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Calculating Present Value

ben — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:16:54 +0000

The concept of present value is rather simple. If I want $1000 by the end of 2 years and then interest rate is 10%, how much do I need to invest today? The answer is $826.

Today this is a pretty simple calculation. Just push the buttons on your calculator and done. But, what if you had to fiqure it out the “old-fashioned” way. Well here’s the formula fiqure it out.

Present Value = Future Value/ (1 + Interest Rate)

For example, What would be the present value of $100 at 8% interest for 1 year?

Present Value = $100/(1 + .08)

Present Value = $100/1.08

Present Value = $92.59

Pretty simple, but what if you needed to fiqure it out for 3 years? Here’s how to do that.

Year 1 Present Value = $100/1.08 = $92.59

Year 2 $92.59/1.08 = $85.73

Year 3 $85.73/1.08 = $79.38

So in three years, if we invest $79.38 today, we will have $100

Of course there are a couple of shorter ways to calculate present value. Here is a formula that uses exponents.

Another quick short cut is to use the present value interest tables. This chart is usually labeled as the PVIF table. The tables already have the (1 + interest rate) fiqured out for you. For example, 5% interest for 8 years gives us a factor of .677.

Take $100 x .677 to get $67.70 as the answer. Can’t get any easier than that.

How To Eat Right With Diabetes

ben — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:14:31 +0000

By Lauren S Johnson

If you or somebody you know suffers from diabetes you know how important it is to maintain a healthy diet. Eating a healthy diet can help you attain quick weight loss, keep your blood levels even and maintain a healthy body. Maintaining a healthy weight is extremely important for diabetics because it prevents certain health problems from occurring, such as heart disease. With prevention in mind, here are a few nutrition tips to take into consideration if you are diabetic.

Tip number one is “eating a wide variety of foods.” If you are a diabetic it is often important to have a colorful plate. Do not eliminate any fruits, vegetables, or lean meats from your diet. You can also eat other sources of protein, such as nuts, dairy products, grains, and cereal. Tip number two is “eating the right amount of calories.” This means that you should eat a balanced diet which will help you maintain a healthy weight. Do not short yourself calories and do not exceed calories. Learn to maintain a healthy calorie intake.

The third tip is “choosing foods high in fiber.” The recommended daily intake of fiber is 25-35 grams. Some of the foods which are high in fiber include whole grain breads, fruit and cereal. Certain studies suggest that people with type 2 diabetes who eat a diet high in fiber can improve their blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The same idea goes for people with type 1 diabetes. Also anyone who is a diabetic knows how important it is to maintain a healthy weight and fiber can help you achieve that. Fiber is known to speed up metabolism and help you feel full longer. So as you can see a healthy diet is essential in order to attain weight loss and healthy blood sugar levels.

Lauren S. Johnson writes health articles about fitness and nutrition.

Some of her favorite passions include studying the medicinal benefits of herbal remedies, diet pills and hoodia gordonii.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lauren_S_Johnson
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Eat-Right-With-Diabetes?&id=1622761

Vanilla Ice Cream

ben — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:50:00 +0000

5 egg yolks
2/3 cups sugar
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat yolks and sugar until blended. Pour in top of double boiler. Stir in half and half. Cook and stir over boiling water until thickens. Set aside - stir in butter. While cooling on a rack, stir occasionally until room temperature. Stir in whipping cream and vanilla. Freeze according to manufacturers directions.

Peanut Brittle

ben — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:38:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup white Karo syrup
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 tsp. margarine
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Mix sugar, karo, and salt, cook in microwave for about 4 minutes, or just until amber colored. Remove from oven (it's very hot, be very careful) and add peanuts, cook about l to 2 minutes more, remove from oven add the margarine, baking soda, and vanilla all at once, and mix thoroughly, spread on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam. Spread out on cookie sheet, ( this sets up quickly). Cool, then break into pieces and put in jar, with tight fitting lid.

