Currently listening to:  Jay-Z - Lucifer

Ingredients

5-6 fresh spinach leaves

1/2 teaspoon oil (sesame or olive)

1 teaspoon chilli powder/ paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

Method

• 1. Wash, dry the spinach leaves and tear them into small pieces(chip sized)
• 2. Place the leaves in a microwave dish and add oil, paprika black pepper and salt.
• 3. Mix well so that the leaves are well coated with the masala.
• 4. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes till the chips are crisp and done.

Serves 2

Calories per serving size- 30

Tip- The chips tend to cook very fast, so keep a check on the temperature of the microwave. Different brands will have a variation with the temperature. So do a test first with a small batch, before putting in all the chips. You can also try this recipe with cabbage or mooli(raddish) leaves also.

Thanks to the POP-O-POT you can now make the best microwave popcorn you have every had. I'm not a big fan of microwave popcorn. Mainly because I didn't care for the nasty after taste and the chemicals that were added to the bags. Nothing worse than some orange slime sticking to your fingers after eating a bag.

  With the POP-O-POT you don't have to worry about that anymore! It uses a couple of teaspoons of your favorite oil and popcorn. That's it. The instructions call for 6 minutes in the microwave (mine used 8 due to the power level). When it was done popping, all you have is the freshest, fluffiest popcorn ever. The taste is out of this world. The natural corn flavors aren't masked by any oils or preservatives.

We tried 4 different types of popcorn in the POP-O-POT. 1 yellow pearl type popcorn and 3 colored rice type popcorn. All 4 types popped out nice. Some of the colored popcorn was a little older than I prefer and it still popped up nice and flaky. I never could do that in a regular popper.

The ony problem with the POP-O-POT is that once you use it and taste the great flavors you won't want to use anything else to make popcorn. Now I have to get in line at my house just to make a batch. Even my youngest daughter who loves the garbage bags of microwave popcorn loves this popper. She doesn't even complain when we ask her to make us a batch.

The Pop-O-POT is a simple clay pot made in Chile. This popper is so simple yet it makes the best microwave popcorn I have ever tasted. You can even add butter and salt to the popper before microwaving. I prefer to do it after popping so the popcorn doesn't get tough.

"Keep your sanity!" (wise words from your very own ethereal girl)

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" (random dude)

Now imagine your very own ethereal girl giving random dude a glare and head tilt that non verbally says "Oh NO you didn't, bro. Go watch yourself some CNN."

In case you are having trouble reading between the lines, we were mildly discussing the economy, business, our business, life in general, financial meltdown, loss of optimism, emotional distress, lack of sleep, no real understanding concerning the meaning of life, etc., etc., etc. We have fallen on REALLY hard times people, and I'm starting to see it all seep its way into my life.

It's sad...in such a way that sad doesn't even scrape the surface.

Children as young as 18 months can open a microwave, remove the hot substance, and scald themselves. These burns can result in serious injuries that often required skin grafting and intensive care.

"Scalds are the leading cause of burn-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations for young children under 5," said lead researcher Dr. Gina Lowell, with the department of pediatrics at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Most of the scalds suffered by young children that require hospitalization are caused by hot foods or drinks, according to the findings, published in the October issue of Pediatrics.

"Parents need to recognize that children can burn themselves this way," Lowell said. "The microwave is a danger area."

Parents should tell their toddlers that when the bell on the microwave rings: "Mommy or daddy gets it first," Lowell said. "It's inappropriate for any child under 5 to be pulling anything out of the microwave."

For the study, Lowell's team looked at the medical records of children under 5 who were admitted to the University of Chicago burn center between January 2002 and December 2004. One hundred forty had scald burns, with 94 caused by hot foods or liquids.

Nine children between 18 months and 4 years old were scalded after opening a microwave oven and removing a hot substance. And 17 were burned when an older child, between the ages 7 and 14, was cooking, carrying a hot liquid, or supervising a younger child, according to the study.

