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23 June 2010

10 Funny Posts For a Laugh - 23 June 2010

*** Links to funny posts from several of Dennys blogs this week!





From Denny: I just love the enthusiasm of this funny dog running full tilt, tongue flailing out and slapping his face. He is undeterred and happy anyway. If only we humans could live in the moment like this dog. Well, not to worry, I've found some funny things on the web this week and posted them: jokes, funny quotes, funny photos and funny videos. Knock yourselves out. And, hey, make sure to send me photos of you laughing - and having a good time falling off your chair. :)


Funny Lawyer Quotes and Jokes - Cheeky Quote Day 23 June 2010

Funny Legal News Story: The Case of a Contraceptives Misstaken Use

10 Funny Signs and 10 Funny Short Jokes

Roundup of Late Night Funnies - 21 June 2010

Funny Video: Colberts The Word, Stay the Course

Funny Video: Colberts Simplified Version of Obama's BP Oil Spill Speech

Funny Video: Colbert Examines America's Strained Relationship With England

Funny Video: Stewarts Take On America's Oil Dependence

Funny Cartoon: What to Wear For Employee Review

Funny Video: Stewart Calls Joe Barton A 'Disdainful A--hole'



*** 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!

22 June 2010

Cake Tuesday: Coffee Toffee Fudge Cake, Tunnel of Fudge Cake

*** Two delicious chocolate fudge cake recipes for the price of one post! :)




Clever creatively photographed Chocolate fudge cake with fork impression by truth82 @ flickr


From Denny: Is this not a clever way to photograph your favorite slice of chocolate cake or what? It sure amused me so I just had to share it with you so you can get a grin too. I wasn't successful in finding a photo of this cake with coffee, toffee and fudge in it. These bed and breakfasts have yet to post photos to go with their recipes. People eat with their eyes first and if they post these delicious photos people will be booking rooms in speedy time!

Of course, the added bonus of searching a database is to find something else interesting that catches my eye. There it was, smiling back at me, this old recipe that pulled up the fondest memories of living in Atlanta, Georgia, when I used to bake these fun tunnel cakes. My other fav tunnel cake was the chocolate cake with a tunnel of cream coconut. That was a real OMG moment of explosion of perfect flavors.

For all my sugar-holic friends and blog fans out there in online land, these blow-out-the-calories sweet chocolate cakes are for you! When you bake one of these darlings, save a slice of chocolate goodness for me, done with great reverence - of course. And, then, think better of it to share - and instead woof it down in proper chocolate etiquette homage. :)


From London House Spa: With the Ottawa River at our door, our Country Inn guests can take time to relax beach side, walk through old growth forests on walking trails with beautiful perennial gardens that surround the spa and London House Inn.

Located just one hour west of Ottawa in the heart of the Ottawa Valley. Just minutes away from Renfrew, Pembroke, Cobden, Arnprior, Beachburg and Westmeath. The London House Spa offers professional treatments in a spectacular country setting.






London House Inn & Spa
P.O. Box 179
Beachburg, Ontario
K0J 1C0

Email: info@londonhouseinn.com



Coffee Toffee Fudge Cake


Ingredients:

7 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (200 g)
1/2 cup butter, cut in pieces (125 mL)
1/4 cup coffee liqueur (50 mL)
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules (15 mL)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (125 mL)
4 eggs, separated
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (150 mL)
1/4 teaspoon each salt and cream of tartar (1 mL)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 mL)
4 bars (each 39 g) milk chocolate-covered toffee, finely chopped

Chocolate Glaze

1/4 cup whipping cream (50 mL)
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (25 mL)
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules (10 mL)
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (150 g)

Directions:

In saucepan, heat semisweet chocolate, butter, liqueur and coffee granules over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove from heat; whisk in brown sugar until dissolved. Whisk in egg yolks, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in flour in three additions; let cool for 5 minutes.