Will the Circle be Unbroken

ben — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:36:00 +0000

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band featuring Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Earl Scruggs, Chet Atkins

Feta Cheese

ben — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:28:00 +0000

Flicr photo by: Betsy Weber

INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT:

1 gallon fresh goat’s milk (You can use store-bought cow’s milk as well.)
1 Tbl fresh yogurt
½ tablet rennet, dissolve in 1/4 cup water
1+ gallon pot with lid
1 long bladed knife
2 clean sterile handkerchiefs
strainer
cheese mold: Cut the ends out of a smooth-sided 4 x 5 inch tin can, save one of the cut ends.
table salt

STEPS:

Warm milk to 30°C (86°F) . Stir regularly so that it does not burn on the bottom. (Less stirring is required if the pot has a thick heat dissipating bottom.) Remove from heat.

Mix 1 Tbl yogurt with equal part milk to blend, then stir the blended yogurt and milk into the warmed milk to thoroughly mix. Cover and let inoculated milk sit for one hour at room temperature.

While the inoculated milk sits, dissolve 1/2 tablet rennet in fresh cool water.

After the inoculated milk has sat for one hour, add dissolved rennet to the inoculated milk, stir to mix thoroughly.Let the inoculated, renneted milk sit covered overnight at room temperature.

The next morning, the milk should have gelled. Some of the whey will have separated. Check for a clean break.

Cut curd as per basic cheese : start at one side, cut straight down to bottom. Make the next cut ½ inch from and parallel to the first, but sloping slightly (the sliced curd will be wider at bottom than top). Repeat increasing angle with each cut . Turn pot 90°, repeat cuts . Repeat cuts and turning two more times. The curd pieces should be about ½ inch cubes.

With very clean hand and arm, reach to the bottom and gently lift the curds to stir. Cut large pieces which appear with a table knife so that they are ½ inch cubes . Let the cut curds sit, with occasional stirring, for 10-15 minutes until curd is somewhat contracted.

Decant off the whey through the strainer lined with the handkerchief, pour curds into handkerchief. Save the whey to make whey brine. Let drain until no more whey drains out (about 2-4 hours). It may be drained at room temperature, or in the refrigerator.

Place drained curds into a bowl, mix in a ½ tsp salt, breaking up the curd.

Press into mold as per basic cheese: Line can with handkerchief, place curds inside, fold over ends of cloth, place end on top, and place weight on top of that. Let sit overnight.

Prepare pickling whey brine (12.5% salt): 20 oz of whey plus 5 Tbl salt. Stir to dissolve. The brine must be acidic or else the cheese will melt on the surface

Cut cheese into 1.5 inch cubes, place into wide-mouth jar. Pour brine over to cover . Let pickle for several days in the refrigerator. The cheese will become drier and more easily crumbled with time. Store in the frig.

Rinse before use to remove excess salt .

A Mini Herb Garden That Goes a Long Way

ben — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:38:00 +0000

By: Eustache Davenport

Any great meal starts with fresh ingredients, so it is said and has been proven time and time again. So, imagine that if instead of using store bought herbs to add some zest to the meal, you could simply pick the herbs you need while preparing a meal, a snack, a salad directly from the plants in your mini herb garden on the kitchen windowsill.

Can't get any fresher than that, right! Fresh herbs will add a ''zestier" burst of flavor that you will definitively notice. Think of great meals in a many-stars restaurants you might have enjoyed so much that you can almost feel the taste in your mouth when reminiscing about them. You can be sure that they insist on fresh supplies and it definitively includes fresh herbs.

A lot of folks live in small apartments and lack space as some people just don't wish to get into a bigger size garden project for lack of experience or might not dispose of much time, no matter the reason, a mini garden is a fantastic solution to consider. It is an occasion to start small and let you test your skills at this highly rewarding hobby. Some parents initiates the young ones to life, evolution and the practicality of cultivating and the rewards to reap through a mini herb garden for kids.

