Strawberry Ricotta Pancakes

Mother's Day is coming around in 2 weeks, and I'm sure everyone is planning a special Brunch for their beloved moms! Well, my little one wants to make something special for me too, so she asked me to choose one of the best pancake recipes and tell her how to make them, so that she can do it "all by herself, maybe with a little help from Daddy", and make the Best Pancakes Ever for her Mamma!!! There are already tears brimming in my eyes as I type this post - it's so easy to get carried away by emotion, especially when a 4-year old wants to do something extra-special for you.

Anyways, so if you are looking for a perfect Pancake recipe for Mother's Day, then I'm sure you'll love this one too! Made with fluffy Ricotta cheese and fresh strawberries, these will be the perfect beginning to a memorable Mother's Day celebration.  

Recipe & photo courtesy of Whole Foods 

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How To Pair Wine with Food

It’s worth thinking about some of the best foods to pair with a wine tasting event; this applies whether or not you’re putting on a large party, or just having a few friends over. In general, it’s important not to let food overwhelm the flavour of the wines you’re serving, and to carefully match up different drinks with the meals you put out. At the same time, it’s possible to consider not serving any food at all, or advising your guests to eat before they arrive.

 For matching up wine and food, it’s best to avoid strong flavors and spicier foods, unless you’re tasting heavy red wines; in this context, lighter fish and snacks are better as palette cleaners. You might also want to include a cheese board, which can feature cheeses like Mozzarella, Munster, and Cheddar without necessarily making it difficult to taste wines. 

If serving red wine at a tasting session, you may also want to go with dark chocolate, and particularly types with high cocoa content. Alternatively, cold cuts can be served in small portions, as can Italian deli meats. You can pair up food and wine by regional themes, as well as with established meal pairings - heavier reds go with roasted meats, with Merlot and cuts of venison being a good idea.

Whites are generally better with cheese and fish. It’s similarly possible to put together a platter using tapas - the rule should be, though, that the more types of wine you have to taste, the smaller the portions of food should be. If you’re serving white wine, for example, you may want to pair a Sauvignon Blanc with cheeses and olives, as well as tuna or any fish that’s not too acidic. Rieslings tend to go well with prosciutto and asparagus bites. Dessert wines can also be paired with cheeses and scallops - be careful, though, not to make dips like pate too rich, as they can interfere with the taste of wine. 

When putting together a small wine tasting event, it can be practical to just have a few palate cleansers available for guests - these can be used just to clear out the taste of a glass of wine before they move on to the next one. French bread and crackers, as well as light biscuits can serve this purpose well, as can dried fruit. 

You may also opt to have no food at all - this can be the case if you’re concerned about losing the taste of expensive or rare wines, and just want to focus on tasting. In this context, you might want to advise your guests to consider eating a meal before the tasting session. In most cases, though, having a few light palette cleansers to hand gives guest the option to mix up their tasting. Pairings with more substantial foods can be a better idea if you’re planning to keep a wine tasting event running throughout an afternoon or evening, and if you’re going to be serving different courses. 

Selecting the right wines to go with each course of food can allow you to move from drier to more sparkling wines. Author Bio: Emily Steves is a food writer who regularly contributes to a range of food and drink websites and blogs. She loves drinking white wine with her meals and experimenting on which foods work best.

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Are Computer Games Good For Kids?

These days, every kid from the age of 5 to 15, is mesmerized by the aura of online gaming. And no matter how hard parents try to keep their kids away from this culture, it is bound to affect them in some way, especially when their friends are doing it, so they want to do it too! When it comes to online games people tend to assume that the only benefits are with regards to entertainment. After all, this is what games are all about; having fun. Nevertheless, there are several other benefits which are associated with playing online games and some prove to be extremely beneficial. From playing Batman games to enjoying football management games – you may actually find that these games prove to be very advantageous when it comes to helping your child prepare for exams. How? Read on to find out. Our guest-post this week is all about the power of Online gaming, and how you can help your child use it to actually help him learn better.  

They help children learn how to work to a time limit 
When playing online games it is very likely that children will have to play to a time limit. This may be with regards to the game itself i.e. there may only be a minute to complete the level of the game in question. However, this can also relate to the way in which your child has to make quick decisions when they are playing the game. For example, a child may need to quickly get somewhere before they are attacked by the enemy. This quick thinking and time management is essential when it comes to taking examinations because children will only have a set time limit to complete their test. 

Improve your child’s ability to memorize effectively 
There are lots of different games which revolve around memorization. Some of the most popular games include when the screen is filled with cards. You then have to turn a card over and try and match it with another card. You will need to remember where all the identical cards are in order to complete the game. In addition to this, another form of a memorization game is one whereby different sounds are played and then your child has to play them back in the right order. All of these little games help to make your child’s mind more accustomed to memorization. Thus, when they go to study they will find it easier to store things in the back of their mind in order to prepare for their tests.  

Your child will be able to think more strategically 
When your child plays a game they will have to think of a solid strategy in order to complete the game. They will be faced with a dilemma and they will have to think three steps ahead in order to complete the game. This process is something which is practically parallel to the way in which an examination works. For example, take a maths test – you are given a question which has components, you have to use these components in order to come up with the end result. There are usually several different ways in which you can come to the final conclusion, yet it is up to you to decide how to get there. This is exactly how most online games operate and thus your child will learn to think more strategically. And as they say; practice makes perfect, thus the more games played the more likely your child will be able to think in this strategic manner. 

 The three points mentioned in this article aptly display how beneficial children’s online video games – such as Batman games and Tom and Jerry games – can be when it comes to preparing your children for taking an examination. Who knew that so much fun could actually also be so educational? Author Bio Emily is a qualified journalist. She writes on an array of different topics; from the best Cartoon Network video to the upcoming online Batman games .

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