Puerto Rican Cuisine

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Puerto Rican Cuisine

Puerto Rico is an island nation that is officially a territory of the United States. Puerto Rican cuisine has evolved from several strong influences, including those of the original peoples, such as the Tainos, and the Spanish conquerors that drove most of the natives out and enslaved the remaining. African and Caribbean influence is also reflected in the cuisine of the island, which has also been shaped significantly by its climate and geology.

Cocina criolla, one of the main cuisine styles particular to the island has deep roots, extending far back to the native Tainos and Arawaks. Their culinary traditions were based tropical fruits, native vegetables, seafood, and corn. With the Spanish came a host of other ingredients that expanded the criolla style. These included olive oil, rice, wheat and meats, such as pork and beef. As enslaved African peoples were imported for work on the sugar cane plantations, their culinary traditions took root as well, and their contributions, which included taro and okra, became assimilated into the whole of criolla cuisine.

Many of the islands main dishes are seasoned with adobo and sofrito, spice mixtures that impart those flavors that the island is so well known for. Adobo, which can vary from cook to cook, or if bought prepared, from manufacturer to manufacturer, generally consists of black peppercorns, oregano, salt, garlic, olive oil, and lime juice. When bought prepared in powdered form, most include salt, powdered garlic, citric acid, pepper, oregano, turmeric and MSG, which is a good reason to spend a little time making your own if experimenting with Puerto Rican cuisine at home. While generally used for seasoning meats, it is considered to be a sort of all-purpose seasoning mixture.

Sofrito is made from onions, garlic, cilantro, peppers, and often includes achiote, which is from the seeds of the annatoo plant, and helps to produce a bright yellow color in the finished product. This, too, is used in a variety of dishes, ranging from meat dishes to soups to standard forms of beans and rice.

One pot dishes, or stews, are common to Puerto Rican cuisine. These are often made of meats, and flavored with a variety of spices and ingredients in addition to adobo and sofrito. Among these are Spanish olives stuffed with pimiento, sweet chili peppers, capers, potatoes, onions, garlic, fresh cilantro, and occasionally raisins.

Chicken with rice is a dish that has become a Puerto Rican specialty, with many families having their own special style, handed down from generation to generation. Chicken is a main ingredient of many criolla dishes, and these dishes, while careful attention is given to spicing techniques, rarely are they what could be termed hotly spiced.

Naturally, seafood is an important part of the island cuisine. Fried fish is often served with a special sauce made of olives, olive oil, onions, pimientos, capers, tomato sauce, vinegar, garlic and bay leaves. Broiled, steamed or grilled fish is lightly seasoned, if at all, during the cooking process and served with a splash of lime juice with perhaps just a hint of garlic.

Puerto Rican cuisine has many facets, arising from the islands long, complex history. The blend of native culinary traditions with those of the European settlers and the enslaved African populations that they brought with them has resulted in a unique and flavorful cuisine that is beloved by many.

Pros of Using Zyflamend Softgels

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Pros of Using Zyflamend Softgels

Zyflamend is a revolutionary supplement ever came to the medicine industry. Its prominent Z sounds too much like a drug name but the word mend shows that it infers a mending (healing) process. Thus, it is a good play on words.
Apart from its name, this supplement is simply awesome and magical. It is a hand to hand combination of herbs and food. It composes of ten very popular anti-inflammatory elements which when brought together are extremely effective at healing inflammation. In addition, according to the worlds SPIN data of 2009, it is marked as the top most selling herbal supplement of US. It releases chronic pain, and is also a great energy booster.

Pros of Zyflamend Softgels lies within its ingredients that modern science has identified can promote a healthy inflammation response which is a key to the healthy joint function, long-lasting mental clarity, the cellular integrity of many organs systems, cardiovascular health and even healthy blood sugar metabolism. We now take a look at its elements one by one in detail.

Rosemary is a strong anti-inflammatory and antibacterial culinary herb.
Turmeric is a fantastic anti-cancer herb which is also known for improving joint health, ending arthritis pain and increasing muscle and tendon flexibility.
Ginger is the worlds best-known tonic herb. It boosts immunity function and circulation along with removal of metabolic toxins from the bodys cells. It consists of antibacterial and anti-viral properties.
Holy Basil, commonly known as tulsi is used in ayurvedic medicine to combat arthritis, asthma, heart diseases etc. It is a well known anti-stress herb that has been studied extensively for its stress-reduction properties.

