Forever foods: 9 cooking staples that can outlast you.

Forever foods: 9 cooking staples that can outlast you.
by Yahoo!Green, on Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:07am PST
By Laura Moss, Mother Nature Network

Most weeks, you make a big grocery list and head to the store, prepared to buy loads of fresh food to make your family's meals. We often don't give a thought to stuff sitting in the kitchen cupboard or we automatically throw out anything that's been in there longer than we can remember.

But Janice Revell, co-founder of StillTasty.com, says "Look in your pantry and your cabinets and check whether the items really do need to go. You'll be shocked by what you really don't need to throw away."

So before you throw out that years-old sugar or replace that bottle of vanilla that's been gathering dust, consult this list of "forever foods." You may be surprised how many of your kitchen staples have a shelf life of decades — even after they've been opened.



1. Sugar
Regardless of whether your sugar is white, brown, or powdered, it will never spoil because it doesn't support bacterial growth.

The challenge with sugar is to keep it from hardening into chunks. To keep sugar fresh, store it in an airtight container or seal it in a plastic bag. If your brown sugar is more like a brown rock, you can revive it with just a minute in the microwave on low heat.

2. Pure vanilla extract
If you have pure vanilla extract in the back of the cupboard, there's no need to throw it out because it lasts forever. It may be more expensive than its imitation counterpart, but its shelf life certainly outweighs the extra cost.

Keep that vanilla flavor at its best by sealing the botttle after each use and storing it in a cool, dark place.

3. Rice
White, wild, jasmine, arborio and basmati rice all keep forever so there's no need to throw them out. Brown rice is the one exception because it has a higher oil content so store it in the refrigerator or freeze it to maximize its shelf life. Once you've opened a bag or box of rice, move it to an airtight container or resealable freezer bag to keep it fresh.

4. Corn starch
You can thicken gravies and sauces for years with just one box of corn starch because it keeps indefinitely. Store this kitchen staple in a cool, dry area and be sure to reseal it tightly after each use.

5. Honey
Whether you use it in your tea, on your toast or as an alternative sweetener, that jar of pure honey is good forever. It may get grainy or change color, but it's still safe to eat — and delicious — because its antibiotic properties keep it from spoiling.

You can help keep it fresh by storing it in a cool area, and you can improve the quality of crystallized honey by placing the jar in warm water and stirring it until the grainy parts dissolve.

6. Salt

The contents of your salt shaker will never spoil, regardless of whether it's basic table salt or sea salt. Simply store it in a cool, dry place and salt will keep indefinitely.

7. Corn syrup
If you come across a years-old bottle of corn syrup in your pantry, don't throw it out. This sweetener keeps indefinitely as long as you keep it sealed and store it in a cool, dry area.

8. Maple syrup
What good are pancakes or waffles without maple syrup? Luckily, this flavorful syrup will never spoil if you refrigerate it or freeze it. For long-term storage, seal it in an airtight plastic container and freeze it.

"The freezer is such a useful tool that can really save you money because there are very few foods that don't freeze well," says Janice Revell of StillTasty.com.

9. Distilled white vinegar
This wonder product can be used for everything, from making marinades and salad dressings to cleaning house and doing laundry. But the best thing about distilled white vinegar is that it lasts for years. Simply close it tightly after each use and store the bottle in a cool, dark place.


Quoted: http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/forever-foods-9-cooking-staples-that-can-outlast-you-2456896/

5 signs she’s into you

5 signs she’s into you
By Cate Mitchell

You and a pretty redhead are tucked away in a corner table at that impossible-to-get-into new French bistro. And lo and behold, you notice she’s laughing at your jokes, twirling her hair, and giving other crystal-clear signs she’s into you. Or is she? Problem is, it can be hard to tell sometimes whether a woman is truly interested or just going through the motions. But luckily, there are plenty of ways to tell the difference. The signs below are the real deal.

1. She touches herself up
If she’s excusing herself to the restroom between courses, it’s doubtful she has a weak bladder. Nope, more likely she’s in there freshening up her makeup or making sure her hair is in place... all for you. “If she’s into you, she’ll be concerned with how she looks,” says Alison James, author of the forthcoming Better Off Wed? “Or, if she’s at the table, she’ll be fixing her shirt or brushing her hair back, maybe checking that her bra strap isn’t showing or adjusting her necklace — the kind of stuff you do when you’re worried about your appearance.”

2. She asks about your family
“When a woman likes a guy, she doesn’t want to get to know just him,” says Jillian Straus, author of Unhooked Generation: The Truth About Why We’re Still Single. “She wants to know about his family and friends — she’s looking for clues about what life with him would be like.” Indeed, especially if you’ve been set up or are on a blind date and know very little about each other, your relationship with your family says a lot about you — and a woman interested in you won’t hesitate to probe. “I think family is very revealing about a person’s personality,” says Tina Andreadis, 35, of New York City. “If he’s close with his family, it shows that he’s probably a warm person who values relationships and who would want a family of his own. If I am not interested in him, I won’t even ask because I just don’t care.”