These kitchen herb gardens have been gaining in popularity for some time now, certainly for the fresh, healthy and flavorful value they add to any prepared dish but also for the economical alternative that assure a constant fresh supply.

Of course, once you have a good experience with your initial project and see how easy it really is, you may wish to add a few more plants and expand.
Big or small garden: Same rules apply
The mini garden requires the same basics care as larger gardens do. Lots of sunlight, a good soil that drains well and regular appropriate amount of water. Of course, a small scale garden will require only minimal maintenance. Another advantage is the miniature garden is the next-to-nothing space they occupy. The 1 to 3 pot making-up your garden can occupy the kitchen windowsill is very handy when preparing dishes. The biggest downfall of growing only a few plants restricts the choice of fresh herbs you can use.
The choice of herbs
Considering the large choice of herbs to choose from, the biggest dilemma you might have to deal with is which ones to grow. Start with a choice that is practical and can be used for multiple purposes or the one you use a lot in your cooking. Take full advantage of the work you will be doing to give provide good care to those plants.
Herb Garden Kits
The variety of choice is considerable and can pretty much live up to most needs. A herb garden kit require a one-stop purchase, is easy and quick set-up and contains all you need to start a mini herb garden. The only other element to provide is water. If the space you can provide for the garden is more in height, a stacking herb garden is available but usually contains more herbs.

Once the first steps are taken in this adventure, expanding to numerous mini gardens adds variety to you choice of herbs for cooking but also for other purposes. Consider a little garden for tea herbs or, grow a few medicinal herbs that can be what the doctor orders.

About the Author

Eustache Davenport is a gardening enthusiast and author. He lives in Montreal and enjoy teaching his gardening secrets to work groups on how to setup, optimize and maintain an amazing herb garden. For more great tips and information on kitchen herb gardens, visit http://www.herbgardeningonlineguide.com.

(ArticlesBase SC #1619697)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - A Mini Herb Garden That Goes a Long Way

Bud Select and Select 55

ben — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:06:00 +0000

Just bought some Bud Select and Bud Select 55, thought I'd post a comparison of them with MGD 64 and Michelob Ultra. I drank the 6 pack of Select 55, then the 6 pack of Select, and still didn't have a buzz. That means either one is a decent choice if you want to have a few beers and need to drive home.

Black Bean Soup

ben — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:33:00 +0000

3 tblsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped (1/2 cp)

2 small garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 large stalk celery, chopped (3/4 cp)

1 large carrot, chopped (3/4 cp)

4 cps chicken broth

3 15 1/2 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

juice from 1 lime

1 tblsp tomato paste

salt

In large pot, heat the oil, onion, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the cumin and cook 1 minute. Add celery, carrot, stock and beans. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and tomato paste. To thicken soup, puree the beans in a blender.

Dried Cranberry Wine

ben — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:37:34 +0000

Wine Recipes

1 lb dried, unsulfited cranberries
2-1/2 lbs granulated sugar
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1/8 tsp tannin
1 crushed Campden tablet
water to one gallon
1 pkt Lalvin RC212 (Bourgovin) wine yeast

Chop the cranberries or run them through a mincer. Place in primary and add one quart warm water. Stir in crushed Campden tablet. Cover and set aside 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme, recover primary and set aside another 12 hours. Meanwhile, bring remainder of water to boil and stir in sugar until completely dissolved. Cover sugar and allow to cool to room temperature. When 12-hour pectic enzyme treatment is complete, combine remaining ingredients in primary and add sugar water. Stir well and cover primary. Stir twice daily for 7 days. Strain out cranberries, rack liquid into secondary and fit airlock. Rack every 60 days for 6 months, topping up and refitting airlock each time. Stabilize, sweeten to taste, wait 10-14 days, and rack into bottles. Store in cool, dark place for additional 6 months.

Source: Jack Keller