Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-sliced-vegetable-2284166/ 

Cooking is something we all have to do, but if you don’t enjoy it, it can be a chore. Instead of seeing it as a chore, why not improve your cooking skills to increase the enjoyment of cooking? Whether you are someone who loves cooking or someone who doesn’t, there is always a way to improve your skill in the kitchen.

Simple ways to improve your skill can involve cooking new recipes that you have never cooked before - take this cast iron salmon recipe as an example. Other ways can be making sure you use the correct equipment and not skip certain steps within a recipe - admit it, we’ve all done this many times.

Cooking is great for your mental health as well as your physical health as by cooking your own meals, you can control your diet. Below we look into our top tips for improving your cooking.
 

Ensure you use the correct equipment

The equipment you use when cooking can have a big impact on the success of the meals you are preparing. Before cooking a recipe, ensure you have the right equipment for the job and if you don’t consider a different recipe or going out to buy the things you need. Without the right equipment, you may find your cooking times are off, that when cutting the meat, you can’t do it correctly and that your food doesn’t come out as you would expect. Using new equipment also improves your respirator, enabling you to cook even more dishes well.
 

Don’t skip recipe steps

We are all guilty of this, so don’t pretend you are not. When you are cooking your meal, you start to take things out of the cupboard to realize you don’t have an item in. Instead of getting it, you just skip that step. Each item you need for your recipe is important as it adds its own dynamic to the recipe. You may not think it’s important but when adding it, it can really make a difference. Just like using fresh food can enhance the flavor profile, using all the correct ingredients will do the same. On that note, make sure you stick to the same measurements as well. Measurements allow you to keep producing the same flavors each time you make your dish. Different measurements can change the flavor hugely.
 

Practise, practise, practise

It’s the rule of life - the more you practice the better you will get at doing something. These rules especially apply to cooking and helping you improve as a cook. When you make a dish, try to repeat the same dish a few times within the month of cooking it. This way you get to practise any new techniques that are required and it transfers into your long-term memory. Don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work out when you do it the first time, the more you practise the better you will become at doing it.

What tips do you have for improving your cooking? Are there any tips that we are missing? Let us know in the comment box below.

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The Ultimate Checklist For Sellers: Tips For A Fast, Fuss-Free Home Sale

 

Every seller dreams of a fast, fuss-free sale. In reality, it can take months to sell a house, and there are often bumps in the road and unexpected delays. If you’re putting your property on the market, it’s wise to prepare as best you can. In this guide, we’ll provide the ultimate checklist to help you ensure that your home is ready for sale.

Image credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/property-with-red-and-white-home-for-sale-signage-8469934/

Decluttering

The first task to check off your list when you are selling your home is decluttering. Clutter is a major turn-off for prospective buyers and it makes living spaces look small, cramped and unkempt. Set aside a few hours to go through each room and eliminate clutter. Tackle piles of stuff and shelves and drawers crammed full of items you don’t want or need. Have a clear-out and get rid of anything you don’t plan to take to your new home. Create separate piles of items you want to throw away, donate and sell. Make use of storage solutions to organize your belongings. You should find that decluttering makes your home look bigger, brighter and more appealing. Once your home is free from towering mounds of stuff, it will also be easier to keep it neat and tidy.

Cleaning

Before you invite real estate agents to visit your home or set up viewings, it’s essential to clean the house thoroughly. Move from top to bottom, vacuuming, mopping floors and eradicating dust and dirt. Polish surfaces, enlist the help of professional carpet cleaning companies if your floors are stained or you have pets, and ensure that every room is tidy. Clean, fresh spaces are more inviting and they also create a positive first impression. You want buyers to feel like your home is loved and cherished. Messy, dirty rooms can put buyers off and make it difficult to spot or appreciate potential even when the property crosses a lot of boxes.

