3 Tips for Stunning Paint Jobs

Many people every year look to touch up their homes by adding a new coat of color in the room of their choice. Simply painting a room, however, can become tedious and mundane. This is why people choose to enhance the room by outdoing themselves in terms of a paint job. Some people use murals, others do stripes or stenciling patterns. Regardless of the type of paint job you choose, there are a few tips that everyone can stand to benefit from when it comes time to change colors on your wall (or anywhere else for that matter).

Helpful Tips for Painting

Before you begin, you will need to do some preparation work. This prep work helps to ensure that your new color turns out exactly the way you envision it. If you want to skip the prep work you can, but it will show in your paint job unless you use extreme caution.

Start by lightly sanding down the area that you want to paint. This is helpful because it removes all of the paint chips and bubbles that may be leftover from the previous color. Use a fine sandpaper so as not to scratch the surface beneath the paint.

Once the area is sanded, you will want to apply painters tape to any areas you do not want the paint to touch. This includes window sills, borders or even any areas that you do not want to splash some unwanted color on - such as stripes that you will eventually paint a different color. You can use any painter's masking tape that you can find in a store.

If the paint you have on the walls is currently a darker shade than what you want to paint it, you will need to use a primer. The primer is a white coat that goes under the color you're putting on. This allows you to cover up the darker paint and not have it show through your new color. You may choose to do a primer anyway as a way of ensuring that your color shines through the way you want it to.

Once the walls are primed, you are ready to begin your paint job. Be sure to take your time and always paint from top to bottom. Doing so will catch any paint drips that you fail to notice at first. Before you know it you will have a stunning paint job and be ready for your next project. Don't forget to stock up on your painters masking tape!

Protecting Paint From Mold   Interior Painting - How Much Paint to Purchase   Putting Color Into the Outdoors   Preparing For An Interior Paint Job   How to Cover Up Graffiti   Home Improvement: Why You Should Hire Professional House Painters   

Wall It Up: Create Your Dream Home With Easy Drywall Installation or Repair and Paint in Every Color

Over time, interior walls take a beating. Kids, pets, cooking, and busy living really leave their mark. If your walls are looking a bit rough, here is some information to help you decide how to spruce them up.

Drywall Installation

Nearly every home and business today has walls and ceilings constructed of drywall boards, also called sheetrock, wallboard, or plasterboard. Drywall is pretty simple: the core is primarily composed of gypsum plaster, wrapped on both sides with thick paper. It is manufactured in a few standardized sizes (including extra-thick ones that provide fire resistance), so it is easy to choose the right pieces, as well as easy to transport to any location.

Wall boards are screwed directly onto the wall frame, or studs, with drywall screws. When pieces of board need to be cut, all that's needed is a measuring tape, a simple T-square, and a utility knife to cut through the board (some installers may use a saw to expedite the process).

When the boards are up, the installation crew goes over the whole thing again, this time with joint tape and joint compound (also known as "float and tape"). The seams between boards are covered with a layer of papery joint tape, and each joint as well as each screw hole is covered with a splash of mudlike joint compound. This process smoothes the surface of the wall and prepares it for the next step.

Drywall Repair and Replacement

One of the perks of using drywall to construct walls is the ease of installation. Another is the ease of replacement. If a wall is damaged, it is simple to fix. For example, imagine a wall that has had a hole knocked in it by a doorknob. Using a drywall saw, your contractor will cut out a square of wall around the hole. He will then carefully measure the hole and cut a corresponding piece of new drywall to fit. It is then a simple thing to fit the new piece into the wall, apply the joint tape and compound, and paint over the repaired area to match the rest of the wall.

What if your wall has bigger problems, like very large holes, mold, or water damage? That's easy too! Entire sheets of wallboard, or even the entire wall, can be uninstalled quickly and removed from your home. Then it's just like starting from the beginning like a new installation. If your wall is easily exposed to water, like in a bathroom, you should talk to your contractor about greenboard or cementboard, which are more resistant to water damage.