To prevent these injuries, Lowell's group thinks that microwaves should be redesigned to prevent young children from opening them. The child lock mechanisms currently on microwaves prevent children from operating the machines, but don't prevent children from opening them after foods have been heated, she noted.

And scald prevention programs should educate parents, caregivers and older children about the danger of hot foods and drinks causing serious burn injuries to young children, she said.

When a scald occurs, parents should immediately run cold water over the burn for at least five to 10 minutes, Lowell advised. "If they feel the burn is serious, then they should take their child to the emergency room," she said.

Dr. Karen Sheehan, medical director of Injury Prevention and Research at Children's Memorial Hospital, and medical director of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Chicago, believes parents need to be better educated about the dangers of microwave ovens.

"Microwaves are often thought by parents to be safer to use than stoves," Sheehan said. "But this article demonstrates that microwave use can cause severe scald burns to children. It is critical that health-care providers provide counseling to parents about the potential burn hazard from using microwaves."

Dr. James G. Linakis, associate director of pediatric emergency medicine at Hasbro Children's Hospital/Rhode Island Hospital, said the findings are consistent with his own experience.

"The majority of children we see in the emergency department with unintentional scalds are toddlers who have pulled down hot liquids from the stove or microwave onto themselves, and children who have been scalded by a hot liquid unintentionally spilled by an older child or adult," he said. "These burns are extremely painful, and in some cases leave children with significant scarring. Efforts to prevent these causes of scald burns have the potential to make a significant impact on this type of injury."

More information

For more on children's safety, visit the Safe Kids.

SOURCES: Gina Lowell, M.D., department of pediatrics, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; Karen Sheehan, M.D., medical director, Injury Prevention and Research, Children's Memorial Hospital, and medical director, Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Chicago, Chicago; James G. Linakis, M.D., Ph.D., associate director, pediatric emergency medicine, Hasbro Children's Hospital/Rhode Island Hospital, Providence; October 2008 Pediatrics

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

Last Updated: Oct. 07, 2008

Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Related Links:

• 1300-watt family-size microwave oven with 1-1/5-cubic-foot capacity
• 13-1/2-inch turntable; 1-touch sensor cooking; keep-warm menu
• Inverter Turbo Defrost ensures even heating; menu-action screen
• 10 power levels; pop-out dial for easy programming; delay start; timer
• Measures 11-7/8 by 20-3/8 by 15-15/16 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Quick Review:

This new model powerful microwave have couple of added feature such as 1 touch sensor cooking, inverter technology and up to 10 power level settings. Overall, it's good buy but there are few good points and bad points about this Panasonic NN-SD667S microwave

The Bad:

• Reliability Problem

The Good:

• Powerful
• Inverter Technology – Heat up faster and more evenly.
• User Friendly Control Pad

User Feedback:

"This is best microwave I have ever used!! I love how well it works; I specifically wanted to review it somewhere to sing its praises. Like other reviewers, I also thought the Inverter Technology would turn out to be marketing hype, but it really does make a difference. Food warms faster & more evenly and, the best feature, is that defrosting is one step. I am referring to the last microwave we had where it stopped 2-3 times during the defrost and wanted you to do things with the food, then start it again each time" – R. Holman

"The control pad is easy to use, and the pop-out knob is a nice feature. I find knobs easier to use than a key pad, but hated having to clean them. This solves that problem - you have a knob to set time/weight, but it easily pops in so you can clean without any hard to reach crannies that trap dirt" - Comdet

"I certainly am not an expert on kitchen appliances, but I did comparison shopping for a powerful, high-quality, multi-featured microwave oven for a good price. And I feel that I really found what I was looking for with this Panasonic microwave. My impressions were confirmed when I stumbled upon a current Consumer Reports review of microwave oven and saw that this model was listed as a "Best Buy" for its class. I definitely recommend it without hesitation" – VoteDemocratic

Further Information:

• Panasonic NN-SD667S 1-1/5-Cubic-Foot 1300-Watt Microwave Oven

2. Work hard to get It.

3. If you fail, then get up, brush yourself off and try again.

4. When you succeed go back to step number one.

Yahoo News had an article today about the dangers of eating microwaved food. Well, to be specific the article was talking specifically about meat. The article states that microwaves do not heat/cook meat evenly and can therefore leave pockets of salmonella etc. growing in your food.

