Muffins, Scones, Pancakes, and Breads

First of all, Happy 2009! We hope for a blessed year for everyone and for joy, peace, and memorable moments to come.December has been a baking month! We love to bake breads and every week we try new recipes or make variations off of our favorites.Muffins:Today we made some quick pancake muffins - an orange variation and a garlic basil variation. For the orange muffins all we did was mix 1 cup of Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Pancake mix, 1 Tb flaxmeal with 2 1/2 Tb water, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup water, and 2 Tb wheat germ. The garlic basil muffins had all water and no orange juice, and had 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder and dried basil. We made 12 mini muffins - so easy and delicious!Last week we made the garlic basil muffins from Veg News that La Belle Vegan recommended. Here's a link to the original recipe. These were excellent! We changed it up slightly:Garlic Basil Whole Grain Muffins2 Tb flaxmeal5 Tb water1/3 cup olive oil3/4 cup water1/4 cup soymilk1/4 cup wheat germ1 cup whole wheat flour1/4 cup cornmeal1 1/2 Tb baking powder1/2 tsp salt3/4 tsp garlic powder or garlic granules1 1/2 tsp dried basil1/4 tsp ground black pepperPreheat oven to 385 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat flaxseed meal and water with an electric mixer (or a wire whisk) for about a minute. Add olive oil, remaining water, and soymilk. Beat for an additional 30 seconds on medium speed. Stir in wheat germ, whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and spices. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Makes 12 mini muffins.Scones:These scones were different than our usual scone recipe, as they used coconut butter and were not as dry as traditional scones. They were like the texture of banana bread - dense and soft. We made one as maple flavor and the other as apple cider flavor. Both delicious, spiced, and with a great rich texture.Pancakes:With a Marionberry-Peach-Banana fruit syrup, these oat-sesame pancakes were nutritious and flavorful! From chooseveg.com, we adapted this recipe. The sesame seeds were ground with the oats and batter to give a nutty flavor. We made a few minor adjustments, such as lowering the sugar and omitting lecithin; however, the big change we would recommend for future baking is to add baking powder. The pancakes didn't rise, but they were good anyways. The pancakes are also tasty plain and simple for lunch.Cornbread:With pumpkin puree, this cornbread was savory yet slightly sweet, moist and delicious! We followed our cornbread recipe, but modified it accordingly. We added ground coriander into the batter, which complemented the pumpkin savory-sweet taste. Next time we may add even more pumpkin, slightly less cornmeal, and a little banana for more moistness.Bob's Red Mill's Gluten-Free Hearty Grain Bread:This bread mix was like pumpernickel in flavor and texture, with hint of cocoa and caraway. We've never really dealt with gluten free food before, so it was hard to assess whether the batter was too wet or normal for gluten free breads. We will try other Bob's gluten free products to experiment more often with different flours and ingredients.Happy New Year,LK

St James Hotel

From Mia Thermopolis to Princess of Genovia, a similar make over performed, transforming the once grudgey watering hole on Castlereagh Street and putting the Saint in front of the James Hotel. It’s regal bling with the chandeliers, noble crested patterned wallpaper, metallic crest textured wallcoverings and marble round tables makes the place rather plush. Don’t expect five star food however. Regular pub grub is on the menu, at slightly inflated prices. The steak pretty good, a promise of certified angus is cooked to order on a slap of spud mash with a choice of gravy. St James Hotel, it’s Anne Hathaway glamour with a down to earth Aussie heart.2.5 / 5 yums!------Where? 114 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, NSWWhat? Steak $10.90

The beam is in

These big single pane windows that DO NOT OPEN above will be removed. The smaller ones will be eliminated, so that the kitchen sink and countertop can go there... with same width but not as high dual pane awning style windows installed over the sink. Love that view! These two single pane will be replaced with dual pane slider windows in the same size with window bench seats underneath installed. This room really gets the sun in the morning! The new fridge will go in that corner. There will eventually be an island here in the center of the room.We had a 10" x 5.5" 10 foot long beam custom made at a sawmill over the hill nearby - cost $50.. not too bad I thought. Yesterday, we put it in, allowing our temporary support studs to be removed. Now you can get a better sense of how the room will come together. This room gets a ton of sun in the morning, and having coffee out there in the mornings will be very nice! You can also see that the new oak flooring is in the new room too. Sorry for the haze - I just brought my camera in from the car and it was only 7 degrees outside. It's supposed to be in the 50s this weekend, so this is when Sophia will move to the farm! CBR is only 27 days away!