Painting

When your new walls are up, there's nothing else strictly necessary to be done. If you like grey paper with off-white lines and splotches of joint compound, this is perfect. But if you'd like some color, it's time for paint! Every hardware and home improvement store has a huge selection of paint brands and paint colors, in any color you could wish for. You can gather chips of each color that you like so you can see what it looks like in your home, and many stores sell sample-size amounts of paint so you can paint a swatch on the wall for a better comparison.

Paint is inexpensive and easy to apply, so you don't need to feel like you're committed to one color for life. If you dislike the color you chose or just want a change after a while, paint is easy to change - especially now with advanced primer formulas that make it easier to cover up old colors.

Paint is available in a number of finishes, from flat to ultra gloss. Your contractor can explain the differences and help you decide which is best for your space (for example, glossy paint is easier to clean so it's great for rooms that get messy).

Painting is a simple process on its surface, and many homeowners opt to do it themselves, with good results. This is an option for you too. But before you go out and buy rollers and brushes and dropcloths, consider hiring a contractor to do it for you. They already own all the equipment, and have lots of experience, so you know the job will be done quickly and correctly, so you can enjoy your new walls even faster!

Protecting Paint From Mold   Interior Painting - How Much Paint to Purchase   Putting Color Into the Outdoors   Preparing For An Interior Paint Job   Home Improvement: Why You Should Hire Professional House Painters   Simple Color Ideas for Home Decoration   

Hiring the Right Painter for Your House

Every house and structure, new or old must be painted. Painting is the best way through which new homeowners can customize their new residences. The quality of the painting is determined by the knack of the painter and the quality of the paint used. To guarantee a finer quality painting job, there are a few factors to consider.

To start off, search for the pros. There is no room for trial and error as it only results in extra costs that can be easily evaded. Ask around from friends and family for recommendations and take a look at their work. If there is a well painted house in the neighborhood, call on the owner and enquire about the painter. If someone managed to do a magnificent exterior job, then it holds that the same painter has the ability to do the same in the interior. Sample at least four high quality painters sorted from the nature of their previous painting works and organize initial meetings, preferably at the site. On site, observe how long the painters take to scrutinize the building, the longer one takes, the more realistic he/she is.

It is very important to enquire from the painters about the size of their team as well as their levels of competence. If your house is big, then you may require a painter with a larger team lest it takes a decade to be painted.

Some painting disasters don't always emanate from the painter's mistakes, but the homeowner's. This is mainly because some people don't clearly spell out their expectations to the painters when they express interest on their jobs. Some vital information that must clearly be stated includes, the number of coats you would like, the type of paint and the level of perfections that you expect. Most of these are determined by the budgetary estimates to the project. Listen to the painter and don't argue so much on the cost for purchasing the material, rather, negotiate on the painter's labor. If you want quality work, you have to invest in it. After clearly stating the expectations to each contractor independently, you can then ask them for their closest estimates.

Other than past great painting jobs by the painters, it is always safe to ask for their credentials as well. As much as minor details like being a member of a professional organization may not in any way mirror the quality of their work, it is crucial as it shows the painter's commitment to their work. Is the contractor licensed by the authorities? Find out from your state's authorities or ask to see the license. The same applies to their insurance covers, as well as that of their staff.

With all the details stated above verified, you can then draw up and sign a binding contract. In the contract, be precise and ask for a guarantee with the painter accepting to repaint any chipped, peeled or blistered painted surfaces within a specific period, say two years at no or very minimal cost. Keep a close eye on them at work to ensure that you attain the expected quality.

Protecting Paint From Mold   Interior Painting - How Much Paint to Purchase   Putting Color Into the Outdoors   Preparing For An Interior Paint Job   Home Improvement: Why You Should Hire Professional House Painters   

Organic SEO Services: Find the Best Guest Post Opportunities

Guest posting is an effective way to get backlinks and build your online reputation. This strategy opens a whole new world for you and your blog in terms of traffic and exposure. It is a win-win for both the blog host and the guest poster; the blog host gets unique content and the guest poster gets exposure. However, you can't post content on just any blog. It is important that you write posts for high quality blogs that are relevant to your niche and receive targeted traffic.

