Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Little hands inspire creative kitchens: How to encourage kids to cook





Parents can always use an extra pair of hands, and when encouraged, kids can enjoy spending time cooking and preparing meals. Plus, helping in the kitchen teaches useful skills that will last long past dinnertime. The good news is nine out of 10 children help in meal preparation at least once per week, according to results of a new nationwide "Coaching Kids in the Kitchen" survey conducted for global home appliance brand LG Electronics. One in five parents prefer to engage their children in the kitchen during the summer and winter months, to help keep their child's mind sharp and occupied during breaks from school.



Have little sous chefs in the making? You might be wondering what activities are appropriate for what ages. Setting the table and retrieving ingredients from the pantry or refrigerator are good activities for younger children who might not have the skills necessary to prepare food. Parents indicate age 8, on average, is the appropriate age to start participating in meal preparation.



If you want to get your kids motivated in the kitchen, and help them learn about food preparation, healthy eating, math and measurements, try these helpful tips from Chef Peter Thornhill, LG's executive chef, who himself caught the cooking bug when he was a child. Your kitchen will be transformed into a family fun cooking school in no time.



Grocery discoveries. Take the kids grocery shopping with you to jumpstart creative cooking juices. Picking out ingredients is the first step in cooking a meal, after all. Plus, when children are involved in picking out new foods, such as an exciting new vegetable, they're more likely to try (and like) new things, helping to expand their palate.



Easy access. Keep your kids' favorite ingredient items in easy-access areas around the kitchen. Ninety-seven percent of parents agree that keeping greens and healthy snacks in easily accessible areas of the refrigerator is an important part of teaching your child healthy eating habits. LG's super-capacity fridge with a built-in magnetically sealed door within a door is perfect for easy access to commonly used cooking ingredients and small, healthy snacks kids are able to retrieve themselves.



Party in the kitchen! Don't let meal preparation seem like a chore. The more excited you are to cook with your kids, the more excited they will be, too. Turn on some music, have a giggle, and share tidbits about your day as you whip up something delicious.



More pepper? During the cooking process, taste the food and talk with your kids about alterations. This will encourage them to engage their palate and analyze the flavors they taste. Just watch as your little rosemary-lover or garlic connoisseur blossoms.



Clean machine.As your child gains more experience in the kitchen, allow him or her more control over recipes, cooking methods and cleanup. Start with simple cleaning tasks like clearing the table and loading the dishwasher to emphasize the importance of cleanliness and kitchen upkeep. To spend more memorable moments with your kids in the kitchen, parents can look for new ways to save time and tackle even the toughest tasks from greasy pans to dirty ovens. For example, LG's EasyClean ranges have a quick and easy clean-up for mess inside the oven - just spray water into the oven, press a button and wipe away any residual grime 20 minutes later.



Armed with these tips, consider trying this kid-friendly recipe from Chef Thornill and gather your whole family in the kitchen for some cooking fun.



Recipe:



Mixed Fruit Flatbread



It's always tough to get kids to adopt healthy eating habits with all the unhealthy items that are presented to them at school, in restaurants and in advertising ... and yet these are the foods that they clamor for. Bringing a healthy angle to their favorite foods is a great way to point them in the right direction.



This recipe is easily adapted to the kinds of ingredients that you have in your house and gives your kids the opportunity to play with different flavors. You can easily make a large batch of the flatbread dough in advance and freeze smaller portions for individual use. Store bought pizza dough and flatbread (or naan bread) work great, too.



Dough



1 packet instant dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon olive oil



Directions



1. Combine water, yeast, salt and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and let sit for five minutes.



2. Add flour to mixture and place dough hook attachment on mixer. Combine ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds, then turn onto medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes more, or until dough is smooth and no longer clings to the sides of the bowl.



3. Rub top of dough with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Store somewhere warm for one hour.



Topping



1/4 teaspoon cornmeal

2 tablespoon Raspberry jam

1/2 cup frozen peaches, thawed

1/2 cup frozen strawberries, thawed

1/2 cup apples, sliced thin

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon honey



Directions



1. Preheat oven to 500F with a cookie sheet or pizza stone positioned on center rack.



2. Divide dough into three pieces, set two aside (you can freeze these and use later or make multiple pizzas).



3. Using a rolling pin, evenly roll dough to 1/3-inch thick. Place dough on a smooth surface, sprinkled with cornmeal.



4. Spread jam evenly over entire surface, then top with peaches, apples and strawberries, lightly press these down for better adhesion.