DIY and repairs

Many of us have a never-ending to-do list, which involves new and half-baked DIY jobs. Life can be hectic, and often, it’s difficult to find the time to finish off jobs and tackle repairs. Before we know it, days, weeks and months have passed and there are still jobs on the list. If you’re selling your home, it’s beneficial to complete jobs before you take photographs or show buyers around the house. Hang shelves, repair damaged doors and fix up broken floor tiles or damaged carpets, for example.

Painting

Freshening up the paintwork in your home is a fantastic way to enhance its aesthetic appeal. Painting the walls is a simple, quick and inexpensive way to create bright, clean, attractive rooms. It’s an excellent idea to use neutral tones if you’re selling your house, as they tend to appeal to most buyers. Light colors make small rooms look larger and brighter. If you want to inject brighter colors to add personality, you can use accessories, such as vases and plant pots, throws and cushions, rugs and wall art. Before you paint your walls, sand and wipe the surface and apply a coat of primer if you’re covering a dark color. You may need two or three coats of paint. Wait for the first layer to dry before you apply the second.

Picture from https://pixabay.com/photos/color-palette-paint-wall-painting-791622/

Curb appeal

Almost 70% of members of the National Association of Realtors rate curb appeal as a ‘very important’ factor for buyers. Some buyers won’t even set foot in a house if they don’t like the exterior, and for others, it can make a difference when choosing one home over another. It may not be possible to overhaul the look of the house, but there are some very simple steps you can take to boost curb appeal.

If your home is painted, start by applying a fresh coat of paint to the exterior. Repair damaged siding, clear the driveway, remove debris and trash and spruce up the front door and porch. Paint the door, use accessories such as a name or number plaque and a new knocker to make it look more attractive, and hang plants or flowers. You can also use planters to add greenery and color. Examples include window boxes, hanging baskets, potted trees and containers such as baskets, tubs and pots. Clean patios and paving and mow the grass if you have a lawn at the front or side of the house.

Staging

Staging is designed to showcase properties in all their glory and encourage prospective buyers to imagine themselves living in the house or apartment. If you’re planning to sell, you can stage your own home or leave it to your real estate agent. When you stage a property, it’s essential to consider the target buyer. Think about who is going to buy your house and what they are looking for. If you’re selling an urban apartment and searching for young professionals, for example, the staging should look very different from a suburban family home. Show off the main selling points and create a narrative. Show the buyer what they could enjoy if they were to buy the property.

It’s beneficial to stage the home before you organize viewings or take photographs for a brochure or online listing.

High-quality photographs

Many of us browse online listings and galleries before we arrange a viewing or attend an open house event. We are heavily influenced by photographs and images. As a seller, it’s crucial to ensure that your home looks enticing on websites and listings. Choose high-quality images, which show the property in its best light and provide a wide range of photographs and detailed descriptions.

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-wooden-staircase-with-brass-chandelier-3288103/

If you’re selling your home, you are probably dreaming of a fast, fuss-free sale. To improve your chances of getting an offer quickly, it’s wise to prepare in advance. Declutter, have a clear-out and clean and tidy your home. Enhance curb appeal, finish off DIY jobs and repairs and freshen up the paintwork. Stage your home or let your real estate agent complete staging before you take photographs, and use beautiful, high-quality images to attract buyers. Always bear your target market in mind when staging and preparing your home for sale.

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Creating the Perfect Going Away Party, Leaving Home

 

Leaving home is a bittersweet milestone in every person's life. Whether you're going off to college, starting your first job, or moving to a new city, there's something about the process of packing up your belongings and saying goodbye to the place you've called home for years that can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. So if you're looking for some advice on how to throw the perfect going away party before you leave, you've come to the right place! This blog post will talk about everything from choosing the right venue to sending out invitations. So read on for some tips and tricks that will help make your farewell party unforgettable.

1) Pick the right venue:

The first step to throwing a great going away party is to pick the perfect venue. If you're leaving town, you should have your party at a local restaurant or bar that has meaning for you and your friends. If you're moving to a new city, consider having your farewell bash at a place that reminds you of home. For example, if you're from the south, throw a barbecue or have a picnic in the park. No matter where you choose to have your party, make sure it's a place that everyone will be comfortable in and has enough space to mingle.