With a few advanced search queries you can find several blogs where you can post fresh content. Google is your friend. Additionally, if you have a well established site and know a few people in your niche, ask them if you can guest post on their blogs. When it comes to finding the best guest post opportunities, your network can be a powerful ally. There is no doubt that this will be the first way to start growing your audience and establish your online presence.

Join a guest posting community. There are several online communities that connect guest bloggers with people looking for fresh content. These sites allow you to submit a request or offer to write content for other blogs.

You can also find some good guest post opportunities in blog directories. You have pages after pages of blogs in all niches. All you have to do is to find those that are relevant to your topic, check their popularity and rankings, and contact their owners. You will find a wide audience of bloggers looking for your services.

Many webmasters use Twitter to identify guest post opportunities. This social media platform allows you to find high ranking, highly followed blogs where you can write posts in exchange for a backlink. You can also use Twitter to find key influencers in your niche and announce your intention to write a post on their blogs.

One of the best ways to find blogs relevant to your niche is to look at your competitors' backlink profile. If they have been guest blogging as a link building strategy, you will be able to make a list of blogs that accept posts just by analyzing their profiles. When you write on other blogs, you can use the resource box to advertise your desire to guest post. Don't forget to use Facebook and Google+ for finding relevant blogs.

Back Link Generation Service: Can They Help Your Business?   Backlink Building: Effective Link Building With Social Media Marketing   SEO: Why Build Links?   The Importance Of Backlinks For An SEO Campaign   13 Easy Ways To Get Backlinks   

Backlink Building Service: Link Building Tips for Charities

With so many non-profit organizations competing for funding, it is difficult to stand out and spread the word about your mission. Charities that have websites or blogs showing up on the first pages in search engines will see an increase in traffic, which will result in more donations. If you run a non-profit organization and you find it hard to come up with enough money to run your day to day operations, consider starting a website.

Setting up a website requires minimum investment. For the start, you can use a free hosting service like Blogger or WordPress. Once you add information about your non-profit organization, you will have to build links and promote your website to the target audience. Increasingly more SEO companies are offering free link building services for charities. Most of them have strict requirements. However, there are a few strategies that you can easily implement without professional help.

Start by adding quality content. Write about your mission and values. Give people a reason to support your cause. Use a free analytics tool to find keywords that relevant to your organization. When you promote a charity online, you are not only appealing to the local community, but you are also appealing to those who are interested in your cause. Don't force people to use a specific anchor text or link back to a particular page. Suggest it, but allow for give and take. Don't go overboard with link building.

Create a Facebook fan page for your non-profit organization. Provide compelling information and include a link to your website or blog. Profile links are highly valuable. You can also join a number of forums, post meaningful replies, and tell other users about your cause. Add a link in your signature in order to drive traffic to your site and get quality backlinks.

Networking is a central part of any non-profit organization. Many charities work with government associations and schools, so there's a great chance of getting some very strong links from.gov and.edu sites. Contact your associates and request links from them. They will be more than happy to have their names associated with your organization.

Create a dedicated section on your site for your campaign. Optimize your landing page and share it on social media sites, forums, and online communities. Keep in mind that the key to reaping the rewards of a charity link building campaign is to use relevant keywords that aren't overly competitive and have a decent search volume.

Back Link Generation Service: Can They Help Your Business?   Backlink Building: Effective Link Building With Social Media Marketing   SEO: Why Build Links?   The Importance Of Backlinks For An SEO Campaign   13 Easy Ways To Get Backlinks   

Microsoft Launches the New Windows Azure Marketplace

Google and Bing search APIs let you develop software to retrieve search results from these major search engines programmatically.

You can use requests to get either web search or image search with these APIs.

An API key is required by the Google Custom Search API, which can be obtained from the Google APIs console.

The APIs provide 100 search queries per day for free. More results mean you have to pay for them ($5 per 1000 queries, for up to 10,000 queries per day).

Starting from August 1st 2012, Microsoft is charging for access to the Bing Search API (that previously was free) through the Windows Azure Marketplace.

For less than 5,000 queries per month people can access the APIs for free. This probably will involve most non-profits, educational institutions, and smaller scale applications.For more than 5,000 queries per month, a subscription can be purchased on the Windows Azure Marketplace. If you are only interested in web results there is a lower cost offering.