5. Sprinkle cinnamon and drizzle honey over the fruit.



6. Slide pizza carefully onto preheated pan or pizza stone and let bake for 6 to 8 minutes.



7. Remove from oven, let stand three minutes, cut into six pieces and serve.



The LG Coaching Kids in the Kitchen Online Survey was conducted by Ebiquity, formerly Echo Research, between June 7-13, 2013 among a total national sample of 2,515 U.S. adults with children age 4-17. Overall the results have a margin of error of ± 2.0 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence.



Wednesday, September 24, 2014

A few tips when fitting wooden flooring



Laminate and wooden flooring looks great in almost any room. If you are considering fitting the wooden flooring yourself then there are a few tips that may help you to fit it easier and may add a more professional finish to it. With some hard work, patience and the right flooring tools it may not be as difficult to achieve a good finish as you imagine.



Before laying the laminate or wooden flooring ensure that your under floor is in good condition and is as flat and bounce-free as possible. Uneven areas should try to be repaired. The flatter the surface the better the wooden flooring will look.Ideally you will want the new wooden flooring to run length-ways along your room as this looks better than width-ways, however if your existing floorboards also run length-ways it is a bad idea to fit them directly together as this can lead to joint separation and unevenness. If this is the case then fit plywood over the entire floor surface so that you have a flat surface to then work on.



Once your existing floor is ready, lay an insulating membrane across the entire flooring area. This keeps heat in the room and dampens noise when the wooden flooring is walked upon and is highly recommended. Once this has been laid you are ready to lay your new wooden flooring panels. The easiest way is to work from farthest wall from the door inwards as this is the most seen part of the room. If possible remove skirting boards and door architraves so that you can work from the wall. If this isn't possible then beading can be fixed to these areas afterwards to give a tidy finish.



When laying the flooring panels always stagger joints by using random length flooring pieces as this will add to the strength of the flooring and the aesthetics. Ensure that all pieces are firmly locked together before re-applying skirting and architraves or adding beading. Flooring can contract and retract based on the heat of the room and moisture levels so do not fix skirting or beading to the floor. Fix skirting to the wall and fix beading to the skirting.



by: Xander Palmer

http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_6471.shtml



Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Avoiding five mistakes that even good homeowners make



But next time, you might not get so lucky. A simple "uh oh" could lead to thousands of dollars in damage to your home.

"We recommend homeowners adopt a mindset of thinking about the consequences of things, of what could go wrong," says Dr. Tim Reinhold, senior vice president of research and chief engineer for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.

Here are five tips to avoid common homeowner mistakes:

Tip 1: Clean out the filter on your clothes dryer
Why? Fire. Those wads of lint that get caught in your dryer's filter can pose a major fire hazard. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that dryers cause more than 15,000 fires a year.
Your strategy: Be sure to completely empty the lint trap every time you use your dryer. Also, make sure your dryer ducts are metal, since they're less likely to sag and allow lint to build up.

Tip 2: Trim tree branches that hang close to your home
Why? Roof or other property damage. A storm or high winds could sweep through your neighborhood and knock those branches onto your roof, causing serious damage.
Your strategy: Consult an arborist or tree surgeon about any trees in your yard that might present a hazard.

Tip 3: Don't put cardboard boxes from recent big-ticket purchases out on the curb with the garbage
Why? Theft. By placing boxes in a visible location, you're sending a signal to burglars that you have valuable items in your home.
Your strategy: Cut boxes up and put them into the garbage or recycling bin.

Tip 4: Make your house look occupied when you're on vacation
Why? Theft. An empty home can be an easy target for thieves.
Avoiding%20five%20mistakes Your strategy. Have your mail and newspaper deliveries suspended or have a trusted neighbor retrieve and safeguard them until your return. "Not only do piles of mail signal that a house is vacant, but thieves can sift through letters to steal your identity," says Joe Vahey, vice president at Erie Insurance. "You also may want to arrange for someone to maintain your lawn if you'll be gone for more than a few days, and consider installing central alarms, motion detectors, or timed lights that will illuminate the area around your house at night."

