How to Convert People to Islam

Just some tips.

Steps

1. 1
   Firstly, remember there is no force in Islam, so you cannot force anyone to become a Muslim.
2. 2
   Teach them about Islam. Tell them it isn't just about the Islamic extremists and the media. Tell them the true meaning of Islam.
3. 3
   Take them to the mosque. Let them see what it's like there.
4. 4
   How about giving them an English Qur'an or some books about Islam. It will develop their knowledge.
5. 5
   Show them how you perform prayer and Islamic duties.
6. 6
   Tell them basic Arabic phrases, such as Bismillah, Masha'Allah, Alhamdulillah and Insha'Allah etc.
7. 7
   Tell them how to declare faith; "There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah." How about telling them in Arabic how to say this.
8. 8
   Don't tell them to convert, that is their decision. All you can do is give information and persuade.
9. 9
   Just show them basic Islamic things - such as dropping a few pence into a charity box, performing wudu etc.
10. 10
    Tell them about Halal and Haram things, such as interest is Haram, eating pork is Haram etc.

How to Restore Your Faith in Humanity

We are all born receptive to love, kindness and hope. As we grow up, we encounter the less hopeful, more challenging aspects of being human, including discovering that the things humans do at times can be hateful, calculating and unkind. Although this can turn us cynical or leave us feeling helpless, human beings are just as capable of the most incredible, amazing and wonderful kindness and love. And beyond the heroic and fearless acts that occasionally hit the headlines, it is really the everyday, often overlooked actions of deep kindness and caring that restore our faith in humanity––everyday kindnesses like caring words, a reassuring hug, a helping hand-up in times of trouble and the unquestioning acceptance of our worth by a complete stranger. If you're feeling a little jaded about where humanity is headed, here are some active ways to restore your faith.