The paid service has also required some integration work by developers to accommodate some changes in the API.

A lot of resources can be found on the web explaining how to migrate to the new platform for php, .net, java, delphi, python programmers.

They now can retrieve web, image, news, and video search results, and also related searches and spelling suggestions using both XML (eXtensible Markup Language) or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation).

When they were launched, Bing's APIs have been entirely free to use, whereas Google has always charged for getting search results. The two services deal with their free quotas in a different way, so it's not easy to do a direct comparison, but it seems that Bing is cheaper in nearly every circumstance.

But what is Windows Azure Marketplace?

On Msdn Microsoft states that "The Windows Azure Marketplace is an information and application marketplace. [...] The Windows Azure Marketplace provides both trusted public domain and premium commercial data via integrated consumption experiences and easy data discovery, exploration, and purchase on any platform".

The new Windows Azure Marketplace is designed to match information providers with end users and programmers. It's probably one of the most complete cloud offerings available.

Data providers provide information that may immediately accessed by users with Microsoft applications.

When it was launched, the Windows marketplace included 77 data sets across from 28 publishers.

Data sets are from many different categories, form entertainment and media to finance; from health and wellness to mathematics.

With the revolution of cloud-based platforms, data is available for developers in one central place.

Have You Been Using Rich Internet Applications Development Services?   Services Offered in Custom Web Development   Hire Drupal Developers for Custom Drupal Business Solutions   Server Virtualization by Business IT Support   How Umbraco Customization Is Better Than Any Other ASP.NET CMS   WordPress - Is It Really Popular?   

Do You Know About The Importance Of Desktop Application Development?

Creating a cohesive working environment for employees is one of the main requirements of business running. The onus is obviously on the management to generate a dynamic environment for their employees. If your company has been experiencing a lull phase in production in the past few months, then it is high time you hire the services of experts in desktop application development. Remember, this is a very clever approach in eliciting high performance from employees. Well-designed applications that improve enterprise co-ordination are the best tools that trigger quick completion of your projects.

Offline Capabilities

There is no doubt that the use of desktop solutions improves the performance of your employee base to a great extent. In addition to high levels of communication amongst members of different teams, the offline capabilities of these applications make sure that no updates go unaccounted for even in non-web scenarios. The desktop applications, therefore, allow users to feed information and store it for posterity. The integration of different desktop applications helps the company hold a record of the activities of the employees, thereby, allowing the management to track performances.

Inter-networking At Its Best

Due to the offline support that these desktop applications extend, the level of inter- networking reaches sky high. From stored messages to scheduled posts and updates, the employees can interact and perfect their presentations using these interactive desktop apps. Remember, heightened communication means better quality output, a factor that triggers the growth of your business and improves the overall output and quality of products and services.

Professional services in desktop application development have allowed businesses to keep their employee base focused on work through rich and interactive interfaces that greet them at work. If you happen to fall in the category of businesses who have not been using desktop tools to run internal processes, then well, it is high time you did. One prominent reason for this requirement is that the use of customized applications gives completeness to the brand image that your company enjoys in public. And yes, the main reason why you need to use desktop application development services is that your competition is doing it!

When it comes to hiring professional help in desktop application development, the best way would be to go for services of web developers who are expert in creating enterprise level solutions using rich web architecture. This ensures the durability of the solutions created and used regularly, alongside, quality user experience for your employees.

Have You Been Using Rich Internet Applications Development Services?   Services Offered in Custom Web Development   Hire Drupal Developers for Custom Drupal Business Solutions   Server Virtualization by Business IT Support   How Umbraco Customization Is Better Than Any Other ASP.NET CMS   

All About Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake may be a 200 year-old American invention. With the advent of chemical leavenings in the early 1800's, biscuits became popular. Since strawberries have always been readily available, it is likely that biscuits and strawberries have been together for quite some time. Before the middle of that century, strawberry shortcake recipes were showing up in the recipe books.

Today strawberry shortcakes are made from every recipe from biscuits to white cake and even angel food cakes but the original recipes always called for biscuits. Usually these biscuits are made richer with dairy products and sugar. This is an original biscuit-like shortcake. It is rich and tender and flaky and very, very good.

