Category Archives: The Body

The Body

Homemade Holiday Gifts are the BEST!!

This Holiday Season we at Garage-Girls want to support Small Business and homemade gifts vs. large franchise bought gifts. Check out this great easy to make recipe that leaves you with tons of options of packaging up as a cute gift!

Chocolate Slab
Makes: 60 servings
Prep 20 mins
Stand 1 hr
ingredients
1Tempered Chocolate, recipe below or 1 1/2 lb. chocolate-flavored candy coating, melted Assorted miniature chocolate candy bars or candies
Assorted decorative candies, crushed peppermint candy, and/or broken pretzels

directions
1. Line an 11x7x1 1/2-inch baking pan with parchment paper*, allowing edges to extend beyond the edges of the pan.
2. Wipe off any water from bottom of bowl with chocolate mixture, see Tempered Chocolate, receipe below). Pour about 1/2 of the Tempered Chocolate into pan; spread chocolate to edges of pan. Arrange chocolate candy in pan, leaving a 1-inch border. Evenly spoon on remaining chocolate, spreading to cover candies. Top with additional assorted candies or crushed peppermint. Let stand at room temperature until firm (about 1 hour).
3. Lift candy from pan with parchment. Cut or break into pieces.

*Test Kitchen Tip:
4. To line pan with parchment, invert pan. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the bottom of the pan (make sure that the piece is large enough that the edges will extend beyond the edges of the pan). Make creases at pan edges. Remove paper and make folds along the creases. Invert pan right side up. Place paper in pan.

Tempered Chocolate:
5. Chop 1 1/2 pounds semisweet, bittersweet, dark, or milk chocolate. Place in a 2-quart bowl with 1/4 cup shortening; stir to coat chocolate with shortening. Pour very warm tap water (110 degrees F) in a very large bowl to a depth of 1 inch. Place the bowl with chocolate inside the bowl of warm water (water should cover bottom half of bowl of chocolate). Adjust water level as necessary (be careful not splash any water into the chocolate). Stir the chocolate mixture constantly with a rubber spatula until completely melted and smooth (this should take 20 to 25 minutes). When the water cools, remove the bowl containing the chocolate. Discard the cool water and add warm water and continue as above until all the chocolate is melted.

Why Temper Chocolate:
6. Tempering chocolate ensures that the cocoa butter in the chocolate melts slowly. If melted too quickly or at too high of a temperature, the chocolate will “bloom” (have white streaks running through it) when it sets up. Tempered chocolate keeps its shiny appearance and smooth texture after it cools and sets up.

from the test kitchen
Our team chose to make two variations: For the milk chocolate variation we used crushed candy canes, broken pretzels, red candy coated milk chocolate pieces and chocolate-coated caramel-topped nougat bars with peanuts. For the dark chocolate variation we used candy coated chocolate pieces, brown jimmies, red nonpareils and raspberry filled chocolate squares.

 

The Body, The Machine

Featured Small Business for Holiday Shopping

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Get your holiday shopping done EARLY & buy American.
Support artisans and be happy you bought a unique gift instead of a shrink wrapped piece of crap.
That way you can relax with that tumbler of scotch when everyone else is scramblin’!
Check out the website & etsy store for gifts for men and women by fellow garage enthusiast Heyltje Rose, her work is amazing!

www.heyltjerose.com
www.etsy.com/shop/heyltjerose

The Body

Perfect Potatoes for Thanksgiving!

A Thanksgiving style “Company Potatoes” recipe”
this is a good one if you are having a house full!

Potato-Apple Gratin
ingredients
•8 medium Yukon gold or other yellow-flesh potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick (8 to 10 cups)
•2 cups shredded or finely chopped Granny Smith apples (2 or 3 medium)
•2/3 cup sliced green onions (6) or thinly sliced leek
•4 slice bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
•1 1/2 teaspoons salt
•1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
•3 cups shredded Gruyere, provolone, Swiss, or Jarslberg cheese (12 ounces)
•1 1/3 cups whipping cream
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
•Green onion slivers (optional)
directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Layer half of the potatoes, half of the apples, half of the sliced green onions, and half of the bacon in prepared dish. Sprinkle with half of the salt and half of the pepper. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat layers. In a medium bowl combine the cream, garlic, and, if desired, nutmeg. Pour cream mixture over layers in baking dish. Cover with foil.
2. Bake for 1-1/2 hours. Uncover; bake for 15 minutes more or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and top is golden. Let stand for 10 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with green onion slivers.
from the test kitchen
Prepare as directed, except cook the potatoes and apples in separate pans of lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain; pat dry with paper towels. Continue as directed through Step 1, except do not preheat oven. Chill for up to 24 hours. To serve, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Continue as directed in Step 2.