Green Tea is indeed a very common herb. It is used as a healer and its green tea leaves exhibit strong anti-cancer benefits as well as anti-inflammatory properties.
Hu Zhang which is a Traditional Chinese Medicine aids in invigorating the blood and relieves inflammation of the lungs.
Chinese Goldthread is another Chinese herb that contains several bitter alkaloids. One of them are berberine, which is a phenomenal anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal nutrient.
Barberry is an ancient Egyptian herb for treating inflammatory fevers. It also helps in digestion and liver function. It's more of a support herb in this formula than the icon.

Oregano is a very potent anti-parasite herb, but it's also used as a natural decongestant and anti-allergy herb.
Lastly, Baikal Skullcap is used to treat intestinal inflammation along with anxiety and insomnia. This famous herb also lower blood pressure and reduces tension throughout the body.

Zyflamends every single component is so powerful and advantageous in itself, that one can imagines when it combines as a single softgel; how influential it would be? It cures all the diseases which have their roots in inflammation. That is because most of the diseases begin with inflammation and then progress to more serious conditions like cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, alzheimer's disease, diabetes, heart disease, atherosclerosis, asthma etc.

For best results, experts recommend that start taking Zyflamend one capsule a day for the first two weeks and then increase to two capsules after two weeks of regular use.

Professional Guide to Building Raised Garden Beds

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Professional Guide to Building Raised Garden Beds

Here we will explore the process of building and installing raised garden beds. They are usually used by gardeners with experience to tackle an otherwise long and annoying list of challenges that come with the hobby of gardening. The purpose of a raised garden bed is to fill it with soil and compost that you have blended yourself to suit the needs of the plants you are growing. Also, the bed walls have drainage points in order to fight erosion. Also, the raised garden bed allows for the closer spacing of plants in order for the yields to go up. They are also efficient when it comes to water use and the weeds don't find their way into them. These are just some of the numerous merits that come with raised garden beds.

#1. Building Your Raised Garden Beds

The best way to approach this is to construct a bottomless frame that you will later set into a shallow trench. Even if you have no previous experience, don't worry it's not rocket science, you will surely be able to do it by following the steps mentioned here.

The frame you can build from a material of your choosing such as interlocking blocks, concrete, brick or even rock. However, the most commonly used material for garden raised beds remains lumber. So your best option is the naturally rot-resistant redwood or cedar.

The ideal bed should be wide enough to support the growth of, say, sprawling tomatoes. At the same time, it should also be narrow enough so you can reach easily from all sides. The recommended height is between 1 and 2 ft. Making your bed taller means that you will need more soil to fill it up properly.

#2. Find The Best Location

The best place to put your beds would be flat spot (to avoid that is exposed to enough sunlight. Also, align the beds in straight rows in order to make the watering process easier. This will also prove to be useful later if you are planning to install an irrigation system.

#3. Prepare The Site

Once you have selected the best possible slot for your beds, you should prepare them properly. This means getting rid of unwanted turf and weeds. Also, you need to outline the dimensions of the bed on the ground and dig deep enough in order to be able to bury half of the lumber. You won't be experiencing any problems with poor drainage as raised beds are made so that the water will trickle down. In case there is no turf between your beds, place some landscape fabric and cover it well with pavers. This will surely improve the drainage in case you are experiencing difficulties.

You can start by building the walls separately, then fasten them firmly and place the bed carefully. For extra stability, you can sink posts into the ground. Then place a cap railing around the top of the bed as a finishing move this will hold it together. Once the lumber is in place, level the ground at the bottom of the bed. Place some anti-weed landscape fabric and make sure it extends to the outer edges of the wooden frame.

#4. Pest-Proof The Beds

Now, we can't talk about gardening without mentioning pests as well. Often the soil in raised beds has worms which attract moles while voles love to snack on the roots of young vegetables. To keep the burrowing infiltrators at bay, place a bottom layer of hardware cloth. Some sort of steel mesh grid or galvanized metal will do the trick.

