Caring your leather n fabric accessories

I came across this product; Kiwi Protect-All in a magazine. It was recommended for caring your leather n fabric accessories. As I read on, I notice it is quite similar to a certain product being shown on the popular taiwan show. In the show, the owner show us how to take care for yr branded items...hehahhaha like gucci, channel..
maybe i will give it a try on my loved leather products.. help to keep their lifespan longer...hehahahha

KIWI Protect-All provides water and stain protection for fine leather and fabric shoes especially suede, while still allowing leather and fabrics to breath. Water and stains stay on the surface, where they can be easily wiped away. It also repels water and stains from hats, jackets, raincoats, skiing wear, and other clothing. For use on all dry clean-only materials. Good for all colors of leather and fabrics. It comes in a red can with a black color cover; claims to gives protection everyday against stains and water, cost slightly under $5.00 at WalMart.
This product has a smell that isn't so pleasant but it fade away when it dries. For safety measure; test it on a small unseen area of yr item to ensure the product won't damage yr accessories. Wait a few days to test out the product (if you have time; a week) to see if there's any bad reaction. Before using this product, ensure the item is cleaned first so that the product would cling better n perform well. Just hold it 6-8 inches away from your leather shoe and spray. Make sure to be in a well ventilated area and keep shoes and the product away from any flames. After applying a coat to the shoes, allow them to dry for at least 3 hours before wearing. For newer shoes, Kiwi suggest applying another coat and allowing to dry before using.
Review: Protect-all will help with stains by preventing dirt from building on. There is going to be some wiping with a cloth involved when the shoes become dirty. However , it does not make the shoe waterproof. It did protect the leather from whithering due to the water being repelled from settling in. Overall for the cost and effectiveness, this product isn't a bad idea to help protect shoes. It won't keep them spotless but it does help protect.

Lasagna Toss

Ingredients
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 green peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1-2/3 cups water
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions
BROWN meat in large saucepan; drain.
ADD peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water and dressing; bring to boil. Stir in noodles; cover.
COOK on medium-low heat 10 - 15 min. /til noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 min. /until cheese is melted.

more receipes... ...

CornDogs
Ingredients:
25 mini hot dogs
25 wooden skewers
1 box corn muffin mix

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350degrees F. Skewer the hot dogs on sticks. Make sure the sharp part of the skewers are not sticking out of the dogs. Prepare the corn batter according to the recipe on the box. Coat the dogs with the muffin mix and place on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for abt 15 mins /til golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan.



Fruits Tart
1 1/4 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup apricot jam
2 cups sliced strawberries, 2 sliced kiwifruit or 3/4 cup seedless sliced green grapes,
1/4 cup apple jelly

Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix Bisquick and sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Press mixture in bottom of ungreased springform pan, 9x3 inches. Bake 9 - 12mins /til light brown. Cool 30mins.

Heat apricot jam to boiling; immediately pour over crust, spreading evenly. Arrange strawberries and kiwifruit on top. Heat apple jelly to boiling; brush or spoon carefully over fruit. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into wedges.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 425ºF.

Nasi Lemak recipe

I havent been eating nasi lemak for some time. Yesterday, my hubby asked me whether if i know hw to cook nasi lemak while i was making our dinner. He mentioned that his friend told him the recipe of the nasi lemak rice.. I was envy, my mouth waters, thinking of this yummy Malaysian delight. so i decide to look up in Internet for it. Since here cant find much of pandan leaves, pandan essence can be used (favour will differs)

Ingredients:
Coconut Milk Steamed Rice
2 cups of rice
3 pandan leaves (tie them into a knot)
Salt to taste
1 small can of coconut milk (5.6 oz size; lowfat)
Some water
1 slice ginger (optional)

Tamarind Juice
1 cup of water
Tamarind pulp (size of a small ping pong ball)

Sambal Ikan Bilis (Dried anchovies sambal)
1/2 red onion
1 cup ikan bilis (dried anchovies)
1 clove garlic
4 shallots
10 dried chillies
1 teaspoon of belacan (prawn paste)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar

Other ingredients
2 hard boiled eggs (cut into half)
3 small fish (sardines?)
1 small cucumber
1 cup of peanuts, fried or roasted (optional)

Method:

1.Just like making steamed rice but this time add the coconut milk, a pinch of salt, ginger and some water. Add the pandan leaves into the rice and cook your rice.
2.Fry the anchovies until they turn light brown and put aside. Grind the prawn paste together with shallots, garlic, and deseeded dried chilies with the food processor. Slice the red onion into rings.
3.Soak the tamarind pulp in water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind constantly to extract the flavor into the water. Drain the pulp and save the tamarind juice.
4.Heat some oil in a pan and fry the spice paste until fragrant. Add in the onion rings, then the ikan bilis and stir well. Add tamarind juice, salt, and sugar. Simmer on low heat until the gravy thickens. Set aside.
5.Clean the fish, cut them into half and season with salt. Deep fry. Cut the cucumber into slices. Dish up the steamed coconut milk rice and pour some sambal ikan bilis on top of the rice. Serve with fried fish, cucumber slices, and hard-boiled eggs.

