Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food

31 March 2011

The Social Poets: Libya War: Funny Late Nite Jokes Roundup

Stephen Colbert arrives at Al Faw Palace at Ca...Image by DVIDSHUB via Flickr

The Social Poets: Libya War: Funny Late Nite Jokes Roundup: "Check out what the comedians lampoon about The Peace President, Obama, going into Libya. Boy, I tell ya, a guy tries to help out some desperate people in a foreign country from getting slaughtered and all he gets is flak from the Republicans and comedians.

Of course, like so many sticky political situations, it's all about The Ego. The mostly male media ratchets up The Ego Meter by declaring Prez Obama is a wimp if he doesn't succeed at deposing Gadafi now that he's declared, 'Gadafi must go!' So, suddenly out come The Big Guns: the CIA operatives magicly appear in Libya 'advising' the rebel forces. Read that as, 'These guys are so clueless the only way to keep them alive is knock some sense into them and show them how to win.'"

24 March 2011

Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food: Post Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 24 March 2011



Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food: Post Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 24 March 2011: "Check out news, politics, great food, funny political humor, sassy opinion, astronomy and science, great quotes,  awesome photography, poetry and spiritual thoughts.

Sometimes, I think if I didn't do posts roundup on all these crazy blogs I would never realize just how much I've been writing or on what subjects as the writing moves so quickly. The news is running at a rapid rate these days with all the revolutions in the Middle East and destructive world weather.

Fortunately, we have the comedians and the chefs to perk up our spirits and tantalize our taste buds so we don't get overwhelmed with too much negativity in the news and our politics."

23 March 2011

Grilling Steaks: Tips, Cooking Times, Great Sauces

Porterhouse SteakGrilled porterhouse steak Image by Dave Kliman via Flickr 

From Denny:  Want to learn the best tips for grilling that perfect steak? Warm weather - and a hearty  pollen season - have arrived here in south Louisiana and our thoughts are already turning to grilling season. If you want to perfect your technique, learn how to make a perfect French classic sauce in the blender or brush up on your steak cooking knowledge, then read on. Oh, and no drooling allowed. :)



Grilled Steak Menu

■ Filet, Porterhouse or New York strip.

Toppings

■ Béarnaise Sauce.

■ Sautéed Mushrooms.

■ Blue Cheese Butter.



What steaks do most people enjoy?

It's about personal preference and how big a portion you can eat.  Look for good marbling in the meat and are bright red in color.  The less marbling of fat the leaner - and sometimes tougher - will be the meat.  Filet is a far leaner steak and it's advisable to rub it with a bit of olive oil before grilling so it will stay moist during the cooking process.


Most popular steak cuts: 

New York Strip - very meaty flavor with bone in
Porterhouse - very meaty flavor too
Filet - tender, juicy, foolproof to grill in a pan or outside on the grill

22 March 2011

Readers Recipes: Apple Upside-Down Caramel Cake, Louises Birthday Cake

Caramel apple upside down cakeImage by Mrs J Park via Flickr
From Denny:  Upside-down cake is one of the first cakes I learned to make when I was a child.  They were so easy and even smelled good as you assembled them into the iron skillet which was our pan of choice.

This apple caramel cake is unusual in that it employs canned sweet potatoes too.  We love our sweet potatoes in Louisiana and eat them all year long, finding new ways to use them.  This is the first I've seen used in an upside-down cake.  Everyone knows that brown sugar and sweet potatoes are a natural and perfect taste combination!

The second recipe for an unusual birthday cake uses a spice cake mix and pumpkin pie filling.  That makes for a dense moist cake topped by cream cheese icing  - low fat cream cheese and low fat whipped topping, of course. :) To gild the lily the special cake is topped off with white chocolate bark.

17 March 2011

Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food: 3 Funny St. Patricks Day Posts, Lots of Quotes

ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE 2007 - DUBLINImage by infomatique via Flickr
Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food: 3 Funny St. Patricks Day Posts, Lots of Quotes
" Green hats are cool - if you are Irish. Well, someone tell that Irishman not to go to China. Why? Turns out 'the wearing of the green (hat)' is a cultural sign to society that..."


Yeah, this was a "teaser" and you have to go to my blog to read the rest of the post. And, yes, there was one Mary O'Brien in the family tree a while ago. She must have passed down her teasing sense of humor. :)
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05 March 2011

The Healing Waters: Parenting Magazine: How To Unspoil Your Kids

The Healing Waters: Parenting Magazine: How To Unspoil Your Kids Need help with your No Manners Munchkin or Bedtime Beast? Parenting Magazine's Ana Connery and psychiatrist Gail Saltz are here to share tips to help your parenting formula be more successful.