Time-Saving Kitchen Tips

You're making three meals a day, seven days a week. Even with the occasional take-out meal, it still adds up to a lot of time in the kitchen. And if you're like most homeowners, cooking is probably just one of the many tasks at hand. How can you make time for everything without sacrificing the quality of your meals?It's easier than you think. Saving time in the kitchen is all about making little changes. Even minor adjustments in your routine can add up to a big chunk of time over the week. Here are some tips to help you get started.Plan your meals. You've probably heard it before, and it's worth repeating: planning is crucial. Take a few minutes to plan out your menu for the week. Make a schedule so you can make simpler meals on days when you expect to be busy. If you know what to do as soon as you get home, you won't be wasting precious minutes poring over the fridge or making things up as you go.Use the crock pot. If you're one of those people who barely have 15 minutes to whip up a meal, the crock pot can be your best friend. It takes mere minutes to prepare your ingredients in the morning, put them in the pot, and set it to cook for the rest of the day. Your meal will be ready by the time you come home from work—all you have to do is serve it. Most recipes can be adopted for the crock pot, so you can still make all your favorites.Make use of leftovers. Do you have some leftover pot roast from last night's dinner? Instead of letting it go bad, use it to make a quick meal the next day. Leftover meats can go into soups, salads, and sandwiches. Most soups and stews can be frozen and reheated for up to two weeks. You can even "plan" your leftovers by making extra on lighter days, so you'll have something ready when you're busy. Not only do you get faster meals, you also save a good deal of money.Simon Burke loves to cook delicious and nutritious meals for his family. And luckily for us he also enjoys sharing his cooking experiences and recipes with the rest of us.Get more information regarding saving time in the kitchen.

Mercer Cigars: Weekender Special

May 9th, 2009Amigos & Amigas- Greetings from beautiful Merida, Mexico. How about a few Cuban cigars for your next weekend adventure?Please check here for our all-new Cuban cigar price list. International Customers Sale 1 Box Hoyo de Monterrey Palmas Extra (25) = $79.00 with any order Drew's Top Pick of the Week2 x Bolivar Corona Extra (25) - $361 Free shipping on all orders.Guaranteed delivery.Guaranteed satisfaction. Specials of the Week 1 Box Montecristo No. 2 (25) + 1 Box Montecristo No. 5 (10) = $333 shipped1 Box Partagas Serie D No. 4 (25) + 1 Box Partagas Princess (25) = $278 shipped 1 Box Romeo & Julieta Exhibicion No. 3 (25) + 1 Box Romeo & Julieta Mille Fleurs (10) = $271 shipped If you are one of our clients outside of Mexico, consider the following great offers:Bolivar Gold Medal (10) $104Bolivar Petit Coronas (50) $270 (25) $149Bolivar Royal Coronas (25) $193H. Upmann Magnum 46 (50) $413 (25) $220 (15) $144 Hoyo De Monterrey Epicure #2 $209Juan Lopez Petit Coronas $140Montecristo #4 $167Montecristo #5 (10) $76Partagas Series D #4 (25) $209Ramon Allones Specially Selected (50) $345 (25) $186Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas $122Romeo & Julieta Regalias de Londres $102San Luis Rey Petit Coronas $132San Luis Rey Regios (50) $320San Luis Rey Series A (50) $341Trinidad Funadores (24) $380Trinidad Reyes (12) $96 If you would like to add some 10 yr. + Cuban cigars to your collection, this is your chance. Here's an offering directly from the vaults in Mexico City(while supplies last): La Gloria Cubana Sabrosos (25) 1997 or 1998 $291San Luis Rey Churchills (25) 1997 or 1998 $354Bolivar Corona Gigantes (50) 1997 $780Bolivar Inmensas (25) 1997 $286Cabañas Suaves (25) 1997 $82Cabañas Chiquitos (25) 1997 $ 86Punch Churchills (25) 1997 $347Diplomáticos No.1 (25) 1997 $261Montecristo Estuche “A” (25) 1997 $872Partagas Serie du Conaisseur No.3 (25) 1997 $245Partagas Habaneros (50) 1998 $226 La Gloria Cubana Medaille D’or No.4 (25) 1998 $295 We offer a wide range of authentic Cuban cigars and handmade cigar accessories, with discrete payment options and guaranteed delivery to your door step, world-wide, usually in under a week. We accept all major credit cards. Ask about our ultra-safe and secure payment process. Please contact us by email or US toll-free 1-866-793-3309 for information on shipping, prices and availability.CheersDrew PMercer Cigars