In bowl and using electric mixer, beat together egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks form; gradually beat in granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Whisk one-third into chocolate batter; fold in remaining egg whites. Gently fold in half of the chopped chocolate bars.

Pour into well-greased 8-inch (750 mL) round cake pan. Run knife through batter to remove air bubbles. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 45 minutes or until top is firm to the touch and crust has formed. Let cool on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze: In small saucepan, bring cream, liqueur and coffee granules to boil over medium-high heat. Immediately stir in chocolate; remove from heat and whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Pour over cake, letting some drip down sides. Garnish with remaining chopped chocolate bar. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until glaze is set. (Cake can be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 week.)







Tunnel of Fudge Cake by hfb @ flickr




Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Serves: 16
Prep Time: 35 min (Ready in 4 hr 30 min )
From: Pillsbury

Cake:

1 3/4 cups or 4.2dl sugar
3,5 sticks or 400g margarine or butter, softened
6 eggs
2 cups or 4.75dl powdered sugar
2 1/4 cups or 5.5dl all-purpose flour
3/4 cup or 1.75dl unsweetened cocoa
2 cups or 4.75dl chopped walnuts (NOT optional)
Glaze:
3/4 cup or 1.75dl powdered sugar
1/4 cup or 3/4dl unsweetened cocoa
4 to 6 teaspoons milk


Directions:

Heat oven to 350F/190C. Grease and flour 12-cup/28dl Bundt® pan or 10-inch/25cm tube pan. In large bowl, combine sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar; blend well. By hand, stir in flour and remaining cake ingredients until well blended. Spoon batter into greased and floured pan; spread evenly.

Bake at 350F/190C. for 45 to 50 minutes or until top is set and edges are beginning to pull away from sides of pan. (Since this cake has a soft filling, an ordinary doneness test cannot be used. Accurate oven temperature and baking times are essential.) Cool upright in pan on wire rack 1 1/2 hours. Invert onto serving plate; cool at least 2 hours.

In small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients, adding enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Spoon over top of cake, allowing some to run down sides. Store tightly covered.


*** See Also: Cake Tuesday: Fresh Peach Coffee Cake



*** 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!

Cake Tuesday: Fresh Peach Coffee Cake

*** This summer enjoy fresh Georgia peaches in your morning coffee cake!





Beautiful Georgia peach by totalAldo @ flickr


From Denny: One of my fondest memories of living in Atlanta, Georgia, was when the Georgia peaches came into season. There was a frenzy across the city to gather up all the ripest peaches for steaming hot peach cobbler smothered with a side of perfect vanilla ice cream and then bake peach coffee cakes redolent with fragrant cinnamon to pair with that early morning cup of coffee for the next day. Then we would turn to making peach pies, unbaked and thrown into the freezer for those days in the fall when we were craving that fresh peach taste.

And, after we had our fill of the freshest juiciest ripe peaches - for about a week as we stuffed ourselves silly - we turned to canning them, yes, city girls canning peaches like we lived on a farm. A Georgia peach is not to be missed. Neither are the Vidalia onions when they come into season in June, though Texas is giving them a good run for their money on delivering sweet white mild onions to the market.

This recipe for this peach coffee cake comes from a bed and breakfast inn located in British Columbia on the west coast of Canada. What's been fun about researching recipes from bed and breakfasts across America and Canada is to go to their websites and see what they offer the weary traveler. What I found unique about this inn is that there is a vineyard as part of the view!



A View to Remember B&B
1090 Trevor Drive
Kelowna, BC V1Z2J8

Email: info@KelownaBandB.com




View of the vineyards from the b and b



From A View to Remember: Discover the natural beauty of the Okanagan Valley - spectacular vistas overlooking 82 miles of Lake Okanagan with over 2000 hours of sunshine.

Relax in one of our spacious elegant bed and breakfast suites with ensuite bathrooms and all the comforts of home.

Enjoy the view - relax in the tranquil and beautiful English gardens, sit in the gazebo and listen to the birds, enjoy the sun of the patio or enjoy the panoramic view up on our private deck.

