Food Fridays on Empty Streets: Baked Ziti

After revealing that I love to cook for 50 people :) , I have decided to teach all of you a recipe that never fails to satisfy a hungry group of friends and is easy to prepare with my favorite cooking seasoning and ingredient from McCormick. Before getting into the recipe I have to say that McCormick has a lot of excellent quick recipes available also on their websites that are so easy to follow so after trying this dish out do pay them a visit.

Baked Ziti (Meatless)

INGREDIENTS

• Italian Tomato Sauce
• 1 package (16 ounces) ziti
• 1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 1 package (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese (2 cups)
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons McCormick® Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Black Pepper, Ground
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare Italian Tomato Sauce. Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain and return to saucepot.
2. Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper until well mixed. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Top with additional 1 1/2 cups of the pasta sauce and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil.
3. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with remaining 3 cups tomato sauce or freeze sauce for later use.

Here's a Video Tutorial for Baked Ziti

Travel Thursdays on Empty Streets: Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

If there is one place that I would love to come back and visit in a heart beat it would be Kota Kinabalu of Malaysia. I got to know about this wonderful place through a friend that I had been going with to the different beaches of the Philippines and was mentioned to me because of my sudden desire to learn diving and where it would be the most fun to do so. Since we have been around a lot of places in the Philippines he recommended Malaysia and specifically Kota Kinabalu. What surprised me the most was that it was a lot cheaper to go to Kota Kinabalu from the Philippines than it was for a local flight to Boracay. We took the Tiger Airways from Manila(Clark) to Kota Kinabalu and amazingly it only cost less than $110 for a two way ticket. We also researched on places to stay and found out that there are many choices to choose from once we hit the destination, ranging from the rather luxurious to that for the budget conscious.

Upon arriving at Kota Kinabalu I had to say i fell in love with the place. The people were like people here in the Philippines but the surrounding area was prestine. When I finally got to the beach it was crystal clear waters. Snorkling was first on my agenda when I arrived and the beauty of the fish and corals were all so well preserved. You can Imagine how Scuba Diving was like by the time we got around to doing so.

Overall, if you happen to be within the area try and check out what this place has to offer. If you are on a business trip take time over the weekend to experience this refreshing place. Believe me you wont regret it. The place in itself reminded me of the movie by Leonardo DiCaprio "The Beach".

Here is a video of what you can expect to see in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia with the Hotel me and my friend stayed in.


Hope you enjoyed this travel article. Till the next adventure, xoxo

Marketing 411: Top Online Marketing Strategy 2.0

I have been scouring the net for a video that would best explain the power of Online Marketing and teach us about how to get on top in terms of getting on top. I have found the Videos of an Online Marketing Guru Demetri of whom best describes the most effective tools to getting exactly on top in this ever changing and challenging internet marketing world.

So without further delay here is what he has to say


I do hope you found his words enlightening just as much I found it informative myself. More to come as I get to learn more on Web Marketing. Till the next time. xoxo

Call Center Life: Coaching - SMART Goals

I have been asked this several times in my career as a call center professional - How do I conduct a good SMART Goal Coaching session?



For those that do not know what SMART stands for here is what it means

S - Specific

M - Measurable

A - Accurate

R - Reachable

T - Time Bound



SMART is used to help Personnel struggling with their metrics and Key Performance Indicators and can even be used as a means for management to find out GAPS in terms of optimum performance within their company. It can also be utilized as a gauge of performance judgment for Managers and their Support. But how does one conduct a good Coaching session?



Here's a video to help you out:

I do hope that this article has helped clear up some of the major questions that a lot of people have about SMART Goals and Coaching with it. If you have any further questions or suggestions on future topics please feel free to leave me a message here in Call Center Life. Till the next time.