nutrition facts ; Servings Per Recipe 12, cal. (kcal) 343, Fat, total (g) 22, chol. (mg) 76, sat. fat (g) 13, Monosaturated fat (g) 7, carb. (g) 24, Polyunsaturated fat (g) 1, fiber (g) 3, sugar (g) 3, pro. (g) 14, vit. A (IU) 729, vit. C (mg) 24, Thiamin (mg) 0, Riboflavin (mg) 0, Niacin (mg) 2, Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0, Folate (µg) 28, Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 1, sodium (mg) 481, Potassium (mg) 578, calcium (mg) 374, iron (mg) 1, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

The Body

Everyones Favorite at Thanksgiving Dinner

 

Let’s Face it, the Pumpkin Pie is always the biggest hit at Thanksgiving dinner, so here is our favorite recipe to share with you….

 

ingredients
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin puree or one 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• Salt
• 1 pre baked 9-inch pie shell

 

directions

 

• 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, condensed milk, pumpkin, and better to thoroughly combine.
• 2. In a small bowl, mix together flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a pinch of salt; stir into pumpkin mixture.
• 3. Pour pumpkin filling into pie shell. lace filled pie tin on rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until filling is set around edges and slightly loose in center. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerated with 2 hours.

Pumpkin Puree:
Cut one small pie pumpkin in half; scoop out seeds. Place pumpkin, cut side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until soft. Scoop flesh from pumpkin into a bowl. Mash pumpkin with a potato masher.
BAKED PIE SHELL:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare pastry as directed. Line chilled pastry with a double thickness of foil. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes more or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
nutrition facts
Servings Per Recipe 10, cal. (kcal) 364, Fat, total (g) 16, chol. (mg) 109, sat. fat (g) 9, carb. (g) 48, Monosaturated fat (g) 5, Polyunsaturated fat (g) 1, fiber (g) 2, sugar (g) 31, pro. (g) 8, vit. A (IU) 69, vit. C (mg) 3, Thiamin (mg) 0, Riboflavin (mg) 0, Niacin (mg) 1, Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0, Folate (µg) 52, Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 0, sodium (mg) 190, Potassium (mg) 284, calcium (mg) 141, iron (mg) 2, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

 

The Body, The Machine

Ultimate Biker Makeover; Words from the Winner; Marliyn Elmore Bragg

 

I’ve seen the Garage Girls Biker Make-Over contest since 2010, have always thought to enter, but never saw myself as a gal with the greater need. This year, 2012 was different. This year I had loads of problems with the bike that needed attention, and I really needed some warmer clothing for riding this winter. I felt I had better not let an opportunity like this slip by one more year. Another reason I didn’t hesitate to write my essay for Garage Girls was because the rules had changed. The winner would no longer be required to attend the Carlisle, PA BikeFest Show to accept. That’s a huge burden off our shoulders, no matter who wins!
I wrote my essay and sent it to the email address I found on their web-site: www.garage-girls.com I then kept my fingers crossed, hoping my essay would be one of four chosen to move to the next round. Knocking on wood, finger crossed and a million prayers later, I was informed I’d made it to the next round which would be the voting round. My story as well as the story of three other well deserving folks was posted to the Garage-Girls website and we were encouraged to get our friends, neighbors and strangers to vote for us. I went at this with a passionate dedication. I visited every friend I had with email and phone calls, telling them about Garage-Girls and their contest. I asked them to read each of the contestant’s stories and vote, hopefully for me, but I encouraged them to vote for who they felt passionate about. I started to see the votes swing one way, then another. The lead bounced between me and one other contestant, but in the end my friends prevailed with a huge push and bounced the votes to my favor. I gratefully acknowledge the friends who went to all their friends and encouraged others to read and vote. The more people who know about Garage-Girls and their web-site, the better for all of us!
I was notified I had won in early August, and three days after notification the 1st of the prizes started to arrive. The guy in the big brown van always uses my driveway as a turnaround spot, but on this day in August he STOPPED in my driveway and bounced from his truck with his arms full. It was Wizards Products and Avon Tires who delivered that day! What beautiful products from each of them. I lined up my gifts from Wizards on my bike and photographed them. I received a full complement of cleaning, shining and protective products for the paint and metal on my bike as well as a handy storing-travel case for the products! The Avons are a dream come true. I’ve always wanted a set, but found all kinds of reasons NOT to invest in their product. Now that I know how well they work for my style of mountain riding, I will not hesitate to put them on my bike again next season!
The next item to make its way to my door is the case of Spectro Oil and Mustang Seats. I can always use a case of 20W50 full syn for the bike, this saves me loads of money, and I’m all for saving money.
The folks at Mustang knew I just received a seat from them a few months previous to winning. I was contacted by Sara Liberte who had spoken with Marilyn Simmons at Mustang. Sara said Mustang was offering a luggage set to me instead of the seat. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? YES! I went to Mustang’s website and picked out the luggage I wanted for my bike. I am delighted with the Studded Journey Bag they sent! How generous of Mustang to offer this deal to me. Thank you, Mustang, I love you guys!

