Using Root Vegetables to Make Easy Soup Recipes

Root vegetables are a real staple in the wintertime. They are affordable, tasty, and full of nutrients. So, what is a root vegetable exactly? Root veggies are actually plant roots, which are used as vegetables. The "root" is the part of the plant, which grows underground.

Popular root veggies include carrot, parsnip, rutabaga, radish, beet, sweet potato, and yam. Some bulbs also count as root vegetables and examples include onion, shallot, and garlic.

Tips for Storing and Using Root Vegetables

Most root veggies keep for up to two weeks and should be stored in plastic bags. You can leave the skin on young carrots or turnips but you should peel bigger or older ones because the skin will be bitter.

When you are using these vegetables to make a soup or stew, feel free to mix and match. All root vegetables complement each other's flavors, which is why root vegetable pairings like potato and carrot, turnip and rutabaga or onion and garlic are used so often in recipes.

How to Make a Spiced Root Vegetable Soup

This soup is richly flavored, filling, and easy to make. If you have never tasted a root vegetable soup before, you are in for a real treat. A lot of people have tried famous soup recipes like French onion soup or minestrone soup but have not made root vegetable soup.

You might like to try turnip or rutabaga instead of the carrots, for a different flavor. Diced potato or yam works nicely also.

This might be a basic soup but it is a real winter warmer and ideal for the whole family. Serve this vegetable soup with thick slabs of buttered bread. This recipe makes enough to serve four people.

What you will need:

10 oz parsnips 6 oz carrots 2 cloves garlic 1 onion 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth 1 stick celery 1 tablespoon sunflower oil 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon turmeric Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste How to make it:

Peel the carrots and parsnips and slice them into 1/3 inch thick disks. Finely chop the celery and onion and crush the garlic. Put the oil in a big pan and heat it over a medium heat. Add the celery and onion and fry them for 3 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and the spices.

Cook the mixture for 20 seconds over a high heat, stirring it all the time. Add the broth, parsnips, and carrots. Add salt and pepper to taste and bring the soup to the boil. Simmer it until the vegetables are soft, and then puree it in a blender in batches, until the soup is the consistency you like. You can leave it a bit chunky if you prefer. Serve the soup hot.

Remember - "Negotiation" Spelled Backwards is "Change"

So what's the secret to conducting a successful negotiation? Is it taking enough time to plan? Is it picking the right place to hold the negotiations? Turns out that none of these are the right answer. Instead, if you want to be successful you need to do one simple thing: plan for everything to go wrong.

The Power Of A Good Plan (Not!) Now I don't want you to get me wrong here, but I've got some news for you that just might come as a surprise to you. Yes, it is important to plan out each of your negotiations. You want to take the time to do your homework, identify what the other side is really going to be looking for, and come up with a plan that you think is going to allow you to get what you want out of the negotiation.

Umm, this is where things get just a bit awkward - for you see, that plan is never going to work out. What none of us take into consideration (not like we can) is just exactly what the other side of the table is going to be doing during the negotiation. In a nutshell, they are going to be actively working against us. They are going to be trying to foil our every attempt to get an upper hand during the negotiation.

Ultimately what this means is that the carefully laid out plan that you had come up with before the negotiations started will very quickly turn into junk due to changes in circumstances. Dang it - why can't the other side just do what you want them to do?

Your Defense Against Changes: Part 1 The fact that the other side of the table is going to be actively working against you really should come as no surprise to you. Hey, you're basically doing the same thing to them! What you need here is a way to defend your carefully laid out plan against their crafty ways.

The concept of how you need to prepare to do battle to save your plan is actually pretty simple - the execution is another story. What you are going to want to do is to sit down with a colleague prior to the negotiation and do some role-playing.

You will, of course, want to play you. You'll need your partner to play the other side of the table. What you want them to do is to frustrate your every move. You really want them to require you to do two things simultaneously: defend the positions that you are laying down and resist their clever arguments / positions.

You're going to hate doing this. However, it really is the best way to discover where your arguments are weak and how you're going to need to do a better job of resisting the other side's proposals.

Your Defense Against Changes: Part 2 What's a sales negotiator to do when the other side does something that makes their game plan completely moot? The worst thing that you can do is to continue to negotiate without a plan.

What you do need to do is to stop the proceedings. Call for a break. Ask for a timeout. Just do something to cause the negotiations to come to a halt. Give yourself some time to think about what's just happened.

