Does Happiness Elude You?

From Denny: Good quotes always get me going on a short essay whether it's to impart new information or a passion of opinion! When I was writing about this quote for my quotes blog, Beautiful Illustrated Quotations, it just seemed like a good idea to share on some of my other blogs. Happiness chemicals are offered up by a good piece of chocolate and it just seemed like a good fit to discuss the subject here from a quote. This quote comes out of the literary past of famed German writer, Goethe.

One of the beauties of coming from a family of very long-lived people is that you don't lose the institutional memory of historical events. Another plus is that you don't lose what former generations taught in the way of good character. What is in fashion in one generation is often out of fashion in the next and, so, we lose the cultural continuity of good values.

Like in any family there were those in mine who were, well, slugs, when it came to good character. To a person they lived miserable anti-social lives, unhappy the majority of the time because they focused too much upon themselves. In my book there is nothing wrong with being good to your self. Just try to make the same good faith effort for others as you would yourself and your life is enriched!

For instance, I enjoy writing all these many blogs. It gives me a creative outlet for color, design and writing about anything and everything that interests me in this world of awesome wonders. Writing these blogs also gives me a chance to share with others as if these blogs were the ultimate social site of sharing! By sharing with others a person can enrich the lives of others while they enrich their own.

Then comes the Joy as was taught in previous generations. This kind of Joy has lain dormant for the past 25 years or so, drowned out by business greed and the drive to unbalanced excessive and financial only success. There are a lot of facets to the concept of success. Monetary wealth and accumulation is only a small part of the equation. This much power and large wealth requires the learning of real wisdom in order to not be destroyed by such power. I could get into what the ancient Kabbalists have to say about the power inherent in money and how to prepare for basically trying to grab a tiger by the tail but that would be another very long post! :)

Perhaps it's time for global society to rediscover some of the ancient wisdom of past societies, learning to appreciate the success of others as well as their own. Happiness can be an elusive creature to those who are calculating and refuse to dig deep into their hearts and offer up greater generosity to those around them. Generosity of spirit goes a long way to creating a much happier life!

Funny Dog Photo by Phil Romans @ flickr

Goethe at age 69 Image via Wikipedia

Quote

“Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though t'were his own.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Playwright, Poet, Novelist and Dramatist. 1749-1832)

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Money, History, Family, German language, Good faith, denny lyon, Arts, Kabbalah, Literature, Kids and Teens

Recipe: How to Make German Chocolate Cake Without a Mix

Image by Marshall Astor - Food Pornographer via Flickr

From Denny: Now that the economy has everyone so wallet conscious people are learning how to be more independent of convenience foods! I've never been a huge fan of cake mixes as the texture seems to be so, well, gummy. Too many preservatives and who knows what else is in there you don't know about. More than anything, it's a great idea to learn how to make your favorite foods without pre-packaged kitchen helpers so you don't become miserably co-dependent. You also end up with a much higher quality and fresher food!

Found this little gem of a recipe over at the AOL food section. I've always enjoyed German Chocolate Cake but the cake mixes often leave a lot to be desired. Here is the real deal like people used to make it in our grandmothers' time before the large conglomerate food companies started pushing cheap imitation cake mixes on busy women trying to get a good meal on the table in less time.

There are some things that just require the time to make them. You can always break up most recipes into smaller time allotments over a few days when you are pressed for time - or suffer from ADD and can't focus for long. Either way you get to eat well! :)

German Chocolate Cake

From: Stephanie Zonis, "For Chocolate Lover's Only," StarChefs.com
Adapted by StarChefs.com

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Frosting:

2 cups shredded, sweetened coconut

1-1/4 cups chopped pecans

1 cup evaporated milk

4 egg yolks, from eggs graded "AA large" (Denny note: AA is fresher than A)

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

9 Tablespoons (1 stick + 1 Tablespoon) unsalted butter, cut into pats

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cake:

2 cups buttermilk

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pats

2-1/2 cups flour

2-1/4 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup Dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

Pinch salt

2 eggs, graded "AA large" - beaten to mix

2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

For Frosting:

Combine coconut and pecans in small bowl and set aside. Pour small amount of evaporated milk into heavy-bottomed, nonreactive 2 quart pot. Add egg yolks. With large spoon, beat to mix well. Gradually and alternately add remaining evaporated milk and both sugars, beginning with evaporated milk and stirring well after each addition. Add butter pats. Place over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture just comes to a boil (it may appear as though very slight curdling takes place as mixture heats--OK). Remove from heat immediately; mixture will be thin. Stir in coconut and pecans, then add vanilla. Cool briefly, then chill. As frosting chills, beat occasionally with large spoon. Frosting should thicken considerably to spreading consistency in 2-1/2 to 3 hours, but it's OK if it needs to chill longer--this frosting won't harden completely.

For Cake:

Grease two 9" by 2" deep round layer cake pans with vegetable shortening. Line bottoms with wax paper cut to fit, grease paper, then dust entire inside of pan lightly with flour, knocking out any excess. Set aside. Adjust rack to center of oven; preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In small, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan, combine buttermilk and butter pats. Set over low heat; stir often just until butter is melted. Remove from heat; set aside to cool until just warm.

Meanwhile, into large bowl sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With whisk or large spoon, mix well until of an even color. When buttermilk mixture is warm, add beaten eggs and vanilla; with fork, beat in to mix well. Add all at once to dry ingredients. With whisk or hand-held electric mixer, stir until dry ingredients are moistened, then beat just until batter is well-combined (a few small lumps may remain--OK). Divide batter, which will be thin, evenly among prepared pans. Run batter up sides of pans slightly by tilting pans in a circular motion. Drop each pan three times onto a flat surface from a height of about 3" to distribute air bubbles in batter.

Bake in preheated oven 30-35 minutes, reversing pans back-to-front and exhanging oven positions about halfway through baking time. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake. Remove to cooling rack. Let layers stand 10-15 minutes.

Gently loosen cakes from sides of pans. Invert onto cooling racks; remove pans and gently peel wax paper from bottoms of layers. Re-invert to cool completely, right side up, before frosting.

To assemble:

If necessary, trim tops of cooled layers so they are level. Place one layer upside down on serving plate. Top with half of the chilled, thickened frosting. Spread frosting almost, but not quite, to edges of layer. Top with second layer, right side up. Press cake together gently to force frosting to edge of first layer. Top second layer with remaining frosting and spread evenly over top. Serve immediately or chill until needed; refrigerate any leftovers.

To cut this cake, you'll need a large, sharp, heavy knife. I use a knife with a serrated edge, though I know people who use a straight-edged knife here; try both and see which you prefer. You'll also need something to drink when you eat this--a glass of milk or a cup of coffee are fine accompaniments.



Cake, Cook, Butter, make a cake without the cake mix, Baking and Confections, German Chocolate Cake, Home

Funny Video: I Just Want a Pizza!

From Denny: This girl, Justine, is so funny! She cold calls a bunch of stores asking to order a pizza. Most of them don't catch on to her snarky ways but one guy finally did and the exchange and how she gets out of it is hilarious! He really nailed her and his comments are unbelievable. Of course, her close-up facial expressions steal the show, enjoy!



comedy, funny videos, hilarious, IJustine.com

Video: Bobby Flay's Fancy Food Finds

From Denny: I don't know how I missed this cool video discussing the latest food trends like, drumroll, pahleez! chocolate tortilla chips, yum! Chef Bobbly Flay, reporting on what he discovered at the Fancy Food Show, gives you some great ideas on how to pair or use as an ingredient many of these new trendy tasty snack chips.

"TV host and chef Bobby Flay showed off some of the great new foods featured during New York City's Fancy Food Show."


Watch CBS Videos Online

Bobby Flay, Fancy Food Show, New York City, food trends, chocolate

Bloggers Unite: Global Human Rights Abuses

Update: Federal Agents Investigate Burger Kings Treatment of Foreign Students - An excerpt: "RIVERTON, Wyo. – Federal agents from the Department of Immigrations are expected to arrive in Riverton today to investigate a possible indentured service case involving foreign students. Five university students working in the states through an exchange program said they were fired from the local Burger King and evicted from squalid living quarters provided by the company after they complained about the conditions.

