Healthy Low Calorie Gift Ideas For Easter 2009

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Easter starts with Good Friday, which is on April 10th, this year and a serving of Hot Crossed Buns covered in rich creamy butter. This is followed by chocolate Easter Eggs on Easter Sunday. These are wonderful traditions but for various reasons you may want to consider healthier lower calorie alternative gifts this year. 

May be you are just watching your weight, may be you are trying to reduce your cholesterol intake, maybe you don't like chocolate or hot crossed buns, whatever the reason Easter doesn't need to be packed with calories and cholesterol.

When you consider how expensive good Easter Eggs can be you can find some very nice gifts, which will last much longer for the same price.

Easter, somewhat like Christmas, is a good time for families to get together and enjoy a relaxing day. If you cannot all be together at Easter, Easter cards are a good way of letting someone know you are thinking of them. However, a good hand crafted Easter card can also be quite expensive and only lasts a few days at best. 

The traditional standby alternative to Easter Eggs is a good bouquet of flowers but these days' flowers can be expensive, short lived and many people don't like the smell of the pollen in their homes. Many people also question the impact cut flowers have on the environment as they are often raised in heated greenhouses in colder parts of the World or companies fly them in from tropical parts of the world in refrigerated containers to keep them fresh. If you know someone really likes flowers then it's not a bad gift but for the same price there are better alternatives gifts.

Keepsake tokens make lovely gifts and they will last for years to come. They come in many shapes and sizes from silver hearts engraved with names, and messages to miniature glass keepsakes in pretty colours and designs such as those from Spaceform of London. 

If you are buying a gift for the lady in your life, a sumptuous velvet jewellery roll is an inexpensive gift that she will treasure for many years. To make Easter really memorable, a stunning piece of jewellery is a sure way to make her day. 

For the man in your life a polished pair of cufflinks will mean he looks stylish throughout the year and brighten up his look as we move into spring. 

If you need to send a gift to someone else this Easter why not look online for gift companies that can make the gift extra special for you. Good companies offer same day dispatch, next day delivery, luxury gift boxes and complementary gift cards to which you can add your own message. Shopping for Easter gifts online can save you time, save you money and save the impact a trip to the shops would have on the environment. Shopping online also opens up a much wider range of alternative gift ideas for Easter.

If you don't want to completely leave the calories behind this Easter, a designer mug or cup and saucer filled with a small selection of homemade fudge is a creative and non-chocolate treat, which will show you have really made an effort.

Last but definitely, no means least, don't forget the people with Birthdays at Easter this year. If it is someone's birthday on Good Friday (13th April 2009), do not buy them chocolate, be a little more creative rather than taking the easy option. Make the effort and select a beautiful gift as you would if their birthday any other time of year. Designer Jewellery Rolls from Dulwich Designs make excellent gifts for women of all ages and are great with the holiday season fast approaching. For men luxurious Shaving sets from Edwin Jagger of Sheffield are a great addition to his shaving routine and will look wonderful in your bathroom.

However you decide to celebrate Easter this year and whatever gifts you decide to give your friends, have a wonderful relaxing break. 

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How to Make a Delicious Banana Split Cake Without Eggs

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Many people don't like the idea of eating raw eggs even when they are concealed in a recipe. If you are one of those people, as I am, here is a great recipe for a delightful Spring (or anytime) Dessert. This Banana Split Cake is made without using eggs. It is a beautiful dessert anytime of the year. However, it is an especially great dessert for Springtime and for your Easter table or buffet. For an Easter dessert, you could color some coconut green by using a dab of green food coloring. Sprinkle over the top of the cake or gather in the center and top with some jelly beans or miniature malted milk ball eggs to really impress the children in your family.

NO EGG BANANA SPLIT CAKE

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter (not melted)
3 bananas
1 pint strawberries
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained & reserved
1 carton (9-oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup chopped pecans
marashino cherries for garnish

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and the melted butter until well mixed. Spread the mixture onto the bottom of a 9 x 2 x 13-inch pan or casserole dish. Drizzle the chocolate syrup over the crust. Combine the powdered sugar and the (not melted) butter together and beat until fluffy. Pour this sugar mixture over the chocolate syrup. Slice the bananas into the reserved pineapple juice, drain and add along with the strawberries over the sugar mixture. Top evenly with the pineapple. Spread the whipped topping over all. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the whipped topping and add cherries, as desired, for garnish.

Enjoy!