This is the time that you're going to have use to come up with a new plan very quickly. The ability to adjust to changing negotiating circumstances and to adjust your strategy to meet the new reality is the mark of a great sales negotiator.

What All Of This Means For You Planning is the right way to prepare for your next sales negotiation. However, professional negotiators will tell you that no matter how carefully you plan, you are going to discover that your plan will very quickly become out of date.

What you need to do is to work with a partner when you are preparing for a negotiation. That partner needs to attack your positions and offer their own positions that you need to find ways to push back against. It's tough work but it will prepare you for the battle that lies ahead.

Remembering that you will need time during the negotiation to regroup and create new plans is critical. Remember, a sales negotiation is not a race to get to the end, but rather much more like a dance where how you conduct yourself during the negotiation will determine what your final score is.

Six Weeks to Sustained Self-Promotion

Writers write. Want more money? Then memorize this phrase: "Writers promote."

Think you don't have time to organize a marketing plan for yourself, your books, your website? Try this six-week plan to a sustained program of self-promotion and you, too, will find new friends who will help you, editors who approach you, and readers who will follow you throughout your writing career.

Week One: Focus on online message boards and lists. Yahoo, MSN, Topica and Smartgroups all have online discussion lists that you can search by topic. Sign up, read past messages, then decide whether you'll stay with the list or move on. Some lists have nothing but spam messages; others are packed with information. Register with message boards that focus on writing. Do the same with these as you did the lists. Choose at least five to participate in. Choose two days a week, at a minimum, on which you will send messages to the lists. Be aware than many of the same writers will be on more than one list so don't just write a canned message and send it to all. Show that you've read previous messages - answer a question, ask a question, share a valuable link. Once in a while you can mention a favorable review or a "Hurray, I got the assignment" message.

Week Two: Keep up your week one efforts. Study local newspapers, both daily and weekly. Investigate any magazines published for local readers. Keep a running list of local media contacts. Some of the things you should note: who is writing about food, what type of stories are turned into juicy features, what kinds of announcements run in the business section, how many food articles are syndicated from another source? This list of media contacts will save you time when you have an article you want to write or you are seeking an article to be written about you, your business or your book.

Week Three: Weeks one and two plus a trip to an office supply store. Buy some great paper - matte, two-sided coated paper, color or white. Write a brochure for yourself. Don't feel it's appropriate for what you are writing about? Then design a business card and print it up. Or ask a graphic designer to create a unique look for your business card. I was at a business fair, manning the table for my employer at the time (a college), and I realized that I could have networked my own writing business if I'd only had a business card to hand over to the advertising and web design businesses. Get some business cards.

Week Four: This is the week when you take your writing business on the road. Go to the local Chamber of Commerce's Business After Hours event. Chat with people, and hand over a brochure or business card when you meet someone who can hire you, or who can connect you with a publisher or editor. Keep posting on those message boards and lists; have fun with them.

Week Five: Write a press release about your recent success. Did you publish an article, finish a workshop, win an award, or open for business? Write your press release in third person as if you are writing an article. Send it to someone - your discussion list buddies for a critique, a local weekly that runs news releases unedited to fill in the news holes, post it on your website (don't have a website - that's what you can do on week seven). Need help? Visit prwire.com for advice on writing press releases.

Week Six: Two tasks this week: This is the week you make contact with three new editors. Call the local food editor or features editor and take him or her out to lunch. Email a magazine editor with an article pitch. Contact an online newsletter editor and see if you can trade ad space for an article you'd love to write for him. Your second task is to subscribe to online newsletters for writers - http://www.writesuccess.com, and http://www.fundsforwriters.com are only two that consistently provide essential information for writers.

Throughout these weeks, you should also be writing, researching markets for publication, and submitting your work. Keep up with the list discussions. A great one for information and markets is workforwriters@yahoogroups.com

Keep up the good work - network with writers online and potential clients and editors in person to sell yourself and your writing.

Free to reprint in all no-fee publications and websites. Please limit editing to corrections and the resource box at the end must be included.

Real Estate Tax Deduction - Have Your Cake And Eat It Too

Owning a property can help you benefit from the property tax deduction. This can actually be broken down in to several separate advantages. This tax deduction is actually a general deduction encompassing many. Some of the areas that advantages can be taken in that are included in the deduction are listed below.

One area that is included in this tax deduction is any interest paid on your mortgage. This is because the interest you collect on your house is also deductible up to a maximum of $1 million.

Another part of this deduction is what is called fee points, which are points that are associated with a home acquisition mortgage. Because each one is worth 1% this can really add up when it comes to taking advantage of this portion of the deduction.