I don't own a microwave. I gave it away about two years ago because I was worried about the health effects of eating microwaved food. I read a study that claimed that your food remains "charged" and that when you test the bodies of people eating microwaved food, their bodies retain radiation from the food for hours after consumption. This is likely to be detrimental to health. I have also read that microwaving your food can destroy the protein as well as vitamins and minerals contained therein.

Our food is already depleted in vitamins and minerals. Do we really need to further deprive our bodies of necessary nutrition by choosing the wrong methods of cooking our food?

To add to the point of salmonella etc. mentioned above I also wanted to talk about the listeria outbreak in Canada (which has as of yesterday claimed 20 lives). This outbreak is originating from a deli meat company in Quebec. This is noteworthy because the Conservative government has played a large role in the deregulation of safety testing in this field and the outcome has been less accountability on behalf of the company and a resulting contamination in meat.

Deregulation is a dangerous idea. You cannot expect that corporations will take the efforts necessary to ensure their products are safe. At the same time that Monsanto pushes the government to lessen regulations and accept pesticides, rBGH and GMO as safe, their CEO has been publicly quoted as saying that it's not his job to prove his products are safe. A scary thought in a system that largely favours deregulation!

Pharmaceutical companies are another prime example of this. There are more people who die from properly administered drugs than from car accidents, gun violence, terrorism etc. combined. And yet, the FDA keeps allowing Big Pharma shorter and shorter approval times and hasn't demanded third party analysis of data or anything else as part of the approval process! You can read my article on pharmaceutical integrity here: http://theworldismysoyster.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/the-conscious-consumer-and-the-doctor/ )

Time.com has an article about the flu vaccine (Does the Flu Vaccine Really Protect Kids? by Alice Park). Although this vaccine is touted as a crucial part of your health regime this article states that it isn't reducing the number of children contracting the flu in the U.S.. The article clearly states that "the immunized youngsters were just as likely to be hospitalized or to visit the doctor  as kids who never received the vaccine."

The creation of the influenza vaccine is mostly a guessing game. Scientists in a lab try to determine which three flu strains will be the biggest threat for that year and then create anti-bodies for those three strains. The truth is that there are hundreds of flu vaccine strains on the streets every year and the chance of the Flu vaccine actually preventing illness is quite low!

So, here is my advice: don't contaminate your body and those of your family with the heavy metals contained in these flu vaccines for no reason. You are likely to contract the flu whether or not you vaccinate. So why bother?

Vaccines are difficult for our immune systems to handle (even more so for little ones). Instead of assaulting your immune system prior to the flu season just focus on boosting your immunity naturally (see my article on that here:  http://theworldismysoyster.wordpress.com/category/immunity/ ).

Another example of pharmaceutical integrity (rolls eyes) is an article from October 2008 issues of Pediatrics that states that one in 20 American CHILDREN received free drug samples from their pediatricians in 2004. That doesn't like a lot but the article also goes on to state that the samples that the kids receive (as is true of ANY samples from your doctor) are samples of the newest, most expensive and least well understood (meaning unsafe) drugs available.

The article (quoted from Yahoo News) stated that "Four of the 15 most frequently distributed samples in 2004 were identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as having significant safety concerns, including new black box warnings or significant revisions to existing warnings."

Remember that thousands of people die every year from using these drugs. Your family would benefit tremendously from becoming educated about the drugs you take, the reasons you take them and alternatives to them.

More news:

Now pharmaceutical companies are banding together and recommending that parents not give their children cough medicine if they are under the age of six! After spending years marketing to parents of toddlers they have finally caved into the bad publicity and decided to admit what many of us have known for years, that cough medicine is unsafe!

