SIMON CAN COOK

Mocktails and Punches

By Simon Mansoor

Pink lemonade
Ingredients:
Ice cubes
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp sugar syrup
1 tbsp grenadine (popularly known as Rooh-Afza)
One can soda water
Method:
Half-fill the shaker with ice cubes. Pour the lemon juice, soda water, grenadine and sugar syrup and shake well. Serve in high ball glass and garnish with the lemon slice and a cherry

Pineapple sour
Ingredients:
Half glass of pineapple juice
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp sugar syrup
Crushed ice
Method:
Shake all the ingredients together, with ice in the shaker. Strain into the cocktail glass.

December tea (hot)
Ingredients:
1 cup honey
4 cups hot black tea
Juice of 2 lemon
Juice of 2 orange
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup whipped cream
Method:
Dissolve the honey in the tea, stirring all the time. Add orange and lemon juice and cinnamon. Heat the punch, stirring the time, but do not let boil. Serve in glass/mugs; top each with whipped cream.

Aztec fire
Ingredients:
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
½ cup cold coffee
1 pinch cocoa powder
Ground cinnamon
Method:
Mix the ice cream, coffee and cocoa powder in a glass. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Punches
Sangria
Ingredients:
4 oranges
1 lemon
4 apples
1 cup orange juice
4 cups red grape juice
Method|:
Remove the peel from one of the orange in spiral and reserve it. Remove the white pith and segments of orange. Thinly sliced the remaining orange and lemon and cut each slice into 4 pieces. Put orange peel spiral, orange segments, orange and lime slices and diced apples in the punch bowl. Drizzle the lemon juice over them. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Top up with fruits juice and serve.

Constant comment punch
Ingredients:
4 cups iced tea
1 orange
1 cups orange juice
250g sugar
4 cans ginger ale
Fruits slices, cherries, mints springs
Crushed ice
Method:
Combine everything except ginger ale and garnishes. Stir well to blend. Add ginger ale and ice and crushed ice. Top with fruits slices and cherries and mint leaves

Dhaka punch
Ingredients:
1 litre orange juice
1 litre pineapple juice
1 litre lemonade (RC lemon)
4 oranges
4 apples
200g pineapples
100g mint leaves (chopped)
Crushed ice
Method:
Thinly sliced all the fruits. Pour all the juices in a punch bowl and mix the fruits. Sprinkle the mint leave and crushed ice before serving.

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Glowing skin begins with Aloe Fleur de Jouvence

A LOE FLEUR de Jouvence ('Flower of Youth') is claimed to be one of the most effective restorative beauty collections assembled. It is a collection of six components each designed to fill a special part in a complete regiment of facial skin care.

Combining the benefits of traditional wisdom with the scientific knowledge of modern dermatology, Forever Living Products has spared no expense in researching and developing products. Displayed in an elegant container, the collection also includes a mirror, mixing spoon and application brush. While each of the products is available separately for replacement, it is only through the combined use of all six elements that the full benefits can be enjoyed.

Each product in Aloe Fleur de Jouvence has been developed with great care and attention to the daily needs of your skin. FLP starts with pure, stabilised aloe vera gel, and combines it with nature's unique cellular substances, hydrolysed elastin and collagen, along with exceptional moisturisers, emulsifiers and humectants. This creates a unique skin care range that helps counteract the effects of time, weather and environmental elements.

The preventive and restorative Aloe Fleur de Jouvence programme provides a daily skin care regime to help promote the naturally occurring attributes of youth, vigour, freshness and radiance of the skin.

Now, pamper yourself even more with Forever Living Products Aloe Fleur de Jouvence! This summary of the entire treatment will instruct you on how to use each of the six elements.

STEP 1: Cleanse. Exfoliating Cleanser is the first step in achieving beautiful, flawless skin. Massage Exfoliating Cleanser into the face and neck area every morning and evening. Gently remove with a dampened cloth or tissue.

STEP 2: Tone. Rehydrating Toner is alcohol-free and contains aloe vera, collagen and allantoin for gentle toning. Using a cotton ball, apply rehydrating toner in an upward motion every morning and evening.

STEP 3: Moisturise (Morning). Firming Foundation Lotion is a hydrating moisturiser that helps skin retain its healthy, vibrant appearance. Gently massage lotion into the face and neck area. It also makes an excellent base for applying your favourite cosmetics.

STEP 3: Moisturise (Evening). Recovering Night Creme hydrates and soothes, replenishing your skin while you sleep. After cleansing each evening before bedtime, apply generously to face and neck area.

Aloe Facial
An Aloe Facial is recommended 2 to 3 times a week to smooth, cleanse and tighten the skin while revitalising your appearance. Aloe Activator is a superb moisturising agent and is the ideal partner to work in combination with the Facial Contour Mask Powder.

