Recipe: Red velvet cupcakes

Quick recipe to red velvet cupcakes

Red Velvet cup cakes are the rage mostly for kids. It is essential to know the right way to bake the most delightful cupcakes:

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh strawberries, for garnish
Whipped cream, for garnish
Strawberry crush

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put 12 muffin moulds with cupcake papers.

2. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl beat together the milk, eggs, food coloring and vanilla with a handheld blender. Now mix both the dry and wet ingredients well.

3. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin moulds about 2/3 filled.

4. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick or a fork to check if it is baked.

5. Remove from oven and cool the cupcakes completely before garnishing.

6. Garnish with whipped cream (add some castor sugar to it when you whip it) and small pieces of fresh strawberry.

7. While serving to guests, you may put a few drops of strawberry crush to add more flavour to the cupcakes.

Wear right makeup during summer

Using the right makeup products during summer can be a tedious task for women, but keeping some factors in mind can help.

Makeup artist Rishab Khanna, who has styled some of the prominent Bollywood faces including Kajol, Karishma Kapoor and Neha Dhupia, suggests some quick tips:

* Wear a primer after moisturising your face and before foundation. This extra step will hold your foundation better and for a prolonged time.


* Instead of foundation, use tinted moisturiser that has SPF in it. This will make you feel light on the face while it is hot and steamy outside and protect you from the sun.

* Instead of a thick layer of lipstick, use bright and fresh colours on your lips. Use bright coloured tinted lip balms and lip tints. These will add colour to your face.

* Try a subtle tint for your cheeks and avoid heavy cakey blush. If you love bronze, use bronzer on high points of your face to get a sun-kissed look.

* For eyes, wear a gel liner with water proof mascara so that it stays in place even if you sweat. You can dab some powder eyeshadow with an angular brush on top of the liner to make it stay intact for long.

* Use a light foundation for your neck and shoulders so that it does look different from your face. Keep it light and always use a SPF sunscreeen.

SOURCE: islamitimes24.com

Why breakfast is important

How many times have you heard the adage, 'Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar'? Well, don't dismiss it. This age-old wisdom holds true even today, say nutritionists, dieticians and obesity consultants.


Break your fast

Consulting nutritionist and clinical dietitian Pooja Makhija says, "The most important meal of the day, undoubtedly, is breakfast. The first food intake after a minimum gap of seven-eight hours, it acts as a fuel to jump-start the body."

Pooja says a person's breakfast habit decides if his/her body goes into burning (high BMR) or storing (low BMR, high fat-storing) mode.

Nutritionist Deepshikha Agarwal says,"You break your night-long fast with this meal. It provides 25% of the total energy and nutrients required by the body. It will boost your energy levels and concentration."

Missing it is dangerous

No breakfast means a sluggish start to the day. It also makes a person eat larger meals in the course of the day, says Pooja.

"Since activity level, for most people, is maximum in the day, whatever you eat for breakfast is burnt well. So, it can be the biggest meal of the day. In fact, it is the best time for a cheat-meal," she says.

The best breakfast

Says Deepshikha, "The first meal of the day should be a perfect combination of carbohydrates, protein and fibre." An ideal breakfast must include all the "five pillars of nutrition", adds Pooja.

Carbohydrates: Poha/upma/bread/idli/dosa/paratha/wheatflakes.

Proteins: Sprouts/milk/curd/egg white/sausage.

Fat: All foods contain inherent or invisible fat.

Vitamins and minerals: Though required in very little quantities, these two are extremely important for a balanced breakfast. Fruits and vegetables are their best sources.

Try this

Her breakfast, says Pooja, includes a glass of vegetable juice, three-four egg whites and a slice of bread. "This ensures a complete, nourishing, balanced, supercharging and roaring start."

Other options for a good breakfast:

Cornflakes/wheatflakes/muesli + milk + fruit

Upma/poha with vegetables and sprouts

Idli/dosa + sambhar with vegetables

Dal paratha + vegetable raita

Dal chilla with vegetables + bread/roti

Vegetable sandwich + milkshake

Egg/sausage + bread + vegetables

Beware

Never start your day with caffeine. Eat something (fruit/biscuit/plain milk) first and about 20 minutes later, have tea or coffee.

SOURCE: bdview24.com

Herbal teas for skin and hair: new beauty mantra

Two herbal teas have recently made their way into the list of drinks that are known for their beauty benefits.

You've heard it many times — green tea treats dark patches under the eyes and lavender tea reduces stress lines from the face. Tea, in its brewed form, has been known to treat all sorts of skin and hair conditions. They are rich in antioxidants and known for their anti-ageing and anti-inflammatory properties that when used topically on the skin or hair works wonders.

The latest to join the brigade of teas that treat skin and hair woes, Matcha and Kombucha are now being preferred by beauty professionals worldwide.

Green Tea

Everyone knows the many health benefits that green tea has to offer. However, apart from keeping one fit, this tea is also a popular beauty ingredient. If applied in the form of a face mask, green tea acts as an exfoliator. It brings shine to the face and also reduces excess sebum production. For the hair, green tea can be brewed and then used as a hair wash. The tannin in the tea adds lustre to hair. When combined with lemon juice, green tea helps reduce dandruff and acts as a hair


Chamomile Tea

If you are looking at a natural way to lighten your hair, washing your mane with chamomile tea will do the trick. It lightens your hair by two shades! You can steep two chamomile bags in hot water, then mix them with lemon juice and apply it on your hair for 5-10 minutes. You can also use this tea as a natural shampoo and conditioner

Black Tea

The free radicals present in this tea delays the skin's ageing process. It also replenishes skin instantly when splashed on the face. Brew the tea and then let it cool down. Refrigerate it for a couple of minutes and then apply it on your face to soothe your skin.

Lemongrass Tea

Known to be an excellent detoxifying agent, it not only cleanses your system when consumed but also helps you get rid of blemishes and acne. Apply a cool mixture of this tea on your face daily.

Oolong Tea

If reducing wrinkles and dark spots is your worry, apply a paste of oolong tea on your face. The antioxidants present in it help remove toxins from your skin, thereby reducing age spots. It also protects your skin from pigmentation caused by the harmful UV rays of the sun.

Lavender Tea

Apart from its cooling and calming benefits, lavender tea is also known for reducing all sorts of skin infections. It treats hair loss and reduces dandruff as well.

Kombucha Tea

This is a lightly fermented tea, which is made with sugar, bacteria and yeast. It is sometimes also referred to as the Kombucha mushroom tea. It contains Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY), which not only detoxifies your skin but also hydrates and improves skin elasticity. This tea helps improve skin tone, clarity and texture. It also brightens your skin and visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. You can drink this tea on a regular basis and also apply a fine paste of it on your face for approximately half an hour.

Ginger Tea

Ginger is known to be an antiseptic that treats any kind of skin imperfections. From curing tanned and pigmented skin to reducing uneven skin tone, the benefits are many. It also increases blood circulation in the scalp, thereby reducing hair fall.

Matcha Tea

This green tea, derived from Japan, is known to be one of the finest teas in the world. Normally green in colour, this tea is rich in chlorophyll, which is known to be one of the ideal sources of antioxidants that helps detoxify your skin. Apart from consuming this tea, one can also apply it as a pack on the face. Further, the tea can be brewed and kept until cooled and then splashed on the face on a regular basis for a clean and spot-free complexion.

source: bdview24.com