Earthly strife

しわやアイバッグを減らす方法

No Name Ninja — 2021-12-10T15:27:13+09:00

美しさを愛するのは中国人女性の本質です。顔が滑ら奇蹟水良いと、人の心は自然に癒されます。親切にしてくれるだけでなく、周りの人も魅了されます。。誰が一日中過ごしたいですか?1つの問題で目覚めなかった人は彼らと一緒にいますか?以下は、目の下の袋やしわを取り除く研究方法を分析するための詳細な紹介です。

目の下に鞄ができる理由はたくさんあります。たとえば、不規則な生活、過度の飲酒や喫煙、頻繁な夜更かしや加齢、顔の皮膚のたるみが目の下の鞄につながるなどです。アイバッグ、特にアイバッグはあなたの顔に最も大きな影響を与えます。できるだけ早くそれらを取り除く必要があります。手術はお勧めしません。リスクが高いです。あなたのアイバッグは長い間存在しています。一般的な効果アイクリームは非常に小さく、基本的に完全に取り除くことは不可能です。目の下のバッグを取り除くためにいくつかのプロの製品を選ぶことができます。ジャスパー、オビチュアリーは非常に理想的で、完全に取り除くことができます。

おしぼりで目を拭きます。毎晩80度以上のお湯に浸した奇蹟水に当てます。タオルは冷たいです。お湯に入れます。約15分。目の下のバッグが現れたら、それを取り除くのは長期的なプロセスであり、血液循環を速めるためにそれらを目に付着させる必要があります。

たくさん水を飲む。一部の人々は通常、水をほとんど飲まないため、肌が乾燥し、顔にしわが寄りやすくなります。全身が脱水状態にならないように、1日に少なくともコップ8杯の水を飲むのが最善です。朝にコップ1杯を飲むのが最善です。

目の下の大きな鞄は私たちが見たくない現象です。同じしわも奇蹟水うものです。年をとるにつれてしわが続きます。そこで、この社会現象が時期尚早に起こるのを防ぐために、私たちはそれを開発します。良い管理策を講じるためには事前に学ぶ必要があります。睡眠は非常に重いです。睡眠を確保するという条件の下で、適切な運動能力も中国では必須です。

美容護膚護膚小竅門做好這種你是女神

今日では、毎日着飾るのが嫌いな女性のチンポシルクがたくさんあり、半年も頭の形を変えません。これも不可能です。あなたも女神になるべきです。教えてあげましょう。あなたの肌を維持し、あなたを女神にする方法。女性として、あなたは自分自身を着飾る方法を学び、そして自分自身に最も絶妙である必要があります。奇妙な...

年齡一到，皺紋“爬上”臉?這3個方式，降低面部皺紋

25歳を過ぎると、体内のコラーゲンが徐々に女性から流出していきますので、肌のケアをし、肌のタイプに合わせて奇跡の水を選び、ダイエットコンディショニングをしっかりと行う必要があります。十分な睡眠。実際、必要なポイントは3つだけで、しわを防ぎ、肌を維持することができます。しわの発生を防ぐ方法は？1。抗酸化作用のある成分からフラボノイドをもっと食べましょう。

Face Wrinkles Indicate Health ProblemsLearn 10 Tips To Remove Wrinkles Easily

老化は誰もが直面しなければならない現実です：私たちの奇蹟水は代謝が遅くなり、私たちは老化して...

Rustic Polenta Cake with Ricotta and Prune Filling

No Name Ninja — 2015-08-20T12:15:27+09:00

I like the idea of a polenta cake and it just so happens I was making Danishes the other day and filling them with a cheese and prune filling. I don't think polenta cakes are a stretch and have seen a few Italian recipes for them. I also think prunes and ricotta are a great combination. This cake is by no means sugary sweet. I call it an afternoon cake, something you might eat about 3 o'clock with a cup of expresso or Nocello, the Italian walnut liqueur.

Serves 8-10 slices

For the ricotta prune filling:

1 1/3 cups ricotta, set in a strainer to drain
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temp
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup prunes, soft and pliable

For the polenta cake

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups stone ground cornemeal
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup stone ground cornmeal

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine the drained ricotta and butter and mix until blended. Add the flour, egg and sugar and mix to combine. Fold in the prunes and set aside.

Place the 4 tablespoons of butter into a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl add the cornmeal, salt, baking soda, baking powder, zest and sugar. Stir with a whisk.