2) Send out invitations:

Once you've picked the perfect venue for your going away party, it's time to start sending out invitations. Of course, if you're moving away, you'll want to invite all of your close friends and family members. But remember to invite your neighbours and co-workers too! They'll all be sad to see you go and will want to wish you well. For college students, it's tradition to throw a going away party the night before you leave for school. So make sure to send out your invitations in advance so that everyone can clear their schedules.

3) Make it a potluck:

To plan what to eat can be easy, and takes the stress off of you. One of the best ways to save money when throwing a going away party is to make it a potluck. Ask each of your guests to bring their favourite dish or drink so that there's plenty of food and drink to go around. This will also make your party more personal and special since everyone will have contributed something. Take something sweet after a delicious meal on you, giving them a surprise like how to make rice kheer, setting the table, getting everyone involved creating the perfect end to a meal.

Via Pexels

4) Play games:

What's a party without some fun and games? To get everyone in the party mood, consider playing some games that are specific to your going away party theme. For example, if you're moving to a new city, you could play a game where everyone has to guess which city you'll be living in. Or if you're going off to college, try playing a trivia game about your school. Not only will games add some excitement to your party, but they'll also help everyone get to know each other better.

In conclusion, throwing a going away party is the perfect way to say goodbye to your friends and family before you leave. By following these tips, you can be sure that your party will be one to remember. So have fun and enjoy every minute of it!

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Your Home Deserves To Be Looked After!

 

Your home deserves to be looked after. You want the place that you are living in to be the best that it can possibly be, and this means doing a whole load of things to make it so. You can’t just do nothing and expect it to be the best possible version of the space, can you? No. If you’re leaving things until later, they’re probably never going to get done, so in this article we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you should be doing on a regular basis to look after it. Keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.

Link Image - CC0 License

Keep It Clean

Cleaning your home is important. If you’re leaving your home to get dirty, then it’s going to be more of a task when the time comes to actually clean it. This is the last thing that you need, especially when you can go through and clean up as you go along. We understand that after a long day, the last thing that you want to do is start cleaning up, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it’s got to be done. For example, once you have made dinner, you should be putting away all of the stuff from the meal itself. This gives you one less thing to do in the morning, and will make your life so much easier.

The same can be said about all areas of your home. If you vacuum the space regularly, then this is only going to take a couple of minutes at a time. But, if you don’t do this and you have to do one big hoover, then it’s going to be much more difficult, and take much longer. Not to mention that if you’re not cleaning up, your house is going to look a state!

Avoid The Common Problems

You should also take the time to ensure you’re avoiding the common household problems as much as you can. This is going to include things like damage to certain areas of the home through negligence, and break ins. Get a security system, and ensure that you’re doing maintenance on your home on a regular basis. By doing this, you will be keeping your home safe from both other people who would seek to gain access, and the elements that can cause harm to your home.

One of the most common problems that people experience is overflowing gutters. We know that it’s not a nice job to have to complete, but it’s got to be done. If you have overflowing gutters, you’re going to find that you end up with damp in your home where it’s leaking.

Get Things Fixed

If you know that there is a problem in the home, then you need to get it fixed as soon as possible. For example, if the ac is not working, then you should be looking into ac repair services as soon as you can, especially if it’s the summer months. In the winter, the heating is going to be more important, so it’s just a case of making sure you’re getting the right thing repaired.

We know that some people like to leave their repairs until later down the line, but if you do this you increase the chance that the problem is going to get worse. If it gets worse, it’s going to be more work to fix it, and it’s going to cost you a lot more money as well. As such, it’s in your best interests to simply get it fixed as soon as you notice that there is an issue. You might even be able to fix it yourself if it’s a small problem, or at least fix it enough so that it holds until you can afford to have a professional come and look at it. Never do this if it’s concerning the plumbing or the electrics though if you’re not trained as that’s dangerous.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be doing in order to look after your home because it deserves it. You should be looking after your home to the best of your ability simply because it’s yours, and that in itself means that you should be doing everything in your power to keep it in the best possible condition. Now, at the very least, you know how you can do this. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you manage this task!