Hola Amigo's! (Or... Amiga's) >_

So, yes, I did see 17 Again. And yes, it was rough around the edges. But, yes, I did enjoy all the good parts. Now before I continue, I should clarify who this 'Fred' person is.... *Clears throat* Fred is a famous person on YouTube (By famous, I mean millions of views, talk-shows, videos with celeb's, etc.) What does this 'Fred' Person do? This 'Fred' person is this 15 (Or maybe 16 by now?) year old person named... You know what? I'll just copy and paste his Wikipedia information... (You can skip ahead, if your already in the know):Fred Figglehorn is a fictional character who is the primary subject of a channel on the video-sharing website YouTube. The Fred channel is one of the most subscribed, with over one million subscribers. The videos are centred around a fictional 6-year-old, Fred Figglehorn, who has a dysfunctional home life and "anger management issues".[1] The character of Fred is played by Lucas Cruikshank, a teenager from Columbus, Nebraska, USA.[2] Cruikshank introduced the Fred Figglehorn character in videos on the JKL Productions channel he started on YouTube with his cousins, Jon and Katie. He set up the Fred channel in April 2008. By April 2009, the channel had over 1,000,000 subscribers, making it the number one most popular and subscribed channel of all time.[1][2] The "Fred Goes Swimming" episode was nominated for the "Favorite User Generated Video" award at the 35th People's Choice Awards, but it lost to Barack Roll. Cruikshank also guest-starred as Fred in an episode of iCarly, a sitcom on Nickelodeon. He also appeared on the Tyra Banks Show, to talk about the YouTube phenomenon. According to YouTube insight metrics, the largest age group of viewers is 13-17, though Cruikshank points out that this could skew lower because users must state they are at least 13 to create a YouTube account. Many YouTube users have created parodies of Fred, or other characters in his videos. The Fred channel has received over 41 million channel views and over 260 million video views since its launch. He has passed Nigahiga, and Smosh as well as many other famous channels. His channel was the first channel to hit one million subscribers. Cruikshank currently lives in Nebraska with his family, including three brothers and six sisters. His three younger brothers, Will, Tommy, and Colin, are said to be the inspiration for the show.So, does that answer your question? I sure hope so. Now, back to 17 Again.Here, I'll edit this down from what I originally wrote: I don't have ClearPlay, I wish I did though, but I don't. So a movie will be the same, whether I watch it in theater's or not, it will stay the same. I don't enjoy the questionable part of the movie, but if you look at it this way, if I wasn't allowed to watch PG-13 movies (I don't watch all btw, very few), I probably would not be allowed to be in the Community play I've been in for 2 years, or very well walk out of my front door(<-- That's a major exaggeration, but my point being:). In my eyes, you get more questionable content in everyday life, Then you do in 17 Again. Now, don't judge me. I'll say what I'll say, think what I think, and you can think and say what you believe as well. If everyone was the same in this world, or we all had the same opinion, life would be quite boring. Thank you.So, back to the un-seriousness. At close to noon, my Mom and I left to go eat some lunch at Jimmy John's (the 3 times I've been there, I always get the #3 tuna sub), then we went to Fashion bug, and I bought a knitted white beret (I've always wanted one of those!). Then we had to pick up my dearest brother, Darren from his work at the gym and say a yellow Lamborghini in the parking lot.... *HALLELUJAH* Actually, I find them (At least the El Diablo) to be quite ugly... Don't judge me. Then we dropped him off and went to the 1:40pm show for 17 Again. My Mom and I bought the #1 combo (No... It was a lg. popcorn and pop) My Mom doesn't drink pop anymore, (I drink very little... Today was a very LARGE splurge, the last time I had some was a couple weeks ago), so I got the whole large to myself. Let's just say, by the time the movie was done... I looked and felt like I was holding 30 pounds of water in my bladder... Ugh.... =P Then we went home... Alright, just today the Wow cable company was advertising in our neighborhood (and yesterday while my parents were absent). So my Dad switched... We'll be getting 70 channels next week, instead of 17. Now's the right time for my beloved: *HALLELUJAH!* (Let me tell you, 5 out of those 17 channels, don't even work). So, just a heads up to those of with my e-mail address. My Dad said I have to change it to GMail soon... So... It's time to part with the e-mail I've had for seriously as long as I can remember!! Goodbye... Soon.And now, goodbye to all of you, and I'm sorry for the long post!さようなら (Translation: Goodbye. Guess what language?)~Nicole - Your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger!