 Steps

1. 1
   Spend time helping people less fortunate than you. A reality check can come in the form of looking at people who are experiencing things 10 times or 100 times worse than you are and yet manage to meet each day with passion and positivity, believing that being alive is its own reward. Rather than simply reading about such people, get involved through volunteering so that you can see face-to-face the hardships experienced by others. For example, you might consider volunteering at a hospice, a hospital for children with terminal diseases or in a disaster relief community where people have lost homes and livelihoods. However bad things may seem for you, seeing the pluck and determination of those undergoing severe hardships can help you to realize that human beings really are amazing, resilient and deeply profound. It can also help you to balance your own woes and keep them in perspective.
2. 2
   Ask people to tell you about the happiest moments in their life. How often do you ask people to recall the happy memories and what makes them happy now? People love talking about what they care about, what motivates them and what makes them happy and yet, it's not always an obvious topic for general conversation. It's really important to provide the space for people to open up about their happy moments––it helps them to articulate in front of an audience what matters most to them (and may thereby inspire them even further) and it will help you to see the lighter, brighter and happier side of the people in your life.
   • Read public gratitude journals available online (simply search for "online gratitude journals"). Reading about how other people find gratitude in everyday things can inspire you to feel more hopeful generally and to see that many, many people genuinely care for the beauty and awe of this world and its beings.
3. 3
   Think about the things that people do for which you are profoundly grateful. If you begin looking for reasons to be grateful, there is a big chance that you'll find them in other people's actions every single day. For example, the driver who kindly lets you into the lane instead of speeding up, the shopper who waves you in front of their place in the queue because you have less items, the fellow applicant who helps you fill out a form you find really challenging or the stranger who notices your tears in public and gently asks you what's wrong. Then there are the occasions of incredible heroism, like when someone cuts you from a car wreck, dives in and rescues your drowning child or runs into your burning house and pulls out your pets. Whether the actions are small or grand, notice what others do and celebrate the milk of human kindness. Untold kindnesses happen everyday that could be termed "people just doing their job" or truly be seen for the caring and connecting behaviors that they are.
4. 4
   Focus on the good news stories, the stories of great kindness and virtuous actions. There is a plethora of positive, inspiring and uplifting stories about the good that people do each day. Yet, much of this positive news gets buried under the sensational, negative coverage that news media seems to prefer. All the same, it is possible to actively choose to increase your exposure to positive news. For example, you can subscribe to news feeds online that only focus on positive stories. And you can selectively follow social media network friends and fans who deliberately choose to share good news rather than bad and who are regularly sharing inspiring things.
   • Check out such sites as the Good News Network at http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/, Happy News at http://www.happynews.com/, The Huffington Post Good News at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/good-news/ or Daily Good at http://www.dailygood.org/. These sorts of sites focus on positive news stories and gather together many kind, caring and warm tales about the good things that human beings do. (For more of these sites, simply search for a term such as "good news stories"––the ones selected here are simply for the sake of example.)
   • 
     Celebrate those awe-inspiring moments when people do something incredible, such as forgoing a race win to help an injured fellow athlete, rescuing a pet caught in a burning home, shaking hands with an enemy during a detente in hostilities, etc. By celebrating and sharing the stories, images and creative works that spring up around heroic and altruistic acts of human care and love, you become a part of spreading the power and worthiness of decent, kind and caring actions.
   • Check out your favorite charities online and actually read what their staff and volunteers are doing. Whether it's the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, the local zoo trying to conserve animals or a faith-based charity, informing yourself about their activities will remind you that people are actively involved in helping others, conserving the environment, restoring the land, caring for animal welfare and lobbying government to make changes that will improve lives and livelihoods.
   • Browse your local bookstore or library shelves for amazing stories about people in the business world who are transforming society at the same time as running a business. Such businesses are changing the way we "do business" and see the world, including in such areas as sharing of information, making games that educate as well as bring enjoyment, selling fair trade or fairly sourced products, producing eco-friendly items and financial projects that help people to borrow for or invest in small projects that benefit many people in local communities. Social entrepreneurs focus heavily on ensuring that their business makes a positive difference in the world.
   • Keep a list of people who inspire you. Make a bookmark on your usual browser and start stockpiling people who inspire you through their actions. Check back regularly for updates they're making as they progress in their endeavors. And add people who are no longer with us too––past endeavors are just as valuable for they enabled human society to be as advanced as it is today.
5. 5
   Spend time with children. If you don't have children in your life regularly, you're missing out on the wonders of seeing the world through new, inquisitive and creative eyes. Children are less prone to willful blindness or inability to see injustices and problems. Children can cut through the layers of obfuscation which adults use to excuse stupid decisions, procrastination and inaction. Children also don't mind displaying a sense of awe about the world around them, constantly delighting in new discoveries and in making amazing new connections––between ideas, people and the wider world. Just by being around children more, and really listening to them and paying attention to what they do, you can start to uncurl from your crusty shell of cynicism and let yourself become more childlike, playful and creative.
   • Recognize in your time spent with children that we are born as blank slates, not for causing harm or trouble to others. Having a fixed view of human beings as cruel, mean-spirited and selfishly adhering only to what's best for each person is both unhelpful and generally untrue. Mahatma Gandhi summed it up well when he implored that: “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” While cruel and nasty things do happen each day, so do many acts of kindness and joy.
6. 6
   Encourage faith in your fellow humans through your actions. Try seeing the world in a more trusting, less demanding way. And implement Gandhi's famous line to "be the change you wish to see in the world". When you model the kind of change you want to see spread, you spark virtuous ripples that, even if they don't obviously benefit you personally move forth to benefit others, thereby continuously improving the community of which you are a part. Ultimately, faith in humanity isn't predicated on what you get back––it's about knowing that you're making life a little better, a little easier and a little more livable for everyone you connect with.
   • Trust more. For example, you may take a person at his or her word that he will pay you for a used item he or she has purchased off you. You might loan a neighbor or friend your tools or DVD series without specifying a return date, having faith that the things will return when they need to. Perhaps you have worried in the past as to where your charity donation ends up, or you're concerned that the homeless person will run off and buy beer rather than a place to rest his or her head for the night, causing you to not donate anything at all. Instead of imposing your will, just give. Have faith that that donation will do what it needs to do. Sometimes people will do the wrong thing by you, but on the whole, it's much more likely that you'll be surprised by how people repay your faith in them positively, returning trust with trust––and gratitude. Implementing this extent of faith in others can be very scary at first, especially if you've been very attached to things/money but when you've reached this stage, you will have traveled far in restoring your faith in humanity.
   • Practice random acts of kindness, such as topping up your neighboring driver's parking meter when you see it's nearly empty (CAUTION: this may be illegal,) shouting a stranger an extra coffee while standing in line or wiping down the public shower at the pool after you've used it instead of leaving it all muddy. For more ideas, see How to practice random acts of kindness.
   • Pay it forward. Instead of asking that your good deed be repaid in any way, ask that the return favor be "paid forward" to someone else in need. For example, perhaps you can afford to help a student attend a course that he or she would otherwise be unable to afford. In turn, ask that student to do likewise in the future for another student he or she comes across unable to afford a course.
   • Be compassionate. While the inner goodness of every single human being you come across may not be evident all of the time, it is compassion that allows you to dig underneath the surface of the woes, injuries and ills of your fellow human beings. By looking deeper, you'll often discover what motivates or compels unkind, ruthless or thoughtless behavior. It is in the seeking to understand better why people behave as they do that you can empathize with them and learn tolerance. It is in forgiving people for their lesser self behavior that you learn to stop hurting and give them the gift of freedom to heal themselves from pain and fear and to become the best they can be.
   • Find as many ways as possible to collaborate and cooperate with your fellow humans. Reduce conflict and competition by encouraging and facilitating collaborative ways to get things done––at work, at home, in your school or college, in the local park, wherever you may be.
   • Make room for others, even though you don't know them. When the traffic is thick or the queue is long, let others in. They are human too, they feel as you do, and what a delightful shock to learn that someone else cares about them. Your thoughtfulness will reverberate as many of those you let in will feel the need to let someone else in some other time. And on it goes.
   • Tell stories of human goodness to other people you know, in order to inspire them to see the good in humanity too. Once you've cottoned on to finding positive stories about humanity, share your experience with others to help inspire their positive actions and thoughts. If you have your own blog or you update a social network stream with stories, share more stories that are positive and uplifting. What can you do right now, today, to pass on the stories that show people's goodwill, their acts of heroism and human virtues?
7. 7
   Remember that you too form part of humanity. Your preferred world won't come about by distancing yourself from your fellow humans or by constantly deploring them.
   • Restore your faith in yourself. If you feel that most of humanity is doomed or facile, perhaps the problem lies within. Henry Miller once said that "The man who is forever disturbed about the condition of humanity either has no problems of his own or has refused to face them." If you've had a hard life, stop being hard on yourself. Learn to forgive yourself and believe in yourself more. Step out of your comfort zone to learn new things and to push yourself to do things that you're worried you might fail at. Be bold––the world deserves your talents.
   • If you prefer despair over hope or complaining over action, then you will find negativity wherever you look. On the other hand, you can choose to have faith in humanity, in many of the ways described above. Moreover, you can choose to be kind as a form of taking a stand against the injustices, violence, wastage and hunger in the world. You may feel powerless in the face of what seems terrible at times but you are not. Kindness is quiet, unobtrusive empowerment of every individual; by being kind, you affirm the kind of world you want to be a part of.