Something else that is part of this deduction is equity loan interest. This interest that is the amount that you would pay on a home equity loan is only partly deductible, not fully. This part of it has a few regulations that must be followed according to the Internal Revenue Service.

A few other things that can be included in applying for the tax deduction includes home improvement loan interest and the home office deduction. With the home improvement interest you cannot include anything considered a repair. But with the home office deduction you can include any part of your home used for business, and can include repairs.

One thing that is a fairly big part of the deduction is the selling costs. These can include the real estate broker's commissions, title insurance, legal fees, advertising costs, administrative costs, and inspection fees. By taking advantage of this part of the property deduction you can lower your taxable capital gains.

This leads us to the capital gains exclusion that is part of the property tax deduction. If you have lived at your residence for at least two of the last five years then you are excluded from having to pay a capital gains tax. Married who file jointly have a limit of $500,000, while single or married filing single have a limit of $250,000 in the amount than keep in profits from any sale.

A small side note regarding moving and this deduction, is that if you relocate due to your job, you can include deductions related to the cost of this move. This deduction though is not quite as easy to take advantage of because of some of the IRS regulations regarding it.

The fact also that your property tax deduction is completely deductible from your federal income taxes among these other benefits, definitely makes it worth looking into.

The Rose Tattoo Designs - So Many Meanings In One Simple Flower

Without doubt the rose is the most adored breed of flower throughout the world. One would have to guess that the popularity of this exquisite flower has been linked to the romantic connotations that roses have between lovers. Every woman would appreciate a beautiful bunch of even a single rose from their lover as a token of their love and affection. The red rose in particular undoubtedly the most popular color and relates strongly to romance as well as sexual relationships.

To other people this flower rose may have other symbolic meanings. For example it is claimed in folklore that both Aphrodite who was the Greek Goddess of Love, and Venus who was Aphrodite's Roman equivalent, revered the red rose. It also has religious connections and is known to be symbolic of the Virgin Mary. The people who claim to have witnessed a vision of Mary say that her appearance is always accompanied by the smell of roses.

If you are considering having a rose tattoo design, but are reluctant to because of the romantic implications, don't worry - I have seen many masculine guys wearing a rose tattoo, often as a reminder of departed loved ones. Some creative guys have even incorporated it into a multi-image tattoo such as having a snake curled around a dagger embedded in a rosebush.

English Roses

Here is a bit of history for you! Do you know why a beautiful English woman is typically referred to as "An English Rose"? Well it is related to some of Shakespeare's writings where he refers to the rose and compares his love (lady) with a red rose in the line, "O my love is like a red, red rose".

As well as having a romantic connotation this flower is also reflective of more aggressive situations, for example, two of England's most famous families both have this delightful flower as part of their family symbolism - the Lancasters (whose family emblem is the red rose) and the Yorks (whose coat of arms is made up of white rose).

In addition to this one of Britain's dominant political parties, the Labor Party, is symbolized by red roses.

Another more masculine use of the rose tattoo design involves the 1980's rock band 'Guns 'n' Roses', The members of the Band were well known for their hard rocking music and lifestyle yet they all wore tattoos incorporating the image of the rose albeit with tattoos of guns. As a result many fans both male and female emulated the band members by getting tattoos with images of guns and roses.

Choose Your Colors Wisely

The color of a rose has significance and meaning, so before you commit to a particular design you should choose the color that best represents the symbolism of your tattoo.

* A red rose embodies the conventional color choice and exemplifies beauty, love, bravery, passion and romanticism

* A red rose bud constitutes a symbol of pureness and loveliness

* A dark red rose stands for unconscious beauty

* A gold rose represents accomplishment

* A pink rose bespeaks friendship, appreciation, grace, happiness and gentleness

* A light pink rose symbolizes understanding and sweetness

* A white rose conveys sinlessness, innocence, silence, privacy, reverence, humbleness, youthfulness and charm

* A yellow rose personifies joyfulness, happiness, jealousy or an apology

* A lavender rose intends fascination

* A coral rose symbolizes desire

* A blue rose represents impossibilities

* A black rose traditionally represents sorrow and death

For those considering having a rose style tattoo, but are concerned that the design does not reflect their true way of life or image, just consider some of the historical facts regarding this magnificent flower and feel comfortable with having a tattoo incorporating a rose in the design.

Herbal Remedies for Your Unwanted Weight

If you are truly determined to lose weight, you can definitely lose that unwanted weight of yours.