What follows are a strawberry shortcake recipe, a blueberry cream cheese shortcake recipe, and a chocolate caramel raspberry shortcake recipe.

Three Ways to Make Shortcakes

1. Make them as drop biscuits. The dough must be moist enough to drop from a spoon and pat into a flat disc. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.

2. Make them as cut-out biscuits. The dough must be slightly firm to cut into shapes on the counter. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter or add flour to the dough if needed. Don't add so much flour that the dough is firm like sugar cookie dough. Pat the soft dough out on the counter and cut into three-inch discs. If the dough is wet and the shape is a little ragged, it's perfect.

3. Make one large shortcake. Spread the dough into an eight-inch cake pan or nine-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Hints

Always use fresh, succulent, ripe strawberries. Choose plump looking strawberries with green caps and avoid those that look bruised or mushy. Do not wash them or remove the caps until they are ready to use. Strawberries should be used promptly; they will not stay fresh long.

Original Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

2 pints ripe strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the strawberries:

Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and toss to coat.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Caramel Raspberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

1 1/2 pints ripe raspberries

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Chocolate syrup

Caramel syrup

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into dough on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until done. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the raspberries:

Wash the raspberries. Garnish the dessert with the raspberries.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

1 1/2 pints ripe blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 eight-ounce package cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the blueberries:

Wash the blueberries. In a small bowl, smash the berries, add the sugar, and stir. Cover the bowl and heat it in the microwave until the berries are hot and starting to bubble.

For the whipped cream:

Pour the whipped cream into a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with whipped filling. Top with additional whipped filling and berries.

See photos and the printable version of All About Shortcakes.

All About Strawberry Shortcakes   Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts

We're all looking for that perfect pie, or cookies, or loaf of bread. It doesn't always happen. In our experience, there are four reasons that account for most of the less than perfect products.

Under baking or over baking. This has to be nemesis number one. Breads are often under-baked and cookies are often over-baked. Under baked bread is soggy. Crusty breads will never be crusty if the temperature doesn't get high enough to drive the moisture from the dough. Over baked cookies are dry and hard. Try baking cookies until they just start to brown and see if you don't like them better.

Most soft breads should reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees and most crusty breads should reach a temperature of 200 to 210 degrees. A thermometer is the bread baker's best friend.

To reach internal temperatures such as these, crusts will often be a darker brown than what you often picture in the perfect bread. If you would like a golden crust on your bread instead of a rich brown crust, try draping the loaf with aluminum foil for the last six or eight minutes of baking. The aluminum foil deflects the heat and will protect the crust from becoming too dark.

Not letting it rise enough. And while we're talking of breads . . . if you like your bread light and fluffy, let it rise. The tendency is to stick it in the oven too soon. With a little practice, you'll soon learn to recognize bread that has risen to the maximum. It's soft to the touch-it even looks puffy. Ideally, you'll catch it a little before it starts to blister. (Remember, you will get a little oven spring, even in a hot oven.) If you wait too long and the bread starts to blister, all is not lost. Punch it down, reform the loaf, and let it rise again. (Sometimes, if a single blister shows up and you're in a hurry, you can puncture the blister with a sharp knife and stick the loaf in the oven.)

Improper mixing. We don't mix breads long enough; we mix biscuits, muffins, and pancakes too long. Mixing develops the gluten. It's the gluten that creates the elasticity and chewiness in bread. We want products leavened with baking powder or baking soda to be tender and flaky. Mix the dry ingredients to distribute them well and then combine the dry mixture with the wet ingredients until they are evenly mixed but no more. Leavened products that are over-mixed are tough and leathery.

Improper measurement. We suspect that more often than not, ingredients are not measured properly. In many good recipes, there is some margin for error but even in the good recipes, the product will be better if the ratio of ingredients is correct. Measure liquids in clear containers designed for liquids and at eye level. Use measuring cups that you trust to be correct. (We recently compared four brand name measuring cups. One was off by a full tablespoon in one cup.)