lessons learned

My, but it HAS been an enlightening few days, hasn't it?After pouring over a virtual plethora of material from numerous media sources, so-called "mainstream" and otherwise, here is just a sample of the new fascinating nuggets of information I know now that I didn't know last Monday morning when I was seeing off the last of my Grand Slam hangover.If you hang a portrait in a gallery without permission, the gardaí will come after you.Our current Taoiseach is overweight.Our current Taoiseach has little or no sense of humour.Our current Taoiseach seems to spend time on matters other than adequately handling the financial crisis.There are those in RTE who do the government's bidding.Bloggers believe in free speech.John Waters is a knob.Would it be too much to hope that this #picturegate thing lingers on into next week so we can broaden our intellectual horizons even further???© JL Pagano 2009

the bad news I haven't revealed yet

While I've been farting around with Walk graphics and accepting cash donations (thank you all; you know who you are), there's one thing I haven't wanted to reveal to my readership, largely because it's more than a tad embarrassing:I've decided to nix the Walk and stay in Korea. I'm in the process of refunding my plane ticket, and am mentally rehearsing what I'm going to say to my bosses, who are likely to be pissed off. This may seem sudden to you, but that's only because I've been... well, to be honest, I've been rather afraid of everyone's reaction. "Pulling a Boyle, are you?" I can hear someone saying. No, I'm not pulling a Boyle. To do that, I'd have to actually start the Walk. It's better this way, yes? I can refund the donations I've received, I can save the walk graphics for when they'll be useful, I can begin when I'm more physically fit.So I'm writing this at around 11:30PM because I'm hoping my Korea-bound readership will be away from their computers and hobnobbing with the Sandman. I don't know what my Stateside and European readers will do or think, but... be kind, OK? People sometimes pull a 180.Sorry, folks.And if you actually believe this post, I should tell you about my two-meter penis._