Aloe Activator is also extremely effective as a skin cleanser and freshener. Add one mixing spoon of Facial Contour Mask Powder to the mixing bowl. Combine with one mixing spoon of Aloe Activator until the mixture has the consistency of lotion. Use the applicator brush to apply a thin, even film from the neck upward. Relax in a reclining position, limiting facial movement for approximately 30 minutes. Apply a moist towel to the face to soften the mask, then gently remove remaining mask and rinse with warm water. Follow with toner and your
favourite moisturiser.

By Ekram Kabir

Healthy living with aloe vera

The unfriendlier the world's environment is becoming, the more humans are becoming concerned and conscious about their health and well-being. Car exhaust, adulterated food, poisonous chemicals in fruits and vegetables, over-eating and lack of physical exercise have created such an atmosphere that staying healthy normally is now next to impossible.

Unknown diseases are breaking out side by side with known ailments. Diseases that cannot be cured even after long treatment such as cancer, diabetes and cardiac problems have increased alarmingly.

Every conscious human wants to stay well and healthy. And it is for these conscious people that US based company "Forever Living Products" have started marketing some health and beauty care products in Bangladesh. The products Forever is offering are made from aloe vera and honey. The company has more than 300 products, but the Bangladesh government has approved 32 in the first phase. Another 20 products will be available in January 2011. The products comprise aloe vera drinks, food supplement tablets and capsules, skincare lotions and facial kits.

The use of aloe vera in maintaining health and beauty is not a recent trend. The likes of Queen Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, King Solomon and Christopher Columbus, Mahatma Gandhi, to name a few, have used it.

Aloe vera looks like a cactus but it isn't - the plant is a member of the lily family which includes garlic and onion. Inside the leaf is a jelly-like substance. Early users of aloe vera discovered that when the jelly was applied to a wound, it would heal faster. This was a remarkable feat in a time long before anti-biotic ointments, when the infection of a minor wound was often fatal. There are over 250 specimens of aloe grown around the world. However, only two specimens are grown today commercially, with aloe barbadensis and aloe aborescens being the most popular. The aloe plant is grown in warm tropical areas and cannot survive freezing temperatures.

The properties of aloe vera gel, applied externally or taken internally, have been described in numerous scientific journals and reveal that aloe contains more than 70 essential ingredients, including most vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein (amino acids) polysaccharide glucomannan, organic acids; bradykininase (a protease inhibitor, which tends to relieve swellings, pain, redness of the skin), magnesium lactate and an antiprostaglandin (which reduces inflammation of wounds).

Forever Living Products cultivates and produces 80 percent of world aloe vera produce in its 5,000 acres of land. It doesn't apply any chemical fertilisers during the process. At the same time, Forever has gardens with 700 types of flowers where it produces honey.

According to recent research, aloe vera may help prolong age and stimulate the immune systems of cancer patients. Researchers writing in Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy found that aloe vera has the ability to activate the immune system to attack cancerous cells. It 'switches' on the immune system by activating macrophages (white blood cells which 'swallow' antigens), causing the release of immune-activating and anti-cancer substances such as Interferons and Interleukines.

Aloe vera also promotes the growth of normal (non-cancerous) cells. The aloe vera gel's protective effect was confirmed in a study of 673 lung cancer patients in Okinawa, Japan, published in the Japanese Journal of Cancer Research.

Aloe vera gel cleanses pollutants inside the human body and detoxifies each organ; it heals wounds. Health problems begin with indigestion. Forever's Aloe Vera Gel costs Tk 1618 and is able to remove all indigestion-related problems. It detoxifies the whole system. Many people have recovered from paralysis and arthritis by regularly drinking Forever Freedom, priced at Tk 2308. Forever Toothgel - available for Tk 491 - has helped to recover various dental ailments.

Aloe vera's medicinal quality helps people to normalise blood cholesterol and sugar levels. Aloe Vera Gelly, stabilised aloe vera in a tube, has helped thousands of people to be cured from their skin diseases.

On the other hand, honey-based Bee Pollen priced at Tk 975 removes tiredness and allergy while Bee Propolis at Tk 2041 is a strong natural anti-biotic that only kills harmful bacteria in a human body. Royal Jelly at Tk 2110, is known for its calming effects on neurotic, manic or depressed people. It works like an anti-depressant and is effective whenever one feels strong negative emotions such as sorrow, sadness, fear etc.

Honey contains B-complex vitamins, protein-building amino acids, and vitamins C, D, and E. It also contains ample amounts of plant pigments, proteins, and hn people have financially benefitted after doinealthy acids like citric acid.

Forever is not here only with its products, it is also offering an opportunity to all Bangladeshis to do business with the company. Working in 149 countries, about 10 milliog business with Forever Living Products.

By Ekram Kabir
For detailed information, write to ekram.kabir@gmail.com or call 01614079030.