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Are You Still Doing Your Best To Help Eradicate COVID?

 

A lot of us might be feeling like COVID is a thing of the past and, yes, while the threat has decreased significantly for a lot of us, that doesn’t mean that it’s time to stop doing our best. It may be possible to eradicate COVID once and for all but, for any chance of that happening, we need to do our part.

Credit - Pixabay License

Keeping up with the latest

Even if life is, for the most part, going on, as usual, we should make sure that, at the very least, we are keeping up-to-date with the progression of the virus. Using the right apps to track the country or state’s response to the virus, as well as any potential local outbreaks can help us scale our caution levels responsively.

Being safe and smart

Are you still wearing masks when you go out to a public place? Are you taking care to give others around you enough distance? Are you washing your hands every time you come home or come out of a public space? Some of the measures might feel like “overkill” in some contexts, but it’s important to still think about when to adopt COVID safety measures. In particular, you should always be mindful of those who are immunocompromised.

Keep tests on the ready

If you do catch COVID, or you have some symptoms that are reminiscent of it, then you should make sure that you have some tests at home. Some degree of self-isolation if you have a positive test can make a major difference to the lives of those around you, preventing you from unknowingly spreading the virus. Even if vaccines have made us more resilient to us, there are people who haven’t been able to get them or still have an increased risk of complications if they do catch the virus.

Looking overseas

It’s not just about keeping COVID from affecting our personal lives and those around us. If you want to make sure that the disease is eliminated across the world, or even simply managed much more effectively, then you should look to organizations taking on efforts such as providing COVAX in the MENA region. Even little donations to such efforts can be an important contribution to one of the greatest healthcare achievements of our age: getting through COVID-19.

Checking up on mental health

The physical effects of COVID are not the only repercussion that we should be mindful of. Many of us have spent months, if not over a year, spending a lot less time with friends, family, and peers. The mental health toll of this isolation, alongside the general anxiety that enveloped much of society, is still being dealt with. There are COVID counseling groups, but you should consider finding someone to talk to if you feel like your mental health situation has changed as a result, too.

COVID is a health issue, regardless of how seriously you take it or not. There’s no other health issue that we would ignore, so don’t ignore this one, either. Try to keep in mind what you can do to fight it.

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Minimizing the Stress in Your Life

 

Everyone gets stressed out from time to time but if you feel like you're constantly stressed because of everything on your plate on a daily basis, minimizing the stressors can be a huge help.  That's what I've worked on over the last 2 years and it's made a huge difference in my quality of life. Here's some of the ways you can minimize the stress.

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4 Leadership Skills that are Crucial for Every Manager

 

via Pexels

In order to be an effective leader, you need to have a variety of skills. There are many different leadership styles out there, but some skills are essential for every type of leader. This blog post will discuss four leadership skills that are crucial for every manager!

1) The ability to inspire and motivate others.

As a leader, you need to be able to inspire and motivate your team to achieve great things. This means having a clear vision of what you want to achieve and being able to communicate it effectively to your team. It also means being able to provide positive reinforcement and feedback, as well as offering support when needed.

The first step is to have a clear and inspiring vision for what you want to achieve, as explained by Cardiothoracic surgeon John A Macoviak. Once you have this, it’s important to communicate it effectively to your team. Try to make your vision relatable and achievable so that your team can get behind it and feel motivated to work towards it.

It’s also crucial to provide positive reinforcement and feedback regularly. This will help your team feel appreciated and valued and remind them that they are working towards something worthwhile. Finally, offer support when needed – sometimes, people just need a little extra push to reach their full potential.

2) The ability to make decisions quickly and confidently.

