Friday, December 17, 2010

Feng Shui Your Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the house. That's why so many parties end up there. To create and maintain good feng shui in the kitchen will affect all areas of your life -- your health, your finances, your career and your relationships. Here are a few ways to improve the feng shui of your kitchen.

1) Keep reds to a minimum. This is not to say there should not be any red in the kitchen, but think hard before you go with a color scheme that's heavy on the reds. With so much fire element in the kitchen already from the stove and the microwave, adding too much more will create an imbalance.

2) Balance fire and water. The element of fire, represented by the stove, and the element of water, represented by the sink, counteract each other. If they are next to each other they will minimize the other's influence, but if they are directly across from each other, they will "fight". To cure this, put the wood element between them, thus creating the very positive natural cycle of water-wood-fire. The "wood" can be a wooden cutting board, but a live plant is better. Wood can also be a green rug, or a green storage container, or even a green dishrag.

3) Cook from the command position. The command position faces the primary entrance to the room. Unfortunately, most kitchens are designed so that your back is facing this entrance when you are cooking. In feng shui, this means you feel a little vulnerable and ill at ease. To cure this problem put a mirror over your stove so you can see when someone comes in the room. If you can angle the mirror so the burners on the stove are visible in the mirror, you will have symbolically doubled your food and in feng shui symbolism, doubled your money.

4) Empty any pots with water in them on the stove when you are done with them. People who tend to keep a filled kettle at the ready can make some improvements here.

5) Reduce clutter. This especially applies to everything "stored" under the cabinets. If your counters tend to get filled with things, that's another source of clutter to control.

6) Clean. In feng shui, clean surfaces let chi, or energy, move around better. When was the last time you cleaned under your refrigerator, or cleaned the top of the cabinets, or cleaned the fronts of your cabinets? Having a clean stove top and a clean sink is just the beginning of a truly spotless kitchen.

7) Store cleaning materials away from food. Keeping cleansers and food together symbolizes cleaning out your good health, or sterility, so assign one cabinet for cleaning materials and keep the food out of there.

8) Energize. A fountain, so long as it is away from the stove, is good for a kitchen. So are wind chimes, colorful pottery and cookware, and anything that makes you feel good. Of course, good lighting is extremely important, too. If you can't afford to put in a skylight, at least invest in good full-spectrum light bulbs.




Pam Neely has refined the art of cooking in a very small space by maximizing a compact refrigerator with freezer. She now uses an energy efficient 2 door compact refrigerator freezer in her office.

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

8 Ideas For Leftovers

After housing, food is the next largest expense for most families, so it is inevitable that any penny-pinching strategy has to make good use of leftovers. Besides, if you went to all the effort of buying and cooking the food the first time, why not take an extra few minutes to make it into dinner again? Most leftovers recipes are quick, and with just a few general ideas you will find there are at least three different things you could make in a snap that your family will actually like. Here's a list of classic dishes to get your ideas simmering.

Calzones

This is what Italians do with their leftovers. Now, we just thaw the calzone dough, stuff if with whatever is on hand, and bake for about 20 minutes. You can also make a few extra calzones for reheating for up to four days later. And they make for great at-your-desk lunches. Finally, calzones are wonderful if you have an odd combination of ingredients that will not fit into a full recipe. Use that lingering half cup of spinach in one calzone, and that spare chicken breast across two others.

Casseroles

Another easy way to clear the fridge. Just boil some noodles, throw in a can of creamed soup (without the water, please) and then toss in whatever is left. This is a great way to dispatch up to two pounds of Thanksgiving turkey, and you can definitely add one or two bags of frozen vegetables that need to be rotated.

Chili

This is especially good for extra meat. Turkey will work, as will leftover hamburger, steak, and even ham. Depending on how hot the chili sauce is, this dish can be an excellent way to use up bland or dry meat. Those jalapenos can cover up all sorts of culinary sins.

Freezer

OK, so this is not a real recipe, but any discussion of leftovers must include the next best option. If you don't have time to cook it, freeze it. Sometime in mid to late December you will want to eat turkey again. Make sure you squeeze all the air out of the items you freeze to avoid the dreaded freezer burn.

Lasagna

Another brilliant Italian device for using up food. Lasagna can be way more than the standard meat sauce, cheese and noodles. Extra mushrooms are a welcome addition, as is any onhand meat. Zucchini and squashes can be used up, too. And remember, your leftover lasagna dish does not need to feed four people - if there is enough for even a small bowl, that feeds one person a very nice lunch.

Meatloaf

The American brilliant idea for using up food. Ask your mother for her recipe.

Omelets

Kind of like calzones, but lighter and with eggs. Lingering vegetables are a great addition to omelets, as are all those 1-2 tablespoon portions of different cheeses from your last party. This another great dish for using up very small portions - even a quarter cup of ingredient is plenty for one omelet.

Pasta

Another great use for vegetables and leftover meats. This is a great way to use up salmon and other fish dishes. You can even use nuts in pasta. If you are worried it might be too bland, add some spicy sausage or a light cream sauce, or keep it simple and use the kind of pesto sauce that just squeezes out of the tube.




Pam Neely has refined the art of cooking in a very small space by making the most of a compact refrigerator with freezer. She now uses an energy efficient 2 door compact refrigerator freezer in her office.

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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Electrolux Washing Machines - Why You Should Have One

In the competitive market of various home appliances, Electrolux washing machines does not station itself at the bottom of the list. In fact, this is one of the more popular brands trusted by thousands of users across the globe. With the best features that come with every unit, costumers are assured of quality.

The company, which developed Electrolux washing machines, is known also to develop other quality appliances. What is unifying about all its products though is the fact that for every item created, problems and situations which will be encountered by the users in real life is the basis for the design of every item.

In this manner, one can expect that future troubles be kept in mind prior to the creation of the product. Because of this feature, one can be assured that appliances created by this company will be able to address future issues.

What is also enticing about Electrolux washing machines is the fact that the designs and accompanying features are relatively new and very efficient. For instance, units, which are not so heavy yet have the capacity to work on heavier loads, are available.

And you need not worry about whether you exceeded the unit's capacity and perhaps have overworked your unit since it comes with a built-in load sensor telling you that the load is enough.

Other designs such as Libra come with an intelligent wash resuming feature, which allows users to curtail washing anytime when necessary, and the unit will automatically return to where it stopped. No need to reset or to start all over again.

Another feature that would catch your attention comes from a small but large load capacity machine, Fabricglow. Those who are often worrying about the infestation of rats in their units would surely love this design as it has a rat mesh that will surely protect your unit or trap potential intruders which may threaten your machine.

Unfortunately though compared to other models available in the market created by other companies, the prices for the models are often higher than competitors. Rather than looking at this aspect as something to be disheartening, you have to think of the good features you will be getting with the purchase of the unit. Although it may appear that you have to start with a large capital outlay, the savings that you will be getting especially on operating costs as well as the amount of water and soap, might help you eradicate doubts on investing in Electrolux washing machines.




Looking for information on Electrolux washing machines? Visit our site to find out more today.

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