reason for that. Under that commonality also lies a lesson of life.

To enjoy tea, we need to take time.

First of all, even before the steeping starts, we observe the tea leaves. Leaves from different types of tea come in different shapes, texture and colors. The shapes are typically from the delicate hand rolling. The majority of the workers in a tea garden are women. Imagine how those beautiful girls and ladies pluck the leaves in a sunny spring morning. After the leaves are dried, they hand roll them to form a certain shape and sort them out at the end. Tea is no longer mere leaves but a form of art from beautiful hands.

Second, you pour hot water into the cup. You don’t just sit and wait (and getting bored and even impatient). Watch the leaves unfold and dance up and down slowly. This “agony of the leaves” is necessary for the flavors and nutrients to be released.

Steeping is also about timing. Not too long, not too short. The timing depends on our individual preference in taste.

Finally, we don’t gulp a cup of tea as we do with a can of soda. We sip. Before we sip, we observe the color and the uprising mist of the liquid. We smell the aroma. These are all part of enjoyment of tea.

It all takes time. All the good things in life take time to brew and to enjoy.

Time is the most precious thing. It is also most constant thing as well. We can't get more of it by rushing it. We could potentially lose it if we rush - not only time but also all the great things in life that must be enjoyed with and over time.

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Krups’ Innovation In Coffee Makers

Coffee Makers: The Perfect Kitchen Partner

With its new collection of world-class and stylish line of home appliances and utensils, Krups has maintained an elegant yet functional reputation for its products.  One of these latest innovations is their line of coffee makers.  Made to answer their consumers’ needs worldwide, these gadgets of perfection are aimed to provide good coffee in an efficient way and at the easiest preparation possible.

For those who are on-the-go business people, career individuals, busy students, or stay-at-home moms, these products of quality are indeed reliable partners on the kitchen counter.  A good cup of coffee is always a nice way to start the day right for those who wants a fresh boost of caffeine.  With just a few clicks and presses, these devices are perfect for those multi-tasking people who are always aiming to do more things in such short periods of time.

With the advent of newer inventions and innovations, Krups coffee makers are never behind in this new wave of industrial progress.  It always caters to the world market’s need to increase the standards of workmanship and functional abilities.

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Let's Party! Celebrating Women's Friendship and Food

As women, we're usually responsible for getting dinner on the table; often we don't take the time to thoroughly enjoy the meals and feasts we create for our families. And, between work and family obligations, it's hard for us to find time to get together with our girlfriends. Yet, friendships need nurturing and attention in order to thrive and grow. One of the best ways to enjoy good food and good friends is to set aside one day a month for a women-only get together.

While it's fun to go out with your girlfriends, it's really more relaxing to meet at someone's house. You can let your hair down, laugh as loudly as you'd like, and not have to worry about splitting the tab. Here, then are five great ideas for "girlfriend time."

1. An afternoon of pie. As women, baking together is a tradition that goes back for generations. Spend a Saturday afternoon baking a pie with your friends. Each person can lend a hand in making the pie, and then everyone can have a glass of wine and catch up while the pie's baking. Once it's out of the oven, you can all share in eating your creation.

2. An evening of bunco. If you've never played bunco, you won't understand the sheer fun and silliness of this dice game. You can look it up online, but all it takes is twelve competitive women, nine dice, scratch paper, and six pencils. My bunco group has been playing once a month for about eight years now, and it takes a force of nature to keep us from our monthly game. We take turns hosting the evening and making a pre-game dinner for our friends. Each of us has our specialties and we all look forward to Lynn's famous enchiladas, to Sherry's chicken and broccoli casserole, and Cindy's barbecue tri-tip. Each of us hosts one month a year, and the other eleven months we get to enjoy each other's cooking.

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Fish Oil - It’s Health Benefits & Risks

As the name implies, fish oil is oil that is removed from the tissues of oily fish and is often recommended as part of a healthy diet program. Many nutritionists recommend that individuals each fish at least once a week, but emphasis must be placed on the importance of avoiding fish that contain certain harmful contaminants. In avoiding predatory fish, such as sharks and others, individuals will prevent the consumption of unhealthy substances which can accumulate due to the fish’s predatory lifestyle.