Add the milk and egg and whisk to combine. Set aside. This allows the cornmeal to hydrate.

Place the skillet with the butter in the oven and set a timer for 12 minutes. While you are waiting, in a small mixing bowl combine the remaing 1/3 cup of cornmeal, with the walnuts and butter and combine using your fingers to make a streusel.

When the timer goes off remove the skillet from the oven. Remember the handle will be smoking hot. Carefully pour in the cornmeal batter, it will start cooking immediately. Using a spoon or scoop carefully drop dollops of ricotta prune mixture over the top of the cornmeal batter. Now sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top. Using a towel or oven mit, the handle is still hot, place the skillet back into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool, covered with a towel, for 15 minutes. Serve with expresso or Nocello.

Plum Sauced Pork Tenderloin

No Name Ninja — 2015-06-25T17:32:59+09:00

Author Notes: I love pork tenderloin, especially grilled. And even better the next day in a sandwich, to be perfectly honest Dream beauty pro. This recipe came about when I wanted to use some Plum Sauce I had canned. I've reworked the recipe to skip the canning step.

The plum sauce seamlessly blends elements of jam (ginger and sugar) and pickling (mustard seeds and vinegar). And when made with red plums from the Greenmarket, it makes for a vivid and glistening sauce. After searing the tenderloins, you begin basting the meat with the sauce. You want the sauce to caramelize without burning, which takes some finesse -- don't worry if you don't get it right the first time. After grilling and letting the meat rest (an important step), you slice it and serve it with the sauce, a combination we loved. But make sure you taste the meat without the sauce, too -- the tart plum glaze on the edges is sublime.

Serves 6, can be doubled or tripled

Plum Sauce

1 pound pitted, chopped plums - I prefer prune plums, but earlier season plums will make a lovely, but more tart, sauce
1/2- 3/4 cups dark brown sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely minced onion
1 minced jalapeno or other hot pepper Dream beauty pro hard sell, depending on personal preference for heat, leave seeds & ribs in (hotter), or remove
1 teaspoon mustard seed, cracked
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon candied ginger
Salt & Pepper

Pork

2 boneless pork tenderloins
Canola or other flavorless oil
Salt & Pepper

Make the sauce: Bring all ingredients except plums to a boil.
Stir in the plums. Reduce heat and simmer very slowly until thick and syrupy, about 45 minutes.
Depending on your preference for consistency, either puree in small batches in the blender, blend with a stick blender, or mash with a potato masher.
The sauce may be made two days in advance. It will make more than you need, and you might find yourself tempted to dip an eggroll in it, or serve it with goat cheese.
Fire up your grill. Bank the coals on one side, so that one half is very hot, and one half can be used for indirect cooking. If you have a gas grill, this is much easier.
Pat pork tenderloins dry. Lightly salt and pepper all over.
On the hottest part of the grill Dream beauty pro hard sell, brush a little oil or spray with PAM so the pork won't stick. Sear the pork on all sides.
Move the pork to the indirect heat, brush liberally with some plum sauce, and cover the grill for about 8-10 minutes. Total cooking time, including searing is 15-18 min. If you have a thermometer, cook to 155•.
Heat some plum sauce in a small saucepan on the stove.
Remove the pork from the grill and tent with foil, allowing the meat to rest for 5-10 minutes.
Slice the tenderloins. Pool the plum sauce on the plate, and serve with four or five slices of tenderloin fanned on top. I usually serve this with garlic-y greens or baby bok choy and rice.

Fluffy Tapioca Cream

No Name Ninja — 2015-05-18T13:20:08+09:00

A light, airy take on a tapioca pudding from the back of the Minute Tapioca box, this is a perfect pudding: sweet, milky, fluffy, and extremely quick to make tsim sha tsui hotel.
Serves 4

3 tablespoons instant tapioca
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 egg, divided
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sliced strawberries, for serving (optional)

In a medium saucepan, combine tapioca, 3 tablespoons of sugar, egg yolk, and milk. Whisk together and let stand for 5 minutes Hong Kong Chinese Festivals.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg white until foamy. Slowly add the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and beat on high until it forms soft peaks.
Put the saucepan of tapioca on a burner on medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.

While the tapioca is still hot, whisk in the beaten egg white. Let the pudding cool—then serve right away or chill and serve cold ARTAS hair transplant.

A nice optional topping is whipped cream or sliced fresh fruit.