Next was Hot Leathers. Oh my…Hot Leathers! Their website has been one of those places I go to when I want to dream about me in leather… now I have one of their jackets hanging near the door and tucked into the pockets are the pair of gloves I won from them too. I wear both items daily now that fall has dropped the temps here in North East Tennessee. I’m no longer quite so dependent on the cylinder heads to keep my hands warm in the morning! Hot Leathers also provided me with 2 new T-Shirts that wear like they were made just for me. Now that’s Hot Leathers!
During this time, I was also in communication with Progressive Suspension. I was told I would be receiving a rear set of shocks from them for my bike, but I was in total desperate need of front suspension. I offered to forego the rear suspension if they would simply ship me the parts for the front. The guys at Progressive did me one better by shipping me both front and rear suspension! I’m so stoked over their generous offerings; I sing praises and offer up prayers every time I lean into a mountain curve. The folks at Progressive sure are getting a lot of prayers from me this year. I can’t say enough wonderful things about how my bike feels with new suspension on the rear and the front of her. She hasn’t felt this good under me in more years than I care to admit. Progressive ROCKS and their work is above reproach.
Otter Box sent me a letter with a claim ticket. Told me to go online and pick out the Otter Box I wanted for my phone. Can you believe I had never heard of Otter Box before then? I had no clue what they were or what services or products they provided. I do now, and you can bet my Smart Phone don’t go anywhere without the protection of Otter Box! This product wraps my phone in a hugging, loving, rubber-like suit (not unlike a wet suit) that protects my phone from the weather and from my careless handling. What a God send! It’s saved my phone more than once.
Next are my boots and a pair of sandals from Harley Davidson Footwear. I didn’t know they made footwear that looks like this. Talk about sexy legs…those sandals have a heel on them that makes me look 3 inches taller and give the word sexy a bit of push in my direction. I’ll take all the help I can get! The boots are calf high with a low profile heel. The uppers of this boot are studded and are made from the softest of leather. The side zipper allows me to easily slip them on and off. Talks about Heaven in a motorcycle boot, these boots are so comfortable, I can walk in them for 9 hours and not feel wore out or blistered: I am one lucky gal. I will be receiving one more pair of boots of my own choice in a few weeks. I can’t wait to try them on as well. These boots are the finest I’ve ever owned.
Last in the lineup of gifts is the pipe wrap from DEI. When I opened the box, I discovered BLACK (how did they know that was the color I desired?) wrap and 2 T-shirts, along with all the hardware needed to install and secure the product properly. I’ve wanted this stuff for about 2 years. My pipes do not have covers on them and I’m very tired of burning holes in my pant legs! YEA!!!!!!!! In the next week or two, I will have the wrap on and I will be one of the happiest gals on the planet!
My bike is clean thanks to Wizards Products. My bike now handles luggage like a pro, indeed thanks to Mustang and their inspired luggage. Her engine oil is changed and clean (it’s like being sure her underwear is clean, wouldn’t you agree?). She tracks straight and true in a curve, no more chatter in the front end, and that rear end has brought me stability and comfort I didn’t know existed on a Sporty! In a few weeks, when I put my feet down, I can be sure I won’t be melting my pants to my leg, what a blessing that will be, thank you DEI for this great product. Otter Box? What can I say about them? Whew, I love the product. NOTHING protects your phone like Otter Box. Last and surely not least is HOT LEATHERS, whose jacket and gloves are giving me warmth and great fashion well into fall and winter this year.
Thank you Sara Liberte for putting together all these products, thus allowing guys and gals like me the chance to experience and have in our possession quality products such as the ones offered by Garage-Girls Biker Make-Over.