Pittsburgh Pirates Team Report

INSIDE PITCH The Pirates had Monday off and certainly weren't complaining about a break in the schedule. The Pirates finished an 0-5 road trip to St. Louis and New York on Sunday with an 8-4 loss to the Mets. The Pirates have lost eight games in a row and 12 of 13 as they get set to face the Cardinals in a three-game series beginning Tuesday that starts a six-game homestand. "We're struggling to score runs and we're giving up a lot of runs late," Pirates manager John Russell said. "Hopefully we can refocus at home." What makes the Pirates' tailspin so frustrating is that they opened the season 11-7. However, they now find themselves at 12-19 as they try to avoid a 17th straight losing season, which would break the tie with the 1933-48 Phillies for the longest sub-.500 streak in American professional sports history. Russell has been preaching a change of culture since taking over as manager before last season, and he believes his team has not quit during its brutal two-week stretch. "We started out well and there was a lot of energy," Russell said. "The players are still fighting, but each day you lose is not fun. It's a strong group, though. As a staff and players, we'll keep pushing."NOTES, QUOTESSS Jack Wilson took himself out of Class AAA Indianapolis' lineup on Sunday because of cold and wet weather in Syracuse in what was the last game of his injury rehabilitation assignment but is still on track to be activated from the disabled list Tuesday night when the Pirates open a three-game series against St. Louis. Wilson, who has been out since April 25 with a sprained left middle finger, went 2-for-6 with two doubles in two games with Indianapolis and was scheduled to work out Monday, an off day for the Pirates, at PNC Park.RHP Matt Capps, who has been sidelined by a sore elbow since last Tuesday, threw 35 pitches in the bullpen before Sunday's game without pain. He will be available to pitch Tuesday night. Capps felt pain in the elbow after giving up four runs in one inning against Milwaukee last Monday night to suffer a blown save and a loss.BY THE NUMBERS: 17 Consecutive games the Pirates have lost to the Milwaukee. That is the most games one major league team has won over another since Baltimore beat Kansas City 23 times in a row during the 1969 and 1970 seasons.QUOTE TO NOTE: "The record speaks for itself. Apparently, they've got our number. I don't think anyone knows why." 2B Freddy Sanchez, on the Pirates losing 17 straight games to Milwaukee.ROSTER REPORTC Jason Jaramillo and C Robinzon Diaz, both rookies, have combined to hit .313 (20-for-64) with nine doubles, one home run and nine RBI since C Ryan Doumit was placed on the disabled list April 20 with a broken right wrist. Jaramillo is batting .279 with seven doubles and five RBI in 43 at-bats and Diaz has a .381 average, two doubles, one homer and four RBI in 21 at-bats. Doumit is expected to be out until late June.LF Nyjer Morgan is having a fine season in the leadoff spot in the batting order. He has a .301 batting average and a .376 on-base percentage in 30 games but will look to increase his production at PNC Park when the Pirates begin a six-game homestand Tuesday night against St. Louis. Morgan has a .246 batting average and .292 on-base percentage in 14 home games compared to a .355 average and .447 OBP in 16 road games.CF Nate McLouth has shown no ill effects of the strained oblique muscle in his right side that caused him to miss six straight games from April 24-29. He is 14-for-42 (.333) in 10 games since returning to action and had a double and home run Sunday in an 8-4 loss to the Mets in New York3B Andy LaRoche's streak of reaching base in 22 consecutive games ended Sunday. He was 0-for-4 against the Mets at New York. LaRoche was 24-for-75 (.320) with nine doubles, one home run and 11 RBI during the streak, raising his batting average from .000 (he was hitless in his first 18 at bats of the season) to .264.LHP Zach Duke, who pitches Tuesday night against St. Louis, has lost his last two starts to drop to 3-3. Duke has faced the Cardinals twice this season, splitting his two decisions, and is 3-5 against them in his career. MEDICAL WATCH: RHP Matt Capps (sore right elbow) was unavailable May 5-10. He is day-to-day. SS Jack Wilson (sprained left middle finger) went on the 15-day disabled list April 25. He began a rehab assignment with Class AAA Indianapolis on May 8 and could be activated on May 12. RHP Craig Hansen (neck spasms) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 20. He played catch May 3 for the first time since getting hurt. C Ryan Doumit (broken bone in right wrist) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 20. He had surgery April 23, and he will be out eight to 10 weeks. LHP Phil Dumatrait (arthroscopic right shoulder surgery in August 2008) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27. He was pitching in extended spring training in mid-April. ROTATION: LHP Paul Maholm RHP Ian Snell LHP Zach Duke RHP Ross Ohlendorf RHP Jeff Karstens BULLPEN: RHP Matt Capps (closer) LHP John Grabow RHP Tyler Yates LHP Sean Burnett RHP Evan Meek RHP Jesse Chavez LHP Donnie Veal CATCHERS: Jason Jaramillo Robinzon Diaz INFIELDERS: 1B Adam LaRoche 2B Freddy Sanchez SS Brian Bixler 3B Andy LaRoche INF/OF Eric Hinske INF Ramon Vasquez OUTFIELDERS: LF Nyjer Morgan CF Nate McLouth RF Brandon Moss OF Craig Monroe OF Delwyn Young