Begin your day with a delicious home made gourmet breakfast featuring our own signature egg dishes, our famous local Okanagan fruit and our special blend of gourmet coffee.

Experience the Okanagan vineyards, just minutes away from our Kelowna bed and breakfast. The wine and the creative cuisine of the world class wineries in this beautiful Okanagan Valley are waiting for you. Our mission is our committment to provide you with quality Bed and Breakfast accommodations with outstanding hospitality and service.



Fresh Peach Coffee Cake


Ingredients:

1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 c buttermilk
4 peaches peeled and diced
1 tsp cinnamon
cinnamon sugar mix for topping

Directions:

Cream butter with brown sugar add slightly beaten egg. Add flour and baking soda alternately with buttermilk beating smooth after each addition. Gently blend in peaches. Pour batter into 9-inch x 13-inch dish, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix.
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.



*** See Also: Cake Tuesday: Coffee Toffee Fudge Cake, Tunnel of Fudge Cake

*** Check out more recipe posts: Recipes: Muffin Monday and Cake Tuesday



*** 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!

21 June 2010

Muffin Monday: Banana Praline Muffins, White Chocolate Banana Bread

*** Enjoy two easy recipes for your favorite banana muffin.




Another version of a banana nut muffin by erin.kkr @ flickr


From Denny: In my search to see what's baking at the bed and breakfast inns across America and Canada I found this sweet comfort food for breakfast. This recipe comes from a rustic peaceful Texas inn.

While I live next door in Louisiana where we grow the most awesome pecans, they grow them in Texas too. Both states love the praline for everything from muffins to cakes to bread pudding and sweet potato casserole toppings.

Searching for non-copyrighted photos, this photographer posted this little darling banana bread recipe with the sweet goodness of added white chocolate chips. You can try other variations besides chocolate chips if you like. Tips for baking well and suggestions of ingredients follows the recipe.


Banana Praline Muffins


From: Las Brisas Farm
Fayetteville, Texas




From Las Brisas Farm: Tired of work and stresses of the city? Want to get away and just relax? If so, Las Brisas Farm offers a much needed respite. Las Brisas Farm is located in the heart of Czech-German country and is one mile south from historic Fayetteville where shops and dining reflect yesterday's past. The cottages are set on forty rolling acres where one can appreciate spectacular sunrises and sunsets, and star gaze clear, vast skies. One guest described the setting as eye candy for the soul!


Banana Praline Muffins


Yield: 12 muffins


Ingredients:

3 bananas, ripe - mashed
1 egg
1/2 C. sugar
1/4 C. oil
1 1/4 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

Praline:

3 T. brown sugar
1 T. sour cream
1/2 C. chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix brown sugar and sour cream, add pecans.

Mash bananas; add egg, sugar and oil. Beat well. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just moistened.

Grease muffin tins, and put equal amount of batter in each. Top each with equal amount of praline mix in center of muffin.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.






White Chocolate Banana Bread by Divine Domesticity @ flickr



White Chocolate Banana Bread

Makes: one loaf

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas
2 tbsp soft butter
1 cup sugar
1 + 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips and /or coarsely chopped nuts – pecans or walnuts work well (optional)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375°/190°C

2.Mash bananas in a bowl and add rest of the ingredients. Stir just until blended. It seems as if there is not enough liquid but don’t be fooled. The very ripe bananas add all the moisture needed. Mixing the ingredients together with a fork for 2-3 minutes is all you need to create the batter.

3.Pour into greased 9"x5" loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry (unless of course you hit a chocolate chip).

4.Cool for 10 minutes on a cake rack before removing from pan.

5.To bake muffins, prepare the batter as above and bake for 20-25 minutes at 400°F/200°C, in center of oven


Tips & Variations

* This is a great breakfast or mid day snack.
* Instead of chocolate chips (or with them, if you prefer) try:
chopped walnuts or pecans
dried cranberries or cherries
* Just make sure these ingredients add up to one cup. More than that will lose the bread/cake texture.


