Ingredients:

– 140g digestive biscuits in fine crumbs

– 85g unsalted butter, melted

– 2 sheets gelatine

– 2tbsp lemon juice

– 350g cream cheese

– 225g caster sugar

– 400g (13oz) thick Greek yogurt

– 1tbsp vanilla extract

For the garnish:

– a few whole strawberries

1. Combine the fine biscuit crumbs with the melted butter until you have the consistency of wet sand. Use this mixture to line the base of an 8 inch springform cake tin. Transfer to the fridge to chill. Meanwhile, soften the gelatine in the lemon juice and a little water if necessary, for 5 minutes.

2. Heat the mixture in a small saucepan over a low heat until the gelatine has dissolved. Beat together the cream cheese and the sugar in a large mixing bowl using an electric hand-held whisk for 2 minutes. Add the Greek yogurt and gelatin mixture, and mix again until smooth. Finally, add the vanilla extract and beat well. Pour onto the biscuit base and tap gently on the side to release any trapped air bubbles.

3. Transfer to the fridge and chill for 2-3 hours until set. When ready to serve portions, remove from the springform tin and cut portions using a sharp, hot knife (run the blade under hot water then dry to heat it). Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with a mixture of the two kinds of strawberries on top and to the side of the portion of cheesecake, as well as a strawberry leaf to the side.

source: realfood.tesco.com

Ingredients (serves 6):

– 2 and ½ cups frozen or fresh blackberries (or any other fruit, but preferable some kind of berry)

– 1/3 cup sugar (or to the taste)

– 1/3 cup hot water

Directions:

1. Place the fruit and sugar in a food processor or a blender. Add hot water and beat for several minutes, until the mixture turns into a purée. Pass through a sieve, pressing well, and discard seeds.

2. Transfer the mixture to the glasses and place the pop sticks. Freeze for at least 4 hours.

3. To release the ice pops, dip the glasses in warm water for a few seconds.

The History of Popsicles

Popsicles celebratemore than a century of keeping you cool. Find out who invented the popsicle (by accident, no less), and how this yummyfrozen treathas changed over the past 100 years.

In 1905, eleven-year-old Frank Epperson left a cup filled with powdered soda, water, and a stirring stick on his San Francisco porch. That night, low temperatures caused the mixture to freeze — and a summertime staple was born. Today, two billion Popsicles are sold every year.

1923: Epperson debuts his “Epsicle” at an Alameda, California, park. His children, who call the creation Pop’s ‘sicle, persuade him to change the name. Two years later, Epperson partners with the Joe Lowe Company of New York, which distributes the treats around the country.

1939: The brand introduces its mascot, a boy dubbed Popsicle Pete, who appears in ads for the next five decades.

1986: The company retires its two-stick variety (first sold during the Great Depression for a nickel) on the advice of moms, who deem it too messy.

2010 Popsicle — now owned by Unilever and made at plants in Nevada, Maryland, and Missouri — releases new Jolly Rancher — flavoured pops, but classic cherry still ranks as the most popular.

Drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may help older people keep their brains healthy and their thinking skills sharp, according to a new study.

US researchers studied 60 people with an average age of 73 who did not have dementia. The participants drank two cups of hot cocoa per day for 30 days and did not consume any other chocolate during the study. They were given tests of memory and thinking skills. They also had ultrasounds tests to measure the amount of blood flow to the brain during the tests

Of the 60 participants, 18 had impaired blood flow at the start of the study. Those people had an 8.3 per cent improvement in the blood flow to the working areas of the brain by the end of the study, while there was no improvement for those who started out with regular blood flow.

The people with impaired blood flow also improved their times on a test of working memory, with scores dropping from 167 seconds at the beginning of the study to 116 seconds at the end. There was no change in times for people with regular blood flow.

A total of 24 of the participants also had MRI scans of the brain to look for tiny areas of brain damage. The scans found that people with impaired blood flow were also more likely to have these areas of brain damage.

source: IndianExpress/GraphicNews

thinking skill– gondolkodási képesség
sharp – éles (elme)
according to – valami szerint
researcher – kutató
average age – áltag életkor
dementia – elmezavarodottság, demencia
participant – résztvevő
to consume – fogyasztani
study – tanulmány
ultrasound – ultrahang
to measure – mérni
amount – mennyiség
blood flow – véráramlás
improvement – haladás, fejlődés
score – pont, pontszám
tiny – pici
brain damage – agykárosodás
scan – ultrahangfelvétel