Cassie Sumner

Deadly red: This red brings out a more nostalgic side of an elegant street look.
Naughty net: A beautiful making of a glossy figure!

Hide 'n' seek: Style and trends comes from within

Bold babe: Experience the thrills of the beautiful skin

Upside down: Trends this season see a big revival of the bold and the beautiful image

Pink kit: Small and tiny is hot this season.

Lovely locks: This pink and yellow corset is often more flattering than a bikini.
(Pic courtesy: Daily Mirror)

Beef Empanadas - Recipe from Chile

The empanada is a traditional turnover pie. The variations are as follows: de horno-baked, frito-fried, de
pino-with a meat and onion filling, de queso-cheese, de mariscos-seafood. This is a Chilean empanda recipe.
You can learn to make the empanada dough and the filling.

Ingredients:

Empanda dough:

• 3 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Teaspooon Baking powder
• 1 Teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 Cup Lard or shortening
• Milk, water or broth 1/2 to 3/4 cup, as needed

Filling:

• 2-3 Tablespoons of oil
• I minced onion
• 2-3 clove minced garlic
• 1 Pound of ground beef
• 1 Tablespoon of Paprika
• 1 Teaspoon of Cumin seed
• 1 Teaspoon of Oregano
• 1 cup of water, or vegetable stock
• 1 Tablespoon of Flour
• 1/2 Cup raisins
• 1/4 Cup Black or Green pitted Olives, chopped



Preparation:

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Rub the lard or shortening into the flour with your fingers to break it up into small pieces. If oil, stir it in.
Stir in just enough milk, water or broth to form a kneadable ball. Remove it to a floured board and knead for about 5-10 minutes until it is silky smooth. Add a little flourto make less sticky. Cover it with a towel or bowl and let it rest at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium flame. Saute the onions until they turn translucent. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin and oregano and sautÈ 1-2 minutes more. Add the ground beef, salt and pepper and saute, breaking up the beef until it is cooked through.
Stir in the water or stock, raisins and olives and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle flour over all and stir in well. Simmer for another 5-8 minutes till thickened. Adjust seasoning, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Preheat your oven to 375∞F. Cut the dough into 12 equal portions. Lightly flour a work surface and roll each portion into a 6- to 8-inch round. Add about 1/4 cup of filling to the center of the pastry round, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Wet the edges with a finger dipped in water, fold over into a half moon and seal the edges with the tines of a fork or by rolling them up into a scalloped edge. Lay out on a baking sheet.
Brush tops with an beaten egg whites. Bake for 30-40 minutes till browned on top.

Gingerbread Cookies - Christmas Cookies

Gingerbread cookie men are a Christmas tradition. Shape the dough into lots of different shapes and sizes. You can also string them up as ornaments. Remember to poke holes in the cookies before baking. Kids will enjoy preparing and decorating this cookie recipe.

Ingredients:
• 3/4 Cup butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 Cup sugar
• 3/4 Cup molasses
• 3 1/4 Cups flour
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• 2 Teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg



Preparation:

In a bowl, mix at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in molasses. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir into butter mixture, blend well.

Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap each half and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Roll dough, a portion at a time, to 1/4 inch thick. With floured cutters, cut dough into people shapes. With a wide spatula or transfer cookies to buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Repeat rolling and cutting with scraps.

Bake cookies at 300° degrees until edges are brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Let stand on sheets for abou t 5 minutes to firm up, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Powdered sugar icing: If it's too thick, add a few drops of water; if it's too thin, gradually add more powdered sugar. To tint, add food coloring a few drops at a time.

Piping: In a bowl, stir 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 1/2 tablespoons water until smooth. Tint with food coloring. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/8-inch tip or a heavy 1-quart zip-lock plastic bag. Seal plastic bag and squeeze icing into a corner; cut a tiny opening at corner of bag to squeeze icing out. Let cookies stand for 5 minutes until icing is firm. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Christmas Sugar Cookie recipe

Sugar cookies are prefect for sharing and gifting for Christmas. You can make the dough ahead of time and remove it from your freezer when you are ready to bake. This is an easy cookie recipe, perfect for kids to prepare. Get out colorful sugar crystals and icing to decorate.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups butter, softened
• 2 Cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 Cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Teaspoons baking powder
• 1 Teaspoon salt

Preparation:

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter, and sprinke with red, green and white sugar crystals. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.