*** Check out how Muffin Monday started: American Revolt: How You Can Break Big Business, Big Banks, Big Insurance, Big Oil, Big Lobbyists

*** Check out more recipe posts: Recipes: Muffin Monday and Cake Tuesday



*** 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!

Muffin Monday: Polynesian Bread or Muffins, Gluten Free Pineapple Muffin

*** Muffins to enjoy in the summer heat!




From Denny: On my trek to find bed and breakfast recipes I ran across this one today using pineapple, coconut and carrots. That certainly qualifies for the unusual combinations all in one muffin! This is a large recipe set up for making bread loaves. Just use the same batter and make into muffins. Because of the pineapple that can be very wet, you might need to bake a test muffin to check how much more time is needed to bake it than the usual 20 to 25 minutes for a normal muffin.

Included is a little bit about the bed and breakfast with a link to their website. This one is in Florida and they listed the latest news about the oil spill impact. According to them, as of today, they have not been affected on their beach area. This is quite the awesome place where you can rent normally priced rooms all the way up to swanky villas by the day or the week.

It seems none of these bed and breakfast recipes come with any photos. While I was searching for a photo over at Flickr this photographer also included a link to a gluten free pineapple muffin. You might want to try the recipe and see if you like baking wheat free.





From: Harrington House Beachfront Bed & Breakfast Inn
5626 Gulf Drive • Holmes Beach, Florida 34217-1666
Phone (888) 828-5566 • (941) 778-5444 • Fax (941) 778-0527

From the Inn: Come savor intimate charm and casual elegance of Harrington House Beachfront Bed and Breakfast Inn, one of Florida’s most highly rated Bed and Breakfast Inns located on a tranquil bit of paradise known as Anna Maria Island. The stunning sunsets, soothing rhythm of waves on the white sugary sand beach, and warm hospitality – combine to create that perfect getaway.

Tropical surroundings and serenity top the list of amenities. Savor a new breakfast selection every day from our collection of recipes prepared by our own professional chefs. Relax in the living room, a gathering place where visitors become friends.

Anna Maria Island — Oil Free Beaches

We have had a number of calls about whether we have seen any impact from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and are grateful to report:

· There is no local impact from the oil spill.
· Our beaches and destination are open for business.
· We are in no imminent danger of being affected.


Polynesian Bread or Muffins

Makes: 4 Loaves

Ingredients:

5 Cups Brown Sugar
6 Cups flour
2 Teaspoons Baking powder
2 Teaspoons Baking soda
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
Dash of salt
2 Teaspoons Lemon juice
5 Eggs
1 Cup oil
1 Cup Sour cream
13.5oz Can of coconut milk
3 Cups of dried cranberries
4 Cups of crushed pineapple -- 2 Cups drained / 2 Cups not drained
3 Cups Shredded coconut
10 oz. Shredded carrots

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the bowl. Spray non-stick spray on standard size loaf pans. Line just bottom of the loaf pan with waxed paper. Divide batter into each loaf pan. Cook for one hour -- 350 degrees Check after one hour by poking it in its center with a toothpick or piece of spaghetti (If the toothpick or spaghetti comes out clean it's done, if not, cook longer as needed.)



*** Even if you don't have a problem with gluten, wheat flour does tend to make us swell with excess water retention if we eat it three times a day every day. A nice break from the usual is to try a gluten free muffin.

Check out:

American Revolt: How You Can Break Big Business, Big Banks, Big Insurance, Big Oil, Big Lobbyists

Wheatless Wednesday: Fruit-Sweetened Pineapple Muffins Put the “Fluffy” Back in Gluten-Free

*** Check out: Muffin Monday: Pina Colada Muffins

Muffin Monday: Banana Praline Muffins, White Chocolate Banana Bread


Gluten free pineapple muffin Photo by cavitt @ 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!
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