Tips

• Be very conscious not to confuse dysfunctional social systems with the inner essence of human beings or human values. Systems and institutions can become stuck in time and unwieldy. While it may well be that some people are selfishly pursuing their own ends, many other people are likely simply trying to "do the right thing", however unthinkingly. Often it takes outsiders to point out what isn't working anymore and over time, mounting pressure for change usually succeeds in undoing such a monolith so that fresh new ways can take over. This can in turn free everyone from having to "go through the motions" of supporting something that is no longer useful for society in a way that it once was.
• If you'd be interested in quantifying the impact of each act of kindness and appreciation, you might like to explore The Newton Project, a non-profit project aimed at passing around a wristband to people who have made an important impact on your life and so on, with ability to track the good that your gesture has set in train

How to Be More Attractive to Men

There are a few easy things that most down-to-earth, attractive men look for in their dates. It's not the same all across the board, but there happen to be similarities. And while you may not be trying to impress one man in particular, being attractive is a noteworthy goal. There's nothing wrong with that. To be more attractive to men, use these tips and techniques.

 Steps

Part One: Physical Traits

1. 1
   Accentuate your femininity. Start by wearing red lipstick. Studies indicate that men are more drawn to a woman’s lips than any other feature on her face, especially when red lipstick is applied. When you're not in the mood for lipstick, be sure to at least give your luscious lips some lip balm. Lip gloss works well, too.
   
   
   
   • Wear red. One recent study found that a group of 96 men were more willing to spend $100 (and presumably more interested in amorous advances) on women who wore red as opposed to different colors.
   • Do exercises that make your boobs and butt firmer. Work on getting a smaller waist, which you can accentuate by making your butt bigger. If desired, you can also take steps to make your breasts look bigger.
2. 2
   Groom yourself well. Staying clean and fresh is a must. Bathe regularly and keep your finger- and toenails clean. Make sure your skin is soft, smooth, and free of blemishes. A lot of people focus on tanning or bleaching their skin. However, the color of their partner's skin is not what attracts most guys, it is the touch; be sure to moisturize, exfoliate, and stay hydrated to keep your skin as soft and supple as possible.
   • Wash your face twice a day — not more, not less. Once in the morning and once before bed will help cut down on breakouts and help minimize the appearance of large pores. Be sure to moisturize after each time you wash your face.
   • Shave your legs and armpits regularly. Consider trimming/styling your pubic hair. (This, however, is specific to the man who you are trying to attract.)
   • Use nice perfume. Nothing drives a guy wild like a good smelling person. Do not overdo it though; wear a light amount so that the guy can smell it when he is close to you. You do not want to wear so much that everyone can smell you when you walk into the room.
3. 3
   Wear clothes that flatter your body. We're not all born with perfect bodies; that's the bad news. The good news is that we can change that if we work at it. In the meantime, give yourself an emotional boost by wearing clothes that fit you:
   
