Check Out 5 Funny Cartoon Posts This Week - 3 July 2010

*** Keep the laughs going while you catch up on the latest cartoonist political opinion of the news!





Fourth of July Fireworks Cartoons - 3 July 2010

American and World Politics Cartoons - 3 July 2010

Dark Humor: BP Oil Spill Cartoons - 3 July 2010

Hunh?! Cartoons - 3 July 2010

Funny Iran Sanctions Cartoons 3 July 2010



*** Photo by Randy Son Of Robert @ flickr


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets
Dennys Global Politics
The Soul Calendar
Visual Insights
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations
Poems From A Spiritual Heart
The Healing Waters
Dennys Art Sanctuary
Romancing The Chocolate
Comfort Food From Louisiana
Unusual 2 Tasty
Dennys Blog Feeds
Dennys Funny Quotes
Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious And Odd

Editorial Cartoons 2 Jan 2010

From Denny: Here's a sampling of editorial cartoonists' opinions, love 'em or hate 'em, as to the news and the year and decade that was and what the New Year might bring us:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by R.J. Matson - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

A short video of a few of the New Years fireworks worldwide:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Mike Keefe - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

It's the big ugly fact that if government does not spend the economy will crash down upon our ears. As it is, the banks are still not lending much for car loans and demanding 20% down for houses, creating a shaky economy:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Larry Wright - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Gary McCoy - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Milt Priggee - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by David Fitzsimmons - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Jeff Parker - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

*** For the full post, full of more grinners, over at The Social Poets, go here.

*** THANKS for visiting and have a great weekend!

Funny Food Quote 1 October 2009

Quote

Mothers, food, love, and career: the four major guilt groups. - Cathy Guisewite

10 Choices This Weeks Posts 1 Oct 2009

Retro poster - do you ever feel like the banks are playing chess with the American and European public...?

Warning: Tsunami karmic backlash on its way!

From Denny: Here's some of what's going on...

Dennys Global Politics:

Videos: Hidden Bank Practices Regarding Deceptive Fees - this will make your blood boil; it did me!

Video: Making a Difference - American High School Kids From Chicago Helping Casablanca Poor
- this is really cool! these young kids go to help others in their sister city across the world. what's more impressive is the local man who helps kids out of poverty by supporting them in their education, including girls.

Video: American Diplomatic Mistake Goes Viral - a common mistake by a young administration when they should have their aides consulting the diplomats for correct protocol.

3 Videos: Free Health Clinics Serving Middle Class America Now, Republicans Party of No Answers - this is sure sad to see people making $60,000 a year forced to drop their health insurance and use free health clinics as their only resource. Many have held off on various maintenance for years.

7 Videos: Former President Bill Clinton on Meet The Press - all short videos on various subjects, all interesting!



Photo by liber @ flickr

Dennys Funny Quotes

7 More Funny Cooking Quotes, Bad Cooks Cartoon - worth the look just to see how I reinterpreted the cartoon (read the caption).

5 Funny Cooking Quotes to Give You a Grin! Funny Einstein Photo - worth the look just for the funny photoshoped Einstein playing rock guitar! :)

Cute Monday Morning Job Quotes, Cartoon too

3 More Funny Coffee Quotes and Coffee Cartoon

5 Funny Coffee Quotes & Coffee Cartoon

3 Funny Quotes About Human Nature

Photo by snuzzy @ flickr

From Denny: While I was setting up a new account on Twitter now called DennyLyon7 (the old one - warriorlight - got messed up from putting a badge of support on my avatar.

Note to self: Never put a badge of support on your avatar ever again. Write this 1,000 times on the blackboard or digital equivalent thereof. It was a lemonade badge to support kids with cancer. No good deed goes unpunished. :)

So, while I was laughing at myself (and groaning about all the tedious tech work for the past week this has required) I thought I'd fish around for some funny quotes about human nature so you could laugh with me! Even the dog is laughing...

