What you need:

1. 500g thinly sliced smoked salmon
   
2. 300g crème fraîche
   
3. 100g cream cheese
   
4. 5 table spoon of lemon juice
   
5. 2 tea spoon of finely chopped fennel (optional)
   
6. 3 table spoon of olive oil, plus extra for greasing
   
7. 1 tea spoon of caster sugar
   
8. 1 cucumber that has been sliced thinly
   
9. Finely chopped fresh dill, chopped, plus extra sprigs to garnish
   

Brief Background:

1. Smoked Salmon is an ancient method being used in culinary nowadays where it consists of cleaning and filleting fresh salmon fish. It is a very simple and fast menu to make which will take you at least 20 minutes (together with its chilling) to finish making it. It is recommended that you narrowly slice the smoked salmon from top to its tail or just use 5 large slices and cut it into half. The salmon will remain in good condition in the freezer for several weeks if it is not cut, therefore just cut off the slices that you will need only for the lunch.
   
2. You can also use fine salt or sea salt to salting it by using your hand because it provides high-quality production and eliminates impurities and also excess moisture thus making it refine and balance the flavor without the need for additives or chemical products. Then, the salmon need to be exposed either to hot or cold smoking.
   If you choose to buy smoked salmon, do not purchase it based on color because the colour varies depending on the method of smoking. Always look at the flesh which comes with a moist or oily appearance along with shining surface, instead of dried, and discoloured or one that has darkened edges.
3. This type of menu provides us with nutritional values such as 9.5 g of Carbohydrates, 1 g of Fat, 1.4 g of Protein, plus it is also rich in calcium, iron, potassium and sulfur.
   
4. If there is left-over of the smoked salmon terrines, it can be kept in the freezer but only for the salmon terrines and not the dressing and the cucumber.
   

Additional Reading:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/3310056/The-perfect-Christmas-lunch.html
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/articles/rachel-allens-christmas-lunch-menu-and-timeplan
http://www.greedygourmet.com/2009/06/03/smoked-salmon-terrine/
http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/products/fish/smoked-salmon/

Recipe Link:
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/articles/rachel-allens-christmas-lunch-menu-and-timeplan
http://www.greedygourmet.com/2009/06/03/smoked-salmon-terrine/

The Ideal Christmas Lunch is a post from: DIY Guides

Related posts:

1. The Ideal Christmas Dinner
2. The Ideal Christmas Breakfast
3. The Ideal Christmas Dinner Event

One of an ideal menu that should be prepared during the Christmas breakfast is the Cinnamon and raisin fruit loaf which is a simple breakfast menu to prepare during Christmas morning along with croissants or eggs and muffins. The combination of the mentioned menu will definitely brings in an added joy to your breakfast during Christmas celebration. It can also be frozen and when it is required, you can just toast it.

What you need:

1. 30g dried cherries
   
2. 125g mixed golden sultanas and raisins
   
3. 50g dried apricots, finely chopped
   
4. 250ml strong Lady Grey tea, cold
   
5. 400g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
   
6. 7g sachet (2 tsp) active dried yeast
   
7. 1 tea spoon of ground cinnamon
   
8. 2 table spoon of caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
   
9. ½ tea spoon of salt
   
10. Grated zest of one orange
    
11. 55g butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus a little extra for brushing
    
12. 1 medium free-range egg, beaten
    
13. 150ml full-fat milk, warmed
    
14. Oil, for greasing
    

Brief Background:

1. First of all, you need to place the ingredients such as the cherries, sultanas, raisins and apricots into a large size bowl, pour over the tea and leave it to steep for at least two hours before you drain it well.
2. Then, sift the flour also into a large bowl before adding yeast, cinnamon, sugar, salt and also orange zest. After that, you need to stir it well through the centre and set aside.
3. Use another bowl to pour in the combination of butter, egg and milk. Then, you need to pour it well in the flour mixture that you have made earlier. Always use a wooden spoon in order to mix the ingredients to become soft dough. When you noticed that the dough nearly come together, you can add it together with the fruit ingredients that you have make earlier.
4. You need to place it onto a lightly floured surface enabling you to knead for ten minutes until the dough becomes elastic and smooth. If it is too sticky, you need to add a little extra flour.
5. After that, you need to place the dough into a large and well-oiled bowl before covering with well-oiled cling film and leave it in a warm place for at least 45 minutes. Then, you have to transfer it to a lightly floured surface and shape the dough making it an oblong or round shape, and put it into a lightly greased and floured 900g loaf tin. You also need to cover it using an oiled cling film and just leave it to rise for approximately 30 minutes.
6. You need to pre-heat the oven with range of temperature such as 200 degrees Celsius, 180 degrees fan or use gas oven. Then, brush the bread with melted butter and a little bit of sugar before baking it at least for 25 minutes until you notice its top becomes golden brown, while the loaf makes hollow sound when it is tapped on the bottom.

1. This type of menu provides us with nutritional values such as 292kcals, 7.7g of fat (4.1g saturated), 7.4g of protein, 51.5g of carbs, 18.2g of sugar and 0.4g of salt.
   

Additional Reading:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/christmas/a/Christmasbreakf.htm
http://entertaining.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_best_christmas_morning_menus_with_recipes

http://www.catalogs.com/info/food/recipes-for-christmas-breakfast.html
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/articles/a-christmas-breakfast-menu

Recipe Link:
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/cinnamon-and-raisin-fruit-loaf

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/turtlemom_nancy/2739271994/

The Ideal Christmas Breakfast is a post from: DIY Guides

Related posts:

1. The Ideal Christmas Lunch
2. The Ideal Christmas Dinner
3. The Ideal Christmas Dinner Event

What you need:

1. Beef Tenderloin (about 2 ½ pounds)
   
2. 1 tablespoon of either butter or margarine
   
3. 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (3 ounces)
   
4. 1 cup soft bread crumbs (about 1 1/2 slices bread)
   
5. 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or Roquefort cheese
   
6. 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
   
7. 1 tablespoon of either olive oil or vegetable oil
   
8. 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt) or regular salt
   
9. 1/2 cup currant jelly (for making the Merlot Sauce)
   
10. 1/2 cup Merlot, Zinfandel or nonalcoholic red wine (for making the Merlot Sauce)
    
11. 1/4 cup Progresso beef flavored broth from 32-ounces carton (for making the Merlot Sauce)
    
12. 1 tablespoon butter or margarine (for making the Merlot Sauce)

Brief Background:

1. In order to make steaks, you need to buy a basic cut of meat which is also known as Beef Tenderloin. It is called Beef Tenderloin because the meat comes from the right of the short loin section of a cow. The reason choosing this centre loin section is due to its extreme tenderness thus making it a popular demand during holiday season and also very expensive.
2. When you purchase a beef tenderloin, it is recommended that you choose an untrimmed beef because it is less expensive than the trimmed one. In order to trim the beef tenderloin, you just need to use a sharp knife and remove the silver tinted skin along with any excess fat or tendons.
   For easy grilling of the beef, try to cut it into individual steaks even if you are putting some stuffed ingredients inside the beef because individual steak is easy to grill. Make sure you take the beef out from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before you want to grill them.
   
3. The beef tenderloin need to be grilled by using medium heat and time range to cook, it will depend how thick you cut the beef (at least 60 seconds per side) and always use a tong when you flip the steaks instead of a fork. Using a fork will easily poke the steak and lose valuable juices and make it less tasteful. Use the following range of temperature for grilling guides, for rare beef use between 120 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, for medium rare beef use between 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit or for medium beef use 140 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
4. You can also use simple seasoning such as a little pepper, garlic or sea salt. The beef tenderloin normally tastes good on its own and if you use more seasoning, it will take away the beef\’s flavor.