They also state that parents should not use antihistamines to make their kids sleepy (ie. before trips). I have had two parents recommend this to me and it's all I can do not to yell at them. I severely judge any parent who thinks it's acceptable to drug their children for unnecessary reasons. I think giving your child an antihistamine to calm them before a trip is equivalent to giving your kids a doobie to mellow them out! Actually, I bet marijuana is much safer!

Drugs are not candy people! Just because you can buy it over the counter, it doesn't mean it's safe. Becoming informed is the best thing you can do to protect your family from unnecessary harm.

The federal government has announced that 32 people in 12 states were sickened with salmonella poisoning after eating precooked, frozen chicken dinners. The problem? Many of the people who got sick apparently did not follow the instructions for preparing the meal, which called for heating it in an oven. Those who got sick popped their meals in microwaves instead.

According to the Department of Agriculture, the dishes included breaded or pre-browned chicken breasts, some of them stuffed with vegetables or sold as “chicken Kiev” and “chicken cordon bleu.” The appearance of the food led people to assume that the chicken breasts were thoroughly cooked, even though they were still raw or undercooked inside. The agency said that some of the sicknesses occurred in Minnesota, but would not identify the 11 other states involved in the outbreak.

“The issue is that people think it’s cooked and it just needs to be heated up,” Carlota Medus, an epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health, told the New York Times last year. “Microwave cooking for something that has to be cooked isn’t always a good idea.”

Bon appétit.

Do this three times.

Breath in deeply and hold for ten seconds - breath in pure healthy positive energy.

As you exhale mentally say to yourself - relax - exhale releasing any remaining negative energy.

I would definitely recommend this Fasta Pasta microwave cooker if you are looking to use your microwave to cook some pasta meal. This little microwave accessory is just perfect for the job to cook some microwave meal.

• Cook perfect pasta every time.
• Saves time, energy and water.
• No boil over.
• Cooks evenly without sticking.
• Cooks up to 4 serving.
• Easy to use and easy to clean.
• Strainer lid makes the container easy to handle when hot.
• Dishwasher safe.

Further Information:

• Fasta Pasta The Microwave Cooker

Horror of horrors.

First of all, you need to understand that microwaves are just electromagnetic waves with a certain frequency and wavelength just like visible light. Wavelength is the length between consecutive peaks of the wave. It's a very intuitive name. You can see it labeled in the picture to the right as the Greek letter "lambda" (λ). Since waves propagate (move), we can also define a quantity called the frequency. Frequency is the number of peaks of a wave that pass a certain fixed point per second. Wavelength is a measure of distance, and frequency is a measure of one divided by time. So to find the speed ("c") of the wave, you just need to multiply these two quantities together:

c := speed = (distance) x (1/time) = (frequency) x (wavelength)

...but why the chocolate and the microwave, you ask?

What you need to do is use a microwave oven and a piece of chocolate to measure the frequency and wavelength of microwaves. Then you can find the speed of light! Fortunately, microwaves usually have the operating frequency written on the back. Check the back of your microwave. Mine says the frequency is 2450 MHz ( = 2,450,000,000/1 second).

Now that we have the frequency, all we need is the wavelength; this is where the chocolate comes in handy... You might have a microwave with a spinning dish inside. You can probably guess what that's for. It's to help heat things up evenly (like stirring a pot of soup on the stove). Whereas on a stove the heat is concentrated on the bottom of a pot, the energy (and thus heat) that microwaves give to food is concentrated at the peaks of the microwaves. If we take out the rotating dish then we can find these peaks, measure the distance between them, and find the wavelength. So we just need to heat the chocolate up a bit, find some soft spots (where the peaks of the microwave are) and measure the distance between them with a ruler.

