Fortunate Contest

There are several factors that differentiate satellite phones from cell phones. How they work, their utility and cost just to name a few.

Functionality Differences

Cellular phones or cell phones use small stations or towers known as ‘cells’ from which they receive their signals and to which they send signals. As the user moves from one destination to the next, his call or his cellular service is passed on from cell to the next. The mobile handset is thus in continuous connectivity with the different cells of the network provider and the individual can talk on the move. This is thus known as mobile connectivity.

Satellite phones on the other hand, do not use ‘cells’ or towers. They work with satellites orbiting the Earth. These Low Earth Orbiting or LEO satellites receive signals from the satellite phone handsets and send signals to these handsets as required. The satellite phones send signals to the satellite, which passes it on to a gateway. The gateway routes the calls to the receiver. Also, all calls made to the satellite phones are routed via the satellites.

Differences In Area Coverage

Cellular phone companies generally provide network coverage in densely populated areas. Since the companies have to set up ‘cells’ to be able to provide coverage, they need a high number of subscribers to justify setting up the cell. In thinly populated areas or remote areas with difficult terrains, the cost of providing coverage is often more than the expected returns. Hence, while cell phones work great in densely populated areas, they may or may not work in inaccessible locations.

Satellite phones communicate with the LEO satellites and not with any ‘cells’ on Earth. Hence, the coverage provided by satellite phone companies is far greater than that provided by cellular phone companies. Since satellite companies don’t have to set up cells from destination to destination, they offer service in a wider area and some even offer it across the globe.

Usability Differences

Cell phones have become an absolute necessity for practically all urban residents. In fact, a large number of people are opting to have cell phones instead of the traditional landlines. Cell phones are perfect to use while on the move in metropolitan cities. For marketing and sales executives, employees, CEOs, managers, mothers, students and almost all people in different walks of life - cell phones provide a high value service. They are also a great option to surf the net, listen to music and exchange photos. In short, cell phones have become the single all-purpose media electronic instrument of the 21st century.

Satellite phones on the other hand, are perfect for use in remote and thinly populated areas where cellular companies do not provide network coverage. Satellite phones are also extremely handy in situations when cellular networks go down. Such situations generally arise in times of natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and floods when the ‘cells’ that route calls are damaged.

Satellite phones have the advantage in such conditions since natural disasters do not affect the LEO satellites. Hence while cellular phone networks are down, satellite phones continue to function as normal. This has indeed saved many lives in the recent past.

Satellite phones are also the perfect option for companies that have research laboratories or departments in isolated areas like Alaska, Siberia and Antartica. Adventurers who frequently travel to densely populated tropical forests, high mountain areas and across oceans also prefer the better coverage provided by satellite phones.

Differences In Cost

As is to be expected, cellular phones are far cheaper to operate and maintain than satellite phones. The cellular phone handsets as well as the subscription plans offered by cellular service providers are extremely affordable and cost barely a few cents per minute.

Satellite phones on the other hand are expensive. The satellite phone hand sets or the fixed satellite phone sets cost a pretty penny as does the satellite phone service provided by leaders in the industry like Iridium and Globalstar. At an average satellite phones can cost anything from $600 to $1000 with costs going up to $1.50 per minute for talktime.

Thus, cell phones and satellite phones are both a boon to the world of communication and both service users in different ways and under differing conditions.

Natural disasters come in many shapes. From the incomprehensible carnage of last weekend’s tsunami in the Indian Ocean, to hurricanes and typhoons, to tornadoes and drought, our world deals with the horror of disaster as a normal part of our lives. Throw in a bit of human influence through wars, terrorism, or the threat of weapons of mass destruction, and our need to deal with and overcome calamity almost becomes routine.

Watching CNN and the news channels gives a near real-time view of disasters. While some may find this a bit macabre, it also shows our ability to quickly respond to major events, on a global scale. The same technologies that allow us to view the aftermath of a tsunami also allow us to quickly gather factual data on the extent of a disaster, and use that for disaster planning and response.

