Recipes, Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 8 Aug 2010

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





From Denny: This week I was forced "off the grid" on two different days. Monday and to noon Tuesday my server was off line - which is rare - but when it happens on a Monday I always figure there was an obnoxious computer virus attack. Then again on Thursday we had some seriously severe thunderstorms in our area for the day, lots of intense lightning which we never used to see until this year. Even my outdoor cats made a run for inside the house with a "Make way, lady, we're running in full speed: incoming!"

Well, I made good use of the "snail time" and read some "snail books" - quite the treat when normally I'm fast paced and hard-charging. I might try this "off the grid" vacation a bit more often as it was enjoyable! Anyway, I wasn't able to publish all that I wanted to this week and will see what I can do to get caught up for you. Thanks for your continued support, much appreciated! :)


The Social Poets:


Cartoons: American Economy, Immigration, Iraq and Afghan Wars - 7 Aug 2010 - Check out what the cartoonists think this week about the smoke and mirrors going on in politics and the Afghan and Iraq Wars.

Vision of The Gardener Prophet poem - Libations Friday 6 Aug 2010 - 2012 begins early. Check out a poem of prophecy warning humanity.

What Is Prez Obama Really Thinking? Watch His Hands As He Talks - Our body language reveals much about our thoughts, telegraphing it to others if only we learn the language and how to read it.

Is The Oil Spill Really Gone in the Gulf, More Smoke And Mirrors From BP? - *** More bizarre reports from the BP and government corners trying to end the the politics about the Gulf oil spill, when all they did was stir up a hornet's nest of criticism and anger.

Speaker Pelosi Champions Unemployed, Orders House Back From Vacation - *** Speaker Pelosi relentlessly drives hard to pass two important bills: keep teachers in the classrooms and hire the unemployed out of work for two years.

Roundup of Late Night Funnies - 2 Aug 2010 - *** Check out jokes from the late night comedians about American society, funny videos from Colbert and Stewart and a few of the newest political cartoons.

Funny Video: Jon Stewart Mocks Media For Sorry WikiLeaks Reaction - *** Check out Jon Stewart as he rips to shreds, in fine mocking style, the not so stealthy WikiLeaks leaker.

Funny Video: Colberts Live Tony Hayward Cam Tracking His Slow Resignation - *** Check out Colbert's reaction to BP finally - OK, temporarily - plugging the Gulf oil leak. The best news yet is the slow motion firing of BP CEO Tony Hayward.

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 1 Aug 2010 - ** Check out news, political opinion - serious and funny cartoons, recipes, science and health news, poetry, funny posts, photography, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.






The Soul Calendar:

BP Oil Spill and WikiLeaks Spill Cartoons - 7 Aug 2010 - Check out what the cartoonists were lampooning this week, skewering BP for the Gulf oil spill and the WikiLeaks documents spill.

How Northern Lights Are Created By Sun Flares - Check out 3 video clips of the solar flares and magnetic filament in action as they create the Northern Lights on Earth.





Beautiful Illustrated Quotations:

2012: What Will Happen to Earth and Us? - What you can do to ensure your safety and survival as geologic time rapidly changes - and the resulting paradigm shift of humanity - is in the process of occurring.





Dennys Funny Quotes:


Hunh?! Just Plain Bizarre Funny Cartoons - 7 Aug 2010

Funny Video: BP Creates Rich Fish in Gulf Oil Spill - Mocking BP: An idiot public relations BP talking head points out the up side to the oil leak: the fish are rich!

Murphys 15 Laws About Sex - Yet another funny list joke making the rounds.

Funny Legal News Story: The Case of a Contraceptives Miss-taken Use - Laugh at this funny use for a contraceptive that exemplifies the kind of humorous cases found in our court systems every day sure to amuse us!

Funny Video: Colberts Sound Advice on How to Get a Job - Bad economy? No problem. Comic Stephen Colbert to the employment rescue to help you land that all important life-changing job.

Funny Video: Surfing Group Known as The Radical Rodents - Laugh at these funny talented rodents surfing the waves in Australia.




Dennys People Watching:

Ethics Investigations in Congress Cartoons - 7 Aug 2010 - Check out what the cartoonists had to say this week about political corruption and the Speaker's promise to drain The Swamp. Washington, D.C. sits on a literal swamp so it's natural to get a few rats running around the place.




Dennys Food and Recipes:

Chef Bergeron Appetizer: Zucchini Cakes With Unusual Garlic Dill Sour Cream Mayo Sauce - Check out a simple veggie recipe that can be an appetizer or served as an entree, your choice. And what an unusual outstanding yummy sauce.

Cake Tuesday: Italian Cream Cake - One of my favorite cakes to order a slice for dessert when we dine out - and also an easy cake to make at home!

Muffin Monday: Coconut Muffins - Check out this simple easy recipe and enjoy a sweet breakfast or afternoon snack.




Visual Insights:


Gay Marriage and Society Cartoons - 7 Aug 2010 - The more things change, the more they remain the same. As gays battle for their right to marry, soon they discover the same marital experiences as everyone else. Check out the cartoonists this week.

Funny Photos: How Your Brain Can Be Fooled - Funny photos that prove how easy it is to fool your brain into interpreting a photo to mean something other than is actually true.




*** 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 - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
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

Chef Bergeron Appetizer: Zucchini Cakes With Unusual Garlic Dill Sour Cream Mayo Sauce

*** Check out a simple veggie recipe that can be an appetizer or served as an entree, your choice. And what an unusual outstanding yummy sauce.