   • If you are heavier in the thighs, don't wear jeans that are boot-cut or flared, as they exaggerate the heft in the legs.
   • Don't wear baggy jackets or ones that are meant for men.^[ Try for more fitting jackets in more conservative colors. This way your jackets will fit better with other items in your wardrobe.
   • If your tummy isn't yet chiseled (and that's okay, it's hard to do!) avoid tank tops and other tops that show lots of skin (halter tops). Instead, opt for tunics and peasant tops, throwing t-shirts in for more casual occasions.
4. 4
   Take excellent care of your hair. Studies have shown that lustrous hair — particularly if it is long — is a major factor in how attractive women are considered, probably because it is an excellent indicator of health.^[4] Make sure to get the ends trimmed often so you don't have any split ends.^[5] Keep your hair clean and shiny, and consider growing it out; however, don’t try to grow your hair past the point at which it naturally looks good, as this will weigh it down and make it look scruffy. Read How to Get Super Shiny Hair for more details.
   
   
   
   • Avoid damaging it through over-styling. At most, use the blow drier and straightening iron once a week. Men like women who can get dressed up and look fancy, but they also tend to like women who sport a natural look.
   • If long hair doesn’t typically look good on you, choose a haircut that flatters your face shape instead. Lots of women find that alternating between short and long hair keeps things interesting!
   • Don't believe the hair myths. Continuously combing your hair or massaging your scalp will not stimulate growth, nor will frequent trims make your hair grow faster.^[4] The best way to treat your hair is to:
     
     • Wash it infrequently. Once or twice a week is what many women with great hair do.
     • Use deep treatments every once in a while. Make sure moisture stays in your locks longer.
     • Eat healthy. Hair is composed primarily of protein. If you eat well and drink plenty of water, not only will your hair look great, but your body will, too.
5. 5
   Work out. You like your guys in shape, right? Well surprise, surprise! Guys like their partners fit as well. Get outside and get active. Not only is being fit good for your appearance, it’s also good for your health. Just remember that being too skinny is a turnoff; guys may like trim, toned women, but they also like curves in the right places.
   
   
   
   • Exercise every day if you can, but at least 3 times a week is highly recommended. Join an intramural sports team for some competitive, social fun, or join a spinning class at your local Y. If you do nothing else, try to walk for 30 minutes every day.
   • Women might want to focus more on endurance and toning, not building muscle. If you do incorporate strength training into your routine (it's not a bad idea), do low weight and high repetition to tone. Men who are seeking to build muscle do high weight and low repetitions.
6. 6
   Dress sexy every once in a while. Instead of following the latest one-size-fits-some fashion trend, stay classic and timeless. Choose clothes that make you look slim, emphasize your bust, or flatter your curves as necessary. To appear subtly sexy, try a slightly sheer shirt.
   • A little cleavage is not a bad thing if you want to catch a guy's attention, but if you have more cleavage out of the shirt than in it, you will leave very little to the imagination, which can also be a turnoff.
   • Sexy underwear is very hot to any man, so be sure to choose something form-fitting and feminine – possibly even a thong.

Part Two: Non-Physical Traits

1. 1
   Smile and be friendly. Studies show that smiling women tend to be ranked as more attractive.^[6] Make sure you know how to smile with the eyes, a.k.a. the “Duchenne smile,” for maximum impact. Smiling is an instant way of looking approachable, which will make men much likelier to strike up a conversation with you. Remember, guys like partners that they can share a good conversation and laughter with.
   
   
   
   • When you flirt, be outgoing but not boisterous; the same kind of charm you are attracted to in successful, confident, down-to-earth guys is what guys are attracted to in women. Subtle is better than in-your-face.
   • Learn how to flirt with body language. Smiling will get a long way if you let it, but like a great dish, it can't stand alone. Put some other methods on your plate — using your lips, hips, and even eyebrows.
2. 2
   Give yourself opportunities to succeed. Don't set yourself up for failure. Guys and girls both put themselves in situations where they're more likely to fail than not. That's unfortunate, because love is already hard. That doesn't mean you can't shoot for the stars; it just means that you can't complain that the world isn't fair when your plan doesn't work out.
   • Don't get involved in affairs or with cheating men. Relationships are meant for two people. If you're the third person who gets involved, you're likely to get the short end of the stick when his girlfriend finds out. Even if he does break up with her, what's to stop him from cheating on you?
   • Give the guys who like you a chance. They may not be as attractive, funny, or perfect, but you do know that they like you. Pick the best one out of the group and go out on a date. If it doesn't work out, you gave it a shot. If it does, you made it happen. Imagine how great you'd feel if the perfect guy gave you a chance at love?
   • Don't keep repeating your mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes in love. We sometimes choose the wrong guy and he walks all over us and makes a mess of the relationship. That's okay — everyone does that. What lots of people don't do is learn from their mistakes. If you don't learn from failure, you'll be attracting the wrong type of guy — over and over again.
3. 3
   Develop your emotional fitness. Men aren't known for their desire to be around tumultuous women. To be more centered, work on understanding your emotions and, if necessary, coping with emotional pain. If you have a history of troubled relationships, make sure you know how to both have a healthy relationship and recognize a manipulative or controlling one.
   