What To Do with Summer

No Name Ninja — 2015-02-12T17:09:00+09:00

Well, first you eat it. All the summer peaches and corn on the cob and tomatoes and the last of the lettuce in your garden that is wilting in the heat, you eat all that you can. And then when you're done with that, when you've abundantly bought too many things at the market, when your table groans with berries about to go bad, then you preserve it.

You look up every Christine Ferber strawberry jam recipe (here, here) and decide they are all too complicated and you don't have two days to spend making jam, and instead you improvise your own version. Skimming, skimming, skimming the foam off the jam as it cooks ever so slowly. Then canning and preserving for winter.

You shuck fava beans and freeze them, you make tomato sauce out of those pricey beautiful huge heirloom tomatoes, peeling them, seeding them, chopping, using an old Marcella Hazan recipe. And in the end you discover it tastes like .... tomato sauce.
Sour cherries are available about 4% of the year (yes, I calculated) and so you buy up all you can, and then you spend so long pitting sour cherries and listening to pod casts that you get a neck cramp. Paul would advise you that sour cherry pie is the "the best thing ever," but I also like sour cherries in savory things like rice pilaf and kebabs.

And speaking of preserving, this little piece via the New Yorker just lit up my day. The title alone is great: Suicide in the Garden, Murder in the Kitchen.

It's funny how some of the things I've been making are so vibrantly flavored that they almost taste fake--the strawberries so intense they almost taste like imitation flavoring, tomatoes so naturally sweet without any added sugar. Has anyone else noticed this? Back soon with a recipe....

An Easy, All-Star Thanksgiving Menu From The Epicurious Cookbook

No Name Ninja — 2015-01-23T16:07:23+09:00

Hosting Thanksgiving should be enjoyable—but with all the shopping, cleaning, planning, and cooking involved, it doesn't often feel that way. A foolproof, simple Thanksgiving menu goes a long way toward making the holiday meal one that even the host can enjoy. We turned to the best-selling Epicurious Cookbook for a fuss-free feast of all-star Thanksgiving favorites, including turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes, plus a pumpkin layer cake and apple pie for dessert. All the recipes have four-fork ratings, so they're among the very best on Epicurious. And these recipes just flat-out work electric motor dc, which means you can focus on enjoying the friends and family gathered around your table. Ready for your most satisfying, stress-free Thanksgiving ever? Here's the plan.
Pre-Dinner Bites and Drinks

Pop a bottle or two of Champagne or prosecco and serve a light spread of pickled vegetables, cheese, crackers, and one or two purchased dips or spreads. Remember: The point is to keep Thanksgiving simple and enjoyable, and besides, you don't want guests filling up on hors d'oeuvres. Hosting a cocktail-loving crowd? Steer clear of elaborate, time-consuming holiday cocktails, and instead, set out your favorite spirits, mixers, and garnishes at a self-serve bar where guests can easily make their own drinks.
Tom Colicchio's Herb-Butter Turkey

This easy turkey recipe is a great choice for a simple Thanksgiving menu. Rubbing butter and herbs under the turkey's skin is one of the most effective ways to add flavor and moisture to the holiday bird. Chef Tom Colicchio's butter blend ip networking, made with thyme, tarragon, rosemary, and sage, is a winner, but feel free to experiment a bit and find your favorite herb combination. Another bright idea from an Epicurious member review: Add freshly grated lemon zest to the butter rub to give your turkey some citrus flavor.
New England Sausage, Apple, and Dried Cranberry Stuffing

Nothing fancy or complicated here—just a classic sausage-studded stuffing that can be stuffed inside the turkey or baked separately alongside the bird. Be sure to drizzle your stuffing with extra turkey or chicken stock first if you decide to bake it casserole-style. Using a rich homemade stock guarantees the best flavor, but canned low-sodium broth works too. If you plan to stuff the turkey, use hot, just-made stuffing. And when you take the temperature of the meat, be sure to stick the thermometer into the stuffing as well. If it's not 165°F, spoon the stuffing into a dish and return it to the oven (or pop it in the microwave) until it reaches that temperature.

To put your own personal spin on this recipe, Epicurious users suggest swapping in challah for the white bread, and raisins or dried apricots for the dried cranberries. See our Stuffing and Dressing Primer for more tips LED Lighting solutions.
Brussels Sprout Hash with Caramelized Shallots

The secret to a stress-free Thanksgiving menu: speedy stovetop side dishes like this one, which can be quickly put together at the last minute, while the turkey is resting—plus, it doesn't require any oven space. To get a jump start on this easy sauté, one Epicurious member recommends prepping all the ingredients ahead and storing them in plastic. Keep the butter, shallots, and Brussels sprouts in the refrigerator; the rest can stay at room temperature. This recipe is generous for 8 people, but leftovers pair perfectly with fried eggs for brunch the next day.

Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cherries and Cloves

Cranberry sauce will stay fresh in the fridge for 4 days, making it an ideal dish to prepare in advance. Refrigerate your cranberry sauce in an airtight container, or a jar or bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, so it won't absorb any fridge odors. Extra cranberry sauce can be enjoyed on your Turkey Day–leftovers sandwich, but we also recommend spooning some over vanilla ice cream—if your sauce is too thick, gently warm it in a small saucepan over low heat.
Kale and Potato Purée

Hearty kale puts a fresh spin on puréed potatoes in this easy 3-ingredient side dish. You can make the purée up to a day in advance and then warm it up over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. To add some umami goodness, here's a genius idea from an Epicurious member review: Sprinkle the top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake

Packed with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg, as well as pumpkin purée, orange zest, and coconut, this is one flavor bomb of a dessert. It's also completely foolproof, so you can make it with kids—just omit the rum. You can also make this cake ahead of time, because it's very moist and won't dry out. Once the layers are completely cool, wrap them in a double layer of plastic wrap, and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 month. If you prefer your cream cheese frosting more tangy than sweet, add the confectioners' sugar gradually, and taste as you go.
Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie

This crumble-topped beauty proves it's possible to improve upon classic apple pie. The homemade dough uses both butter and shortening for rich flavor and tender, flaky pastry. Be sure to use chilled butter and frozen vegetable shortening, and feel free to use a food processor to make the dough. We recommend serving this apple pie warm and topped with vanilla ice cream.

Peking Turkey and Five More Brilliant Ways to Upgrade Your Thanksgiving

No Name Ninja — 2015-01-21T18:00:30+09:00

M ost folks don't think about Asian food when they think of Thanksgiving. But even though Thanksgiving is all about the tradition of turkey and all the fixings, the basic elements of the menu always invite improvisation and personalization. So why not infuse classic Thanksgiving dishes with the flavor-boosting ingredients and techniques of the Asian kitchen?

Roast turkey tastes even juicier when slathered in a Peking-duck glaze. Brussels sprouts get perked up when tossed with a Szechuan-peppercorn vinaigrette. Even glazed carrots turn irresistible with a dose of umami-packed miso paste. Add one (or more) of these recipes to your next Thanksgiving menu, and you might just create a whole new tradition.

GIVE TURKEY THE PEKING DUCK TREATMENT

Peking duck's combination of juicy meat and crispy, flavorful skin is pretty much what you want for your Thanksgiving turkey, too. Steaming the bird before roasting helps to shrink-wrap the skin around the bird, helping it turn extra juicy. The step even cuts down on turkey roasting time, so you'll have more oven space for your side dishes. Finishing the turkey with a ginger-spiced glaze gives the mild-flavored meat amazing flavor, and a lacquered coating worthy of Peking duck.

Get the recipe: Peking Style Roast Turkey with Molasses Soy Glaze and Orange Ginger Gravy

GO FOR A SAUSAGE-PACKED (AND GLUTEN-FREE) STUFFING

Who says you need bread to make stuffing? Use sticky rice instead: It gives the stuffing delicious chewiness, and soaks up the flavor of sweet, savory Chinese sausage. If you can't score that variety of sausage, maple-cured bacon works just as well.

Get the recipe: Sticky Rice Stuffing with Chinese Sausage and Shiitakes

BOOST CARROTS WITH A SAVORY GLAZE

Glazed carrots can be a polarizing dish at the Thanksgiving table. Some people hoard them, while others find them too sweet. But this version will win everyone over: The miso and mirin in the glaze give the carrots a hit of umami that balances the sweet, buttery sauce.

Get the recipe: Pan Roasted Carrots with Miso ButterADD A KICK TO CLASSIC CRANBERRY SAUCE

Everyone knows that cranberries play well with orange and sugar. Enhance that classic combination with sweet cinnamon, citrusy ginger, and spicy mustard seeds, and you get a cranberry sauce that's truly unforgettable.

