It's possible to trade profitably on the Forex, the nearly $2 trillion worldwide currency exchange market. But the odds are against you, even more so if you don't prepare and plan your trades. According to a 2014 Bloomberg report, several analyses of retail Forex trading, including one by the National Futures Association (NFA), the industry's regulatory body, concluded that more than two out of three Forex traders lose money. This suggests that self-education and caution are recommended. Here are some approaches that may improve your odds of taking a profit. Prepare Before You Begin Trading Because the Forex market is highly leveraged -- as much as 50 to 1 -- it can have the same appeal as buying a lottery ticket: some small chance of making a killing. This, however, isn't trading; it's gambling, with the odds long against you. A better way of entering the Forex market is to carefully prepare. Beginning with a practice account is helpful and risk-free. While you're trading in your practice account, read the most frequently recommended Forex trading books, among them Currency Forecasting: A Guide to Fundamental and Technical Models of Exchange Rate Determination, by Michael R. Rosenberg is short, not too sweet and highly admired introduction to the Forex market. Forex Strategies: Best Forex Strategies for High Profits and Reduced Risk, by Matthew Maybury is an excellent introduction to Forex trading. The Little Book of Currency Trading: How to Make Big Profits in the World of Forex, by Kathy Lien is another concise introduction that has stood the test of time. All three are available on Amazon. Rosenberg's book, unfortunately, is pricey, but it's widely available in public libraries. "Trading in the Zone: Master the Market with Confidence, Discipline and a Winning Attitude," by Mark Douglas is another good book that's available on Amazon, and, again, somewhat pricey, although the Kindle edition is not. Use the information gained from your reading to plan your trades before plunging in. The more you change your plan, the more you end up in trouble and the less likely that elusive forex profit will end up in your pocket. Diversify and Limit Your Risks Two strategies that belong in every trader's arsenal are: Diversification: Traders who execute many small traders, particularly in different markets where the correlation between markets is low, have a better chance of making a profit. Putting all your money in one big trade is always a bad idea. Familiarize yourself with ways guaranteeing a profit on an already profitable order, such as a trailing stop, and of limiting losses using stop and limit orders. These strategies and more are covered in the recommended books. Novice traders often make the mistake of concentrating on how to win; it's even more important to understand how to limit your losses. Be Patient Forex traders, particularly beginners, are prone to getting nervous if a trade does not go their way immediately, or if the trade goes into a little profit they get itchy to pull the plug and walk away with a small profit that could have been a significant profit with little downside risk using appropriate risk reduction strategies. In "On Any Given Sunday," Al Pacino reminds us that "football is a game of inches." That's a winning attitude in the Forex market as well. Remember that you are going to win some trades and lose others. Take satisfaction in the accumulation of a few more wins than losses. Over time, that could make you rich!

The Classic Monte Cristo Sandwich

The Classic Monte Cristo Sandwich
The Monte Cristo Sandwich is squarely in that category of dishes that used to be classic and on almost any diner menu, but can now actually be tough to find. In fact, I can’t really remember the last time I saw one on a menu.
This is fine though. You probably shouldn’t be ordering it in a restaurant anyway for the same reason that you shouldn’t order a ham and cheese. Just save your money and make the sandwich at home.
This sucker might look more complicated than that, but if you can make a ham and cheese sandwich and french toast, then you can make a Monte Cristo Sandwich. There’re a few little tricks though that makes all the different. (SPOILER: Third piece of bread!)
Classic Monte Cristo Sandwich
YIELD 1 Sandwich 
PREP TIME 10 mins 
TOTAL TIME 20 mins

How to make the perfect classic Monte Cristo sandwich. Ingredients are simple. It’s all about the method! You’ll never make a normal grilled cheese again!

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 slices white sandwich bread
  • 1/4 pound ham (or turkey)
  • 1/2 cup grated gouda cheese
  • 2 teaspoons mayonnaise (opt.)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter, for cooking

SHOW DIRECTIONS PIN RECIPE
  • Classic Monte Cristo Sandwich
  • The Two Tricks of Monte Cristo
  • I made this sandwich in various configurations about five times over the last week or so. The truth is that it’s always pretty delicious, but there are a few tricks to make it even more delicious, which you might as well do.
  • Trick one is to actually use three slices of bread and make a double decker sandwich. On each side is some good cheese (I like a gouda/smoked gouda mix, but swiss or Gruyere would be great also). There’s also a slice of ham on each side.
  • In the middle is a piece of bread that has been barely brushed with mayonnaise. You could also use mustard, but you need something for the ham to grab onto.
Basics.
Stack this stuff up! Make sure that the cheese is on the outer most parts of the sandwich. SO: BREAD-CHEESE-HAM-MAYOBREAD-HAM-CHEESE-BREAD. Get it?
Trust me on this next part: Cut off the edges.
Edges off!

TRICK TWO of Monte Cristo: Press this sucker. I tried a version without doing this and the sandwich doesn’t have the same integrity. Also the bread soaks up too much of the custard mixture later.
By pressing it though, it turns nice and dense. It also turns a two layer sandwich into the thickness of a one layer sandwich. The middle piece of bread almost disappears in the final sandwich.
It doesn’t really matter how you press it. I did one version with just a cutting board on top of the sandwich and I pressed down on the cutting board for 10 seconds. I also did one version with this weird setup. Whatever works!
Under Pressure.
Cooking the Monte Cristo Sandwich
So now you have a really dense sandwich. Time to cook it.
In a small bowl, stir together the egg, milk, paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Spicy eggs.
Dip the sandwich in this mix and just coat it well. The egg mixture will stay in a thin layer, but won’t really soak in much because of all the pressing.
Looks like a mess.
Cook this in butter please. Okay… you could use oil if you want (olive oil or coconut oil would be good), but butter just makes for such a delicious final product. Melt a tablespoon or two in a small skillet over medium heat.
Cook the sandwich for about four minutes per side. Also be sure to stand the sandwich on the ends for a few seconds to sear the edges of the sandwich.

Look at this sucker. It’s a thing of beauty.
Oh boy.
After the sandwich comes out of the skillet, I recommend transferring it to a few paper towels to let any extra grease drain off.
This one turned out particularly good.
Yes please.
I like to slice mine in half to show off the goodness. In the below photo notice how the middle piece of bread is almost invisible? It basically acts as glue to hold the whole thing together. When you’re eating it, you don’t even notice it.
But, I must say I tried a version without the third piece of bread and it just didn’t seem as complete. The sandwich fell apart and was on the thin side.
The next time you’re getting a grilled cheese craving (like, now, right?!) try this out.
The Monte Cristo needs a comeback.




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