Additional Reading:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2495797/how_about_vegan_christmas_dinner_recipes.html?cat=22
http://bonvivant.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/a-christmas-dinner-in-four-parts-salted-cod-brandade-creamed-eggs-with-salmon-roe/

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/beef-tenderloin-with-red-wine-sauce/7a824f74-0452-47cf-bc06-346f7fa83ed4

http://www.sheknows.com/articles/807132.htm

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/beef-tenderloin-wild-mushroom-stuffing.aspx
http://grillingbeeftenderloin.com/

Recipe Link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettycrockerrecipes/4164356082/

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettycrockerrecipes/4164356082/

The Ideal Christmas Dinner is a post from: DIY Guides

Related posts:

1. The Ideal Christmas Dinner Event
2. The Ideal Christmas Breakfast
3. The Ideal Christmas Lunch

It\’s nearly that time of the year again. The time of this season for giving and receiving, of course, Christmas today is as much a traditional holiday as Chinese New Year, Eid and Diwali as well as a commercially-driven celebration such as Valentine\’s Day. Here\’s a list of activities to do during this joyous time of the year:

Spend time with family members

• Had a tiff with Mom over your choice of clothing? Annoyed by your brother\’s constant loud music blasting throughout the house? Forget it all. This a season to forgive. Take a day off and go get some fresh air outside of the usual environment your family is used to. Go to a park and have a picnic or even just play a game of Monopoly together. At least for just one day, spend some well-deserved quality time with your family.

Meet up with long lost friends

• Family is important but so are friends. So, how long has it been since you last met your high school friends or college / university mates? Can\’t remember? Well, it\’s high time to pick up that phone and start calling and reconnect with each other. It\’s better to take the first step yourself than to wait a huge reunion that might or might not happen. Go out for a movie or head to nearest karaoke to sing your hearts out. If neither is to your taste, there is always the unofficial national hangout place: the local bar!

Give, give, give…

• It\’s not only about those you know but who you don\’t too as it is after all the season to give and share. Take some time out and visit charitable homes and gain new experiences along the way. Who knows? You might be able to make new friends at the same time too. In any case, if you have any extra items to give away, that is even better. There are many homes or charitable organisations which take in used items that are still in good condition. Volunteerism is definitely undervalued but never under-appreciated.

Shop till you drop

• Not literally of course! The shopping malls are not only a spectacle to behold during this season but great places to spend. Not only are there sales everywhere, there are also many choices to choose from no matter what your budget is. Just look out for the big \’Sale\’ sign hanging in front of the shops and you\’ll be sure to find a bargain!

Travel

• Since it is such a long holiday, why not take a breather and have a vacation? There are so many choices to choose from either locally or overseas. Nowadays, no matter what your budget is, there are various options to choose from; you can travel on budget with budget airlines or travel in comfort with all the frills attached. Take your pick and go on your very own adventure!
  

Engage your inner couch potato

• If spending money, battling traffic jams and large crowds is not your kind of thing, then staying at home would be the best option. Since it is Christmas, there would most likely be a lot of feel-good movies or entertainment programmes on TV. It might not be such a bad idea to relax and unwind in front of the tube once in awhile.
  

No matter what activity you choose to engage in this Christmas, just have fun and enjoy the trappings that go with the season!

Activities for Christmas is a post from: DIY Guides

Related posts:

1. Christmas Tree Lighting Activities
2. Activities to do on New Year
3. Decorating for Christmas

What you need:

1. 1 piece of cute fabric
   
2. A recipe for you favourite cookies
   
3. The dry ingredients to this cookie recipe
   
4. A plastic zip bag
   
5. Rubber band
   
6. Decorative ribbon
   
7. A Christmas themed cookie cutter which is an optional item

Method:

1. You can create the cookie bags according to your preference and creativity, plus you can also add your very own personal touches to the Cookie bag that shows your inner creativity in designing or decorating.
   