Plenty of people who are suffering for obesity or weight problem, got frustrated and distress, at some point they even prevent themselves from mingling with other people. But, this is not the right thing to do. You have to do something about it if you want this problem to be solved. They are a lot of ways you can do to lose that unwanted weight. But this will take some of your time and effort.

Most of the obese people or with weight problems just lock up themselves to their room and do not want to face the world anymore. That’s definitely a bad idea. You have to go out and find ways to help yourself. Having weight problem can give you higher risks of having other illnesses. So you have to work on your weight problem.

If you do not want to use prescribed medicine because you are afraid of the risk of having side effect, you can use herbal remedies with your weight problems. Herbal remedies can lose your weight naturally.

There are plenty of diet pills and suppressant out there. You can also use the internet in looking for herbal remedies. There are masses of websites that offers herbal remedies, so just take time to search for the best website. You can look for the herbal remedy that is widely used with lots of people; you can look for the personal experiences and testimonials of people who had weight problems before.

Using herbal remedy can help you lose weight naturally and without side effects. In losing weight you can to take into consideration your health.

Yes, herbal remedy can help you lose your weight but in order to make it work faster, you have to do something to help out in your losing weight process. You have to watch your food intake; you have to be careful with the food you eat. Make sure that you are eating foods with nutrients and eat only the right amount of food. Never eat too much and foods with carbohydrates and sugar. It is better to eat right amount of fruits and vegetables than eating plenty of pastas, pastries and soda.

Exercising is also important. This could help you lose your weight faster. Just give 30 minutes or an hour of your time in exercising by walking or jogging.

You do not have to leave everything on your herbal remedy. You have to watch what you eat and exercise daily in order to lose that unwanted weight faster and effectively.

Indeed, losing your weight can help your health and can prevent yourself from other diseases. So showing your determination and eagerness can be very helpful. Then you have to do exercising and proper diet. Doing all these can help you lose your unwanted weight.

So to all people with weight problem [http://www.primeherbal.com/hoodia], start moving and lose that unwanted weight by taking herbal remedy, proper diet and exercise.

How to Replace Your Windshield Wipers

Your windshield wipers are a very important part of your car. Once they start going bad, you are going to notice. The only problem is that a lot of people do not replace the wipers as much as they should. They say that you should try and replace your windshield wipers about once a year. Of course, it really depends on how much it rains in the area that you live. Just remember not to let them get too bad. After all, you only use them when you really need them, and if they are bad, you could be in trouble.

The first thing that you are going to want to do to replace your windshield wipers on your Toyota is to find the right replacements. Finding the right replacement blades is, of course, going to count on which kind of Toyota you have. For example, the Toyota Tacoma is going to have different blades than the Toyota Prius. You can refer to your owner's manual to make sure you get the right wipers, but most of the time, the windshield wipers will have the cars that they can be used for right on the box. Last, but not least, make sure you buy the whole blade and not just the rubber striping. These are a lot harder to change than what you may think they would be.

Getting Started

The first thing that you are going to want to do is, of course, read the instructions that come with the windshield wiper blades. Keep in mind that the left and right blades are going to be different. Most of the time, the boxes are going to be marked which ones go wear. However, if they are not, then you can simply match them up with the ones that are on your car and mark them yourself. After matching them up, you will want to pull the wiper blades on your car to the up position. You will notice that when you pull on the wiper blades, they will come forward. This is known as the up position, or the service position.

At this point, you will be removing the old worn out wiper blades by simply releasing the tabs that are found at the top of the blade. If you have an old Toyota, you may notice that they require a very small screwdriver to help release the tab. After you remove the blades, it will be time to install the new ones. All you have to do here is push the new blade arm in until they click into place. After that, you will just push the whole blade arm back to the down position, or what auto shops would call the locked position. Before using them, make sure that they are securely located into place. After you get them on, try using them to make sure that the new blade does not come off during use.

New Wiper Blades

The main thing that you are going to want to do is test them before driving in the rain with them. It is always a good idea to test everything to make sure that it is functioning correctly before you start to use it. Otherwise, you could find yourself out on the open road with wiper blades that go flying off. This would be a very bad situation to be in. Also remember, after changing them, you can throw out your worn out wiper blades; there is no reason to keep them. Unlike other car parts, this is a piece of equipment that is fine to just throw out. Also, remember that it's best to go with name brand wipers over off brand ones. Off brand wipers are only going to save you a little bit, and you are taking a big risk with them. That is something that you are not going to want to do when it's your family's life in your hands!