We always weigh flour when we bake. A packed cup of flour can easily weigh 20% more than one that is lightly filled. (Most recipes are based on lightly filled cups.) If you are just starting to convert your recipes from volumes to weights, start out with 4.5 ounces of flour for every cup. Stay with the same flour as much as possible for the same type of product. Different flours have different densities and different flours can act very differently in a recipe. If you weigh your flour and record your results, you can perfect that favorite recipe.

Now you know. These are the nemeses that cause the most problems in the kitchen. Knowing what they are--the common pitfalls of the kitchen--will arm you to be a better baker. As you perfect your craft in these four areas, you will turn out wonderful baked goods.

All About Strawberry Shortcakes   Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

All About Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake may be a 200 year-old American invention. With the advent of chemical leavenings in the early 1800's, biscuits became popular. Since strawberries have always been readily available, it is likely that biscuits and strawberries have been together for quite some time. Before the middle of that century, strawberry shortcake recipes were showing up in the recipe books.

Today strawberry shortcakes are made from every recipe from biscuits to white cake and even angel food cakes but the original recipes always called for biscuits. Usually these biscuits are made richer with dairy products and sugar. This is an original biscuit-like shortcake. It is rich and tender and flaky and very, very good.

What follows are a strawberry shortcake recipe, a blueberry cream cheese shortcake recipe, and a chocolate caramel raspberry shortcake recipe.

Three Ways to Make Shortcakes

1. Make them as drop biscuits. The dough must be moist enough to drop from a spoon and pat into a flat disc. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.

2. Make them as cut-out biscuits. The dough must be slightly firm to cut into shapes on the counter. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter or add flour to the dough if needed. Don't add so much flour that the dough is firm like sugar cookie dough. Pat the soft dough out on the counter and cut into three-inch discs. If the dough is wet and the shape is a little ragged, it's perfect.

3. Make one large shortcake. Spread the dough into an eight-inch cake pan or nine-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Hints

Always use fresh, succulent, ripe strawberries. Choose plump looking strawberries with green caps and avoid those that look bruised or mushy. Do not wash them or remove the caps until they are ready to use. Strawberries should be used promptly; they will not stay fresh long.

Original Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

2 pints ripe strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the strawberries:

Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and toss to coat.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Caramel Raspberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

1 1/2 pints ripe raspberries

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Chocolate syrup

Caramel syrup

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into dough on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until done. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the raspberries:

Wash the raspberries. Garnish the dessert with the raspberries.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

1 1/2 pints ripe blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 eight-ounce package cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the blueberries:

Wash the blueberries. In a small bowl, smash the berries, add the sugar, and stir. Cover the bowl and heat it in the microwave until the berries are hot and starting to bubble.

For the whipped cream:

Pour the whipped cream into a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with whipped filling. Top with additional whipped filling and berries.

See photos and the printable version of All About Shortcakes.

All About Strawberry Shortcakes   Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts

We're all looking for that perfect pie, or cookies, or loaf of bread. It doesn't always happen. In our experience, there are four reasons that account for most of the less than perfect products.

Under baking or over baking. This has to be nemesis number one. Breads are often under-baked and cookies are often over-baked. Under baked bread is soggy. Crusty breads will never be crusty if the temperature doesn't get high enough to drive the moisture from the dough. Over baked cookies are dry and hard. Try baking cookies until they just start to brown and see if you don't like them better.

Most soft breads should reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees and most crusty breads should reach a temperature of 200 to 210 degrees. A thermometer is the bread baker's best friend.

To reach internal temperatures such as these, crusts will often be a darker brown than what you often picture in the perfect bread. If you would like a golden crust on your bread instead of a rich brown crust, try draping the loaf with aluminum foil for the last six or eight minutes of baking. The aluminum foil deflects the heat and will protect the crust from becoming too dark.

Not letting it rise enough. And while we're talking of breads . . . if you like your bread light and fluffy, let it rise. The tendency is to stick it in the oven too soon. With a little practice, you'll soon learn to recognize bread that has risen to the maximum. It's soft to the touch-it even looks puffy. Ideally, you'll catch it a little before it starts to blister. (Remember, you will get a little oven spring, even in a hot oven.) If you wait too long and the bread starts to blister, all is not lost. Punch it down, reform the loaf, and let it rise again. (Sometimes, if a single blister shows up and you're in a hurry, you can puncture the blister with a sharp knife and stick the loaf in the oven.)

Improper mixing. We don't mix breads long enough; we mix biscuits, muffins, and pancakes too long. Mixing develops the gluten. It's the gluten that creates the elasticity and chewiness in bread. We want products leavened with baking powder or baking soda to be tender and flaky. Mix the dry ingredients to distribute them well and then combine the dry mixture with the wet ingredients until they are evenly mixed but no more. Leavened products that are over-mixed are tough and leathery.

Improper measurement. We suspect that more often than not, ingredients are not measured properly. In many good recipes, there is some margin for error but even in the good recipes, the product will be better if the ratio of ingredients is correct. Measure liquids in clear containers designed for liquids and at eye level. Use measuring cups that you trust to be correct. (We recently compared four brand name measuring cups. One was off by a full tablespoon in one cup.)

We always weigh flour when we bake. A packed cup of flour can easily weigh 20% more than one that is lightly filled. (Most recipes are based on lightly filled cups.) If you are just starting to convert your recipes from volumes to weights, start out with 4.5 ounces of flour for every cup. Stay with the same flour as much as possible for the same type of product. Different flours have different densities and different flours can act very differently in a recipe. If you weigh your flour and record your results, you can perfect that favorite recipe.

Now you know. These are the nemeses that cause the most problems in the kitchen. Knowing what they are--the common pitfalls of the kitchen--will arm you to be a better baker. As you perfect your craft in these four areas, you will turn out wonderful baked goods.

All About Strawberry Shortcakes   Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

Favorite Desserts For A Diabetic Husband

It's easier than you think to create delicious desserts for your diabetic husband. When I had to get right down to it the ideas came flying at me out of my kitchen cupboard!

Here's a few of his favorites:

Easy Orange/Banana Parfait

1 pkge Lite Orange Jello (no sugar) 2 cups vanilla yogurt (fat free, no sugar but artificially sweetened) 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp Splenda 1 banana 1/8 cup Lite cream cheese Makes 4 servings

Prepare the jello per the package directions. When it is partially set, slice and drop your banana pieces into the jello and mix gently so the banana pieces are covered by the jelly. Leave to set firm in the refrigerator.

Beat the remaining ingredients well together and set aside in the fridge.

Just before dinner put your dessert together. I use parfait glasses, they add to the fun and look of the dessert.

Drop a dollop of yogurt mixture into the bottom of each of 4 dishes and a scoop of the jello and then the yogurt mix again and so on to the top.

I have tried different flavors and different fruit, but, hubby likes the orange banana the best.

Faux Apple Crisp

3 large apples (jona golds are the best, in my opinion) Cinammon Sprouted wheat bread (I use Ezechial cinammon raisin from the health food store - 2 slices, they are small) 9" square casserole dish Makes 4 servings

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray your casserole dish with a non stick spray.

Peel, core, and slice your apples thinly into your baking dish. Sprinkle with cinammon (as much or as little as to your taste).

I take my bread from the freezer and grind it into crumbs in the blender. Now sprinkle evenly over your apples. Take a spoon and dish down here and there through the apples, so that some of the crumbs fall between the apples.

Bake uncovered in your oven 40 mins. or until your apples are cooked tender.

Cool and serve with flavored yogurt, artificially sweetened.

You can swap out the apples for blueberries, fresh or frozen. Just coat the berries first with 2 tsp flour.

It's not been as hard an adjustment as we thought it would be and we are both eating healthier than before, that has been a bonus for us both.

All About Strawberry Shortcakes   Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

Why You Should Not Rely On SEO Alone

It's not surprising to me that many newbies to the online business world aren't very familiar with internet marketing. Most people who begin in internet marketing believe that the only way to get traffic to your website is through search engine optimization. But this isn't true.

Search engine optimization (SEO) should be a viable part in your entire internet marketing campaign, but it shouldn't be the only part. There are many other ways to get traffic to your website, and these other ways are much more simpler and time-effective when it comes to getting traffic to your site.

I took this computer economics class in college once and one of the things that we had to do was come up with a website for a local business owner, and show them how to market it. We had to go out on the streets and find a local business owner who didn't have a website, and propose to them that I could create them one for free.

OK so I build the website without using a free website creation tool - it was all through programming. Needless to say, the task was tough - because I hate programming. One of the things that my professor stressed was that we had to teach the business owners how to get traffic to their website using the search engines; otherwise, their website wouldn't be found at all.

This is incredibly incorrect. I'm surprised my professor didn't even want us to discuss advertising options with these business owners. The point of the story is that you shouldn't rely solely on search engine marketing because things can change at any moment.

Recently this year, Google came out with something called a "Panda" update, and a "Penguin" update. Never mind the names... all you need to know is that these 2 search engine algorithm changes CRIPPLED a lot of peoples' businesses. Article directories got hit hard. People who were making $10,000+ a month saw their years of hard work disappear... it was just ugly.

Now do I suggest that you still try to optimize your site for the search engines? Well of course - just don't make it your primary traffic source. There is still much traffic to be gotten from Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Yahoo and Bing aren't as large as Google, but you can still optimize your site for them simply and easily.

I'm not the biggest expert on SEO, but I do know when it's time to do other things. I saw my traffic stats change also. My traffic from SEO decreased, but I had backup traffic sources that still brought in a lot of traffic to my website. This is the lesson that I would like to pass on to you.

Don't be deceived. There is life beyond Google, and you can still have a successful business online. Make sure you're still marketing your business successfully, and make sure that you have a daily plan that you can follow everything. This is surely a recipe for success.

Good luck with your internet marketing efforts, and not relying solely on SEO.

Commercial Roofers Website SEO Services and Success in Roofing Company's Website Promotion   5 Ways To Tell Your Online Reputation Is In Trouble!   RSS SEO   Valuable Optimization Tips for Online Entities   Why Keywords Are Essential to SEO   

Hire Freelance Writers - Freelance Writers for Hire

If you own a business, you need to hire freelance writers. Website owners hire freelance writers to write SEO articles, web content, press releases, sales letters, blog posts, and more. The enormous amount of websites out there has created an equally great demand for writers who can write web content. An industry that was virtually non-existent only a decade or so ago, web content writing is the most common type of writing, and it is also one of the most popular ways to make money online.

Although there is a seemingly endless pool of writers online, most writers produce inferior articles and web content. This leaves website and business owners in a dilemma. How can you hire freelance writers that can get the job done right? There are a number of things website owners can do to hire quality freelancers, including asking for writing samples, starting with a test article, and keeping good writers long term.

Writing Samples

When you hire freelance writers, ask to read a few of the writer's samples. A quality writer will have an abundance of writing samples. Some of the writing samples, for articles in particular, should appear online with the writer's name as the author. All too often unscrupulous writers go online and send their potential clients links to other people's articles that they have not even written. Hiring a freelance writer who has samples and is credited as the author will help to avoid such fraud.

Hire New Writers for Smaller Orders

While it is a great idea to hire freelance writers who have verifiable writing samples, it is possible that the writer has him or herself hired a ghostwriter. If the writer has hired a ghostwriter to write the content, then there is no guarantee that whoever writes your article will write quality web content. This is essentially a case of bait and switch; the writer shows you amazing samples and then sends you inferior quality writing. To avoid this potential pitfall, I recommend starting out small. For example, rather than hiring the writer to write 100 articles or 100 pages of website content, start with one or two or even ten. Do not invest more than you are willing to lose.

Rehire Proven Writers

Once the writer has proven himself, breathe a sigh of relief. And now that you have a reliable writer who can write quality web content, make sure to use that writer for as many projects as you can. Even if the writer costs a bit more money, it will be worth it if the alternative is posting inferior quality web content or spending all day editing their work.

Following these three steps -- read writing samples, order small to start, rehire good freelance writers - when hiring freelance writer will help save you time and money. The success of your online business depends on high-quality web content and SEO articles. Hire freelance writers today!

Commercial Roofers Website SEO Services and Success in Roofing Company's Website Promotion   5 Ways To Tell Your Online Reputation Is In Trouble!   RSS SEO   Valuable Optimization Tips for Online Entities