Wellness Wednesday on Empty Streets: Benefits of Garlic

I have been using garlic a lot in almost every meal that I cook especially since I love to cook pasta and stir fry meals. A lot of us already know that garlic has many benefits and one of the most highlighted benefit is that of its ability to fight bad cholesterol in the human body. On the mystical side it is said to ward off bad spirits and vampires hehe. Though is this the only health benefit this particularly strong, sometimes pungent little vegetable could have? The answer my dear friends is no. Amazingly enough Garlic has a lot more to offer than what one already knows and amazingly enough this is a vegetable that is commonly found anywhere and is easily available to anyone of what ever social status.



Here are some other benefits that one could get with Garlic:

Garlic lowers blood pressure a little.

Garlic lowers LDL Cholesterol a little.

Garlic helps reduce atherosclerotic buildup (plaque) within the arterial system. One recent study shows this effect to be greater in women than men.

Garlic lowers or helps to regulate blood sugar.

Garlic helps to prevent blood clots from forming, thus reducing the possibility of strokes and thromboses (It may not be good for hemophiliacs).

Garlic helps to prevent cancer, especially of the digestive system, prevents certain tumors from growing larger and reduces the size of certain tumors.

Garlic helps to remove heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the body.

Raw Garlic is a potent natural antibiotic and, while far less strong than modern antibiotics, can still kill some strains of bacteria that have become immune or resistant to modern antibiotics.

Garlic has anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.

Garlic dramatically reduces yeast infections due to Candida species.

Garlic has anti-oxidant properties and is a source of selenium.

So before you start cooking garlic for your next meal, it is definitely good to ponder and be grateful that such a wonderful herbal remedy is easily available for everyone and is delicious to consume - though I have to admit you have to brush your teeth and gargle after eating a lot as you wouldn't want to have garlic breath hehehe.



Also for those that are more visual and would like to know more about the benefits of garlic from a notable source here is a video of what Garlic can provide to those that consume it.

Tech Tuesdays on Empty Streets: Samsung Innov8

I have been looking around for a digital camera to use since the start of the xmas season and one that was simple and easy to use. Just a regular point and shoot was something that I had in mind. Little did I know that the Mobile industry had something up their sleeve yet again.



Featuring the Samsung Innov8 - notice that the number on the name is something that would cause any tech lover to pause and wonder. Wonder no more as you can clearly see that the number 8 on the phone's name stands for the number of Mega pixels for it's camera. You read it right this is a Mobile phone equiped with 8 Mega pixels of point and shoot quality now surpassing many other competitive phones in the market to date.



Aside from that the phone supports all of the advanced features one could ever wish for in a phone such as full internet page surfing, wifi, bluetooth and full multimedia support.



Overall I would rate this phone an 8.5 as the only thing that it lacks is form factor and thickness of equipment. I have a thing about gadgets that kinda leave a bulge in places I dont want to have one :).



With all that being said the Samsung Innov8 i8150 does make one reconsider if I should purchase a Digital point and shoot camera or wait a bit for a little more funding and have a multipurpose gadget that takes amazing shots while on the go.

Here's the full commercial for this fab phone + A Video Tutorial ;)

Music Monday on Empty Streets: Madonna

I am back and am ready to mingle again right after the holidays have ended and there is no better way to start than to start with a song from last year's highest earning female singer. Guinness World Records list her as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time and the top-earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of US$490 million, having sold over 200 million records worldwide. Can you think of ways on how to spend that much in a lifetime?

Madonna hasn't earned that overnight though. You have got to acknowledge how much she has transformed and adopted to the changes of the times. Decade after decade she has redefined music is so many different ways and has influenced so many artists from those in the past to the present and it is no doubt that Madonna is going to be doing more in the future.

Here's other fun facts about the phenomenal artist known to everyone as Madonna:

Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16, 1958), known as Madonna, is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in Bay City, Michigan and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City for a career in modern dance. After performing as member of the pop musical groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her self-titled debut album in 1983, and then produced three consecutive number-one studio albums on the Billboard 200 in the 1980s and four more since year 2000.

And for your viewing and listening pleasure here is a Playlist of your Favorite Madonna songs

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted.