Happy International Women's Day!

Google.com doodle today for International Women's Day

There is so much going on today! The weather is GORGEOUS here in New York City. It is almost 70 degrees and the spirit of Spring is alive with full force! The flowers are blooming and warmth is in the air. This Sunday, March 11, we set our clocks one hour for the Spring forward and the Spring Equinox is right around the corner on March 20. And tonight is a full moon! To get our mind and spirit in proper alignment, let's be advocates to help end world hunger.

First off - Happy International Women's Day!  In many countries, it is an occasion to honor, respect, appreciate and praise women for their accomplishments. It also is a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements. The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2012 is "Empower Women – End Hunger and Poverty." With that said, there is a website I discovered awhile ago called Free Rice.  Its a website where you answer trivia questions and for every answer you get right, 10 grains of rice is donated to the United Nations World Food Program.  Okay, now lets really sit and and think about this one... How many hours... I repeat - HOURS... do we spend playing trivia, Bejeweled, Scramble, Angry Birds, Temple Run, Plants vs. Zombies, etc on our smart phones? Why not actually play a game that you can actually contribute to an amazing global cause... and get smarter! The first step is that you create a log-in or connect through Facebook. You must do this step in order for your score to count. (Don't worry, they don't spam you). Once logged in, you simply play and answer questions like the one below: 

Shut means:
- Hear
- Donate
- Say
- Close

It starts off easy and then it gets really hard! You can change your trivia subject to English, Chemistry, Language, Math, Geography, Science, Humanities and much more.  When I have down-time, I actually play this and it tells me how much free rice I've donated to UN Food Program. Its an amazing website and a cause. Today and everyday I strongly suggest you to sign up, but especially today on this occasion. 

WARNING: This game may make you smarter. It may improve your speaking, writing, thinking, grades, job performance.

Facts about Free Rice

1 right = 10 grains of rice donated

5 right = 50 grains of rice donated

Overall, 9105560 grains of rice was donated yesterday. 

Over 91 billion grains have been donated to date (as of 3/8/2012)

The rice is paid for sponsors shown on the website

Here are some more facts about women to think about:

• If you are a woman in Malawi, you will spend 9 hours a day fetching water and wood (more time than you spend sleeping).
  
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• If you are a woman in Gabon, you will do 90% of the farm work but still go hungry.
  
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• And if you are a pregnant woman in a developing country, you will be iron deficient, leaving you exhausted and more likely to die during childbirth.
  
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Words to Live By

I just talked to a good friend of mine who has recently been suffering some hardships recently, such as loss of steady employment. But not only was I glad that we were able to connect, but I was thrilled to hear some great things happening in his life. He's now a full-time manager again and is surrounded by loving and supportive relationships. The conversation just made me feel appreciative and blessed with even what little I have. Because I love inspirational words, here's a few below I like to live by. 


Love, Sandy. 

 

and no matter what happens, Always remember that...

Penne with Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes

One day at home, I was just in a creative cooking mood and wanted to make something from whatever was in the fridge. I saw broccoli and cherry tomatoes. I realized I had a box of penne and Voila! This recipe was born! Its so easy and quick.  Perfect if you're short on time or want to whip something together for some unexpected guests.

Main

1 package of penne pasta

Broccoli 

Cherry tomatoes

Home-made Pasta Sauce

2 cans crushed tomatoes

1 small can of tomato paste

2-3 tbsp of olive oil

1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

4-5 cloves fresh garlic

1/2 tsp of salt and pepper to taste

Finely chop your onions and garlic. Cook in a large pot with olive oil until browned. Add tomato paste and mix well. Add tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning. Mix well. Cook for at least 20 minutes on low heat. (If you have time, the longer the sauce simmers for, the better. Serious Italians will tell you that the sauce needs to cook for 2 hours!)

Cut the broccoli and halve the cherry tomatoes. In a separate pan, steam the broccoli for approximately 5 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.  Immediately remove from eat, and shock them by running under cold water.  (If you have chicken or some other kind of protein, cook that first as well by browning in a pan first).

In a large pot of boiling water, add a dash of salt and cook pasta until al dente (about 8-10 minutes). When cooked, drain the pasta. When ready, add the pasta, broccoli, and halved cherry tomatoes to the sauce pan and mix well. Let the pasta simmer for another few minutes for everything to mix together. Season again if needed. 

BLOGLOVIN

FOLLOW MY BLOG WITH BLOGLOVIN...
Its a pretty cool website.

 

Truffettes de France

Godiva who?! THIS is by far my favorite chocolate on earth. For all the rich dark chocolate lovers out there, Truffettes de France is your PLEASURE PRINCIPLE! These truffles come with special directions on how to eat them and the ideal temperature to store them. Based on that alone, one can immediately tell these are NOT ordinary truffles. What makes this chocolate stand out to me is that they are dusted in cocoa powder! It is unlike any chocolate I have ever tasted! And trust me, I've tried every brand under the sun. You bite into them and your teeth will sink into a soft, sensual paradise and your world literally stops for a few minutes. Yes. That's how good it is!  So what does a chocolate that comes with precise instructions on how to eat it taste like? Well, scientists say that cacao contains as many as four hundred different identified aroma chemicals - from floral, fruity, earthy, spicy, nutty, and everything in between. Once you taste the cocoa powder, the chocolate goodness just melts in your mouth like butter. One truffle is simply not enough and you have to literally have some serious self control to not want to eat 5 at once! But trust me, even if you only eat one, your taste-buds will be immensely satisfied. This is truly a chocolate lover's aphrodisiac. And they're only $15-20. So what are you waiting for?... Buy them! And let me know what you think!

Roti Canai

Roti canai (pronunciation tʃanai) is a type of Indian-influenced flatbread found in Malaysia or Indesia. It is known as Roti Prata in Southern Malaysia and Singapore, and is similar to the Indian Kerala Porotta. When making this, the dough misture is constantly kneaded and folded over itself repeatedly so it can poof and rise. The ideal roti canai is circular and flat, but fluffy on the inside, and light and flaky on the outside. It is served folded like a fortune cookie, and is served with a chicken and potato curry dip. You eat this bread with your hands by pulling it apart and dipping it or by using it to sop up any sauce. 

Being that I am part Indonesian, I LOVE their food. This is one of my favorite appetizers and if you ever find yourself looking at this as a choice on the appetizer list, be sure to order it! That's an order.

Masala, Woodside, Queens

Below are photos of an Indian crown jewel in Queens.  In addition to the appetizer and entree below, we also got this yogurt drink called the lassi and the mango lassi - and they were both amazing. The lassi is a pistachio flavor and I liked that better. The beef was better than the chicken because it had more heat to it, which I liked. The service was quick and the people were friendly. I would definitely come back here. 

Meat Platter Appetizer

Tikka Masala and Beef Tikka