Quotes

* Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, a sense of humor to console him for what he is. - Oscar Wilde

* All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it. - H. L. Mencken

And my absolute favorite:

* Never be afraid to laugh at yourself, after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century. - Dame Edna Everage

2 Recipes: Easy Awesome Chicken Fricasse

Photo by Heather McClelland @ 2theadvocate.com

From Denny: Chicken fricassee, for the uninitiated, is just chicken stew. What makes this favorite comfort food so wonderful is the cooking time that allows all the flavors to meld together into one delicious dish! One reason we enjoy these comfort foods is that the longer foods cook to blend these spices and flavors it actually becomes easier to digest. So, it tastes good AND your stomach thanks you! :)

What is the definition of "fricassee"? Fricassee is all about that beautiful combination of meat and vegetables simmering together in happy harmony in some type of liquid, like just plain water or chicken stock. Long and slow cooking is how it used to be done before society sped up and the recipes had to speed up with it or be lost forever so people have invented shortcuts for wonderful recipes like this.

Shortcuts to save time are using chicken pieces already cut up from the grocery store instead of taking the time to cut up a whole chicken on your own which can use up a good 30 minutes just for that operation.

Available are good jarred or powdered in a package roux products so you don't have to take the time to make your own roux, standing over the stove for another 30 to 45 minutes for that step. Of course, around here a lot of Louisiana people just make up a large amount of roux and then stash it in the refrigerator, pulling out a little at a time as they need it for a dish.

You can also save time by purchasing seasoning vegetables already diced or cut up for you in packages at the produce department of your grocery store, shaving another 30 minutes off this old-fashioned recipe.

Chicken stew (fricassee) is served over rice in this state rather than in a bowl like a soup, gumbo or stew. Then side dishes are added like spring green peas, potato salad or fresh sliced beets, sometimes pickled beets.

Recipes

Chicken Fricassee

From: “Pointe Coupee Kitchen Capers” - To benefit the American Cancer Society in 1970 this recipe booklet was compiled for the Pointe Coupee Antique Show. People still make this simple favorite recipe exactly the same to this day.

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

1 large hen or chicken, cut up and skin removed

1/2 cup vegetable oil (today we use canola oil)

1/2 cup flour

2 small to medium onions, chopped (we like sweet or purple onions)

1/2 small bell pepper, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste
(Today we use prepared Cajun seasoning in place of these spices)

2 (4 ounces each) cans sliced mushrooms (or equivalent of fresh)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 Tablespoons chopped or sliced green onions

Cooked rice


Directions:

1. Prepare hen or chicken.

2. Use prepared roux in a jar or powdered in a package or you can make up your own roux fresh for this dish. To make your own roux: In large, heavy pot, make roux with oil and flour. Stir until it is a dark chocolate brown (about 30 minutes). Add onions, bell pepper, celery. Cook until vegetables are tender.

3. Add chicken and mushrooms (with liquid), salt and pepper to taste. Stir until chicken is coated with roux. Cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 2-2-1/2 hours for a hen or until meat is very tender. A fryer chicken like what most grocery stores carry will only take about an hour to cook. You could also place this in a slow cooker while you are away at work, coming home to some awesome smells from your kitchen! Check your slow cooker's directions to know how much time to allow for the cooking.

4. Check occasionally to be sure chicken is not sticking, but as the chicken cooks, the meat will throw off its juices forming the gravy. If you want more or if the gravy is too thick, add more water.

5. Right before serving, add fresh minced parsley and sliced green onions.

*****

From Denny: Here's a really easy even faster version of this chicken stew for busy moms on the go! Her 3 boys enjoy this dish so much it is the most requested one she does for them.

Jessica Cuba’s Quick Chicken Stew

From: Jessica Cuba

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 chicken, cut up, or chicken pieces to the equivalent

2-2-1/2 pounds chicken thighs

Salt and pepper to your taste

1 large onion, chopped

Olive oil

1 (10-3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

2 Tablespoons Tony’s (Tony Chachere's brand) powdered roux

Water

2 (4 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms

Cooked rice

Directions:

1. Wash and dry chicken. Remove skin. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Meanwhile in large skillet or pot, sauté onions in olive oil on medium heat until onions are soft.

3. Add cream of mushroom soup and then add 2 tablespoons dry roux to 1 can of water. Add chicken and mushrooms to soup mixture.

4. Cook for about 1 hour or until chicken is falling off the bones. Serve over hot cooked rice.

***** And a side dish to serve with your awesome chicken fricasse!

Simple Pickled Beets

From: Rose Lorio

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2 (15-oz. cans) sliced or whole beets; remove about half of the juice from cans

2-4 Tablespoons olive oil

1/3-1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 to 1 thinly sliced small onion, white or red

1 teaspoons of sugar

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. If using whole beets, quarter or slice them.

