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Baby Gift Ideas
Unique Baby Gift Ideas can be hard to think of and find as there are so many baby items to choose from, whether it is something practical, a special keepsake or a piece of clothing. If you would like a baby gift then it is probably best to buy from a specialist shop where everything they sell is aimed at babies or young children, there are many of these on line too. On the web you will get a much wider choice and availability not to mention the variations in prices! It is now very safe to shop on the internet so there is less need to worry. Most stores now use `PayPal `which guarantees your goods will be delivered and at the high standard you would expect. A silver plated photo album is just one of the many Baby Gift Ideas you will find on line at a rreduced price-a fantastic way to store all those special first memories. Even if buying on the web you can still have your items gift wrapped giving you one less thing to do AND with the added bonus of it looking really special. The World Wide Web can give you plenty of inspiration when it comes to Baby Gift Ideas.

Custom Badges
Custom badges can be found on the internet with many suppliers offering a professional and affordable design service. Badge suppliers and designers have the relevant experience as they deal with artwork all day, every day and so we know the best way to achieve effective results in terms of both appearance and print. The team of designers will have a wide range of skills from illustration to layouts in order to handle the different aspects of your design requirements that you are looking for. If you do want to use a professional design and illustration service rather than your own designs, you can get it for as little as �95.They have the ability to create awesome logos, T-Shirts, Posters, flyers etc for your band or business as well as the popular Custom Badges. Before the end design is finished they will offer unlimited changes until you are happy with your design to ensure your satisfaction. Badge makers supply some of the biggest companies and bands around! The good prices are usually found on the internet.

Whilst on your travels in Spain and pausing to take a breath from site-seeing, you have surely experimented with "tapas" at a welcoming bar.

If this is the case, it is more than likely that you have come across the small, tasty filleted fish, preserved in olive oil, sliced garlic and chopped parsley, and highly popular throughout Spain. This delectable dish is usually known as "boquerones" but, depending on the area, can also be called "anchoas".

Boquerones are small, fresh anchovies. Accompanied by crisp, fresh Spanish bread, a glass of ruby-red wine or refreshing Asturian cider, they are a delight to eat. Moreover - as with many traditional Spanish dishes which comprise the renowned Mediterranean Diet - they are extremely healthy.

Like its friend the sardine, the anchovy is an oily fish, packed full of proteins and minerals, protecting against heart disease, and "good" for cholesterol. What�s more, in many areas of Spain - in particular the Mediterranean coast - fresh anchovies are extremely cheap.

On first coming to Spain, I happily enjoyed many tapas of boquerones, completely unaware of one fact ... all those little anchovies I had eaten were not cooked! For a moment, I deeply regretted asking my Spanish neighbor, Carmen, how to make them!

Fortunately, Carmen went into immediate action and saved the day! She frog-marched me to the local fishmongers, bought a kilo of the little fish, took me home and showed me "her way" of preparing them. They were so delicious that I quickly recovered my passion for boquerones and have been enjoying them ever since!

Methods for preparing boquerones tend to vary slightly from family to family. However, the basic principles are always the same. You first have to clean and fillet the fish, which is simple enough, but rather tedious until you get the hang of it.

Next, you soak the fillets, either in white wine vinegar or a mixture of half vinegar and half water. The vinegar will clean and bleach the fish and also soften any remaining little bones. Some people sprinkle the fish with salt; others (myself included) feel that the fish is salty enough already.

The fish has to be left for a good few hours soaking in the vinegar. Again, this tends to vary, with some Spaniards leaving them overnight in the fridge and others just waiting a couple of hours. Also, some families change the vinegar/water-and-vinegar mixture once during this process, whilst others don�t bother.

Once you have thrown away the vinegar, the bleached fillets are covered with a good quality virgin olive oil, which will preserve them. You can add as much, or as little, sliced garlic as you wish, plus freshly chopped parsley.

So ... here is the actual recipe.

BOQUERONES

Ingredients:

1 kilo fresh anchovies.
White wine vinegar.
Virgin olive oil.
Garlic.
Parsley.
Salt (optional).

Method:

Top and tail anchovies.
Slit along underside and discard innards.
Open out fish.
Remove central bone by lifting from tail end upwards.
Rinse well.
Place a layer of anchovy fillets in a shallow dish.
Sprinkle with salt (optional) and pour on plenty of vinegar.
Repeat with another layer, changing direction.
Leave to soak in vinegar for a few hours or overnight.
Pour off vinegar.
Very gently rinse fillets.
Cover fillets in virgin olive oil.
Add slices of garlic and chopped parsley.

It is so pleasant to find something in life that is a delight to the senses, affordable, healthy and does nobody any harm (apologies to any vegetarians out there and, also, the little anchovies ...). So ... do make the most of fresh anchovies whilst you are in Spain and enjoy!