Organizations such as the Pacific Disaster Center (http://www.pdc.org/), the Asia Pacific Area Network (http://www.apan-info.net/), try to assist regional nations to build better disaster planning models and response model through training and timely dissemination of critical information. Regional military organizations participate with each other on joint disaster planning (for other than wartime-related disaster) to organize their resources in response to a regional disaster, and can respond within hours to major problems.

While carnage on the scale of the Indian Ocean tsunami cannot be controlled within a day or a few days, the communications and real time information collection on the disaster will most certainly reduce the level of misery experienced by victims at a level that would not have been possible even 40 years ago. As aircraft and on-site persons (using satellite phones or other powerful mobile communicators) collect information on areas of Sumatra, Thailand, and other affected areas, the information is almost immediately being logged, evaluated, distributed, and prioritized among a number of emergency response centers operated by regional governments - as well as international relief agencies.

From the regional and international response centers coordination further occurs among members of organizations such as the Multinational Planning Augmentation Team (http://www2.apan-info.net/mpat/ ). MPAT holds frequent disaster response exercises among member nations to ensure coordination lines and pre-planned responses are quickly executed. All MPAT member nations have access to central databases of planning information, available resources, and a “command center” mobilized when a regional disaster occurs.

Telecommunications and information technology are key components in our ability to respond to disaster. As real time information is collected, it is available immediately to all participants in the relief effort. Other technology - in particular military technology, can easily serve a duel use purpose in a disaster. The same troop transports designed to carry soldiers to war can carry refugees from a disaster. The same photo reconnaissance aircraft used to spy on enemies can provide a clear view of the extent of damage. The same technology used to collect electronic intelligence can locate attempts to use mobile phones, radios, and even audio signals of people stranded in remote areas. Infrared scanning used to identify enemy soldiers in a bunker or building can just as easily locate a family stranded in a jungle.

If you compare the current response to the Indian Ocean tsunami to the effects of tsunami damage following eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in 1883 (http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Vocano1883Krakatoa.html ), you can see the extent of damage from that disaster was not even known for several decades.

In most cases disaster cannot be predicted. We are making progress predicting earthquakes, hurricanes, and eruptions - however science is no closer to effective disaster prediction than we are in fully understanding the human genome. Through effective use of communications, information technology, and duel use military/civilian technology transfer, we are getting much closer to reducing the level of pain following an event.

2005 will be a big year in further exploiting the potential of Internet and communications-related technology. Given the positive moves toward regional cooperation in activities such as MPAT, we should be encouraged our governments understand the need and role of technology in planning - was well as responding - to regional disaster.

(About the Author - John Savageau is a managing director at CRG-West, responsible for managing operations and architecture for several of the largest telecommunications interconnect facilities in the US, including One Wilshire in Los Angeles)

Take the time to learn anniversary gemstone color, cuts and ideas when looking into jewelry to give your partner on that special day.

Gemstones are often initially identified by their color and markings. Visual cues being our primary way of dealing with the world, this is usually an accurate way of identifying the different types of gemstones. In the past a gemstones color and type has correlated it with magic and methods of healing. Blue is often see as the color of truth, so blue stones such as the blue sapphire were worn to help encourage the wearer to receive the truth and be open to it. Gemstones are highly valued for having lots of color. The more intense the color of a stone the more expensive it can be.

There is a wide range of gemstone cuts. In fact cutting gemstones is a very exact science and gemstones are cut for optimum fire, brilliance and sparkle. The oldest known cut is the cabochon which creates a shape which is flat on the bottom and round on top. This is also the most common cut. There is also the round brilliant cut, the oval cut, emerald cut, rose cut, pear cut, fancy cut, cushion top cut and radiant cut. The round brilliant cut is the most common type of faceted cut because it creates a lot of sparkle even for small stones and leaves as much of the stone as possible. The oval cut is similar to the round brilliant except that its oval. The emerald cut is typically used for emeralds but it can also be used for other types of stones. It isn’t as sparkly as other cuts but creates an interesting rectangle shape. There are still lots of other types of cuts to talk about but there simply isn’t enough room here.

When coming up with ideas for types of gemstones to get think about the coloring and style tastes of your partner. Your partner may prefer a simple pear cut diamond in a necklace. Or they could really like color in their clothing and you could mimic this by getting a ring with multiple small stones of varying intense colors.

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. Anniversary Rock has a huge selection of Anniversary Jewelry.

Though it is impossible to produce a perfectly white moissanite stone, the fact that its dispersive power is 2.5 times greater than that of diamond makes moissanite jewelry quite spectacular. The fact that it is also quite expensive (moissanite sells at something like $520 per carat) makes it both precious and fashionable.

There is a lot of controversy about moissanite as a jewelry medium, most of it related to its high rate of fluorescence (which makes it appear gray or green under natural light). Nevertheless, because it is extremely exclusive has made it a focal point for the jewelry industry.

It took some doing to bring it to that point. Moissanite was not commercially exploitable till the company Cree Inc. (manufacturers of semiconductors) invented a viable process for synthesizing it into large individual crystals. Tipped off to the potential of moissanite in jewelry by an experienced diamond craftsman in 1995, Charles & Colvard, Ltd. tied up with Cree Inc. and launched a massive multimedia drive to popularize it.

The collaboration still holds a complete monopoly on synthetic moissanite production. Essentially, the production process it employs to make jewelry-grade moissanite stones includes cutting adequately sized ‘preforms’, having them hand-crafted and polished by experts and then shaping them by precision finishing tools that employ diamond chips for the abrading process. The process is repeated till a gem-grade stone is produced.

Moissanite is now regularly featured in national and international jewelry exhibitions and receives extensive coverage. For those who are in doubt about the exclusivity of moissanite jewelry - moissanite is usually set only in fine precious metals like gold, platinum and silver. Moreover, only selected authorized outlets sell moissanite jewelry, and a certificate of authenticity and lifetime warranty given by Charles & Colvard, Ltd. themselves.

Moissanite provides detailed information about moissanite, moissanite bracelets and more. Moissanite is affiliated with Mens Diamond Wedding Bands.

“Nicky Bats” was an “old school” kinda guy. He was “street” thru and thru. He was a hard bark tough as nails S.O.B. He was a survivor. His definition of “success” in life was dying peacefully at a ripe old age of natural causes, not dying on some frozen blood-soaked battlefield in Korea after being over run by a human swarm of Chi-Coms. Not winding up in a landfill dead of lead poisoning and not dying in some filthy gutter with your innards spilling out from a gaping knife wound.

I once asked Nicky what he thought the “secret” to real world survival was. Now “Nicky Bats” WAS the “go to guy” on matters concerning “reality based” violence. He boiled it down to these words, words which carry a GREAT deal of wisdom…………………..”Dealing with most people is like dealing with a jackass. Even a dumb as a stump jackass has a brain, but it all depends on which end you’re doing business with. Pick the wrong end and pretty soon you’ll find yourself standing knee deep in a pile of stinking donkey s@#t.” Nicky Bats had a REAL dislike for hard guys, tough nuts, and blustering blowhards. Nicky called these types “hard boiled eggs”…………….seemingly tough on the outside, but easily cracked and all yellow and mushy on the inside. If you didn’t know Nicky Bats, by the time he “introduced” himself, it was usually too late.

It took me awhile, but I eventually realized that what “Nicky Bats” was saying was that REAL survival was rooted in the ability to fully understand human nature and understand how that knowledge could really be put to use to “work the mark”, as he would say.

So-called “self-defense” at its core has far more to do with watching, studying and understanding all of the varied components of “human nature” than it does with ANY set of “techniques”, “system” or “method”.

EVERY single interaction with another individual CAN become a “self-defense” scenario or situation. Think about this. HOW many times during the course of a day, a week or a month does someone run SOME type of “grift” with YOU as the intended “mark”. From the subtle to the overt; from the “sneaky” and the “backhanded” to the OPENLY hostile, aggressive and potentially violent; these actions range from the snide comment or wiseass crack all the way up to and including a full blown lethal physical assault. AND they occur EVERYWHERE all the time in EVERY SINGLE “interaction” you have with someone that winds up with you muttering to yourself “what an ASS” or worse, you have in point of fact just engaged in a scenario of “self-defense”.

Every time your head pounded, your heart raced, your guts churned, your teeth gritted, or you clenched your fist in anger because of another’s actions you have just experienced the “jump street” of SELF-DEFENSE.

In the same way that we strive to deal with violent PHYSICAL attack, we should strive to “know” how to deal with these less overt intrusions into our personal space and lives. REMEMBER the MOST subtle of actions can open the door for the most dangerous of encounters and the MOST VIOLENT of outcomes!

The ANSWER lies right there in the “philosophy” of “Nicky Bats”. From the simply annoying and peevish traits of the human condition RIGHT up to the MOST detestable, ugly and violent actions the ANSWER remains pretty much the same. IT’S THIS SIMPLE: Realize from JUMP STREET that you are dealing with the WRONG END of a JACKASS, that NOTHING GOOD will stem from this and that sooner rather than later you are most assuredly going to be CRAPPED UPON.

So the question BEGS to be asked……………………WHY in the world are YOU dealing with the rear end of a JACKASS in the FIRST PLACE!

There any number of “cues” that will alert an astute observer of “human nature” to the intent, mind-set and type of character you are dealing with. USE THAT. Don’t molly-coddle. Don’t make excuses. Don’t “look inward”. Don’t equivocate. DON’T BE SUCKERED and DON’T BE STUPID.

If it looks like a JACKASS and it ACTS like a JACKASS……………………………………..well you can figure out the rest. Never PLAY the other mans game. Never fall for the “grift”. NEVER allow yourself to set up as a “mark”.

REAL SELF-DEFENSE AIN’T JUST ABOUT KNOWING HOW TO STOP THAT BASEBALL BAT DESCENDING UPON YOUR SKULL!

IT IS FIGURING OUT WHY YOU DIDN’T SEE IT COMING IN THE FIRST PLACE!

And if you’re wondering about “Nicky Bats”, as I just found out earlier this evening, his wish came to fruition, he’s finally a “success”.

RIP my dear Brother. In a world of “hard boiled eggs”, the “ones that count”, will remember you as the REAL DEAL!

©2005 www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com

Carl Cestari began his study of the martial arts with judo at the age of 7 under the direction of Yoshisada Yonezuka. During the past forty plus years Carl has dedicated his life to studying the martial arts, hand to hand combat systems, history and religion. What makes Carl unique is his combination of martial arts, law enforcement and military and real world experience. Carl has been exposed to a multitude of people with a wide variety experience. The following is a list of some of Carl’s ranks and honors.

Shinan (Founder) Tekkenryu jujutsu
Ryokudan (6th degree) Koshinkai Karate under John Burrelle
Godan (5th degree) Jujutsu under Clarke of the World Jujutsu Fedaration (now defunct)
Sandan (3rd degree) Nippon Kempo under Narabu Sada
Nidan (2nd degree) Judo under Masafumi Suzuki
Shodan (1st degree) Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Shukokai Karate under Kimura, Kadachi and Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Daitoryu Aikijujutsu
Instructors Certificate- Charles Nelson System of Self Defense under Charlie Nelson
http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com

Is it just me, or is shopping for Valentine’s day jewelry the hardest job in the world for any man? I just seem to struggle every year. I try to plan in advance, I try to be creative, I even speak to my wife’s girlfriends for their thoughts and suggestions. Instead of inspiration, I’m left even more confused.

Is this task beyond us men? I really hope not, I pride myself on being a man of the 21st century. I share in all house hold responsibilities, I buy my wife flowers when she’s not expecting them, so even though I dare to say it myself, I’m a perfectly romantic husband. Yet, when it comes to buying Valentine’s day jewelry, I turn into Jack, from Jack in The Beanstalk. Instead of a pearl necklace so delightful in style, I end up with a necklace made from beans. Sadly, I’m convinced that my bean necklace is the most attractive necklace in the world.

So this year, I’m determined to be different. Not only am I going to be different, I’m also going to help all of the other men out there with the same issues as me. This is my contribution to the men of the 21st century, how to buy Valentine’s day jewelry for your wives or girlfriends.

Top tips for men buying Valentine’s day jewelry

Why not consider buying a jewelry display case instead of jewelry. There’s little room for error and it also provides a practical requirement. The good thing is that you can buy many different types of jewelry display cases, from wooden ones to jewel encrusted ones.

Consider something a little different, perhaps a toe ring. It may sound a little crazy as a Valentine’s day jewelry gift, however it could be quirky enough for your loved one to fall in love with it. If they don’t like it, they can always wear socks or spurn the open toed sandals.

Remember, it is not about spending lots of money. It is about demonstrating that you love and care for them. A really expensive gift could be embarrassing for the recipient, especially if they’re not that keen on it.
Speak to the nice person in the jewelry store. It’s surprising how helpful they can be, they are also used to us men wondering around their stores with a clueless expression on our faces. They have lots of experience and could make some very good suggestions.

Remember, the number one rule when buying Valentine’s day jewelry is not to go too overboard. Take the time to have a look at what other types of jewelry she wears on a regular basis. Then compare this to her “Special Jewelry”, this is where you should be aiming for.

Also, be committed to the cause. Don’t give up, you’re a man of the 21st century, you can buy your wife or girlfriend jewelry. It is not mission impossible. I have a lot to prove this year, I’m still not convinced that my gift of a Fondue Set went down too well last year. This is why I am desperate to make my wife’s day and treat her to some wonderful Valentine’s day jewelry.

For 14 years Titanium Rings Studios has been making the finest quality handmade titanium rings and www.tirings.com carries a full line of Weddding Rings, Engagement Rings, Celtic Rings, Tension Rings, Friendship rings.

Cool Summer Gazpacho

This refreshing tomato soup is a great cool meal for those hot summer days. If you don’t like your food spicy, you can leave out the jalapenos, if you like it spicier, just add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce. Enjoy!

5 medium tomatoes, peeled
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1/2 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 jalapenos, seeded
1 12oz. can of tomato juice
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lime juice

Roughly chop the tomato, cucumber, onion, garlic, and jalapenos, and add them all to a mixing bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl, and mix together.

In batches, puree the mixture in a blender, and transfer to another mixing bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic and place in the refrigerator for a few hours to let the flavors blend.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, and a little bit of fresh cilantro and chives, to garnish.

About the Author

Tim Sousa is the webmaster for Classy Cooking.

Come check out the ever growing collection of delicious recipes

I have been seduced by the idea of mobile broadband. A few friends who do freelance work have signed up recently and they love showing off about where they are working from at any given time. Pubs, restaurants, coffee houses, in a car overlooking a stormy sea.

So they win. It was get myself mobile broadband or get new friends. It was a close call mind you! So the next question is, which mobile Internet provider to I go with? Turns out there are loads, all big names and all offering a multitude of options. Not making my life easy.

In my searching I came across a comparison site, Broadband Genie (click here to check it out) that looks like it makes life easy for me. But I have never used comparison sites before and want to know, are they any good?

Initial research shows they have all the good offers ‘under one roof’ as it were, I certainly can’t see anything that might interest me missed out. But then I am no expert at things like this either. So what do you think? The deals look good there, worth going through or should I try shop around a bit more?

Love the taste of prime rib? Love the taste of barbecue? You can combine them together for cooking roast prime rib on the grill. It takes a bit longer than hamburgers, but cooking roast prime rib on the grill gives you a fabulous roast that everyone enjoys.

You need a lot of charcoal for cooking prime rib on the grill. The cooking time is about two hours so you need about 8 pounds of good quality charcoal. Fire up the charcoal and wait until the flames die down and the charcoal is giving off a good heat.

When cooking prime rib on the grill, you don’t want the meat to be directly over the hot coals. Move them over to one side of the grill so that you can place the roast on the other side. Before putting the meat on the barbecue, rub the exterior with a mixture of coarse salt, pepper and herbs.

You can use either bone on or bone off when cooking roast prime rib on the grill. You can ask the butcher to remove the bones and then tie them back onto the meat. This gives you the best of both worlds — easy carving and great tasting ribs.

Place the meat on the grill and cover it tightly. If the cover has vents, you want to close them as well. Check the grill from time to time to make sure it has enough heat to for cooking roast prime rib on the grill. If it cools off, you can open the events to let the flames build up again.

After two hours of cooking roast prime rib on the grill, take the cover off and check the temperature with a meat thermometer. The interior will be about 115 when the meat is rare, and 150 is well done. Be sure to check the temperature as close to the middle as possible.

After cooking roast prime rib on the grill to your taste, remove it from the grill and let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving. I hope you bought a big enough roast because your guests will ask for seconds and thirds!

About the Author

Hans is author of Steaks, Seafood and
Barbeque guide and the

Grill and Barbeque section of Patio Furniture Ideas

ARA) - The holidays. A time for loads of family, gifts and good cheer. Unfortunately, the holidays also can be a huge headache when it comes to cooking a holiday dinner for a house filled with people. Plus, you’re probably sick to death of turkey and wish you could serve something a little different to your holiday guests. Here’s the thing: you can!

They call me the Naked Chef because I like to prepare easy, no-fuss meals. I reckon the same should go for holiday meals. The perfect holiday dinner can be prepared pretty easily, without a whole lot of extra steps — especially when you have the right range to work with. Lucky for me, Amana has given me one of their new ranges, and it works just great. You should see it — this range is the largest one for its size on the market, with 5.22 cubic feet of capacity — which is large enough to let me prepare an entire holiday meal at once. It’s the size of Royal Albert Hall! On the outside, though, it’s a standard 30-inch range so it fits perfectly in your kitchen with no problem. It’s also easy to use, which is terrific when your kitchen is crazy and overflowing with holiday guests. The U-shaped EasyRack oven rack keeps you from getting burned when taking out a pizza pan or cookie sheet, while the self-cleaning oven makes clean-up a piece of cake. There’s also a warming drawer where I can heat up plates before serving the great meal. Brilliant.

Here’s one of my favorite holiday meals. It’s got it all — a nice piece of pork, loads of veg and a tasty dessert. Thanks to my Amana range, I cooked the entire thing at once . . . and it was delicious.

Pork Loin with a Great Herby Stuffing

This pork recipe is great for holiday entertaining. You can serve it as a conventional roast, or let it cool, slice it and serve it as part of a buffet. Here’s what you’ll need.

Serves 8-10

1/2 a pork loin, preferably the rib end, off the bone

1 small handful of rosemary leaves, picked

3 heaping teaspoons of fennel seeds

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound, 2-ounces sourdough or rustic bread

2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced

1 small handful fresh sage leaves, ripped up

1 handful of pine nuts

Extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place your pork loin in front of you and score across the skin with a sharp knife about 1/2-inch deep and about 1/2-inch apart. Using a mortar and pestle, pound up the rosemary and fennel seeds with a tablespoon of salt — bash the mixture up until really fine and then rub it into all the score marks on the pork. Remove the crusts from the bread and slice it up. I like to toast the bread in a toaster or on a griddle until lightly golden, as this gives the stuffing a really fantastic smoky flavor. While the bread is toasting, slowly fry the onions, garlic, sage and pine nuts in a little olive oil for 10 minutes, until the onions are sweet and soft. Season with salt and pepper, add the balsamic vinegar and put the mixture in a bowl. Rip your bread into pieces and add to the bowl. Squash everything together, really squeezing the onions into the bread. Have a taste — it may need a little more seasoning. Put to one side and allow cooling.

Insert your knife into the eye meat of the pork loin and make a cavity for your stuffing. Pack in the stuffing, then roll the pork over and tie it with a few pieces of string. Place the pork on a roasting pan and cook in the oven for just over an hour, until crisp and golden or until pork reaches 160 degrees.

Now, as your pork begins cooking, you can prepare these terrific veg dishes. Once you’ve prepared them, pop them in your range alongside the pork and allow everything to cook at once.

Stir-fried Savoy cabbage with garlic and Worcester sauce

This is a really simple and amazingly tasty thing to do with a Savoy cabbage. Worcester sauce (pronounced ‘Wooster’ in England — don’t ask me why!) is worth looking for. You can find it in the States, but if it’s not in a store near you try using a strong spicy steak sauce instead.

Serves 4

1 head of Savoy cabbage

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons of Worcester sauce

Cut your cabbage in half and cut out the stalk. Place the halves ‘cut side’ down on a chopping board and slice the cabbage up as finely as you can.

Heat a large flat low-sided pan or a wok and add the oil. When the oil’s hot, add the garlic, fry for a few seconds until it turns light brown. Add the shredded cabbage and stir-fry for a minute coating all the pieces of cabbage in the garlicky oil.

Add the Worcester sauce, lots of salt and freshly ground black pepper and continue to stir-fry for another minute or two until the cabbage has wilted slightly and soaked up all the lovely sauce, but it should still have just a little crunch.

Wicked roast vegetables

Roast veg has never been so good! If you can’t find parsnip, try using wedges of pumpkin instead.

Serves 4

4 medium size potatoes

2 carrots

2 parsnips

2 red onions

A handful of garlic cloves

Some rosemary sprigs

Olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel or scrub all the root vegetables and cut them in half, lengthways. Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with salted water and place on the heat. Peel the onions, cut them into quarters and toss them with the carrots and parsnips in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper and spread out in a roasting tray. Cover tightly with foil and place in the pre-heated oven.

When the potatoes come to the boil, carefully lift them out and place in a colander to drain. After the vegetables have been in the oven for 30 minutes, take the tray out of the oven and take the foil off. Add the potatoes, garlic and rosemary and shake everything around a little. Return to the oven without the foil and roast for another 30 minutes or until cooked through and crispy brown.

Baked Pears Stuffed with Almonds, Orange and Chocolate in Flaky Pastry

Last, but not least, the holiday dessert. Here’s one your guests will come back for next year.

You’ll need:

Serves 4

4 perfectly ripe pears

1-1/2 ounces blanched almonds

5-1/2 ounces butter

1-3/4 ounces sugar

Zest of 1 orange

Seeds of one vanilla bean

1-1/2 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate

16 sheets of filo dough, defrosted if frozen

Carefully peel the pears and carve out each core from the bottom. This will give you a hole about 1-1/2 inches deep. Put the pears to one side.

Put your blanched almonds into a food processor and whiz up until really fine (or bash with a rolling pin). Put them in a bowl with 5 tablespoons of the butter, the sugar and the zest of the orange. Add the vanilla seeds to the bowl, then mix everything up until nice and smooth. Bash up the chocolate into small pieces, adding these to the mixture as well. Divide into 4 balls and put to the side.

Melt the rest of the butter in a little pan for brushing onto the filo dough. Dampen a clean dish towel and wring it out — use this to cover the unused filo dough so it doesn’t dry out. Working with one piece of filo dough at a time, spread it out in front of you and brush the sheet with melted butter. Lay the next sheet of filo dough on top and repeat until you have four brushed layers of filo dough. Cut the layered pastry down to an 8-by-8-inch square.

Take a pear and one ball of almond mix and fill the hole in the base, packing the excess filling around the base of the pear. Place in the middle of the filo square, then gather up the pastry around the stalk and pinch tight. You can leave it looking nice and rustic and flopping all over the place, as this will look really good when it’s cooked. Repeat this process with the other pears. Brush the outside of the pastry with any remaining melted butter, then bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp. Serve with the rest of your lovely holiday meal.

Visit www.amana.com for more practical appliance solutions from Amana.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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Courtesy of ARA Content