Recent Riots in Britain

In recent times England has seen a number of riots mainly populated by young people. The first were the university tuition fees riots, and now the ones that took place after the sad death of Mark Duggan.

It may be, and I stress the word 'may', that people originally took to the streets to protest at the shooting rather than waiting for the findings of the enquiry. However, it would be impossible to ignore the fact that the violence of the riots have completely obscured what should have been a front page topical issue. If they have done anything they have pushed a legitimate cause for concern off the front page where it belongs.

But what on earth possessed them to do it and is this behaviour indicative of life in England today?

For some people life in England is extremely tough, we are in the middle not only of a recession but also a financial reckoning that was a long time coming and we have to batten down the hatches and find our way back to financial balance. The problem is that England's economy is partly consumer driven and the consumer (wisely) isn't spending, I don't recall a time that the shops were so empty on a Saturday.

This had made life very difficult for a lot of people and more difficult for many, but to be honest this can't explain the riots.

You see, like most countries in the world, England isn't a country of high earnings. We have our top 6% or so and a good few that earn in the high 5 figures, but basically we are what we have always been - a working nation doing their best to keep the wolf from the door.

In the many centuries that we have been a nation, and in common with other countries of the same type, we have always just got on with our lives and we haven't particularly been a nation of have nots. We are a people who by and large accept our financial situation and rarely complain too loudly. We most certainly do not riot.

Yet earlier in the year we had young people rioting because they can't go to university, something that was almost unthinkable in my youth and definitely unthinkable in my parents' day. Well I have news for them, and I speak from experience as a mature university student, a degree is highly unlikely to get you a job, only you can do that.

Yes we've become a society that worships the degree, but it never stopped some of our most successful entrepreneurs from making it and it won't stop you. Who you are and how determined you are is the only thing that creates success. The degree is just a piece of paper if you don't have determination.

The other thing the English don't do and very rarely have done is riot, loot and destroy personal and public property. We are not that nation. We are a nation of approximately 55 million people and only a few measly thousand were on the streets rioting, looting and destroying.

I can't help feeling that they've shot themselves in the foot too. Will local businesses be concerned about employing young people in those areas in case they were involved? How many will go to prison or be fined and for what? I'm not even sure that they know.

We had riots in the 1980s and a few in the 1990s, and the only conclusion I came to then is the same conclusion I've come to now. Anger, possessions, possibly alcohol and drugs were involved, with a big dollop of getting caught up in the 'excitement' of course.

Young people in this country have no right to be that angry. Our tough times are a tickle under the arm compared to what many people are suffering. Even in America a few years ago people were walking away and leaving their homes because they just couldn't pay for them and pay their debts. So far it has never been that bad for us and we are very lucky indeed.

Yes it is bad for some, and that is disgusting, but by-and-large the English don't riot they do something to change their lives.

Those who riot need to recognise their good fortune. Frankly I wouldn't put them in prison I'd send them to Africa as Aid Workers and see if they still felt the same way when a child died in their arms and they were helpless to do anything. It would do them more good and far less potential harm. I shudder to think of the lessons they will learn in prison.

Yes we have social problems. No England isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread, it is a country like any other where the vast majority of people are just doing their best. Could things be improved? Of course they could. Are we still luckier than many people? We most certainly are.

However, there is one way that our society could help the young and that is to remove from our consciousness the idea that only a degree makes you 'someone' and go back to the days of Qualified by Experience. We could throw in a bit of on the job training too.

After all, degrees are achieved one module at a time and you could achieve that degree at work with a bit of evening and weekend study. I rarely needed to be at university for more than 2 working days in a week, a lot of my time was spent in the library or waiting for the next class.

Let's get back to reality and stop setting goals that our young people can no longer afford to achieve. Then they might feel more valued and less likely to riot.

As to the riots, things have been much harder in this country than they are today and the default English spirit is to pull together, knuckle down and get on with it.

Please let's encourage young people to find that spirit again, because finding themselves in prison will be much harder and more damaging than realising how lucky they are and helping them to become part of the solution not part of the problem.

However, let's keep one thing firmly in perspective. This is an extremely rare occurrence in English life and we should applaud and respect the vast number of our young people who wouldn't dream of becoming involved in the events of the past week. By and large English youth are something to be extremely proud of and they should be respected as such.

Wishing you happy days and peaceful nights (and that's rarely meant more than it does right now)

Deb

P.S. I chose to focus on England because I didn't hear of any riots in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland so it didn't seem fair to drag them into it.