Tip 5. Check appliance water hoses
Why: Water damage. Hoses for washers and refrigerators wear out and need to be replaced before they spring a leak. The water supply line to the icemaker can also be a water leak waiting to happen.
Your strategy: Replace washing machine hoses every five years. If you see the plastic line along the back of the refrigerator becoming discolored (yellow or brown), have an appliance repair expert check it out.

Despite your best efforts to properly maintain and protect your home, accidents and mishaps still happen, which is why it's also important to know what your homeowners insurance does, and doesn't, cover. For example, no homeowners insurance will cover flood damage from natural disasters, so you may want to seek federal flood insurance if you live in an area prone to flooding. In addition, check to see if yours is a guaranteed replacement cost policy, which would pay to rebuild your home if it's severely damaged or destroyed. The coverage is rare, but some companies like Erie Insurance include it in their standard homeowners policies.



For more information on homeowners insurance, visit www.erieinsurance.com/homeowners.



Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Back-to-school resolutions



(BPT) - With kids across the country heading back to school, a common question at family dinner tables will be: "What did you learn today?"



Kids will be learning reading, writing and arithmetic as they head back to school, but what about lessons involving money? For most people, our relationship with money is based on our childhood experiences, and many children look to their parents for these important lessons. Yet, according to a recent Capital One survey of parents and teens, less than half of teens have worked with their parents to develop a budget for spending and saving their money.



As students prepare for a new school year, it's a great time to start fresh with new resolutions around spending and saving. Talk to your kids about wants vs. needs, saving, budgeting, using credit wisely and other money management habits that can last a lifetime.



Here are a few ways to get started:



* Crunch numbers together and establish a budget. As your teen starts earning an income through a job or an allowance, ask him or her to pitch in and contribute toward purchases he or she might otherwise take for granted. Create a budget together totaling your teen's contributions and what you can afford to contribute, and then stick to it when you head out to the stores.



* Only shop for what's needed. Sit down together to make a list of what essentials your teen already has, what is needed and how much is budgeted for this shopping trip. This comes in handy for back-to-school shopping as well as the holiday shopping season.



* Do your homework. This is a good way to show your teen that homework extends beyond the classroom and well into adult life. Researching the items on the shopping list before leaving the house allows your teen to comparison shop, looking at prices and the quality of the items. For teens on-the-go, there are also a great deal of apps available that can easily compare pricing of items. And not surprisingly, you might discover your teen has different priorities than you when it comes to deciding which items to purchase. Only 22 percent of teens surveyed considered the price of an item to be the top priority, whereas 46 percent said style and appearance were more important. Run a calculation of how much money could be saved between the lower-priced items and the items on the "want list."



* Set financial goals. Remind your teen to look beyond high school and discuss what items he or she would like to own in the future. It might be an electronic product, a car, paying for a future vacation, or helping to pay for college. The survey found that 83 percent of teens plan to attend college after high school, but 51 percent of those teens were not saving money to help pay for it. Help your teen set up a plan for how they will spend and save the money they earn or receive as gifts.



* Lead by example. Encourage good financial behavior by teaching your teen how to write checks, the use of credit cards and their associated fees and the importance of paying bills on time. Have them around the next time you pay your monthly bills, so they can see how much is spent on utilities, auto insurance and even food. This gives them a good picture for their future and how they might need to make financial decisions to cover essential expenses.



* Introduce investing basics. Open a custodial account and help your kids pick the stocks they like most. Contribute a portion of their allowance or agree to match your teen's contributions, and watch the account grow together. Set monthly meetings to review investments, make changes and pick new stocks to purchase. Beginning the stock discussion early will empower your teen with the comfort and knowledge they'll need when they are an adult.



By taking time to discuss spending, saving, budgeting and investing, you can help your teens save money now and point them in the right direction for a successful financial future.



To find additional financial tips as well as information on Capital One's financial educational programs for teens and adults, visit www.capitalone.com/financialeducation or @TeachingMoney on Twitter.