   
   
   • Try to be optimistic instead of pessimistic. Unless you're naturally pessimistic and don't think you can change, being optimistic will help you feel better about yourself. Women who feel better about themselves attract more men.
   • Be playful. Develop a playful attitude towards life. Studies have found that women who are playful are more attractive.^[7] Just when you thought that being an old stick-in-the-mud was the only thing getting you by!
4. 4
   Be social. You're not going to attract men by sitting in your living room watching late-night reruns of Bewitched. You have to put yourself out there, even if it's scary.
   • Start small. Go out with a group of your friends when you ordinarily wouldn't. You might meet someone. Finding the right man is a numbers game. If you give yourself more and more chances, eventually it will happen!
   • Ask your friends for help. It might sound old-fashioned, but ask your friends to set you up with a guy on a date. Your friends are supposed to know you really well. This makes them expert matchmakers, in theory at least!
   • Use the internet. Try online dating. Make an honest profile of yourself and begin messaging with guys you seem to like. Go out with them on a public date and see if you hit it off. There's nothing wrong with trying and failing, remember? There's all the upside in the world with trying. You could hit a home run.
5. 5
   Be yourself. Once you have the look and style you are comfortable and confident with, just remember to be down-to-earth, honest, and have fun. After all, that’s why you’re in the game: to have fun and be happy. If you try to adopt a style or attitude to impress someone, they will eventually see through it because you will be constantly maintaining a persona, and they will see you as a weak individual. Be happy and confident; there are plenty of great guys out there who will like you for your personality, and in turn you will both be much happier.
   
   
   

 Warnings

• Do not wear too much makeup. A lot of guys like natural beauty over fake Hollywood glamour. At the very least, most guys don’t want partners with painted-on faces.

A Duo of Easter Treats…

Previo

I‘ve always been a fan of Easter. Especially since developing a serious ‘appreciation’ for chocolate back when I was designing chocolate biscuits (cookies) for a living. But this Easter I’m more excited than usual.
We have some friends coming to stay for the weekend and they’re bringing their 3 year old. So you know what that means…
Yes! A real Easter Egg Hunt! Yay!
So this week I have a couple of Easter ‘treat’ recipes to get you in the mood.
Happy Easter!

Potato Rosti

Inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe in his brilliant newish book ‘Jerusalem.’
Since sharing a photo of my rosti on instagram and facebook, I’ve had many requests for the recipe. And I’m glad I’ve finally found an excuse. I love the idea of serving these with runny poached eggs as a special Easter breakfast, especially since they look like little ‘nests’.
But I have to tell you they did go down well on St Patricks Day a few weeks ago with avocado, bacon and lashings of hot milky Barry’s tea. So remember a rosti is not just for Easter!

Enough for about 8 rosti – serves 1 Irishman and 1 pregnant lady
500g (1lb) potatoes
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons flour
small handful chopped chives, optional
oil for shallow frying

1. Scrub your spuds then grate – I use my food processor. Rinse grated potato in cold water. Drain then transfer to a clean tea towel and squeeze the spuds as dry as possible.
2. Heat about 1cm (1/1in) oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
3. Combine dry spuds, egg whites, flour and chives, if using, in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Then form the mixture into about 8 flat patties, placing each on a clean plate as you go.
4. Gently slide half of the rosti into the hot oil. Shallow fry for 3-4 minutes on each side or until deeply golden brown.
5. Drain on paper towel and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the second batch of rosti.
6. Serve hot with a generous dusting of sea salt flakes.
VARIATIONS
potato & parsnip – Ottolenghi uses a mixture of spuds and parsnips in his rosti.
vegan – try replacing with 1 tablespoon ground golden flax seeds (linseeds) combined with 3 tablespoons water. I haven’t tried this so let me know how you get on if you do.
gluten-free – just use your favourite GF flour. I’ve used quinoa flour in the video but GF flour will work.
other root veg – it’s hard to go past the humble spud but I’d consider trying swede (rutabaga) or sweet potato.
mini rosti – make smaller rosti to serve as canapes. Brilliant with a dollop of cold sour cream.
Video version of the recipe.

