Posts Roundup at Dennys 14 Blogs - 4 July 2010

*** Check out news, political opinion - serious and funny cartoons, recipes, health news, poetry, funny posts, photography, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.




Cup of coffee from Brazil by il Quoquo @ flickr




The Social Poets:


Fourth of July Fireworks Cartoons - 3 July 2010

How Do We Live Freedom and Liberty? Libations Friday - 2 July 2010

8 Funny Posts 4 A Grin From Dennys Blogs - 2 July 2010

How To Save Obamas Presidency AND The American Economy

Funny Smile Quotes - Cheeky Quote Day - 30 June 2010

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

Roundup of Late Night Funnies: BP Oil Spill, McChrystal Firing - 28 June 2010

Funny Video: Colbert Says McChrystal Had To Have Been High

Funny Video: Stewart Nails Republicans As Flip-Floppers On BP Escrow Fund

Funny Video: Colbert Lampoons Barton's BP Apology

Funny Video: Stewart Lampoons McChrystal's Balls For An Honorable Discharge




Dennys Global Politics:


American and World Politics Cartoons - 3 July 2010

Taiwans Whale-Sized Skimmer to Gulf Coast Rescue, Obama Ranked High as 15th Prez - News Headlines 2 July 2010

Kagan Takes Hits From GOP For Not Being Christian Enough - News Headlines 1 July 2010

8 Funny Posts 4 A Grin From Dennys Blogs - 30 June 2010

Spies Among Us, Scumbag Congress Denies Food to Children of Unemployed - News Headlines 29 June 2010






Beautiful Illustrated Quotations:


63 Quotes About Freedom and Liberty: Happy Birthday, America!

Why Smiling is Good For Your Spiritual Health: 7 Quotes About Smiling





Poems From A Spiritual Heart:


Fourth of July When Life is Simple





The Healing Waters:


Craving Ice: Is It A Sign of Anemia?




How I decided to start helping the economy recover: promoting small businesses while blogging on Muffin Monday recipes. I'm promoting bed and breakfast inns over Big Business hotel chains.


Romancing The Chocolate:


Cake Tuesday: Shenandoah Apple Cake

Muffin Monday: Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

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






Comfort Food From Louisiana:


Cake Tuesday: Red, White and Blueberry Shortcakes


Muffin Monday: Sour Cream Walnut Cinnamon Muffins






Unusual 2 Tasty:


Muffin Monday: Egg, Ricotta Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomato Breakfast Muffins

Cake Tuesday: Red, White and Blue Independence Day Cake





Dennys Funny Quotes:


Dark Humor: BP Oil Spill Cartoons - 3 July 2010

5 Funny Shorts: What Kids Think About Love and Life




Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious And Odd:


Funny Iran Sanctions Cartoons 3 July 2010

Funny Video: Surfing Group Known as The Radical Rodents





Visual Insights:


Hunh?! Cartoons - 3 July 2010

Dennys Photo Gallery: Fourth of July Spectacular Fireworks




*** 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

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

8 Funny Posts 4 A Grin From Dennys Blogs - 30 June 2010

*** When times are tough what do you do? Laughter is the best stress reliever! Here are 8 posts from this week's posts at Denny's blogs for you to enjoy.



Cup of coffee from Brazil by il Quoquo @ flickr


From Denny: Between Colbert and Stewart, well, let's just say they have BP's shenanigans covered. Nothing gets past them!

In my ongoing effort to provide stress relief when the national conversation is so depressing - because of the BP Gulf Coast oil spill, a fragile economy and politicians who continually refuse to do right by the American people - we all need to keep laughing our way through these times until they get better. Trust that times will get better and they will. Until then, while we are in transition, we must develop coping skills for managing daily stress like making sure we are laughing often.

This is one of those times when it is true that "the pen is mightier than the sword" for the right kind of writing can bring relief to thousands in one moment over the internet. Pretty cool when you think about it. How many people can accomplish so much out of thin air? :)


Funny Smile Quotes - Cheeky Quote Day - 30 June 2010

Roundup of Late Night Funnies: BP Oil Spill, McChrystal Firing - 28 June 2010

Funny Video: Colbert Says McChrystal Had To Have Been High

Funny Video: Stewart Nails Republicans As Flip-Floppers On BP Escrow Fund

Funny Video: Colbert Lampoons Barton's BP Apology

Funny Video: Stewart Lampoons McChrystal's Balls For An Honorable Discharge

5 Funny Shorts: What Kids Think About Love and Life

Funny Video: Surfing Group Known as The Radical Rodents


*** 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

Cake Tuesday: Red, White and Blue Independence Day Cake

*** Bake an unusual and patriotic attention-getting cake to wow your friends and family this Fourth of July!




Photo from White Lily Flour


From Denny: We eat with our eyes before we eat with our taste buds. This pretty patriotic cake sure gets your attention! Red, white and blue layers of cake are slathered with Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting and decorated with summer fresh blueberries and strawberries.

For a beginner baker - or if you are pressed for time and don't want to fuss with a difficult icing - this easy cake is for you. The cake layers are made from scratch and use buttermilk for great taste and texture, much like using sour cream in a cake or muffin.