Leaders need to be able to make decisions quickly and confidently in order to keep things moving forward. This can be difficult at times, but it’s important to trust your gut and go with your instinct. If you take too long to make a decision, it can hold up progress and cause frustration among your team.

3) The ability to delegate and manage time effectively.

As a leader, you can’t do everything yourself! You need to be able to delegate tasks to your team members and trust that they will get them done. This also means being able to manage your own time effectively so that you can focus on the most important tasks. In addition, leaders need to be able to manage conflict effectively. This means being able to see both sides of an issue and finding a resolution that is fair for everyone involved.

4) The ability to communicate clearly and concisely.

Clear communication is essential for any leader. You need to be able to communicate your vision and objectives to your team, as well as give instructions clearly. This means being concise and avoiding any ambiguity in your language.

The ability to communicate is not only about the leader talking. Leaders also need to be great listeners! This means being able to really listen to what others are saying and understand their perspective. In addition, leaders need to be able to provide feedback that is constructive and helpful.

These are just four of the many leadership skills that are crucial for every manager. If you can master these skills, you’ll be well on your way to being a successful leader!

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Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Road Trip: The Perfect Way To Relax Together

 

A road trip to Dallas to watch the NFL Thanksgiving game hosted by the Dallas Cowboys sounds like an amazing idea if you want to spend this American holiday with your family in a stress-free way. By driving, your kids will be able to get plenty of sleep in the car, the road trip will be safe, and you'll get to enjoy plenty of family bonding time together with no pressure on the big day itself. You don't even have to worry about cooking Thanksgiving dinner at home — just ask your hotel concierge to prepare you a nice turkey dinner at the hotel restaurant!

Unsplash - CC0 License

Packing tips

Whether you're road-tripping with the family, heading out for a one-night trip with the gals, or taking a couple of guys to a football game, we've got packing tips for you. Packing can be tough, especially if you are not organized about it.

If you know you are going to be on the road for a while before reaching your destination, you want to ensure you've got enough to entertain your passengers. Packing individually wrapped snacks is a great way of fighting off the hunger monster without making a mess in the car.

Additionally, you want to bring your best Thanksgiving fan outfit for the game.

Where to stay

Dallas isn't necessarily a city to stay in while watching the NFL on Thanksgiving. But, with some research, you can find an ideal place. If possible, choose a location near one of the big three sports venues—the American Airlines Center (home of the Dallas Mavericks), AT&T Stadium (home to the Dallas Cowboys), and Globe Life Park in Arlington (where the Texas Rangers play). Watching football games at these places will give you access to public parking lots, tailgating areas, and entertainment zones.

Airbnb hosts have so many different options for football lovers, with accommodations within walking distance of the iconic Cowboys Stadium.

Dining tips in Dallas

Celebrate your first Thanksgiving without needing to cook for everyone. Relax and book a table at one of the delicious restaurants in town. Dallas is home to some of Texas' best steakhouses, including Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse, which is an ideal spot for a casual and yummy lunch together.

But there's plenty for families who prefer something different. If you want to see Dallas in all its holiday glory and enjoy a holiday dinner as a family, there are several great dining options that can be found on your way. And yes, it is possible to eat out on Thanksgiving.

Get outdoors after the game

Football games are a lot of fun, and the Thanksgiving Day game is particularly exciting. However, what comes after the game often ends up being less enjoyable. Sitting around the table with family and friends to eat a meal typically isn't as much fun as sitting around in your living room watching football. What if you didn't have to choose? Dallas has plenty of exciting outdoors spots, such as the Dallas Zoo, the Arboretum, the Nasher Sculpture Center's garden, and the Trinity Forest Adventure Park. Start planning a family holiday that celebrates the game itself but leaves plenty of time for some relaxing outdoors time afterward, too.

Why stress out about Thanksgiving plans when you can enjoy a friendly game with a fun team in Dallas? You can still buy your tickets for the games online and enjoy a relaxing holiday in Dallas with your family.

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