Fudgy 5-Ingredient Chocolate Cake

This is my all-time favourite chocolate cake recipe. It’s gluten free. It’s dense and fudgy, yet at the same time it’s light and lovely.
I’m still not sure how it manages to be both at the same time. But when you’re onto a good thing, I say stick with it!

Enough for 6 or possibly 8 if everyone is feeling virtuous.
100g (3.5oz) butter
200g (7oz) 70% cocoa solids chocolate, chopped into chunks
4 eggs
100g (3.5oz) caster sugar
100g (3.5oz) almond meal

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Melt butter and grease a 20cm springform cake tin.
2. Add chocolate chunks to the hot butter and allow to stand off the heat.
3. Meanwhile, separate eggs. Whisk whites with a pinch of salt until white and foamy and the volume doesn’t seem to be increasing any more.
4. Gently scatter in the sugar and keep whisking eggs for a minute or so. Then attend to the chocolate mixture.
5. Stir the melted chocolate and butter together. Add egg yolks. Stir. Add nuts. Stir.
6. Gently combine chocolate mixture with egg white mixture. Transfer to your prepared cake tin.
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top feels firm with a springy mass underneath. Cool on a wire rack.
VARIATIONS
sugar-free – use 85% cocoa solids chocolate and replace the caster sugar with erythritol or a commercial erythritol / stevia blend like Natvia.
‘easter’ cake – serve with a ‘nest’ of marscapone on top and pile on a heap of little chocolate Easter eggs – I used a mixture of white, milk and dark chocolate eggs.
different nuts – I often use hazelnuts or pecans instead of the almond meal. Most nuts will work well here.
nut-free – You could try replacing the nuts with flour, but I’d be worried it would dry the cake out. My first step would be to replace half the nuts with an extra egg and replace the other half with extra chocolate to go for a flourless chocolate cake texture. I haven’t tried this so if you do, please let me know!
milk or white chocolate – again I haven’t tried these because I love dark chocolate so much, but there’s no reason they won’t work.
dairy-free – replace butter with vegetable oil or coconut oil.
vegan – I’m afraid we’re relying on egg whites for texture here so this isn’t a cake for vegans.

Hakka Cuisine

Hakka Cuisine

If you want to try Hakka cuisine, head to Hakka Restaurant in San Francisco, or read Linda Lau Anusasananan's book, The Hakka Cookbook. I received a review copy of the book in the Fall, and was lucky enough to dine with the author at Hakka Restaurant recently and fell in love with the hearty robust flavors and comforting rich dishes.

Even if you have other Chinese cookbooks, it's worth getting to know Hakka cuisine, because it's mostly home style cooking, ideal to try in your own kitchen. In the book Anusasananan traces her roots and shares stories from the people she meets on her journey into her past.

Since Hakka people moved all over the world, there are stories about the cuisine from places like Peru, Hawaii and certain cities in the US and Canada. There are classic recipes for Fried Pork Hash Wontons, Salt Baked Chicken (which Anusasananan thinks may have been the creation of a crafty salt salesman) and lots and lots of vegetable dishes including Braised Mountain Mushrooms, Pickled Carrots and Radishes and Stir Fried Iceberg Lettuce and Garlic. Anusasananan was previously a recipe editor at Sunset magazine, so needless to say you won't have trouble with her recipes.

According to Anusasananan, the Hakka are like the "Jews of China," nomads, who migrated from North-Central China to the South in the fourth century. They have their own language, and the name Hakka literally means "guest family." Their cuisine is the food of the working person, robust and sometimes fatty. They use a lot of salt-preserved ingredients such as preserved vegetables, cured meats and soy sauce. The food is related to Cantonese, but more rustic. Famous Hakka classic dishes include Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens, Stuffed Tofu, and Salt-baked Chicken.

Some highlights of the meal we enjoyed at Hakka Restaurant:

Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens

This is a very rich dish of pork belly which are somewhat sweet, served with luscious preserved vegetables.

House Special Pan-Fried Tofu

This was one of everyone's favorite dishes. Lighter and with a delicate sauce. Inside the tofu was a mild ground pork filling.

Fried Pumpkin Strips with Salted Egg Yolk

If you've never had salted egg yolk before, I'd describe it as tasting a bit like cheese. It has a strong umami flavor.

Chicken Stuffed with Preserved Greens

The chicken was good, but the gingery preserved green stuffing was particularly delicious/

Stir-fried Chinese Broccoli with Rice Wine

Another unusual dish, this one had a sweet wine sauce.

Clams with Spicy Salt and Black Beans

I'd say the garlic and green onions were the predominant flavors in this dish.