When you finish icing the cake and have to wait a few hours before serving, hold off on the fruit garnish. With cakes like this I like to garnish with fruit as I serve the slices. That way you don't have to be concerned about the fruit starting to break down its juices and start to run watery all over your perfect cake and icing, sliding off like some summer park water slide! :)

Have a great Fourth of July weekend and thanks for visiting!





Independence Day Cake


From: White Lily Flour and The J.M. Smucker Co.

Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
3-1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 tsps. baking powder
1-1/2 tsps. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1-1/4 cups all-vegetable shortening OR 1ø sticks all-vegetable shortening sticks
5 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tbl. red food coloring
1 tbl. blue food coloring

Garnish:

Fresh blueberries and strawberries, optional

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting:

2 cups butter, softened
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
1 (13-oz.) jar marshmallow cream

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat three 8-inch round pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper, cut to fit. Coat paper with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl. Add buttermilk and shortening. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg whites, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat an additional 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

3. Pour ont-third (about 2 cups) of batter into prepared pan. Divide remaining batter into 2 medium bowls. Stir in food coloring to make one red and one blue batter. Pour batter into remaining pans. Tap pans on counter several times to remove air bubbles.

4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before removing from pan. Remove cake and cool completely on wire rack.

5. For frosting, beat butter in a large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until fluffy. Beat in almond extract. Stir in marshmallow cream until well blended.

6. Place blue cake layer on cake plate and generously frost top. Stack white layer and generously frost top. Add red layer, frosting top and sides of entire cake. Garnish with fresh blueberries and strawberries, if desired.


*** Check out more recipes: Muffin Monday and Cake Tuesday

*** For more Fourth of July posts see also:

63 Quotes About Freedom and Liberty: Happy Birthday, America!

How Do We Live Freedom and Liberty? Libations Friday - 2 July 2010

Fourth of July When Life is Simple poem - Libations Friday 25 June 2010

Dennys Photo Gallery: Fourth of July Watermelon

Cake Tuesday: Red, White and Blueberry Shortcakes



*** 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

Cake Tuesday: Red, White and Blueberry Shortcakes

*** Patriotic AND tasty fresh berry shortcake dessert good any time in the summer heat!




From Denny: What a beautiful dessert! It's tasty, bursting with fresh berries and so easy to make. Shortcake is just a huge sweetened biscuit. Make sure to read through to the end of the recipe before you begin making this dessert as it will give you a great tip for making the perfect shortcake biscuit.

Shortcake is easy to portion for single servings so you can give your guests the amounts of whipped cream or berries they prefer. These shortcakes are light and fluffy and sure to be a bit hit with family and friends. Fresh berries, whipped cream and that perfect bite of cake will explode a fireworks of taste in your mouth! :)

Have a great Fourth of July weekend!






Red, White and Blueberry Shortcakes


From: Driscoll’s

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbl. grated lemon zest
2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
6 tbls. cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tsps. coarse sugar crystals
1 (16-oz.) pkg. strawberries, hulled, sliced
1/2 cup powdered sugar, divided
1 tbl. lemon juice
1 cup cold whipping cream
1 (6-oz.) pkg. blackberries
1 (6-oz.) pkg. blueberries
1 (6-oz.) pkg. raspberries


Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.

2. Cut in butter, using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Stir in buttermilk just until dry ingredients are moistened.

4. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 4 times. Pat or roll dough on lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thickness.

5. Cut out 8 stars, using a 3-inch floured star cookie cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Brush tops with water and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon sugar crystals.

6. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

To make strawberry sauce: In a blender or food processor, puree 1 cup strawberries, 1/4 cup powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.

To make whipped cream: Beat with an electric mixer whipping cream and remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar until thickened and soft peaks form.

To assemble: Toss remaining sliced strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries until blended in a large bowl. Using a serrated knife, cut shortcakes in half horizontally. Place the bottom of each shortcake on each of 8 dessert plates.

Drizzle each shortcake with 1 tablespoon strawberry sauce. Top each with a dollop of whipped cream and about 1/2 cup berries. Place top of shortcake over berries. Serve with remaining strawberry sauce.


Nutritional analysis per serving: 408 calories, 20.3 grams fat, 64.82 milligrams cholesterol, 601.12 milligrams sodium and 3.56 grams fiber.

To lighten: Instead of using whipped cream, dollop with frozen thawed fat-free prepared whipped topping.

Helpful tip: Cutting cold butter into the flour makes little crumbs of fat that produce light, flaky shortcakes. A light stirring and kneading of the dough makes the flakiest shortcakes.


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

*** For more Fourth of July posts see also:

63 Quotes About Freedom and Liberty: Happy Birthday, America!

How Do We Live Freedom and Liberty? Libations Friday - 2 July 2010

Fourth of July When Life is Simple poem - Libations Friday 25 June 2010

Dennys Photo Gallery: Fourth of July Watermelon

Cake Tuesday: Red, White and Blue Independence Day Cake



*** Photo from Driscoll


*** 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