Here's what you'll need:

• Large chocolate bar (bigger than 5 inches)
• Ruler (to measure distances)
• Microwave oven (with rotating dish removed)
• Coffee (optional... it goes well with chocolate)

Place the chocolate bar (unwrapped) in the microwave oven and heat it up (without moving it) until you can see soft spots forming. If I were to hazard a guess for the timing, I'd say heat about thirty seconds... but that's a guess. It really depends how powerful your microwave oven is.

When you have at least two soft spots forming in the chocolate, take it out and try to measure the distance between them with a ruler. (I had to prod the chocolate lightly with a spoon to find the soft spots). My chocolate didn't turn out very nicely, but I was able to make a very rough measurement of about 4.5 inches between the centers of the soft spots.

Now we can use the wonders of Google to do the calculations for us. I can just type the following right in Google and it will calculate the speed in the proper units: "2450MHz*4.5inches".

Google says:

(2450 megahertz) * 4.5 inches = 280 035 000 m / s

...but how close are we to the real answer, you ask?

We can check our answer with Google again. Just type "c" into google and it will give you the speed of light!

Google says:

the speed of light = 299 792 458 m / s

For a measurement made with a ruler and a chocolate bar, it's not too far off. It works!

But don't take my word for it, listen to this amateur scientist explain the experiment.

What you need:

paper plates (I use Chinet...it's good and sturdy)

1-2 potatoes

salt to taste

spices to taste (optional)

cutting board and knife

microwave

Depending on what potato you have, you may need to peel it (if the skin is thick, then peel).  Baking potatoes such as Russet and Idaho should be peeled...new potatoes, white, yellow, blue and red potatoes don't need it.  Slice your potato as thinly as you can; the thinner the better!  Spray oil spray on a paper plate and arrange the chips onto it.  Make sure they don't touch each other (otherwise they'll stick to each other).  Sprinkle salt to taste and any other spice if you want to (I always add paprika for an extra kick) and spray the top of the chips as well.  Microwaving can take anywhere from 4 - 7 minutes on high, so keep watch!  If the chips turn too brown they're right near burnt...if you pull them out and they're soggy they're still not done!  Once they have a nice color and are relatively dry, pull them out and let sit for a minute or two (they'll dry up more while they sit).  Then enjoy!

Try this with other root veggies as well!

I first make the chocolate fortress (the surrounding of the mousse.) i cut an inch wide and about 8cm length on a baking paper (the mould). At first, i thought that would do, by just melting the chocolate n evenly spread it on the baking paper. Then, as i was about to fold it to make the fortress, i find it very hard to make a teardrop cause the baking paper was too thin and not firm enough. But still manage to get a somesort of a teardrop yang cacat..ahhaa :D. I wasn't satisfied, so i try agian..haha..this time i used one of those fliers from McDonald (u know those A4 size thick paper)so yeah..did the same time..n this time..success..so easy ba..just spread and fold..simple as that..haha..anyway after that folding, i let it rest in the fridge (i put at the bottom part, y?, cz fridge leaks sometimes..sigh..haha).

Rite, the mousse part. This is easy (so i thought..) just a few simple ingredients, cooking chocolate, whipping cream, eggs. So i melt the chocolate in my microware (shortcut ba..hehe) then separate the yolks and the whites, beat the yolks and whip the whites with a touch of salt ( this one haf to beat like gila..or just like what i did, use the hand mixer la...yes i got hand mixer..hehe..thank god..phew!) but one thing i found out is that, its always better to hand beat it cause after a while, there might be some egg whites underneath those foam (or is it bcz i didn't beat long enough...hmmm), anyway, lastly is the whipping cream that needs to b whip. :)

Lastly, combine yolks with melted chocolate then slowly fold into whipped cream and lastly the whites. Let it set for a while in fridge (supposed for an hour or longer but..i cant wait kan..cause wanted to take pic ba..hehe)Anyway, what i did after that was, to take out the thin baking paper that wraps around the fortress before putting the mousse. Guess what happen?As soon as i put the mousse in it, it breaks the chocolate fortress and the mousse just ooze out ..hehe..damn..then i thought, mayb its to thin or i need to freeze it longer. Then i think again, hey, what if i put the moussein first, chill it again then only remove the paper?hah..ya ba..boleh..so yeah.thats exactly what i did..hehe..

So this is what you get, a soft texture from the mousse and a little crunchy from the wall of chocolate teardrop. Tears of joy or otherwise?Well, i think its always both.. :)

The last 3 are all playhouse furniture, and obviously the last 2 have already been built (if you look at photos of past projects on this site).  The images (and my specific designs) are copyright fwiw.

All done in CAD, so getting dimensioned plans is a pretty simple step from here.  All modeled directly in 3D

Having said that, this feature adds significantly to the price so if you just want to reheat and defrost food, a standard countertop microwave oven would be both cost effective and an appropriate pick. This is because top-rated countertop microwave ovens usually cost roughly $100 less than comparable sized microwave ovens with convection.

Kenmore Elite Microwave - Best Uses

1) Powerful Hood - Some say the hood is the best and the most powerful they have come across.

2) Faster - Because it’s so powerful, your food can be done between 25% and 50% faster!

3) Perfection - They come out perfect, crispy and gob-smacking delicious. Some vouch that you can successfully cook pizza and chicken in this. For buyers who were overawed by this microwave oven, they have cooked everything from meatloaf to roasted veggies to peach cobbler.

4) Even Heating - Thanks to the convection function, it browns your food beautifully. Perfect cookies, perfect popcorn

5) Accurate Sensors - No more guesswork  The popcorn sensor can work on any bag size! You can’t even find one kernel burnt! How about that? Even for frozen vegetables, they come out hot without being overcooked!

6) ‘Extra’ Features - The many little niceties are a bonus. E.g. Nifty kitchen timer, etc. There are too many features for me to list them all!

7) Automatic Functions - First try at cooking? No sweat! The automatic functions make cooking a breeze.

8) Easy to Follow - Prompts in the display makes advanced function more accessible. No need to worry about digging out your instruction booklet. No extra buttons needed to use the main feature.

9) Versatile - You can choose to cook with convection only, microwave only or a combo.

10) Quiet - Like late night snacks? Go ahead without worrying about waking your neighbours.

11) Nightlight - The nightlights are adjustable

12) Attractive Looking - Offshore white

13) User-friendly Display - The touch buttons are very easy to read. Some adore the touch pad feature.

14) Easy Clean Up - Whether it is the interior or exterior, it should not take more than a few minutes!

Kenmore Elite - Downsides

1) Convection Problems - A good many users found that the convection will not heat higher than 350. Solution? Try your oven on higher temperatures before your warranty runs out. Remarks: Slightly underpowered but not a major concern.

2) May Require Professional Installation - Since it’s 30-inches wide, it may require professional installation. However, if you have a way with electrical appliances, you can install it yourself. Installation should take approximately 90 minutes. Some found the mounting hardware and instructions very easy to use.

3) Noise - The start/stop button and the fan make ‘clicking’ sound. Not an issue because it does in no way affect the function.

So, if you can afford Kenmor Elite 80829, approximately $500 or more depending on where you buy it from, go ahead and purchase it. After all, there is not much to lose when you have the best over-the-range microwave oven which has a powerful hood, accurate sensors, automatic functions, ‘extra’ features, user-friendly display, a nightlight, cooks perfectly, is faster, heats evenly, easy to follow, versatile, quiet, attractive looking and easy to clean.

In the mornings, while I am getting ready for work, I can just open my freezer and grab a healthy, cheap, eco friendly and fast frozen meal, which I later microwave at work.

It makes packing your lunch (the cheapest and most environmentally friendly thing to do) a breeze.

And of course, I rinse out my baggies and reuse them until they get holes in them or are otherwise rendered useless. Reuse saves money, and is better for the environment.  (Word to the wise, let your food cool a little before putting it into the bags, it minimizes leaching of chemicals from the plastic into your food, and putting hot food into the baggies could cause them to develop holes)