own-made strawberry jam

Summer is the time where most fruits is harvest. Recently, I was caught on the TV program abt picking of yr own strawberries n making it into jam. It is pretty interesting n simple, u can make yr own liking of berries nt only strawberries.
Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
2 pounds strawberries (910g), rinsed, hulled, and cut into quarters. small berries into halves
4 cups white sugar
juice of 1 lemon

Directions
1.Place slightly crushed berries in a heavy bottom pot set over medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, mix in 1/4 cup sugar n lemon juice with berries. Cook, stirring, until berries are juicy, 5/ 6 mins. Stir in a third of remaining sugar until dissolved. Repeat until all the sugar has been added and dissolved abt 7mins.
2.Bring mixture to a full boil; stirring 10 mins n remove foam from surface. Continue boiling until most of the liquid is absorbed, mixture thickens, and temperature registers 220 degrees F (105 degree C); use a candy thermometer, about 30 mins.
3.Perform a gel test: Place a plate in the freezer. After 10mins of boiling jam, place a tsp of it on the cold plate. Return to freezer for a minute. gently press jam with fingertip; it should wrinkle slightly. If nt, let it boil for 1 min, n try again til yr liking of thickening.
4.After jam passes the gel test, remove from heat. To sterile the glass jars, boil them for 20mins. Pour warm jam into sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, and seal, label, and refrigerate up to 4 months.
Use slightly underripe strawberries for best results. To extend the jam's shelf life, add mre sugar abt half of the fruits weight n let it soak into the berries abt 3hrs (while u having yr lunch). To add mre tasty favour, add a cup of yr fav tea into the boiling jam.

vineyard dinner

Wow, we are having dinner at a small vineyard. I must say the owner is pretty rich to own a vineyard, though i mention is small but it still covers yards n yards of land. beyond it, there is a golf course nearby. Nice, great amiable for a lovely evening dinner.
The owner, he had a cozy building that house a restaurant, cafe/pub; a place that reali spoke of relaxation. I had salmon for dinner while my hubby had a steak. (did I mention seafood is rare; in fact not much fish.. i miss fish especially in Asian style cooking) My salmon is fresh, with unique way of cooking, i got a taste of my hubby's one. quite nice, but it seem to been fattening abit. As usual the portion is big, men my hubby cant finish our share. Sort of wasted, but i cant stuff myself anymore, n i had to skip my fav part; dessert.. damn I hated that.
After our dinner, the owner is so gracious to show us his own making of wine collection which is in the basement. It is cool not to mention cold too to keep the temp low for wine. Basically, im fond of wines so i did ingule abit more alittle. (a glass of cold white wine, a couple of red wines here n there, I also try their specialty ice wine... not reali my liking... a little sweet like champagne... There is afew ppl buying that as ice wines is known to be fairly ex n rare... think not my taste.)
We buy a wine Shiraz candle at the small gift space near reception. It is so aromatic that I just cant resist once I set my eyes on it. My hubby give in n buy for me since I cant stop gushing hw nice it is.

Cleaning the Oven

Here are some of self-made oven cleaners to use, depending which available ingredients n yr liking.
HEAVY DUTY HOMEMADE OVEN CLEANER
1t Liquid dish soap
1t Lemon juice
1-1/2t Bleach
1qt. Warm water
Mix all ingredients in cleaning bucket /bowl and apply solution with a sponge to the oven's cavity. Allow to sit for 45mins then scrub clean. Rinse well!

GRANDMA'S TRIED AND TRUE VINEGAR RECIPE
5T Baking soda
3 drops hand soap or liquid dish soap
4T White vinegar
Mix above ingredients until they form a thick paste. Apply paste to inside of oven and scrub with sponge. Wipe clean and rinse thoroughly.

CITRUS CLEANSER
Use equal amounts of lemon juice and salt. Apply paste to stubborn stains and allow to sit for 3-5 mins. Scrub with brush and wipe clean.

NATURAL SCRUB CLEAN OVEN SOLUTION
4T Baking soda
4T Hot, steamy water
Make a paste with the above listed ingredients and apply it to the oven's cavity using an old toothbrush or soft-bristled cleaning brush. Allow solution to sit for 1-min. Scrub with brush until oven is clean. Rinse with water and sponge until no traces of baking soda remain.