Home-Style Steamed Sea Bass

Another knockout dish, this one had a thin sauce but was loaded with shredded pork, and sour, crunchy and juicy sliced preserved mustard greens.

Hakka Restaurant
4401 Cabrillo St @ 45th Ave
San Francisco
415-876-6898

Passover Spinach Ricotta Gnudi

Passover Spinach Ricotta Gnudi

Spinach ricotta gnudi, made with no wheat flour, are my latest recipe, just in time for Passover. This week marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday celebrating the Israelites liberation from Egypt and also Spring, rebirth, renewal, freedom, belonging, ...you get the picture. Since the Israelites had to flee their oppressors quickly they didn't have time to allow bread to rise, so the story goes. To commemorate that time, during Passover Jews eat foods made with matzo meal or matzo cake meal, but not with regular flour. Most other non-wheat flours are also not allowed.

Gnudi are a little larger and plumper than gnocchi but somewhat similar. Some people think of them as "ravioli without the pasta."  This recipe is very easy because you use one of those "blocks" of frozen spinach. The secret is getting as much water as possible out of the spinach. You want the dough to be very stiff. Rolling the dumplings in potato starch also helps keep them from falling apart in the water when you boil them. Since I used potato starch instead of flour, these gnudi are also gluten free. I adapted my recipe from the Weelicious recipe for Spinach Gnocchi. 

The dumplings are primarily made from ricotta and parmesan cheese, so they are very rich. I like them served simply with brown butter and sage, but you could also serve them with tomato sauce if you prefer, but do cook them in butter before adding sauce. When you brown them they get slightly crisp on the outside, without browning they can seem a little gummy.

Passover Spinach Ricotta Dumplings

Serves 4, makes about 35 small dumplings

Ingredients

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach

1 cup skim milk ricotta cheese

2/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 egg yolk

Pinch fresh grated nutmeg 

5 Tablespoons potato starch, divided

1/4 cup unsalted butter

12 fresh sage leaves

3-4 Tablespoons parmesan cheese 

Instructions

Cook the spinach according to instructions, let cool then squeeze all the water out of it as possible using your hands and a colander. 

Combine the spinach, ricotta, parmesan cheese, egg yolk, nutmeg and 2 tablespoons potato starch in a medium bowl. Mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Use a teaspoon to portion lumps of dough, and roll into balls. Place on a rimmed sheet pan. When all dough is rolled, dust the dumplings with the remaining 3 tablespoons of potato starch and roll them until they are coated on all sides. 

Boil a pot of water and add a pinch of salt. Gently place the dumplings in the water and simmer them until they rise to the surface, about 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place on a plate. 

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the sage leaves and the drained dumpling. Cook, rolling to brown lightly. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving. 

Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Feta and Dill Recipe

Quinoa Salad with Feta and Dill Recipe

I've very excited to announce I will be doing a cooking demo during Macy's Flower Show in San Francisco on March 30th at 2 pm. I'll be sharing some recipes for jazzing up your sack lunch. So skip the sandwiches! This fresh and hearty salad is healthy and inexpensive to make and might make your co-workers jealous. Better bring some to share! 

Quinoa is kind of like a blank canvas, it doesn't have much flavor or texture. It has protein but to be satisfying I think you need more variety. A little bit of feta and chickpeas add more protein and creamy textures. Originally I was trying to make a Greek inspired salad, but I didn't want to add salty olives and I found it was a little bland. Fresh dill and lemon really add some zest to it. I also used English cucumbers which are available all year round.

I do have a few tips for making this salad, for one, always remember to rinse quinoa before you cook it. It is very bitter otherwise. Also I use less water than the package suggests, I find 1 and 1/2 cups of liquid is plenty for 1 cup of quinoa. Finally serve this salad at room temperature. It keeps well in the refrigerator but doesn't taste quite as delicious when it's chilled so just take it out a half an hour or so before serving it.

Quinoa Salad with Feta and Dill
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup English cucumber, diced
1 cup feta, crumbled
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup green onions, minced
3-4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Rinse the quinoa under cold water then cook according to package instructions. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let quinoa cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, feta, dill, green onions and lemon juice. Add plenty of fresh ground pepper then taste for seasoning. Serve at room temperature. Keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator

Enjoy!

Coffee Blending & Peet's Anniversary Blend

Coffee Blending & Peet's Anniversary Blend

To create a recipe you have to know your ingredients and to blend coffee, you have to know your beans. At Peet's Coffee & Tea they don't just taste their coffee once, but three times, once at purchase, once when it ships and finally when it arrives at headquarters they taste it in the coffee tasting room, where they also roast samples of it.

