Matthew Parker from Lagos never thought that he would work online, until curiosity got the best of him and he filled out a simple online form. Before he knew it, he discovered his secret to beating the recession, and being able to provide for his family while at home with his three children.
I read Matthew's blog last month and decided to feature his story in our weekly consumer report. In our phone interview he told me his amazing story. "I actually make about £5,200-£6,200 a month working from home. It's enough to comfortably replace my old jobs' income, especially considering I only work about 15-18 hours a week from home.
Working online has been a financial windfall for Matthew, who struggled for months to find a decent job but kept hitting dead ends. "I lost my job shortly after the recession hit, I needed reliable income, I was not interested in the "get rich quick" scams you see all over the internet. Those are all pyramid scams or stuff which you have to sell to your friends and family. I just needed a legitimate way to earn a living for me and my family. The best part of working online is that I am always home with the kids. Thanks to the Online Wealth Markets Kit I am giving my kids the childhood they deserve."
I asked him about how he started his life-changing journey. "It was pretty easy, I filled out a short form and applied for a work-at-home kit. There is a small activation fee; it's not really free but it was only £205. I got the kit and within four weeks I was making over £3,200 a month. It's really simple, I am not a computer whiz, but I can use the internet. I don't even have to sell anything and nobody has to buy anything. Companies are constantly recruiting people for this, you should try it."
The companies you work with are worth over 100 billion dollars and are the most used sites in the internet market place, like Amazon, Google, Walmart, Delta, Apple and more... You're using the top ranked sites in the world, over 50 percent of all internet traffic flows through them everyday. It's a great opportunity and this has been helping people work at home for over 5 years. Why not get in with the internet's best and biggest companies?
There are plenty of scams on the internet claiming you can make £30,200 a month, but that is exactly what they are - scams. From my conversation with Matthew, "I am making a good salary from home, which is amazing, under a year ago I was jobless in a horrible economy. I thank God every day that I filled out that form."

Quickly, Matthew Parker was able to use the simple Online Wealth Markets to make it out of the recession.

"I actually make £5,200-£6,200 from home every month."
- Matthew Parker

Matthew had never shared his story before, this is the first time he's going public.

• 3 cigar cups | 750g long grain parboiled rice
• Tomato Stew 500 mls
• Chicken (whole chicken, drumsticks or chicken breast)
• Pepper and salt (to taste)
• 2 medium onions
• 3 Knorr cubes
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (Nigerian curry powder)

Before you cook Jollof Rice

1. Prepare the tomato stew. Visit the Tomato Stew page for details on how to do that. It is advisable to prepare tomato stew before hand and keep in the freezer. This is so that whenever you want to cook any jollof rice related dish, it is just a matter of adding it to your cooking.
2. If you will use whole chicken then wash and cut it into pieces. Cook with the thyme, Knorr cubes and 2 bulbs of onions (chopped). The cooking time depends on the type of chicken. The rooster or cockerel cooks much faster than the hen but the hen is definitely tastier. When done, grill it in an oven. You may also fry it. This is to give it a golden look which is more presentable especially if you have guests for dinner.
3. Parboil the rice using the method detailed in parboiling rice for cooking jollof rice. Rinse the parboiled rice and put in a sieve to drain.

Cooking Directions

1. Pour the chicken stock and the tomato stew into a sizeable pot and leave to boil.
2. Add the drained parboiled rice, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. The water level should be the same level of the rice. This is to ensure that all the water dries up by the time the rice is cooked.
3. Cover the pot and leave to cook on low to medium heat. This way the rice does not burn before the water dries up.

If you parboiled the rice as described at parboiling rice for cooking jollof rice, the rice should be done by the time the water is dry. Taste to confirm. If not, you will need to add more water and reduce the heat to prevent burning. Keep cooking till done.
Serve with Fried Plantain, Nigerian Moi Moi, Nigerian Salad or Coleslaw.
You can spice up this recipe by adding 2 well known vegetables to arrive at what we refer to as Mixed Vegetables Jollof Rice.

You won’t think making an omelet is hard once you’ve mastered these easy tips and tricks for the perfect omelet.

• What You Need

  2	EGGS
  2	Tbsp. water
  1/8	tsp. salt
  Dash	pepper
  1	tsp. butter
  1/3 to 1/2	cup filling, such as shredded cheese, finely chopped ham, baby spinach

Directions

1. BEAT eggs, water, salt and pepper in small bowl until blended.
   
2. HEAT butter in 7 to 10-inch nonstick omelet pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. TILT pan to coat bottom. POUR IN egg mixture. Mixture should set immediately at edges.
   