2. Empty beets into a glass bowl. Discard about half of the beet juice from the can.

3. Add olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Allow to marinate for about 2 hours before serving. Every now and
then stir beets around in juice.

4. Taste and if necessary add another pinch of sugar. After serving, refrigerate leftovers.

*****

Thanks for visiting, everyone!


chicken, chicken stew, chicken fricasse, Cajun, soups and stews, society and culture, home, cooking, comfort food

Recipe: Simple Authentic Cajun Shrimp Creole

Assortment of famous Louisiana dishes like gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish bisque and more Image via Wikipedia

From Denny: Cajun cooking has evolved over 244 years since the first Acadian settlers arrived in Louisiana. They were originally deported by the English from Nova Scotia and it was ten years later they migrated to Louisiana. For generations the French and English have carried on a cultural clash and divide so this deportation came as no surprise even in the New World. It did bring terrible hardships to the Acadians as they strove to develop a new life in an inhospitable environment.

The lines between Cajun and Creole cuisine have blurred over the past few decades ever since Justin Wilson popularized Louisiana cuisine back in the 1970's with what was locally known as "good hunting and fishing camp food." Wilson also was a fan of hot sauces and so the idea of Cajun food as "hot and spicy" stuck in the national mind ever since. The reality is that Cajun did not originate as one with fiery pepper sauces, cayenne pepper and spices but rather, to this day with the oldest generation, was a savory and flavorful cuisine style.

The authors of this regional cookbook offer up insight into the subtle differences from region to region in Louisiana because Louisiana is a lot like France in that respect. The 22 counties considered as Cajun Country (which includes some of the state of Texas), known as parishes here, are divided into cultural regions: Acadian Coast, The Wetlands, Upper Prairie, Lower Prairie, the Bayou Region, Southwest Louisiana and the Marshes and Coast.

French Onion Soup Image via Wikipedia

This regional, simple, 100 recipe cookbook (lots of illustrations but without photos) offers recipes from each region, so you get a look at six different versions of the celebrated and widely known gumbo dish. They include side dishes, traditional French soups like Belle Rose French Onion Soup and then on to desserts too, one known as Dark Sugar Pralines.

The cookbook has lots of great Cajun resources like listings for food festival events, Cajun web sites for food and events and tourism.

What this cookbook is all about is easy comfort food made by real people for home style cooking. It's also an easy pleasurable way to learn about a different culture through food!

*****



Photo by afagen @ flickr

Lily B's Shrimp Creole

From: “Cooking in Cajun Country” new cookbook by Karl Breaux with Cheré Dastugue Coen (Gibbs Smith, $16.99, paperback)

My Amazon store has the book for $12.74 and available for free shipping too! Check it out, go here.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp. dried basil

2 cups chopped tomatoes or 1 can diced tomatoes, with juice

1 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined or 2 cups frozen shrimp*

(* Health Warning: try to buy Louisiana or American shrimp as Chinese and other Asian shrimp lives in heavily polluted waters, polluted with heavy metals! Check your package for country of origin before purchase.)

1/2 to 1 cup water

Cajun/Creole seasoning, to taste

2 cups cooked Louisiana rice

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Sauté the onions, celery and bell pepper until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté 5 minutes more.

2. Add salt, pepper, basil and tomatoes and stir; add shrimp. If using frozen shrimp, add 1/2 cup water and simmer for 10 minutes. If using fresh shrimp, add shrimp and 1 cup water and simmer until shrimp turn bright pink, about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not overcook.

3. Add Cajun/Creole seasoning to taste.

4. Serve over 1/2 cup cooked rice per serving.


Have a great weekend, everyone, and thanks for visiting! Good eating!


Cajun, Creole, Louisiana, shrimp creole, Society and Culture, Soups and Stews, Justin Wilson, Acadian, Cajun cuisine, Nova Scotia, Cook, Home

Just Some Poetry.

Just Some Poetry.

by akeejaho @ HubPages

From Denny: I found this as a wonderful poem expressing a husband's love for his wife. The husband suffers from bipolar depression so he deeply understands how profoundly his wife's love affects him positively and appreciates her. (What every woman wants to hear!)

As a writing exercise this is a delightful take on how to write love poetry from a completely different angle without the usual greeting card mushiness.

Here's the comment I left for the author: "I'm always up for an unconventional take on love poetry and this little gem of a poem takes the prize. Awesome how you contrast inner and outer light, talking on two levels simultaneously, delivered with utter directness and simplicity, well done!"