Recently I got to visit that very coffee tasting room, which feels a bit like a cross between a lab and a kitchen with drawers filled with bean samples, multiple kettles, a roaster, espresso machine and timers. I was in the company of a barista and Doug Welsh, coffee buyer and VP of Coffee, who combines beans to create coffee blends at Peet's. At the most basic level blending comes down to three things, says Welsh: Acidity + Aroma  + Body

Coffee tasting is also known as "coffee cupping" and it's not the same as just brewing coffee for drinking, in fact, like wine tasting, you spit rather than swallow the coffee. After visually examining the beans they roast the coffee very lightly so the true flavor of the coffee comes through and is not masked by the roasting, since roasting also adds flavor. After roasting and grinding, you smell the coffee grounds, then a few tablespoons of the grounds are placed in a glass and hot water is added. After a couple of minutes the crust of grounds is broken and you smell it again. The coffee is stirred, the foam removed with spoons and then you take a sip, aerating and slurping to get the most flavor. Finally you can spit the coffee out into a spittoon.

Reviewing the beans, the barista preparing the coffee, coffee samples

There are four varieties of beans in the 2013 Anniversary blend, I got a chance to try the beans from Columbia, Ethiopia and Java.

The Columbian beans lend acidity and have bright citrus notes, they comes from Palestina, from the South Central part of  Caldas, Columbia.

Ethiopian beans make up 40% of the blend, and have very floral aromas.  I also detected some spiciness in the Ethiopian.

The coffee from Java adds body, earthiness and sweetness, maybe even some caramel notes. It has a long finish. While many of the best coffees come from the Eastern part of Java, this coffee in particular came from the West, and has a profile more similar to Sumatra coffee, which is one of the most popular coffees Peet's sells.

The Peet's Philosophy
Do you prefer single varietals of grapes or blends? Single estate chocolate or blends? One really isn't necessarily better than the other.

Welsh explained that at Peet's they believe no coffee is "too good" to blend. They are not trying to cover up defects, but to create something truly unique and greater than the sum of the parts. In trying each component I was able to see how they all add to the final blend, making an even more complex but still harmonious coffee.

The Anniversary blend is seasonal and different each year, based on the supply of beans that they have, and will only be available for about six weeks so if you want to try it, get some soon. In grocery stores it is $9.99-11.99 per pound and $15.99 per pound in Peet's stores and online, with 5% going to a KIMSSA, to support the education of kids in Ethiopia

Changer son adresse IP en un clic pour voir la télé américaine

© DR

Regarder la télé depuis son PC dans de nombreux pays est de plus en plus populaire. Il n'y pas une semaine qui passe sans la publication d'une nouvelle étude sur le nombre de téléspectateurs grandissants qui délaissent leur poste traditionnel pour regarder leur série télé préférée sur leur ordinateur, à l'heure qui leur convient.

Aux Etats-Unis, les chaînes télé ont choisi de s'adapter au comportement de leurs auditeurs pour ne pas les perdre. Ils se sont tournés vers Internet pour diffuser gratuitement leurs programmes online depuis leurs propres sites. Et des plates-formes vidéos référencent des milliers de titres en partenariat avec les grandes chaînes, comme Hulu, iTunes, Amazon UnBox et plus récemment YouTube. Les américains n'ont que l'embarras du choix pour regarder la télé sur Internet.

Par contre pour toutes les personnes vivant en dehors des Etats-Unis, l'accès à ces vidéos est interdit pour des questions de droits d'auteur encore non résolus. En se connectant sur le site, l'adresse IP de son ordinateur est identifiée comme étant une adresse étrangère et un message apparaît: "Désolé, ce site n'est accessible que depuis les Etats-Unis".

C'est la raison pour laquelle les fans de séries se tournent vers les sites de partage vidéos comme sidereel.com ou megavideo.com, où ils trouvent, en streaming, le dernier épisode de la dernière saison de leur feuilleton préféré, en général le lendemain de sa diffusion aux Etats-Unis. Ces épisodes ne seront sur nos chaînes que dans des mois ou des années à venir.

Mais voici qu'une nouvelle alternative s'offre aux étrangers: HotSpot Shield. Un logiciel à télécharger qui change votre adresse IP en une adresse américaine pour tromper Hulu.com - un site Web gratuit de vidéo à la demande - vous permettant de visionner vos émissions comme si vous étiez aux Etats-Unis.

Jusqu'à présent, changer son adresse IP était du domaine des geeks et hackers, mais voilà que le New York Times en personne fait l'éloge de ce nouveau logiciel simplissime, sans aborder un quelconque problème de légalité.

Il n'y a rien de plus facile à utiliser, une fois HotSpot Shield téléchargé, il suffit de cliquer sur "connect" pour changer son adresse IP et se rendre sur Hulu ou NBC.