3. GENTLY PUSH cooked portions from edges toward the center with inverted turner so that uncooked eggs can reach the hot pan surface. CONTINUE cooking, tilting pan and gently moving cooked portions as needed.
   
4. When top surface of eggs is thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, PLACE filling on one side of the omelet. FOLD omelet in half with turner. With a quick flip of the wrist, turn pan and INVERT or SLIDE omelet onto plate. SERVE immediately.
   

If you are thinking of summer side dishes, a few things come to mine; corn on the cob, pasta salad and coleslaw.  At least, that is what I think of. Personally I am not a huge fan of traditional coleslaw.  Just mayo with a little salt and pepper is not enough for me!  Especially when the dressing is so thick that is all you can taste.  I like it to be light and fresh.  So I decided to add apples, dried cranberries, and take the dressing up a notch.  Definitely a summer coleslaw recipe that needs to stick around!
I made this coleslaw first thing in the morning.  Then I let the dressing sit and blend with everything all day.  By dinner time it was perfect!  The leftovers are great too.  The dressing isn’t very heavy, so the cabbage doesn’t get too soggy.  The sweetness of the craisins and the crunch from the almonds are definitely an unexpected twist that everyone will love.  So if you are grilling out, going to a barbecue, or just making chicken or pork chops at home; this cranberry apple coleslaw will be a hit!
You can make this cranberry apple coleslaw with a bag of coleslaw mix or even just the bag of shredded cabbage.  Or you can take the time an actually thinly slice a small head of cabbage.  To me, it doesn’t matter.  I am sure there are some purists out there that will disagree and find fault with the bagged coleslaw mix.  But I will take an good shortcut when I see it.  And the pre-shredded cabbage is a good shortcut in my opinion!  You do have to cut the apples into matchsticks, there isn’t a shortcut for that.  But it is only 2 apples, so you can handle it.  I used STAR Fine Foods new Apple Cider Vinegar to give the dressing a little tang and make it stand out!

I hope that everyone had a great weekend!  I was able to enjoy some much cooler weather, some gorgeous fall colors, and spend time with some amazing ladies.  So it was a great weekend! If you ever have the chance to visit the Colorado mountains in the fall, you need to.  The changing leaves on the Aspens are just gorgeous!  Now it is back to reality.  But it is almost like fall has arrived in Colorado….almost.  The highs are only in the 70’s this week.  After 80’s and 90’s for all of September I will take it!


We have a lot of pasta at our house.  It is super quick and easy to make, and you can change up the flavors and dress it up any way you want.  This time I decided to go the Spanish route.  I added a few Spanish spices to my traditional marinara sauce and then added a jar of green olives.  And voila Spanish Spaghetti with Olives is served!  Dinners is still on the table in less than 30 minutes, you just made them think you spent forever on it! A great twist on your classic spaghetti dinner!

For this Spanish Spaghetti with Olives I used Star tomatoes & peppers marinated green olives.  The olives add the salty, brinyness they are known for, but they all add tons of great flavor to the dish.  I made this Spanish Spaghetti for a friend. Her family absolutely loves green olives, and her boys are super into food. She said they absolutely loved this, all 3 of her boys went back for seconds!  And if I can win over a 4 year old, I am pretty sure I can win over anyone!  So add this Spanish Spaghetti to your menu, you will not be disappointed.

 
These delicious doughnuts, created by Ocelot Chocolate, hide a rich, unadulterated chocolate centre that allows the nuances and unique flavour notes of the chocolate to sing.

MAKES

9-10 doughnuts

INGREDIENTS

For the dough

• 250g strong white bread flour
• 1 tsp ground sea salt
• 20g caster sugar
• 7g (1 sachet) of dried yeast
• 75g water
• 2 eggs
• 80g unsalted butter, cubed and softened, OR if mixing by hand, gently melted and mixed with the water

For frying

• 2 litres sunflower or vegetable oil
• A thermometer suitable for hot oil

For dusting

• Coconut or caster sugar (storing your caster sugar in a jar alongside a vanilla pod makes for an extra special sprinkle)

For filling

• 225g ‘bean-to-bar’ or single origin dark chocolate, at least 75% cocoa
• 200ml water
• Ice