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Easter Brunch - The Celebration That is "Egg Cellent"

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Easter is the welcome banner of Spring. Whether you decide to have a delightful breakfast served after church services or a formal sit-down dinner with your best silverware, china, and linens, there is another option to consider. Brunch showcases an informality of morning taste treats with the sumptuous offerings of dinner. On such a special occasion such as Easter, foods are presented in silver casserole trays and the table is sparkling with daffodils and tulips, as well as baskets overflowing with creative colored eggs and bunny cookies.

As you go through your recipe files, look for some do ahead dishes that will allow you more variety at a slower pace on Easter Day. Serving a variety of hot and cold foods is sure to please the food choices of everyone who shares your Easter Brunch.

Condiments such as butter, jams and cream cheese should be chilled in their serving dishes so that the frosty goodness melts on toast, muffins and Easter breads. Peach muffins topped with brown sugar and pecans tantalize your guests from baskets set around such entrees as scrambled eggs or ham and swiss strudel. Succulent roast beef carved into thin slices will literally melt in sheer goodness or let your guests taste the traditional leg of lamb seasoned to perfection with just a hint of garlic and lemon.

Asparagus, while simple to prepare, makes brunch a true Springtime event. Glazed bacon strips are a reminder of childhood "candy" treats and tart shells brimming with the first strawberries of the season fan across a cool, creamy custard filling. Add a mint leave and you have eye appeal and taste satisfaction.

The aroma of baked ham slightly sweet with warm juices running down each slice stands next to a colorful bowl of buttered carrots with a green accent of chives, highlighting all the pastels that Easter represents. French toast sticks bring the young and young at heart together and chocolate chip coffee cake just begs for a smooth, hot and delicious cup of coffee.

Serving breakfast fare and dinner specials allows everyone to pick and choose, find new favorites and renew past memories of fantastic food, great companion-ship, and the wondrous opulent colors of Easter. Don't forget the camera for those scrapbook additions of family and celebration photos.

Enjoy Easter in all its delights with family and friends and know that all your ventures into culinary land will finish up "eggs cellent". Something to think about ©Arleen M. Kaptur February, 2009

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WordPress Tutorial - Master the Art of Blogging!

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Dear Blogger,

You have taken it upon yourself to join the millions of other bloggers and make your contribution to the blogging community, and you have driven a stake into the tiny piece of virtual soil that will represent you in the vast world of the internet.

The internet is still in the exploration stage similar to the early settlers of the United States when one could drive a stake into the ground and call it his/her own because they arrived there first. Even more similar is the land could only remain theirs as long as they were to somehow improve that land, as can be compared to letting your website or blog become abandoned, unused and forgotten.

Many people start a blog with intentions of keeping the contribution updated with fresh new ideas only to find themselves frustrated with the technical challenges that come with designing, promoting or maintaining a blog.

Not everyone who wants a great blog is a technical wizard, and that can become enough of a deterrent for some to just give up, and leave the blogging to those with the expertise, or the money to hire the expertise.

Lets face it, the technical side of choosing the right domain name, getting the blog hosted on a server, properly configuring the blog so that the search engines can find the blog, designing a blog that represents your creative side, and even deciding how to keep a steady flow of fresh content coming to the blog, these are all vital to your blogs long term survival, yet finding answers to all of these questions can be akin to an Easter egg hunt!

One thing for sure is it makes your "Google Search" skills fantastic! It's almost like someone purposefully wants you to have to find everything out in tiny little pieces, first this little bit and then that one, like a cruel joke is being played on you!

The bottom line is that what most everyone really needs are WordPress Tutorial Videos that can show them how each step is accomplished from the very beginning to the semi-advanced stuff. Videos that can be referred to over and over again each time a new blog is set up or if changes are made to an existing blog. If the blogger could spend more time "blogging" and less time searching for answers to some crazy technical glitch their success rate would be far far greater.

Learning how to become an accomplished blogger is actually easy!

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Safely Introducing Solid Baby Foods

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You should start introducing solid baby foods to your infant at approximately 4 - 6 months of age. As with all stages of your baby's development, the introduction of solid food into their diet is something that has to be done with care and attention. Giving your infant the wrong kinds of foods can result in at the very least, severe digestive discomfort - at the very worst severe sickness and/or future food allergies.