Get the recipe: Cranberry Sauce with Mustard Seeds and Orange

TRY AN EXTRA-CRUNCHY (AND SPICY) BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD

Roasted Brussels sprouts are delicious, sure, but with so many other rich, intense flavors on the Thanksgiving table, why not eat them raw as a refreshing salad? Separating the mini cabbage heads into individual leaves helps them soak up the citrusy dressing, and a hit of Szechuan peppercorns adds a tingly note that won't set your mouth on fire.

Get the recipe: Brussels Sprouts Salad with Szechuan Peppercorn and Celery

SPICE UP A CREAMY DESSERT

Buttermilk pie is a classic Southern dessert for the Thanksgiving table. We turned up the flavor on the beloved original by infusing sweet spices in the filling and adding toasty sesame seeds to the make the crust extra crunchy.

The Foods Epicurious Editors Make (and Eat) on Thanksgiving

No Name Ninja — 2014-12-02T12:40:42+09:00

From an Asian twist to going beyond the roast, we've been showing you the most creative ways we know to do Thanksgiving right. So with all that advice we've been doling out this month, we thought we'd take a step back Loop app android, get a little personal, and share our own Thanksgiving feast plans.

After sharing our stories, we learned (Hallmark card-style) that the secret to any great Thanksgiving feast is simply being surrounded by friends and loved ones, no matter what you're serving...but as food editors, we can't help but see Thanksgiving as a personal culinary Super Bowl, and every dish has gotta be a touchdown.

Now check out how Epi editors get their own Thanksgiving feasts on:

Gabriella Vigoreaux, Editorial Assistant: I will be going to Montreal to visit my best friend, and sadly it will not be Thanksgiving in Canada. I will instead be going to Joe Beef and eating my weight in smoked meats, lobster spaghetti, and drinking an embarrassing amount of champagne. Then I'm going to go seek out the best pudding ch?meur in the city and eat it all by myself because it's not really Thanksgiving and I don't really have to share.

Rhoda Boone, Food Editor: I am traveling home to Texas. My dad will smoke a wild turkey all day with pecan wood from our backyard. I'll be in the kitchen with my mom sipping Bloody Marys and making cornbread dressing smartone, parker house rolls, chipotle scalloped sweet potatoes, and saut��ed swiss chard. To finish, I'll be making two new desserts: Brown Butter Pecan Pie with Rum and Espresso, and Our Favorite Apple Pie. Family friends will bring vegetables and appetizers and my husband will stay as far away from the kitchen as possible. There will be football and lots of red wine.

Samantha Dupler, Editorial Assistant: My uncle has hosted our family's Thanksgiving for the past couple of years, and with the help of a catering company, it's always been a huge success. Despite being a vegetarian, he's always provided a traditional turkey for the rest of our meat-tolerating family. That is...until this year. In honor of his 40th year of vegetarianism, the menu has gotten a whole lot greener--and totally vegan. This year's official email bulletin regarding Thanksgiving reads: "Sorry all: no Cajun turkey or blackened catfish this year." On the upside, maybe now we all won't want to pass out before dessert is even served.

Matt Duckor, Restaurant Editor: It's awkward, but we're changing the way we've always done pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Ever since I can remember, pumpkin pie has come from a can of Libby's pumpkin pure��. This year, we'll probably replace that can with a real-life kabocha squash for a pie like this one.

Michele Zotos, Digital Producer: Most of my family isn't really big on turkey, so we'll be skipping the turkey. Instead, we'll be making Roast Pork Marinated in Adobo (Cerdo Brujo), with a side of rice mixed with pigeon peas. My husband will probably make Mofongo, too.

Adina Steiman, Special Projects Editor: My family hates marshmallows on sweet potatoes, so I'll make this praline-covered version from Rick Rodgers instead. I also hate mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, so I'll skip them in favor of another fresh vegetable side (all those savory rich flavors need that contrasting crunch and acidity). I make this weird but wonderful salad that's like a celery root remoulade, with shredded Granny Smiths, pomegranate seeds, and toasted walnuts to make it feel right for fall Private Cloud.

David Cicconi, Creative Director: Mother's coming to town to spend the holiday with my girlfriend and me. Will not be eating turkey. OD'd on it at Epi shoots and taste tests, so I'll probably skew Italian/French with the rest of the meal: roast a pork loin or shoulder and house some salumi, some sort of confit, rillettes, cheese--La Tur, Robiola, a pecorino stagionato, maybe a Saint Marcellin.