#5. Extend The Growing Season With Greenhouse Effect

You can construct a framework of hoops and a light cover to keep them veggies growing for a while longer and protect the beds from hungry birds and insects at the same time. Install a PVC pipe inside the bed walls by using galvanized pipe straps. Cut a half inch flexible PVC that is at least as twice as long as your bed's width. Bend it carefully, then mount it. For the early spring and fall periods, use transparent polyethylene film to raise the air temperatures. However, make sure to remove the covering once the warmer days comes.

Well, once all this is done, you can start planting and watering. Soon you will be able to enjoy your very own home-grown food.

Private Investigators How do you Become one

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Private Investigators  How do you Become one

Who do Private Investigators work for?

Before you look into the training involved with becoming a P.I. it is worth considering what becoming a Private Investigator actually involves and who you might work for.

Professional P.I.s carry out many different types of investigations and their clients can vary from private individuals to large commercial companies and even public bodies such as councils and government departments.

The type of work you might undertake varies widely and can include background checks, surveillance, matrimonial investigation, status enquiries, insurance investigations, process serving, employee theft, due diligence, competitor profiling and private security among other things.

Whoever you work for and on whatever case it is necessary to always remain professional, discrete and honest. Client confidentiality is of the utmost importance and reassuring clients of your discretion and sensitivity to their situation is also imperative to being a good P.I.

What qualifications and training are required to become a Private Investigator?

At present there are no educational standards established by a governing body for this profession but there are several routes you can take to gain training. Many P.I.s are self-employed but there are larger investigation companies that provide employment and may provide training or work shadowing possibilities as well.

There are also no formal qualifications required at present to start up your own business in this profession but a common route to go is from a military, police or a security background. This type of background is not essential but it does have some advantages. If you havent got experience in any of these fields it is still possible to become a private investigator through private training.

It is beneficial to have a good level of general education plus business skills are an advantage if you plan to work on a freelance or self-employed basis. You can also complete a BTEC Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Private Investigation by undertaking a course with the Academy of Professional Investigation (API). If you are self-employed you will have to arrange your own training but most employers will provide on-going training while working.

What skills are required to become a Private Investigator?

Regardless of training certain skills are required to become a P.I. and these include observational skills, attention to detail, logic, patience, honesty and perseverance.

Computer skills are also necessary nowadays as is the ability to quickly and accurately evaluate a situation. You must also show discretion at all times and possess excellent communication skills to deal effectively and discretely with clients.

As technology advances almost daily it is also essential to stay up to date by constantly learning and adapting. Training can be ongoing and even practicing P.I.s should be aware of changing laws and investigative methods.

Who do I contact to learn more about training?

There are several official bodies you can contact for further information including the World Association of Professional Investigators (WAPI) or the Association of British Investigators (ABI).

Preparing for the Holidays

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Preparing for the Holidays

No matter what race, religion, creed, or color you are, everybody enjoys celebrating the holidays. From Easter to Passover, Thanksgiving to Memorial Day, Christmas to Veterans Day and everything in between, all people love reveling in the holiday season. Enjoying special time with friends and family is an integral part of rejoicing in the holiday spirit and allows for happiness for all. Celebrating holidays is an enjoyable time for all ages, but organizing for them definitely requires an immense amount of planning and preparing for all involved. There is shopping, cooking, and purchasing holiday decorations, all of which are necessary aspects of preparing for the holidays. There are many ways to properly prepare for the holidays, a few of which are listed below:

Shopping till You Drop

Although it may not be in the holiday spirit to be spending money instead of spending time with family, one of the most important parts of preparing for a holiday event is to shop for necessary items. Many of these items include holiday decorations, food items and depending on the holiday, presents. You can make holiday shopping a family activity for you and your loved ones. You can choose which holiday decorations will suit your celebration the best and will let you express yourself most appropriately. You can use layaway shopping for presents, and although shopping for presents around the winter holidays can be a challenge, there are many tips for shopping during the holiday season, such as buying gifts and other necessary items out of season in order to save on high costs.

Cooking a Meal for the Ages

No matter what holiday you are celebrating, food is always in integral part of celebrating and preparing for the occasion. If it is an ethnic or religious holiday, it is recommended that you buy traditional foods to fit the occasion. If it is a more ubiquitous holiday, try getting more Americanized foods, such as steak, hamburgers, hotdogs and other non-ethnic foods. You can recruit other members of your family to aid in the cooking. Not only will it be extremely helpful and will lessen your burden, it is also a great way to bond with people you may not get to regularly see. When preparing for holidays such as Thanksgiving, you can buy other fun foods, such as gourds and pumpkins for decoration.