METHOD

Place the flour into the bowl of a free-standing mixer fitted with its dough hook. If you do not have a mixer, proceed undeterred with a large bowl and clean hands.
Place the salt and sugar on one side of the flour, and the yeast to the other. Pour in the water (mixed with the melted butter if mixing by hand), add the eggs, then combine everything at a low speed, or with a clawed hand.
Turn up to a medium speed for around 8 minutes, or scrape and squish with your hands until you have a glossy and elastic ball of dough that, although moist, has mostly freed itself from the sides of the bowl. Turn off the mixer.
If you are mixing by hand, at this stage transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and start kneading like there’s no tomorrow (it helps to see each 10 minutes of kneading as your ticket to an extra doughnut).
Otherwise turn the mixer to a medium speed and add the softened butter, a few cubes at a time, until it is thoroughly lost in the dough. Turn your mixer (or arms) to high speed and mix for 5 minutes or until you have a deliciously shiny, stretchy dough that slides off the hook and quivers in the bowl.
Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place in a warm place for approximately 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. Knock the air out of the dough with a quick knead, before re-covering the bowl and placing in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
The next day, tip the dough on to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 50g portions – you should get 9 or 10. Roll the pieces into smooth balls and place on a floured baking tray, leaving a good distance between each.
Drape with clingfilm and leave somewhere warm until they have doubled, or at least noticeably increased in size (an hour or so). Once they’re looking swell, gently loosen them from the tray, being careful not to lose all the lovely air.
Tip: if you struggle to find a suitable proving spot in your house, turn your oven on for a few minutes until it is gently warmed, turn it off and place the bowl or tray inside, leaving the door open.

To fry your doughnuts

Now dig out your deep fat fryer or a large heavy-based saucepan and fill to half way with oil.
Before turning on the heat, clear all children, pets and clumsy people from the room – hot oil is a fearsome foe and should never be left unattended: have everything ready so you don’t get in a flap once you start frying. We suggest a production line of plates next to the stove - one with kitchen towel, one with sugar and one for finished items.
Heat the oil to 180C. This is important because much less and they will soak in the oil, more and they will burn, so a metal-tipped or infrared thermometer is necessary.
Using a metal slotted spoon, very carefully and one at a time place two or three doughnuts into the hot oil. Cook for a minute or two on the first side until they are puffed with air and a lovely golden brown colour, before turning, dunking them if they are frisky.
Remove on to the kitchen paper, check the oil is still at the right temperature and repeat until you have a big pile of warm doughnuts. Turn off the oil, and while the doughnuts are still warm, toss them in caster or coconut sugar.
Allow to cool while getting on with the filling.

To fill your doughnuts

This is a miraculous technique, which once learned means that wherever there is chocolate, there is dessert.
Place the chocolate and water in a pan and melt over a low heat. Meanwhile, find one large and one medium sized bowl. In the large bowl place some ice and water, and then sit the medium bowl on top – the icy water should come about halfway up its sides.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the medium bowl and using an electric or balloon whisk, whip until you have a chocolate mousse the texture of whipped cream. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag.
Now for the really fun bit: Peirce a hole in the side of each doughnut with a knife and wiggle your finger in to create your chocolate chamber. Push the snout of the piping bag into the hole and fill with a greedy squeeze of the mousse.
Briefly admire all your hard work, and then devour.

receipe

150g (1 cup) plain flour


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Ingredients

Ingredients

• Glass noodles 100 g
• Carrot 2 each, roughly grated
• White cabbage 200 g, finely grated
• Bean sprout 200 g
• Garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped
• Sesame oil 30 ml
• Soy sauce To taste
• Spring roll pastry 20 sheets
• Oil for frying As needed

Info box

• Preparation time 30 m
• Cooking time 20 m
• Recipe category Appetizer
• Recipe yield 4
• Recipe cuisine Chinese

Preparation

How to make spring rolls: step-by-step recipe

To make the spring rolls start cooking the noodles according to the directions on the package.
Mix together the carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts, garlic and oil.
Drain the noodles and cut them into 4 cm long pieces and add them to the mixture.
Season with salt, ground black pepper, soy sauce and a pinch of sugar and gently beat the egg.
Remove one spring roll sheet from the pile and place on the work surface. Spread 30 ml of filling in the middle.
Fold over the sides and roll up.
Fry spring rolls in hot oil for 4-5 minutes until golden brown.
Dry on kitchen paper.
if desired serve the spring rolls with soy sauce.