02 March 2011

From Chef Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa: Roasted Turkey Roulade, Sweet Potato Fries

Barefoot Contessa CookbookImage via Wikipedia


From Denny:  Chef Ina Garten is best known as The Barefoot Contessa on her long-running cooking show. It was Martha Stewart who promoted her, propelling her into her own show after doing countless segments on Martha's show.

There is a link to this blog's Amazon book store where you purchase it at a reduced price:   Back to Basics

Included here are two recipes from her new book: Roasted Turkey Roulade and Baked Sweet Potato Fries. These book promotions are a food blogger's dream where they offer up new recipes we all can test drive. :)

Brandy, pork sausage and rosemary all combine for a flavor packed dish for the roasted turkey, great any time of year.  And sweet potatoes are a big hit here in south Louisiana where we grow them.  We enjoy them baked or roasted or fried like potato chips dusted with a little powdered sugar.  There are local Cajun restaurants that serve sweet potato chips as an appetizer while you are reading the menu.  It's little courtesies like those chips that keep diners coming back for more!

This is the Amazon book review promotion about her new cookbook to give you an idea of what is contained within the pages:

"Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics is the essential Ina Garten cookbook, focusing on the techniques behind her elegant food and easy entertaining style, and offering nearly a hundred brand-new recipes that will become trusted favorites.

"Ina Garten’s bestselling cookbooks have consistently provided accessible, subtly sophisticated recipes ranging from French classics made easy to delicious, simple home cooking. In Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, Ina truly breaks down her ideas on flavor, examining the ingredients and techniques that are the foundation of her easy, refined style.

"Here Ina covers the essentials, from ten ways to boost the flavors of your ingredients to ten things not to serve at a party, as well as professional tips that make successful baking, cooking, and entertaining a breeze. The recipes--crowd-pleasers like Lobster Corn Chowder, Tuscan Lemon Chicken, and Easy Sticky Buns--demonstrate Ina’s talent for transforming fresh, easy-to-find ingredients into elegant meals you can make without stress.

"For longtime fans, Ina delivers new insights into her simple techniques; for newcomers she provides a thorough master class on the basics of Barefoot Contessa cooking plus a Q&A section with answers to the questions people ask her all the time. With full-color photographs and invaluable cooking tips, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics is an essential addition to the cherished library of Barefoot Contessa cookbooks."




Chef Ina Garten is Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics






Roasted Turkey Roulade

Serves: 6 or 7

Ingredients:

3/4 cup large-diced dried figs, stems removed
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup Calvados or brandy
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups diced onions (2 onions)
1 cup (1/2-inch-diced) celery (3 stalks)
3/4 pound pork sausage, casings removed (sweet and hot mixed)
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
3 cups Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1-1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 whole (2 halves) turkey breast, boned and butterflied (5 pounds)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Place the dried figs and cranberries in a small saucepan and pour in the Calvados and 1/2 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, crumbling it into small bits with a fork, and sauté, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until cooked and browned. Add the figs and cranberries with the liquid, the chopped rosemary, and pine nuts, and cook for 2 more minutes. Scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.

Place the stuffing mix in a large bowl. Add the sausage mixture, chicken stock, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir well. (The stuffing may be prepared ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight.)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a baking rack on a sheet pan.

Lay the butterflied turkey breast skin side down on a cutting board. Sprinkle the meat with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Spread the stuffing in a 1/2-inch-thick layer over the meat, leaving a half-inch border on all sides. Don’t mound the stuffing or the turkey will be difficult to roll. (Place the leftover stuffing in a buttered gratin dish and bake for the last 45 minutes of roasting alongside the turkey.) Starting at one end, roll the turkey like a jelly roll and tuck in any stuffing that tries to escape on the sides. Tie the roast firmly with kitchen twine every 2 inches to make a compact cylinder.

Place the stuffed turkey breast seam side down on the rack on the sheet pan. Brush with the melted butter, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and roast for 1-3/4 to 2 hours, until a thermometer reads 150 degrees in the center. (I test in a few places.) Cover the turkey with aluminum foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Carve 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve warm with the extra stuffing.




Baked Sweet Potato "Fries"

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and cut each half into 3 long spears. Place them on a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil. Spread the potatoes in one layer. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on the potatoes. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn with a spatula. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle lightly with salt and serve hot.