2. You also need to decide on the cookie or other type of recipes (cakes, brownies or pasta) that you would like to use for the gift. Then, you need to print the recipe through your computer or just hand-write it in a recipe card that you can make using colourful card. The copy of the recipe will be attached to the cookie bag itself.
   
3. Then, put some dried ingredients required for that particular recipe that you have chosen and place it carefully into a zip-top bag. After that, you can place your selected piece of fabric around the zip-top bag and gather it up from bottom to the top. Try to get a large piece of fabric and then trim the excess from the top.
   
4. When you have wrapped it all around, tie the top first with a rubber band making sure it does not loosen up before decorating it with ribbon or coloured string of your choice. Then attached the recipe that you have print out or hand to the bag by making a hole-punch to it, string a ribbon through the hole and attach to the top of the bag.
   
5. Apart from that, you can also add a cute Christmas shaped cookie cutter or jingle bells or cupcake tins and papers or cute measuring utensils (or other items according to the festive occasion) and tie it along on the bag as you secure the top.

Now, your beautiful Cookie bag is ready to be given out to your beloved one. Your choice of recipes can even be for cakes, brownies or anything of your preferred choice. The purpose of attaching the recipe content is to enable the recipient to know what ingredients to use when trying to make your suggested recipe.

Additional Reading:
http://rubyglen.com/crafts/christmascookie.htm

Image Credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scuzzi/344990835/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mybenzie/3087893437/

Making a nice homemade Cookie bag Christmas gift is a post from: DIY Guides

Related posts:

1. Romantic Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas
2. Adorable Christmas Ornaments made from Cookie Cutter
3. Re-using your old greeting cards and gift wraps as Christmas garland

What you need:

1. 10 large sheets of tissue paper for large ball
2. 3 to 4 sheets for the smaller ball
3. Pipe cleaner for each you make
4. Fishing Wire (for hanging purpose)
5. Paper clip for hanging, (optional)

Method:

1. Firstly, use 10 sheets of large tissue paper to make the large tissue paper ball, and then place them on top of each other. It is recommended to use a more rectangular shape, but the ones shown here is a square shape tissues (20 inches by 20 inches).
2. After that, you need to fold the tissue just like a fan. For square pieces, it does not matter which side you fold, but as for tissue that comes with 20-inch by 26-inch, you need to fold it long ways.
3. Then you have to flip it over and fold it the other way.
4. Keep on continue to fold until it looks like the following picture.
5. Then, fold it in half to find the middle of the tissue and twist on a pipe cleaner that you should double it around twice and then twist it so that there is an opening to put the fishing wire through.
6. You need to trim the ends of each side, where you can either choose to do a curved point or a triangular point (like the small ones).
7. Begin to poof up the ball in order to open it up.
8. You can start fluffing on one side first and pull the top piece toward the middle and then, proceed with the other side. After that, flip it over and repeat the same process. Plump it up until your eyes are satisfied.
9. Attached fishing wire to the tissue ball for the purpose of hanging it up on the ceiling or any place that you think suitable.
10. Pick up three to four pieces of tissue paper (whichever is your choice) and cut them in half equally.
11. Place them on top of each other just like in the first one.
12. Follow steps 2-9 of the above mentioned steps (for the large tissues).

You can even change the colours, the sizes, even put a smaller piece on top and bottom to help cover up the centre. Change it up any way you want to according to your liking. You can also use a paper clip to hook it onto the ceiling.

Additional Reading:
http://ohsohappytogether.blogspot.com/2009/06/tissue-paper-flower-ball-decoration-how.html

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohsohappytogether

Creating your own Tissue Paper Ball Party Decorations is a post from: DIY Guides

Related posts:

1. Making Christmas Angel with Toilet Tissue Rolls
2. Making a Disco Ball out of Old CDs
3. Making your own Christmas Ball decoration