Coffee or tea?

March 23, 2014 By Food, Recipe 4 Comments
Coffee is a brewed drink with a distinct aroma and flavor, prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds found inside “berries” of the Coffea plant. Coffee plants are cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in the equatorial regions of the Americas, Southeast Asia, India and Africa. The two most commonly grown are the highly regarded arabica, and the less sophisticated but stronger and more hardy robusta. The latter is resistant to the coffee leaf rust, Hemileia vastatrix, but has a more bitter taste. Once ripe, coffee beans are picked, processed, and dried. Green (unroasted) coffee beans are one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world. Once traded, the beans are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor, before being ground and brewed to create coffee.

Coffee is slightly acidic (pH 5.0–5.1) and can have a stimulating effect on humans because of its caffeine content. Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. It can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways. The effect of coffee on human health has been a subject of many studies; however, results have varied in terms of coffee’s relative benefit.The majority of recent research suggests that moderate coffee consumption is benign or mildly beneficial in healthy adults. However, the diterpenes in coffee may increase the risk of heart disease.

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Decorating with baskets

March 20, 2014 By Home Decoration and Organization, Organisation No Comments

04-hbx-black-and-white-baskets-varney-0209-lgnI totaly love a house thats well decorated. Especialy one which has pieces that are extremely outside the box. I love it when different pieces come together to form this absolutely amazing look. like the baskets above. How amazing is do they look?

I love the use of “African” looking pieces that are incorporated and made to look modern and chic. I’m not so sure how this is stuck on the wall but I am assuming you can use glue, the kind sold in the hardware shops or section in the supermarket.

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How To: Homemade All purpose Surface cleaner

February 25, 2014 By DIY, Getting Started No Comments

photo: mommypotomus.com

photo: mommypotomus.com

Whoever said good things don’t come easy did not have this method of making a cleaning agent. Its so easy to make and the best thing is….. you can use it in virtually every single part of your house, from the bathroom to your windows to your kitchen. and you do not have to worry about dangerous chemicals. How cool is that?

What you need

* An empty spray container (available in all supermarkets)
* 1 cup water
*1 cup vinegar
* rind of citrus fruit or
* 16 drops essential oil eg peppermint, lavender, lemon etc or
* herbs and spices eg rosemary, cinnamon, cloves, mint

Method

1. Mix 1 part vinegar with 1 part water ( 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar, 2 cups water with 2 cups vinegar) in a container and mix well. Simple. its ready to use.

2. Prepare as you did in 1 then add the essential oils. shake well. This will smell better than the 1st method. You can also use vanilla extract or essence

photo: homemadefrontier.com

photo: homemadefrontier.com

3. Soak the rind in vinegar for at least 2 weeks and up to a month. discard the rind and mix the vinegar with water in a spray container. its ready to use

4. use whole spices and/or herbs and soak the vinegar for at least 2 weeks. Do not use ground spices

5. You can mix and match the herbs, spices, rinds etc to your liking.

NOTES
* The main purpose of the rind, essence, herbs etc is to give a scent to the cleaners so as to mask or to elimonate the smell of vinegar. Though this items sort of mask the smell, the scent of vinegar isn’t complelty eliminated from the cleaner. When sprayed the cleaner still smells of vinegar but as it dries the citrus or herbs used become stronger.
* Do not use this vinegar cleaners on granite or marble tops as the acid can make them fade. you can use them on any other surface.