*** 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:

*** Check out Holiday Recipes From Dennys Food and Recipes

Romancing The Chocolate - chocolate recipes and more food
Comfort Food From Louisiana - Cajun, Creole, New Orleans and more comfort food
Unusual 2 Tasty - different twists on favorite foods, international food too
The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Best Spiritual Posts
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor
Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious And Odd - more crazy humor
Dennys Blog Feeds - what is posting on all the blogs at a glance
Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts Food - an online newspaper
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Dennys Art Sanctuary: 38 Creative March Desktop Wallpapers

Dennys Art Sanctuary: 38 Creative March Desktop Wallpapers: "What do we think of when we reflect upon the month of March? We think of Winter ending, Spring coming in on the cool winds, soaking Spring rains, the trees leafing out and green weeds. There is the fun celebration of St. Patrick's Day. And there is the old adage, 'March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.' These designers took these all as their inspirations."

01 March 2011

Valentines Day: Romantic Meal From Chef Ina Garten

Tree decorated for Valentine's Day in San Dieg...Image via Wikipedia
From Denny:  Chef Ina Garten shows The Today Show host,  Meredith Vieira,  how to cook up a tasty and romantic Valentine’s Day meal.  Why is it so many of my journalism sisters are often lacking in confidence  in the kitchen?  :) Chef Garten is undeterred and rocks on ahead teaching good basics anyone can learn quickly.  They neglected to put up the recipes for this video so watch and learn.

If you are an experienced cook, this advice from Ina might jog your mind to remember some dishes you haven't done in a while.  I always retread videos like this to jog my brain because it's so easy to get into a cooking rut.  Especially if you have a husband or children who keep wanting the same dishes week after week.  It's always good to break out and try a new twist on a family favorite or something entirely different.

 In the end, you are the best judge of what your family will eat.  Sometimes, it's the smallest changes that are best enjoyed by all! Take a look at what Chef Garten offers and see what you think!  Who said romantic had to only be for a couple, sometimes we can extend it to include the whole family. :)


Chef Ina Garten is Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics


Ina's Valentine's Day menu:


Roasted Red Snapper
Oven Roasted Vegetables
Coeur à la Crème with Raspberries


Red snapper or other substantial fish:  A simple sauce is made from creme fraiche (think of it like using mayonnaise as a base), Dijon mustard for some spicy heat, whole grain coarse ground mustard for some texture, salt and pepper, shallots finely diced, some vinegary capers.  Combine all together and pour over the fish in the roasting pan.  Place in the oven at 425-degrees F. for about 10 to 15 minutes, maybe more, until fish flakes with a test fork to see if it is done.

Roasted Red Snapper

Ingredients:

4 (8-ounce) fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces creme fraiche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the creme fraiche, 2 mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

Roasted Vegetables:  Ina uses potatoes and fennel which she starts off first in the roasting process at about 425-degrees F., combined with olive oil, salt and pepper - until they begin to soften, about 25 minutes.  Then she adds the more delicate vegetables like asparagus and green string beans to roast some more.  When they look like they are about done, sprinkle all with liberal amount of grated Paremsan cheese and roast again just until the cheese is melted.

Coeur à la Crème with Raspberries

Ingredients:

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I used Trader Joe’s, do not use low or non fat cream cheese)
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
Raspberry sauce
1 pint fresh raspberries, washed and dried

Directions:

Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high for 2 minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest and vanilla seeds and beat on high until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.

Line a 7″ sieve with cheesecloth (I used unbleached) so the ends drape over the sides and place it in a bowl so there is space between the bottom of the sieve and the bowl for the liquid to drain (about 1″). Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, discard the liquid, unmold the cream onto a plate and drizzle raspberry sauce around the base. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce. Alternatively, slice pieces, drizzle with sauce and scatter with raspberries.

Raspberry Sauce:

1 half-pint fresh raspberries, washed and dried
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam
1 Tbsp. framboise liqueur

Directions: 

Place the raspberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam and the liqueur into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.








*** 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:

*** Check out Holiday Recipes From Dennys Food and Recipes

Romancing The Chocolate - chocolate recipes and more food
Comfort Food From Louisiana - Cajun, Creole, New Orleans and more comfort food
Unusual 2 Tasty - different twists on favorite foods, international food too
The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Best Spiritual Posts
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor
Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious And Odd - more crazy humor
Dennys Blog Feeds - what is posting on all the blogs at a glance
Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts Food - an online newspaper
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