Caramel Crunch Brownies

No Name Ninja — 2014-11-03T15:14:22+09:00

I just recently realized that I haven’t baked brownies in ages. Seriously, it’s been over three months since I made these guys. After that long of a brownie hiatus, I knew I had to make a comeback in a big way best travel tea mugs.

These brownies, my friends, are the perfect choice. They are so much more than brownies, though. There’s caramel and nougat and even more chocolate. The finished brownies are sweet and tall and rich and absolutely gorgeous and delicious!

That caramel layer isn’t just caramel. Oh, no. There’s also some crispy rice cereal mixed right in. It gives these brownies a nice crunch and also gives a little more structure to that caramel layer health ecig.

And then there’s nougat. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been a big fan of nougat. Of course, my experience with it is limited to mass-produced candy bars I tried in my childhood. This version is far better. It’s gooey and tasty and really works well with these brownies.

I’ll admit that making all these layers will create a lot of mess in the kitchen. I went through more than a few bowls and pans and measuring cups. So, you might want to start with an empty dishwasher, but it will be so worth it once you bite into one of these and embrace all that deliciousness china company formation!

Chocolate Crinkles

No Name Ninja — 2014-10-17T16:38:49+09:00

How are you all holding up friends? I hope all is well wherever you are! Over here it been busier that ever. Work has been, well, work. Hopefully I haven't accumulated any more white hairs than I already have over it, because really, I honestly don't think I am blessed to be one of those people who pull off white hair with elegance and panache. As it is, it's been 38 years and I am still trying to pull off my regular hair with elegance and panache handmade jewelry!

The Christmas rush is also upon us. At least over here where Christmas season starts on September 1. I haven't even begun to think about that. Christmas decor is out in full force every corner I turn, but ours are still tucked cozily away, blissfully unaware that they are late for the party. This will be rectified soon. When? I can't promise that, but soon.

And the Christmas shopping! Oh boy, the Christmas shopping. Another thing that is slow out of the gates.

I've resolved, however, to try my utmost to maintain calm and enjoy this season, despite how crazy it gets over here (if you have never experienced Christmas in the Philippines I can't even begin to describe the level of crazy). It is after all the season of joy, love, and, just as if not more importantly, of hope. And that is something I can absolutely get behind (even if I'm not quite into carols in September, bling-bling decorations data centre hk, and mass spending in a 3rd world country).

Another thing I can get behind....cookies. And chocolate. Never too busy for that :)

Chocolate Crinkles
(adapted from Dark Chocolate Crinkles, Yummy magazine, November 2012 issue)

3/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioner's sugar

- Place the oil and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt with a wire whisk. Whisk until everything is well combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for an hour or until the dough is firm enough to handle (mine took a lot longer than an hour).
- Place confectioner's sugar in a shallow bowl or plate. When the dough is firm enough, shape into 3/4 inch balls. Roll in confectioner's sugar until completely coated.
- Place balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart.
- Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven until puffy and cracked on top, about 8 - 10 minutes. The cookies will still look underdone and have a soft center.
- Set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool you can sprinkle with more confectioner's sugar if you'd like hong kong heritage cycling tour.

These aren't the domed topped chocolate crinkles that I grew up knowing. They baked quite flat. The batter is very runny, and even after many hours of chilling in the fridge, is was still not firm enough to handle. I think next time I'll leave the batter in the fridge overnight and see if that makes a difference. What I did for this batch is scooped bits of batter out by the teaspoonful, dropped it into the confectioner's sugar, and formed it into a ball between two tablespoons, while coating it in the sugar. The batter still spread tremendously so make sure you do not use any more that a teaspoonful, or as the recipe dictates, about a 3/4 inch ball. Despite their flat appearance the cookies have soft, chewy, chocolate-y centers with crisp edges. Still a good chocolate cookie!

The recipe can be found in this month's issue of Yummy magazine, which is their dessert issue. If you have a penchant for sweets this is the issue for you: a step-by-step guide to macaron making, Nutella ice cream truffles (!!), ideas for homemade Christmas gifts, and a list of the best desserts in the city! In my column I share my recipe for a tropical fruit crumble :)

And the Christmas shopping? I've decided that this year I am only going to buy presents from small local businesses and self-employed people. We have loads of talented artisans and producers out there who deserve our support! Or I may be making some gifts myself :) We will see. If you have suggestions of small local businesses whose products would make nice presents please feel free to share in the comments!

P.S. The tree will be up this week...by hook or by crook...with or without ornaments...I hope!