The benefits of fish oil are thought to be many, including a number of experts who believe that it’s consumption can help to regulate cholesterol. This problem affects many individuals and, if left untreated, can lead to more serious complications. The liver of fish, however, may contain dangerous levels of Vitamin A.

According to the American Heart Association, daily consumption of the proper amount of fish oil can be beneficial for patients suffering from coronary heart disease. In addition, the United States National Institute of Health recommends fish oil for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Once again, the institute reiterates the fact that high levels of omega-3 fatty acid intake may increase the risk of dangerous side effects, including a stroke.

In September 2005, Louisiana State University conducted a study that resulted in findings to support a theory that fish oil may prevent the brain from developing cognitive problems that are associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. This illness, which is common among the elderly, causes an individual to gradually lose his/her memory.

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Midsummer House

Another award comes to Midsummer House this year in the guise of the BMW Square Meal Award for Best Out-of-Town Restaurant 2005. Midsummer House is in good company, the previous winners of this award being Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons (2001), The Waterside Inn (2002), The Vineyard at Stockcross (2003) and The Fat Duck (2004). This award is particularly special as it's decided not only by the Square Meal team of reviewers, but also by their readers, who provide Square Meal with their own verdicts on restaurants around the country.

Having also been awarded it’s second Michelin Star this year, Midsummer House has firmly established itself on the culinary map.

Midsummer House is the only additional two-star restaurant in this year’s guide and remains the only Michelin star restaurant in East Anglia. Midsummer received its first Michelin Star in 2002 and the team has been working towards receiving this second star ever since. Having recently undergone a major refurbishment and having new menus created, Midsummer House certainly deserves this prestigious accolade.

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BBQ Food is the Mental Cue that summer is Here

Winter is over, spring has sprung, and summer is on its way. It’s the perfect time to take the cover off of the barbecue grill and get grilling. BBQ food is the perfect start to a great summer. As the smells of neighborhood grills begin wafting down the streets of towns all across America, there is a theme that permeates the breeze. Summer is here; it’s time for fun in the sun.

There is nothing that takes me back to my childhood quite like BBQ food. The smells, the flavors, and most importantly, the feeling of quality time spent with family and the knowledge that we are building memories for our children to someday share with their children. If you think about it, you can have BBQ food of some sort, almost any night of the week. As long as you are willing to use your grill, which has the benefit of keeping the heat of cooking on the outside of your home.

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Extraordinary Tailgating Recipes, Adding Spice to the Game

One of the great recreational activities is an exciting and fun-filled tailgating party. It's more than just drinks at the back of an SUV or a truck; tailgating parties are a big hit at any sports event. This is where everyone gets together to celebrate the game, or maybe just for a get together where all of you can have fun, share stories and laughter.

But aside from that, no party is complete without food and drinks. Food is a very important part of tailgating. Make sure your food is in the Safe Zone. If you do not, end run will mean something completely different!

The most important thing to stress about tailgating is keeping the food at safe temperatures. That is below 40 degrees or above 140 degrees. This means ice and a food thermometer are two of your most important aspects of tailgating equipment.

Did you know that between the temperatures 40 degrees and 140 degrees, bacteria grow at the fastest rate? Therefore, the great thing to do is to make sure that you keep cooked meat to their proper temperature and you have kept cold foods under 40 degrees.

High protein foods, such as meat, eggs and milk products must be stored less than 40 degrees. Melons should be washed on the outside, cut up at home, and then stored under 40 degrees until serving. And, the food should never sit out more than two hours if you are taking “takeout” or fully cooked food to an outdoor event. In addition, make sure to keep insects especially flies to stay away from your foods.

Try to estimate how much food you’ll eat at the event. Taking home leftovers is not encouraged by experienced tailgaters. In the end, be prepared and plan.

You might want to consider some of these suggested recipes. They are just simply great and delicious, a perennial favourite of many experienced tailgaters.

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