1. Fill the sink with extra-hot, soapy water and place all oven racks and broiling racks into the water.
2. If using a cleaning product, apply the cleanser to the inside of the oven.
3. Wait. Allow at least 10-minutes for the cleanser to go to work.
4. Using a damp sponge, wipe dirt, debris and grease away.
5. Rinse. It's important to remove the cleaning solution completely from the oven. Rinse thoroughly several times.
6. Turn the oven to 200-degrees. Allow it to heat for ten minutes and then turn the oven off. This will help "burn off" any leftover cleanser odor so that it doesn't seep into your food.
7. Repeat, if necessary.
TIPS AND TRICKS
BY HEATING your oven to 200-degrees and then shutting off the heat source and spraying the oven cavity with cleaning solution, you'll get a head start on hard-to-remove stains and problem areas. The heat will help the cleaner penetrate the oven cavity and make your job easier.
YOU CAN guarantee you've removed all cleansers from the oven by rinsing with vinegar and water. ALWAYS wear rubber gloves if using chemical-based solutions.
USE aluminum foil around messy, greasy foods to avoid accident boil overs, greasy run-offs, and spills.

TOUGH STAIN REMOVER
1c Salt
1c Baking soda
1c Water
Make a paste using the ingredients above and apply it to the inside of the oven. Close door and heat oven to 500-degrees for 60 minutes. Turn off oven and allow to cool. Wipe debris from oven using a moist sponge. Rinse well.

Banana Bread

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 1/2 - 4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
or chocolate chips
Directions
Prheat oven to 350 degrees F (125 degree C).
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lightly dusted flour loaf pan and bake for about 45 mins to 1 hr.

my home warming party

2 weeks ago, I had came out a plan of food menu n the list I need to buy n prepared. after some discussions w my hubby n fnd, the finalised list is done. A week before, my hubby n I went to buy our party utensils, drinks n order our main dish;chx curry from Indian restaurant(cos i cant cope w cooking alot of dishes plus it will be veri messy). My hubby also went to take some extra chairs n table. we clean up our hse, n do some arrangements for the coming party. The meat was bought just a few days b4 the party cos i dun like frozen ones.
The main dish is ready at noon, come with indian herb rice.(nt bad!!, i taste b4 the curry like sg n the rice is unique, veri thin.) I hoped it can maintain its heat as the party started at 7pm early evening(if nt i just had to heat up in oven). I started to do my side dishes at 5pm; fried rice, garlic bread, potatoes salad. my hubby helped me to deep fried stuff like chx meat, hotdogs, spring rolls using the deep fryer which he borrow from his fnd. I dun wan to use wok to deep fry cos the kitchen will get oily. I also done bbq chicken wings using my oven. As for dessert, I made Oreo cheesecake n almond longan jelly.

Alot of guests bring wines n drinks. One of them offered to bring beers since both of us dun drink((we didnt buy any of that). one guest even bake his own pie here. It was fun, all of us just gathered n chitchat while enjoying the warm breeze evening. Luckily for me, everything went smoothly.

Room diffuser

Since I was bored at home, i try to think up ways to create nice aroma scent for my home. i had several alternatives; candles, essence oil burner, room spray. candles can be fairly expensive, if u r looking for a nice, gd one. it also means that u tends to need afew to create the scent of the room. I wasnt keen on burning, cos of fire incidents may happen if no one is around. So some ideas dropped since I try to avoid using electric ones (troublesome n take up the slots). Room spray is also quite troublesome cos u need to spray them occassionally to have the scent linger in the room. Then i discover something called Reed oil diffusers, they are open bottles filled with scent oils and reed sticks stemming out from the bottle. The scent oils travel up the wooden sticks and releases subtle yet noticeable aroma into the air. It suits all aspects i want. I decided to DIY it n i heard its fairly easy to do.

DIY Room Fragrance is no sweat! i find out, reaallly!!
You can make one quickly, simply, and easily at home. These are what u need:
- A clear glass container with a narrow neck/ opening :) It is important that the container be made of clear glass because this will allow you to watch when the diffuser fragrance is to be refill. Glass containers are also commonly preferred for aesthetic reasons (who wants to have a reed diffuser made from an old coffee mug).
- Reed sticks. Using actual reeds is ideal, but not at all necessary. other such slender, cylindrical wooden pieces will all work fine n acceptable alternatives to using reeds. Thin bamboo skewer sticks will also work (supermarkets sell them for around $3 for a packet of 100). It's important to use wood though, the shape should be similar to that of a reed so that it will be able to work as a proper scent diffuser. Finding real reeds is not difficult, it can be found in any candle / gift stores. Trim them to have at least half of the sticks appears above the contaniner.
- Next will be selecting the fragrance. Creating wonderful fragrance in a room and producing a scent that will welcome guests and allow you to relax when you are at home. This is why choosing a room fragrance for your home is probably the most important aspect of the process of making your own reed diffuser. Once you have selected a fragrance that you feel fits your room and matches your personality and mood, begin by filling your glass container with the ointment all the way up to the half way mark. Then place 3 / 4 or 8 reeds /any other sticks you have selected in the container. Now all set to go. Just let the reeds /sticks do the work of diffusing the fragrance throughout the room. If the scent begins to fade, simply flip the sticks n the original scent will be reintroduced to the room. There are many aromatherapy oils available, which all have their own unique purpose and effect. As an alternative, you can design your own original scent by placing flowers or spices in baby oil and then putting the oil into the container. Blended oil need to be settle for an hour. Add more scent oils to make the blend stronger or add more carrier oil to make the blend weaker. Flip the sticks around every 2-3 days. Replace the sticks every 3-4 weeks. You can even have some ribbons to decorate the glass container / or simply losely tied the sticks together.

