Foot Spa

Our feet are the most abused parts of our body as they often say and I agree. My feet needs pampering again, its been months already that I have gone to salon for foot spa.

If only I have this foot spa bath at home, then I could always give my feet a TLC. But we can always do a remedy just like the following without spending too much on products.

• Soak up. Fill up your bathtub or a small basin with hot water, hot enough for your skin to tolerate. Put in some bath salts, your bubble bath or soap. Then, put your feet in and relax. Let your feet soak for ten to fifteen minutes.
• Scrub off. When the skin of your feet has become soft from the warm, soapy water, scrub the dead skin and the calluses off with a pumice stone. Take your time and try not to be too rough in rubbing the extra skin away.
• Clip it. After ridding the feet of the dead skin, work on the toenails. Cut your toenails with a nail clipper. After clipping the extra length off, file them to give them shape, and then buff them. Do not cut your toenails too short, or else you will end up with painful ingrown nails.
• Moisturize. The next step would be to apply a good amount of lotion, moisturizer or foot cream on the feet to keep the skin soft. beautyden.com

Mango Smoothie

Classic Fried Chicken

My tot's all time favorite is chicken. She will be delighted to try this as well minus the hot pepper sauce though.

Ingredients:

• 2 cup(s) buttermilk
• 2 tablespoon(s) hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon(s) salt
• 2   chickens, each c ut into 8 pieces
• 2 cup(s) flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon(s) black pepper
• 1 teaspoon(s) paprika
• 5 cup(s) vegetable oil , or shortening for frying

Directions:

1. In extra-large (2- to 2 1/2-gallon) zip-top plastic bag, combine buttermilk, hot pepper sauce and 1 tsp. salt. Add chicken pieces, turning to coat. Seal bag, pressing out excess air. Place bag in bowl; refrigerate chicken for 2 to 24 hours to marinate, turning bag over once.
2. In pie plate or bowl, stir flour, baking powder, pepper, paprika and remaining 2 tsp. salt until well mixed. Remove a few pieces of chicken from buttermilk mixture, shaking off excess liquid. Add chicken to flour mixture, turning to coat well. Place chicken on wire rack set over waxed paper, without letting pieces touch. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces, using a second rack if necessary; let stand 15 minutes to set coating. Discard buttermilk mixture.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 250ºF. Line two large cookie sheets with paper towels. Divide oil between two 12-inch skillets, preferably electric (there should be about 1/2 inch of oil in each skillet) and heat over medium heat until temperature reaches 360ºF on a deep-fry thermometer.
4. To each skillet, add 4 pieces of chicken, skin side down, being careful not to crowd pieces. Cover skillets and cook until chicken is light golden brown on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn pieces over and cook, covered (reducing heat to medium-low, if necessary, to a temperature of 300ºF), 8 to 10 minutes longer for white meat, and 13 to 15 minutes longer for dark meat, turning pieces every 4 or 5 minutes. Chicken is done when well browned on all sides and juices run clear when thickest part is pierced with the tip of a knife. Transfer chicken to lined cookie sheets to drain. Keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining chicken.

*Photo and recipe courtesy of Delish.com

Stuffed Eggs with Tarragon

Another must-try recipe.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped finely
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped finely, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons canned tuna in oil, drained
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped green olives stuffed with anchovies (or plain green olives)
truffle oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:


1. Cook eggs until hard-boiled. When cooked, peel and cut in half. Remove the yolks and place in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Fill egg whites with the mixture and garnish with tarragon leaves.


*Photo and recipe courtesy of Yummy.ph

Banana Pancakes

I was looking through millions of recipes that I can try to cook for my picky-eater when I saw this easy-peasy recipe that I want to try since she's head over heels in love with bananas. Though she's not into pancakes that much, but if I incorporate bananas to it, she might want to eat it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon(s) sugar
• 2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup(s) milk
• 2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for sauteing banana slices
• 2  bananas, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees F. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add egg, milk, and butter; whisk until combined but still slightly lumpy.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 5 banana rounds in pan, about 3 inches apart. Spoon one tablespoon batter over each; cook until large bubbles cover surface, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until bottom is golden, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a baking sheet, and keep warm in the oven.
3. Repeat with remaining banana rounds and batter. Saute extra banana slices in butter until golden; serve with pancakes.

Easy, right? Well, I hope my daughter will love this... Wish!

*Photo and recipe courtesy of Delish.com

Yummy Sunday: Strawberry Waffle

Not sure what it is called exactly, I forgot already :) But it's a waffle topped with whipped cream and strawberry syrup. Ate this at Starbucks few months ago...

Vitamins for Healthy Skin

Yeah, I know! I may sound like I'm having a real skin problem here by posting about anti aging stuffs, but I don't care. Haha! Because I know you will benefit from it if you happen to read this. ;)

In one of my post, I wrote that starting that day I have to take vitamins religiously.

Update: I am not taking my vitamins regularly.

Ouch, I'm lazy. That's the reason why. Heehee!

Well, oh well...

Vitamin A
Not only does vitamin A help prevent cancer and acne, but it rids your skin of free radicals that cause wrinkles. You can get a healthy dose of vitamin A by using products with retinol in them. If you want to unlock the full benefits of vitamin A, try using at least 15,000 IU daily.

Vitamin B
When applied topically, vitamin B helps trap moisture into your skin, and helps keep it hydrated. And when your skin is moist, you prevent wrinkles and flakey skin. When you ingest vitamin B, you’re promoting healthy skin, nails, and hair from the inside. Vitamin B is also known to combine with vitamin A to prevent acne caused by stress.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin for keeping your skin’s healthy glow because it actually fights against damaging rays from the sun, smoke, alcohol, and other harmful pollutants. It is also an antioxidant that lowers the appearance of age spots, and aids in firming the skin by targeting the collagen responsible for skin elasticity.

Vitamin E
One of the most effective vitamins used for aging skin is vitamin E because it reverses skin wrinkling that has been caused by over-exposure to the sun. Not only does it take care of sun damage, but it also prevents a lot of skin diseases, gives the skin elasticity, and moisturizes your face. As if this is not enough, Vitamin E will improve your skin’s texture as well as restrict the production of cells known to cause cancer.

For more anti-aging tips, head over here.