Photo by AmahRa58 @ flickr


husband and wife, inner light, Light, love poetry, men and women, relationshiops, romance and love, Society and Culture, writing exercise

Video: Making a Difference - Father's Heart Ranch

From Denny: This is a wonderful story full of love to heal abused and abandoned boys in California. A retired professional baseball player turned non-denominational minister took his life savings to begin this endeavor. Heart-warming story from another person who chose to "make a difference" in the lives of others!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

abuse, Kids and Teens, Society and Culture, Religion and Spirituality, Making a Difference, NBC

Falling in love again: A poem about opening yourself up to love

Falling in love again: A poem about opening yourself up to love

by alekhouse @ HubPages

From Denny:

Since yesterday was my birthday I thought I'd mellow out on the early AM posting today... :)

Here's the comment I left on her page - What a beautiful piece, loved it! And such good encouragement to others to dare, one more time, in spite of feeling burned out emotionally, to love once again, discovering they can now rest in the loving. Thank you for the word treat! Blogging this on over to my poetry blog for everyone else to enjoy too! Thank you for writing it.

Writing, Arts, culture, Literature, Love, Relationships, Society and Culture

Awwww Sniffle Sniffle Sigh Awesome Photos

From Denny: This is one of those endearing profound emails you receive every now and then. Thought I'd share with you these awesome pictures. Try making your own version of this idea of matching photos with meaningful words that strike a chord in your heart! Feel free to share this post with others to enjoy.

*****

The Real Meaning of Words

LOVE



SORROW



INNOCENCE



DEPARTURE



PAIN



SOLITUDE



RESPECT



COMPASSION



FRIENDSHIP



MUSIC



PATIENCE



RESCUED



BEST FRIENDS



DIVINE



"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain."

Video: Cordon Bleu Chocolate

From Denny: Check out this video from last October when CBS interviewed the creative chefs showcasing their chocolate art!

"Sandra Messier, from the famed French cooking school Cordon Bleu explains the history of this confectionery from its origin as a beverage for Marie Antoinette."



Watch CBS Videos Online

Recipe: Richard Blais’ 14-Hour Brisket

Image of Richard Blais! by bionicgrrrl via Flickr

From Denny: Can I tell you that brisket is a huge favorite in the South? Definitely it is in Louisiana as it feeds a lot of people inexpensively, often employed for football season in the fall yet enjoyed for family reunions and summer barbeques too. With the global economy the way it is currently this is a great recipe to share with your friends in many countries!

While it is a dish that is slow-cooked for hours it is not labor intensive, one of those "wrap it up to cook and forget it" situations - my favorite! This recipe comes from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

From John Kessler: Here’s a version of the brisket that won Richard Blais high marks on “Top Chef.” For garnish, you may want to forgo the star anise mashed potatoes his teammate served alongside and instead opt for some plain boiled new potatoes or noodles to soak up the ample sauce. Also, a vinegary pickle or salad would be welcome with this sweet dish.

You’ll need to find a brisket untrimmed of its fat, which bathes it during the slow braise. Your best bet is to find a butcher who will unwrap a fresh whole brisket and cut you a lengthwise half, which makes for a beautiful presentation.

Richard Blais’ 14-Hour Brisket

Hands on time: 30 minutes

Total time: 14 hours and 30 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1/2 of a whole untrimmed brisket, cut lengthwise (about 6 pounds)

3 tablespoons Cajun seasonings

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup spicy brown mustard (such as Gulden’s)

3 cups dark brown sugar, lightly packed

Instructions:

Coat the brisket liberally with the Cajun seasonings and salt. Fire up a grill and grill the surface of the brisket aggressively, searing it well on each side for maximum flavor. Place the brisket, fat side up, on a large length of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Combine the mustard and sugar and slather it well over (and under) the brisket. Close it tightly in the foil and then double wrap in a second piece of foil. Place in a roasting pan with sides at least 1 inch high. Place in the oven.

After 12 hours, carefully unwrap and check the brisket. While some clear molten fat will have collected in the pan, the sauce should be trapped inside the foil. If the brisket isn’t fall-apart tender, then return to the oven for 1 or 2 hours. Slice and serve with the pooled sauce.

Notes: Total time includes 12-plus hours of oven time.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 877 calories (percent of calories from fat, 28), 73 grams protein, 85 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 28 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 211 milligrams cholesterol, 1,751 milligrams sodium.

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