4 Months
Start of at 4 months with baby cereals diluted with formula, gradually increasing the amount of cereal and decreasing the amount of formula (breast milk can be substituted for formula). The amount of cereal should be increased very slowly over the course of weeks, not days, as your infant becomes accustomed to solid baby foods. If your baby experiences digestive troubles, switch off the cereal for a day or two, then try to slowly introduce it again later.

6 Months
Fruits and vegetables are chocked full of vitamins and antioxidants our immune system needs to maintain proper health. However, as infants these foods need to be introduced slowly and with care. The fiber and natural sugar content in fruits and veggies need a strong digestive system to process them, while an infant's digestive tract needs time to gain strength.

8 Months
At the 7 - 8 month mark, you can start to introduced protein-rich, solid baby foods into your infant's diet. Yogurt, strained beans and meats, cottage cheese, and eggs (start with whites only). As your baby's teeth develop you can slowly introduce anything healthy that the rest of your family eats.

Slow & Steady Wins The Race
From the first day you introduce solid foods, it's important to introduce everything one at a time. If your baby has allergies or is sensitive to certain foods, you'll want to be able to eliminate them right away. For the first few years it's also crucial you avoid any nut products; due to possible deadly allergies and soy products should be closely monitored for the same reason.

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Exploring The Different Types Of Corporate Parties

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All work and no play can make employees a rather dull group, don't you think? Depending on the type of company you are part of, there might be room to hold a couple of corporate parties, get-togethers or picnics throughout the year. If you should be in charge of organizing and planning this delicate task, there are plenty of ways to approach this responsibility. When it comes to the many types of corporate party themes you might come across, which ones sound like a good fit for your office? Below you will find a few popular corporate party occasions and ideas to consider:

Christmas: Many corporate offices hold a Christmas party with spiced eggnog, mistletoe, and the lighting of a modest tree. Some associations even participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange, which makes sure no one leaves the party empty handed. When planning this sort of corporate party, decorations really come in handy with food coming in a close second. If you don't feel comfortable planning a holiday party with religious affiliations, New Years Eve celebrations offer employees a fun opportunity to watch the ball drop amongst co-workers.

Celebrating an Accomplishment: Perhaps the company has landed a much sought after client and it's time to reward the hard work of everyone involved. Maybe the office has exceeded company expectations, increased productivity to exceptional levels, or won an award; all of these accomplishments are reasons to hold a corporate party. A little unwinding after a rewarding achievement is just the thing to strengthen the bond between employer and employees.

Picnics: Since family is a big part of the lives of employees, it is a good idea to provide outlets showing that outside-of-the-job commitments are recognized and respected. Holding a picnic where families get a chance to mingle with one another is a great way to further build the connection between company members. To make it a holiday themed party for the outdoors, choose yearly occasions such as Easter or 4th of July to plan your event. Some ideas to consider for these approaches may include Easter Egg Hunts for the kiddies or a small display of Independence Day fireworks.

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How to Make Big Bucks From Dividends

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It appears that someone is hiding something, and no, its not the Easter eggs all the little kids are searching for. US businesses are hiding enormous amounts of cash and if investors are diligent they can find these "cash cows" and milk them for all they are worth!

Interestingly, the companies in the S&P have a yield of 1.8%. They are sitting on more than $640 billion in cash that they need to do something with.

In the 1950s dividend yields on stocks regularly exceeded 8% or 10%, and this represented a bulk of the return investors recognized in their investments. In the early 1980s, stocks held a yield of over 6%.

Then something strange happened . . . . dividend yields collapsed and hovered around less than 1%. Some people thought it was due to the changing tax laws, and others believed it was a changing focus on investment strategies - a growing focus on capital gains as opposed to yields.

In 2000 dividend yields bottomed out at less than 1%. The government changed the tax laws yet again, making lower tax rates apply to dividends, and driving more companies to issue and increase dividends. 

Over the last few years dividends have climbed to their current state, however, the basic dividend yield doesn't tell the full story. Companies with tons of cash in hiding are using it to repurchase their stock.

Stock repurchases are a relatively new occurrence, which have found widespread acceptance in the in the last 30 years. Interestingly, the cash that would normally be used for dividends is now being earmarked for buybacks.

Savvy investors recognize this and they will incorporate the share repurchase into the dividend yield to determine the true return to an investor. With tons and tons of cash in "hiding", buying these stocks now is a great time to capitalize on two growing trends - the increase in dividends, and the continued push to repurchase shares! Focus on the S&P 500 and find those cash cows!

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