Friday, August 06, 2010

GAINING THOSE BROWNIE POINTS

This Story Came out as an article in Friday - Weekly Magazine that comes with Gulf News Newspaper @ UAE. My Hubby took efforts to type this and mail me. Thanks Vaasu!!!

The Story
Image Courtesy : WWW

The husband has really done it now. The man has lost seven kgs in four weeks.
I would never try to take personal credit for the husband's success, but I might mention that I had talked to him recently (several hundred times actually) about heart attack risks.
I talked to him about the danger of packing on weight around the middle, about the fact that he works outside a lot sweating in the heat and humidity, lugging heavy equipment, and about the fat contnent of ice cream and cheese.
Was it was my nagging that motivated him? No. He decided to knock off some weight before his high school reunion.
You want to know how he did it, right? Well, for a small weekly fee, a special weight-loss supplement called El Placebo, and a DVD of me carping about weight loss, just send a blank cheque and I'll tell you.
Just kidding, I'll tell you right now: He's a man. That's how he lost weight - men lose weight more easily than women. A man thinks, "I'm going to lose weight now," and two kgs drop to the floor.
A woman thinks, "I'm going to lose weight now," and her phone rings. She is asked to make brownies for a social function and dutifully agrees to do so.
She goes into the kitchen, mixes up brownie batter and licks the beater, hoping that no one is watching. She pours the batter into the pan and wipes the spatula clean with her finger, which goes directly into her mouth. She is about to wash the mixing bowl, but sees traces of batter clinging to the slides. Waste not, want not.

Thirty-five minutes later, she takes the brownies out of the oven. They look good, but they would look even better iced. She mixes up that fabulous recipe for chocolate icing which is printed on the back of a cocoa can. She has no choice but to repeatedly test the frosting for consistency.She ices the brownies and thinks what they could really use are some chopped nuts. And toasted coconut. She tests the nuts for freshness and coconut for toastedness.
The brownies look nice in the pan but she decides they would look superb on a platter. She cuts them into serving portions, gathering excess iced brownie with each drag of the knife. This brownie excess is dpeosited on a small plate for someone else to enjoy, but she devours it herself within seconds.
And then disaster strikes. Two brownies break on their way out of the pan. Since the brownies are broken, each piece is no smaller than a regular serving, meaning the calories are smaller, too, so she eats those as well.
The next morning the woman steps on the scale and screams, "Men! They have it so easy!" And that is how the husband lost weight - because he is a man and not a woman.
I refuse to believe it had anything to do with the fact that he cut out all eating between meals, ate smaller portion sizes, reduced the many glasses of milk he dran each day and eliminated all desserts with the exception of 45 calorie frozen fruit bars.
Believe whatever you want. Just dont ask me to make brownies. GAINING THOSE BROWNIE POINTS - sounding off in this Friday.
Story Ends:
This is from my Hubby  "Sorry Priya, I know that it is difficult to lose weight being in the kitchen, this article reinforces that. All the Very best."

Being in the Kitchen, It is a bit tough to stay on your diet, but it isn't impossible. Saying that, i haven't checked my weight for the past 2 months :) I m a bit scared!!!!!

When it Comes to Central Air Conditioning, Size Matters!



Two of the most common mistakes people make when purchasing central air conditioning are 1). Getting a system that is too large for the size and style of their house, or 2). Getting a system that is too small. This usually happens when an air conditioning contractor recommends an oversized unit, telling you that “bigger is better.” Or when a contractor tries to sell you a smaller unit so that they can underbid other contractors and make sure they get the job by offering you a bargain.

Here's the truth: When it comes to central air conditioning systems, bigger isn't better; it’s just more expensive. And smaller may save you some money upfront, but you almost always get what you pay for.

Consider some of the problems you can get into from buying an oversized or undersized air conditioner...


Air Conditioner Too Big:

An oversized central air condtioning system will turn on and off much too frequently, which will wear down your equipment and waste electricity. Plus, the larger system will cost you more upfront and more to operate.

This frequent cycling on and off will also make your indoor temperatures fluctuate up and down more, resulting in a less comfortable environment. The oversize unit will lower temperature too quickly and then turn off before removing the appropriate amount of humidity. This is another reason why homes with oversize units feel cold and damp -- the humidity is never removed!

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that nearly half of all existing air conditioning equipment is over-sized They estimate that this costs homeowners 20% each year in wasted energy!


Air Conditioner Too Small:

An undersized central air conditioning system will cause your air conditioner to overwork and may fail to keep your home adequately cool. A small air conditioning unit will lower humidity, but will not lower the temperature enough, so the air will feel dry but warm. Pluse the air conditoning system will run constantly; over-running your central air conditioning equipment will lead to premature breakdowns and a short lifespan.

And even if you get the right size air conditioning equipment, you also have to beware of “buying too small” when it comes to your air duct or airflow system. According to the National Comfort Institute states, it’s not unusual to see return air systems undersized by 30-50%. In fact, many common central air conditioning equipment problems including compressor burnout, frozen indoor air conditioning coils -- are often a result of improperly placed and installed air distribution systems.


Be Like Goldilocks!

The central air conditioning system that is ideal for your home comfort and budget is neither “too big” nor “too small,” but is “just right”. When shopping for a new central air conditioning system, be sure that your air conditioning contractor performs a thorough analysis and measurement of your home from top to bottom -- including your air ducts and air flow system.

Also, as part of this analysis, make sure that your central air conditioning contractor performs a load calculation. This is a mathematical computation that allows a contrcator to precisely estimate the performance needed to adequately cool your home and the capacity that will be required for your new air conditioning equipment to deliver that performance. A load calculation is good way for you to make sure that the central air conditioning equipment you’re buying is not over-sized or under-sized. Be sure to ask for a copy of the load calculation to be submitted with the proposal; this will assure you that the contractor takes capacity design seriously and that he’s not just going through the motions.


Related Air Conditioning Information from Horizon Services...

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

CHETTINADU CHICKEN FRY:

This chicken preparation is special in a way as it has not much ground spices. With aromatic spices, it gives out a delicious taste.
Boneless chicken pieces are more suitable than the chicken with bones.


செட்டிநாடு கோழி வறுவல்

Ingredients:

Ghee- 1 tbsp
Oil- 1 tbsp
Broken cashew nuts-3 tbsp
Fennel seeds- half sp
Cinnamon- 2 pieces
Black gram- 1 tsp
Red chillies-5
Chopped small onions-2 cups
Finely chopped tomatoes- half cup
Turmeric powder- half sp
Small garlic flakes- quarter cup
Ginger and garlic paste- 2 tsp
Lime juice- 1 sp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Chilli sauce- 1 sp
Curry leaves- 3 arcs
Boneless chicken pieces- 750 gms
Salt to taste
Coarse pepper powder- 1 sp
Coarse fennel powder- 1 tsp

Procedure:

Heat a big kadai and pour the oil and the ghee. Add all the spices and fry well with the cashew nuts.
When they turn to golden brown add the chopped onion with the ginger-garlic paste and fry well.
Then add the tomatoes and the garlic flakes with the turmeric powder and cook well until the tomatoes are mashed and the oil floats on the surface.
Add the lime juice along with the chicken pieces, chilli powder and the curry leaves. Add enough salt.
Cook well on medium fire.
When the chicken pieces are cooked well, sprinkle the coarse powders and mix well.
Cook the chicken on slow fire for 5 minutes.
Delicious Chettinadu chicken fry is ready to serve!