They described the 15x15-foot house as a boiler room prison, because the windows wouldn’t open, bunkbeds with air mattresses were the beds, a hot-plate on a counter sufficed for a kitchen stove and the toilet and shower stall were unsanitary due to corrosion.

Riverton police, who executed the eviction notice over the weekend, were appalled at the conditions found and reported the situation to immigrations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Local Burger King management has refused comment and corporate officials in Florida say they were unaware of the situation. The students were matched with the local Burger King through the work/travel programs of Worldwide International Student Exchange (WISE) and Aspire Worldwide. They paid $3,500 to $5,000 each to participate, and were told adequate housing would be provided at an affordable fee.

They said rent for the house was $1,800 a month, paid to Burger King District Manager Peggy Handran. Her phone number listed on the work agreement is no longer in service.

The university students are all men, ages 18-21, coming from Turkey, Mongolia, Azerbaijan and the Ukraine. They have found temporary sanctuary with a neighbor, Donna Michel."

Click on the title link for the rest of the story.

From Denny: This is a post I ran over at The Social Poets Friday evening for the Bloggers Unite Human Rights Day post on 17 July 2009. Bloggers everywhere are all blogging on the same day about human rights.

***

Humanity is at a crossroads in our world history where we must make a profound decision. It’s time to live better.

Currently, human rights abuses are no longer exclusive to certain regions of the globe. There is a sharp increase in human rights abuses worldwide for decades now and situations are increasing in violence yearly.

Stories abound globally of the most heinous crimes to humanity. Nothing good is accomplished by mankind trying to annihilate mankind. Just what is going on in the world? Here are just a few areas:

• Hamas and Taliban Islamic terrorists and other terrorist groups worldwide are on a bloodthirsty killing spree with bombings of civilians, women and children in many places in the world.



Photo by azrainman @ flickr

• Rogue unstable governments, covertly cozy with terrorist groups, working feverishly to acquire the nuclear bomb so they can kill off their neighbors they don’t like because they are another religion, a different economic or another kind of social system – or just plain won’t give them what they want.

• Genocide in Africa because people of different tribes can’t work out their differences like civilized people.



• Jailing journalists - trying to report the truth - as political temper tantrums to get their own way: North Korea and Iran.

• Tortured prisoners worldwide with the most notable recent heinous acts perpetrated during the Bush years on terrorist suspects never given trials, mainly because there was no real hard evidence.



• Under Taliban Islamic law and culture women are still regarded as subhuman and not deserving of first class treatment like men.

• Here in the United States, during the Bush years, women were raped, often savage gang rapes, at our military universities yet went unreported.

• Then there are battered women worldwide from Islamic to Christian countries whose husbands will not stop pummeling them.



We, the majority, are allowing the few to terrorize us, our neighbors and our loved ones. We must mobilize to stop it. How? Education for starters.
In the end, in order for humanity to not come to an end, we must consider a working alternative to what exists today in the way of abuses. It is a basic human right to be loved. Loved, you say? Yes, loved. We all have the right to be loved.

Love comes in many forms. We have the human right to certain expectations of basic decency and civility. We have the human right to healthy drinking water and sanitation and affordable housing. We have the human right to expect our political leaders that are guardians of our country to be honest and get serious about addressing pressing social and economic issues.



Photo by alicepopkorn @ flickr

Human rights abuses worldwide, in our own countries, in our homes will continue until the average person stands up and says "No!" to it all. Human rights abuses will continue until we all get serious about connecting up to create a tsunami force to push humanity along until we all do better, choose better and, in the end, start living better. Now that’s Love in action! We all have the human right to be loved. Let’s give Love.

A few places you can go for education and plug in to help:

Bloggers Unite where you can help by blogging

Youth Movement For Human Rights - worldwide

Human Rights Watch

Amnesty International, dedicated to bringing world attention to human rights abuse


North Korea, United States, denny lyon, Human rights, Nuclear weapon, Africa, Amnesty International, Human Rights and Liberties, Sharia, The Social Poets