3. She’s attentive
Let’s put it this way: no matter how busy she is, she’s not whipping out her BlackBerry if she’s interested in what you have to say. “If she’s not checking her watch, email or cell phone, it’s just one more sign that she’s paying attention to you,” says James. “When you like a guy, you’re hanging on his every word. When you don’t, you’re distracted easily.” Same goes for any preoccupations she has with the immediate environment, whether she’s people-watching or admiring the restaurant décor or even the food. If she’s saying things like, “This restaurant is beautiful. Hey, doesn’t that girl over there look like Marisa Tomei?” she may be enjoying herself, but not necessarily because you’re there.

4. She’s touchy-feely
If you find your date engaging in a little physical contact along with witty banter, chances are you’ve made a very good impression. From tapping your knee to emphasize a point or touching your forearm to get your attention, if a woman’s attracted to you, she won’t hesitate to reach out and let you know. Megan, 35, from New York City, employs this trick with guys she finds attractive. “I pretend to steady myself when I don’t need to be steadied,” she says. “When I’m climbing onto a stool, I’ll grab onto his shoulder or leg when I clearly don’t need to,” she laughs.

5. The date lasts longer than you expected
Ask any woman desperate to wind down a date, and she’ll tell you she skips dessert or declines an after-dinner stroll. Naturally, then, if she’s having a great time and doesn’t want to see you go, she’ll gladly take the waiter’s suggestion and try the chocolate cake, or join you in the cab ride home. And if you’ve agreed to meet for coffee and after a few sips she takes you up on your offer of dinner? That’s a bright green light, my friend. “Only if I’m into the guy will I agree to go to dinner if he suggests it on a ‘meet for coffee’ date,” says Diana, a 38-year-old from Boston. “If I’m meeting a guy and I’m not into him, I’m definitely not going to agree to get food after.”

So now that you know the signs that she’s really enjoying your time together, use them! Ask her for another date, have a goodnight hug or smooch... and things should move in a most positive direction.

Cate Mitchell is a freelance writer in New York City.

Quoted: http://yahoo.match.com/y/article.aspx?articleid=6687&TrackingID=526103&BannerID=730915

CONFESSIONS OF AN APPLE STORE EMPLOYEE: We Lie To Customers All The Time

CONFESSIONS OF AN APPLE STORE EMPLOYEE: We Lie To Customers All The Time
Posted Feb 24, 2011 11:16am EST by Pascal Emmanuel Gobry in Media, Products and Trends
Related: aapl, ^ixic, qqq, xlk, goog, msft, intc

Provided by the Business Insider:

An anonymous Apple store employee pulled back the curtain behind the company's impressive retail operation. He talked to Popular Mechanics about what it's like to be an Apple footsoldier on a day to day basis.

Here's what we learned:
On product launch day, all Apple store employees watch the Keynote together. They don't know anything ahead of time, of course.
Customers can be shockingly rude.
Drug dealers and Chinese resellers like their iPhones and iPads. They will use fake IDs and fake credit cards and all sorts of tricks to buy Apple products.
Sales people aren't paid on commission, but they're still encouraged to sell hard. Each employee's sales number is put up for the employees to see where they rank, and selling is a way to get a promotion.
Apple store employees dream to be a genius. The coolest thing is to be at the Genius Bar, and the other Apple store employees work hard and sell hard because they want to be made a genius.
Showing up to work late won't get you fired -- talking off hand about the next iPad WILL (even though you don't know anything about the next iPad).
People will use the public computers for all sorts of stuff. Teenagers will blast Britney Spears really loud and start dancing. And of course pranksters keep changing the Macs' language to Korean or Russian.
Employees lie to customers. They tell consumers that unlocking their iPhone will brick them -- make the phone as usless as a brick -- and that T-Mobile will fry the antenna.


Quoted: http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/confessions-of-an-apple-store-employee-we-lie-to-customers-all-the-time-535959.html

God's Promises

How much weight does the word "promise" hold with you? Depending on how you grew up, you might never use the word because you feel the gravity of its implications and other might use it frequently because whether you keep it or not, it does not make much of a difference to you. Most of the time, however, we remember the times when someone broke their promise to us and not when they kept it. Unfortunately, the mistake that people have made in our lives are projected unto our God, Who is faithful to keep His promises. For instance, when God promises to provide for our needs, He means it.

It is a truth, then, which will stand forever, that "God will supply all our need, according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). If any of His people lived and died without their spiritual need being supplied (I say it with all reverence), God would forfeit His word. But He will never allow anyone to charge Him with that; He will never let anyone say that He was not faithful to His promise.

God is always faithful to keep His promises. He is never hasty with His words. Place your trust in the God Whose faithfulness none can fathom, and believe in Him because He will not disappoint you.

Living Life