Spending Quality Family Time

It is not always possible to spend quality time with your family throughout the year. Whether you are celebrating with your immediate family or your extended family, we do not often allow enough time for conversing and spending time with loved ones. Surprisingly, you should actually prepare yourself for spending time with family. Since you do not always get to see your loved ones, you want to make sure you truly convey how you feel about them and make sure that any topics you touch upon are appropriate for the occasion. You should prepare a possible list of conversation topics and perhaps even prepare games and activities for you and your family to participate in.

Final Thoughts

The holiday seasons are some of the best times in the year. Whether you are celebrating religious or non-religious holidays, there are many ways that you can prepare for these special days on the calendar. There are many ways to prepare for the holidays, including shopping till you drop, cooking a meal for the ages, spending quality time with your family, and so many more! By following the above tips and properly preparing for the holidays, you are sure to be enjoying the next big celebration with great ease.

Postnatal 'confinement' food Part 2

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Postnatal 'confinement' food Part 2

Everybody will ask you to eat only ' heaty' food and avoid cold or cooling food as your body is cold after childbirth. This applies to the 3 main races in Malaysia but sometimes, what is considered 'heaty' may be 'cooling' for another which increases our dilemma. The best option is to try out the food as far as your culture and religion advices and learn to substitute the ingredients wherever possible to suit your taste. I am afraid that my culinary expertise is limited to Chinese and Western food so I can only talk about this type of food at this moment in time.

Traditional Chinese confinement food consists mainly of old ginger, rice wine, sesame oil, black vinegar, some warming alcohol, lots of meat especially kampong chicken and lean pork, white fish such as white pomfret and some vegetables.

Apparently, you are supposed to eat 30 chickens, 12 bottles of rice wine and 15 kilos of old ginger root during this period. Whether you can achieve this target is up to you but I find that most women nowadays cannot manage it. On average, if you do practice what is recommended, the cost could easily be about RM 1000.00 ++ just for the food only.

Food to avoid during the first week only
Ginger - Delays healing of wounds and increase risk of jaundice in baby. Substitute with peppercorn or garlic.
Fish - Causes foul smelling lochia or discharge.

Alcohols which are recommended for consumption during the confinement month are: Brandy, Yomeishu, rice wine and Guinness Malta because they are yang'. If you are a non-drinker, this sudden consumption may cause alcohol rash, redness in the face and heart palpitations, so do take it easy. Alcohol does go to the baby through breast milk, so if you want a good night's sleep, drink the alcohol after your dinner. The content of alcohol is reduced during cooking therefore you might consider adding it to your food during cooking instead of drinking it neat. Guinness Malta is non alcoholic and has high iron content therefore is suitable if you are anaemic. Pulut rice is rich in iron therefore is used to make rice wine for postnatal nursing mothers. The rice is low in fat and free of cholesterol with high dietary fibre to reduce risk of heart attack and diabetes. It is better known as Shaoxing wine.

Drinks
It is believed that iced or cold drinks may cause severe shock to the system and further weaken the cold' body therefore it is strongly recommended that boiled warm teas are consumed throughout the day as they are supposed to help heat up the womb. For those who do not believe in these teas you may try drinking Chamomile tea which is beneficial for the baby as well, because it helps to reduce wind

Soups
Soup is a nutritious replacement for water. You can use any meat for stock. The meat supplies fat that is essential for extraction of fat soluble nutrients. Drinking soup about 1 hour before breastfeeding may help to increase milk flow. Chinese soups are usually clear and easier to drink compared to creamy western soups and it is less fattening.

Below are some food ingredients that you might want to add to your diet during the postnatal confinement' month.

Boxthorn fruit or Chinese wolfberry is best known to correct poor eyesight and eye strain. Used in conjunction with other herbs it is effective for improving energy and strength

Chinese angelica root or dong kwai is supposed to nourish the female organs, alleviate menstrual pain and prevent haemorrhage.