July 4th independence day

USA independence day, we got afew days of holidays but since my hubby cant drive far at this moment. we chose the stay at our town, some went sight seeing (Yellowstone national park of famous greyers???)

we went to see transformers, its my first time goin to movie in u.s. the tic abit ex, so the food sold in cinema. In here, cinema is free sitting, first come first serve basis. cos this is a big cinema with 21 screens n this show is being shown almost every hr; so nt much ppl. Thing that make me stunned is ppl putting their legs up.... me speechless....although this is free sitting (i dun think is rite to do that). the show is quite long, nice(worthwhile) to my surprise cos in past experience; sequels often sucks as it cant live up the past pioneer expectations.
After the show ended, we drove back to our town to catch the fireworks live at walmart. It started at 10pm. It was a nice evening with gentle breeze blowing on our faces, as we enjoy the glamours moment of the day. Lasted for 20mins, no crowd; pushing or smelling ppl sweat hehhahahah unlike in sg i always need to endure this situation, being short on my side i often end up hardly to see much without much blocking. but here it a relaxing atmosphere. An enjoyable memorial sight for us.

whitening teeth strips

Ever since Im in U.S., I was bombarded by the various n amazing ads... some many wows,,, n convincing... their tv ads pro (hehhahahah)

Lately, caught my interest is the crest whitening strips. i often see ppl spree on this in spore on U.S.A drugstore. So since im nw at here, i may as well give it a try after reading some gd reviews. Currently, there is 2 quite prominent brands; Listening n Crest. Personally, i feel listening is much into mouthwash pdts, i decided to stick to crest. Crest is nt a brand u heard in spore, n i came to know they recently launched a latest pdt Crest Advanced Seal (in feb 09). It is a big wow compared to it previous version pdt. It solve most of minor flaws, definitely is a "advanced". Cost around usd 30, sound abit pricey. since im abit new to this, i buy its founder pdt (classic; cost abt 18+) from my nearby store.
The product is used by sticking a strip to the teeth and used on upper n lower part. It said to has some minor to moderate effect. It is most effective on yellow teeth. A side effect of Whitestrips is a slight stinging sensation in the gum that may be occasionally piercing. White spots may appear on teeth. For Classic, the strips maybe flimsy compared to Advanced. Apply twice a day for 30mins each, whereas Advanced onli need once per day. I was amazed that this could even apply back to back meaning continuously after one application, u can apply the second one (if u wan a faster results??) It is advertised to whiten teeth within 2 weeks. Conversely if u use it for a mth, the effect can last up to a year. Advanced is even amazing, said to seen results almost instantly?

Easy Tiramisu

Tiramisu pie
48 Wafers, divided
1/4 cup brewed strong coffee cooled, divided
4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2 cups thawed COOL Whipped Topping (french vanilla is nice favour)
1 square Semi-Sweet Chocolate, grated

Make It!
ARRANGE 36 of the wafers on bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp. of the coffee.
BEAT cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix. Beat on low speed 1 min. Gently stir in COOL WHIP. Spread half of the pudding mixture over wafers on bottom of crust; top with layers of half of the chocolate and the remaining wafers. Drizzle with remaining coffee. Cover with remaining pudding mixture and remaining chocolate.
REFRIGERATE at least 3 hours. Store leftovers in refrigerator.


Healthy FatFree Tiramisu
What You Need!
2 pkg. ladyfingers, split, divided
2 Tbsp. Instant Coffee
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup boiling water
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) FatFree Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups thawed LITE Whipped Topping
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Make It!
ARRANGE 1 package of ladyfingers on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Dissolve combined coffee granules and 1 Tbsp. sugar in boiling water; brush 1/2 cup onto ladyfingers in dish.
BEAT cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add 1/2 cup sugar; mix well. Whisk in COOL WHIP.
SPREAD half the cream cheese mixture over ladyfingers in dish; top with remaining ladyfingers. Brush with remaining coffee mixture; cover with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with cocoa powder. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Extra Tips
Add 2 Tbsp. almond-flavored liqueur /brandy to cream cheese along with the 1/2 cup sugar.