Chinese yam (wai san) used in conjunction with meat and other herbs aids digestion, regulate sugar level and control inflammation of the uterus. The dried variety must be soaked for at least 15 minutes before use to remove the powder

Solomon's seal (yok chuk) is used to alleviate many ailments especially those affecting the throat and lungs

Sesame oil, besides being rich in Vitamin E, Iron & Calcium, helps heal the womb and rid it of "dirty residual blood".

Chestnuts invigorate vital energy. Resolves fatigue depression and irritability. High in phosphorous, selenium and calcium

Black vinegar is made from glutinous rice and lowers ph of food. It leaches calcium from bones cooked with it, therefore it is used to prepare high calcium food especially for breast feeding mothers and it also relieves a windy abdomen.

Dill has antibacterial and antispasmodic properties. It is a warming herb which aids digestion, gets rid of gas, encourages lactation, freshens the breath and soothes colic. It is the main ingredient in Gripe water.

Almonds and walnuts contain leucine and isoleucine which are amino acids that regulates growth, blood sugar and wound healing.

Malay confinement food is the same as normal but with a lot of jamu which is basically natural herbal remedies used internally and externally for health and beauty. Make sure the products are registered with the Ministry of Health and that they are locally produced

Kani seeds contain antioxidants to promote youthfulness, tighten vaginal muscles, prevents excessive discharge, odour and itchiness. It firms the breasts and promotes healing of the reproductive system after childbirth.

Gallanggal is a member of the ginger family and it functions as an antibiotic. It warms the body, cleanses the blood, improves appetite, reduces wind and energises the muscles.

Pegaga leaves increases energy, helps ease sleeping problems, improves blood circulation.

Turmeric functions as an antibiotic and promotes a healthy circulatory system.

Drumstick leaves are rich in proteins, vitamin C and A, beta-carotene, iron, calcium, potassium and other minerals. Because of their nutrients and ability to encourage milk flow, they are a valuable food for survival in impoverished countries.

The most important thing to remember is that you must be comfortable with what you eat. Do not force yourself to eat something that you do not like or will cause problems later. Although you are in confinement' you are not a prisoner per se.

Possibilities in Winter Jobs

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Possibilities in Winter Jobs

Winter, the season of giving and sharing is also a time of countless work opportunities. For those seeking employment, permanent or otherwise, winter is the perfect time to go job hunting.

Permanent jobs?! Yes. You may have plans to get a job that is the same all year round as opposed to seasonal jobs. Well, as a matter of fact the winter season gives good ratio of available jobs to those seeking it. Meaning more jobs, less applicants, less competition.

At this time many young professionals, fresh graduates and the rest are eager for a holiday break, so they put off looking for a job until the weather turns warmer. Hence, a lot of companies and establishments are left with few prospective applicants during the busiest time of the year.

Here are some of job vacancies that you might consider applying for:

Winter resorts are on of the most popular places to look for a job during winter. If you love the outdoors then this is ideal for you. Aside from ski and snow board instructors, other positions include maintenance and equipment handlers. But if freezing on snow-covered mountain slopes is more than you can handle, there are always possible openings inside the resort that are can to keep you warm and comfortable. You may be able to find a spot in the hotel as receptionist, maintenance staff to name a few; as a cook, waiter/waitress in the food and beverage area, or a sales position in the retail sector of the resort.

Better yet, an appealing alternative would be to consider relocating and working in a resort located in southern climes. Since a lot of folks do prefer balmy breezes to icy temperatures during the holidays, there must also be an equal work opportunity in beach resorts and other tourist destinations. You will have to trade in your skis for swim wear though, because possible positions include: Jet Ski, swimming, and diving instructors, lifeguards and much more. Of course, like its winter counterpart, there are also other jobs available in the hotel or restaurant sector of the resort.

Lets not forget that the holidays are the busiest time of the year. With shopping centers filled to capacity, business owners need more workers to handle the high influx of customers. From entry level to managerial positions in sales will be expectantly open.

Also, restaurants located in close proximity to these malls will certainly be bustling also as customers get hungry after hours of shopping. So its most likely that restaurants will also look to increasing their staff to accommodate more diners.

Whether you are fascinated by snowboarding out in the slopes, diving in warm seas, or meeting and serving a lot of customers, the opportunities are numerous. Optimize your choices. Scrutinize classified ads, approach recruiters or apply directly straight at the company. Do your research before applying for the job that interests you. And of course an impressive resume, openness to learning, and confidence will certainly help you land the job.