Photo by Richard Alan Hannon @ The Advocate


From Denny: Our local newspaper was running this recipe from Louisiana chef Don Bergeron. Our downtown Farmers Market in Baton Rouge, called the Red Stick Market, features a chef sharing cooking demonstrations almost every week. This week it was Chef Bergeron who was making these simple Zucchini Cakes as appetizers and everyone at the tasting raved about the tastiness of the sauce he served with the cakes.

This is one of those easy simple recipes where you can even add more spices to your taste or enjoy the simplicity as it stands. This is also a vegetarian recipe. About one very large zucchini will make the eight cakes so keep that in mind in case you can only find medium-sized zucchinis. If you prefer smaller sized cakes this recipe will make up to 12. The Dill Mayo Sauce makes a bit over 1-1/2 cups, a bit too much for one recipe of cakes. You might prefer to cut the sauce recipe in half or double the amount of cakes you are making to create a meal instead of an appetizer. This sauce will work well over other vegetable recipes and fish too.

Pull out your old-fashioned box grater like your grandmother used to grate the zucchini. Chef employs the lighter panko style bread crumbs for both the making of the veggie cake as well as the breading. Remember, summer squash like zucchini is full of water, so squeeze tightly to rid the grated veggie of as much water as you can so the cake will hold together well. To coat the cakes in the breadcrumbs, because of the moistness factor and because the mixture is very loose for the cakes, it is easier to hold the cakes in your hands as you coat them than try to roll them in a pan of panko crumbs. So, handle delicately as you coat the cakes.



Zucchini Cakes With Dill Mayo Sauce


From: Chef Don Bergeron

Makes: 8 cakes

Zucchini Cakes:

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, grated, about 2 cups (after you grate the zucchini, squeeze out excess water)
1/2 stick butter
1 cup chopped vegetable seasonings (onions, celery and bell pepper)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs, PLUS extra for breading
Sprinkle of ground nutmeg, roughly 1-4 tsp.
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and black pepper to taste
Olive oil (enough to cover bottom of skillet)


Directions:

Melt butter over medium heat and add chopped seasonings and garlic. Sauté until wilted and vegetables are tender. Set aside to cool.

Combine zucchini with Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of the bread crumbs, nutmeg, egg, salt and pepper and reserved sautéed vegetables.

Shape into patties. Roll or coat lightly in extra bread crumbs.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once heated, add patties and cook until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes on each side). Serve with cold Dill Mayo Sauce.



Dill Mayo Sauce

Makes: almost 1-3/4 cup sauce. This is more than you will need for one recipe of the above Zucchini Cakes. Recipe can be halved if desired.

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 tbls. fresh dill, chopped
2 tbls. fresh parsley, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbls. Heinz Chili Sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. white pepper
Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all of the sauce ingredients in food processor. Serve cold or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.


*** 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 - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
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

Cake Tuesday: Italian Cream Cake

*** One of my favorite cakes to order a slice for dessert when we dine out - and also an easy cake to make at home!





From Denny: Italian Cream Cake is a favorite at our house and we often make it for the holidays or birthday occasions. Children and adults both love this cake. Children love the coconut and adults love the cream cheese icing and pecans.

But then we Southerners do so love our sweets - and shamelessly! :) Southern food expert, John Egerton, wrote a thing or two about this love of sweets in the South in his book, "Southern Foods." He says, "The celebrated Southern sweet tooth is no myth."

He goes on to comment that one of the reasons that Southerners so love their desserts as an ending to a meal: "It's a sweet conclusion to a meal and is like a happy ending to a book or a fairytale - a way of delaying or denying harsh reality. Sweets are akin to pleasure, to optimism, to a romantic view of life — and such an outlook has often seemed in keeping with the regional character."

Throughout Southern history economic times have been hard, especially during and after the Civil War. It was that time period that spawned the need for sweets to alleviate the stresses of everyday life. Southern cooks felt if they could put a smile on everyone's face with just a dessert it was a good day. The expressions of pure delight were often contagious, bringing joy back into the household.

Some of the favorite desserts over the decades have been peach ice cream, coconut cake, lemon custard pie or in the past few years the rise of sweet potato pie. There is just something about the words "sugar" and "sweet" that acted like a catalyst to encourage hope in the most desperate of times.

Egertpm said, "For showmanship and flair, nothing is more spectacular than a big four-layer cake." We celebrate family in the South and nothing says family gatherings like birthdays, anniversaries, the birth of a new family member, a job promotion, that first job for a new college graduate. We bake a simple cake in grand style like this one and celebrate a heavenly slice of that beautiful cake over a steaming cup of hot black coffee or unsweeetened iced tea to balance all that sweetness.

What's funny about this cake is it's name. Food historians have not been able to track down the origin of the name as it is not related at all to Italian cuisine. It was originally known as "Delmonico Cake." Probably, some Italian-American was known for her cake, renamed it and the name stuck over the years.

Apparently, many versions of this cake call for a combination of shortening and butter. Hydrogenated shortening just isn't healthy for your arteries but clarified butter is just fine. Regular butter with the milk fats still in it is still better than shortening as your body is at least able to break it down eventually. Shortening does not break down but rather just clogs the body. Shortening got kicked off the healthy list a long time ago so be aware of that when you are using older cookbooks that list it in a recipe.

Here's why shortening was originally used in cakes, from "Cookwise" by food chemist Shirley O. Corriher: "The fats in a cake tenderize a cake by holding tiny air bubbles that are enlarged by baking powder and baking soda beaten in during the creaming or mixing of the cake.

"Shortening has an advantage over other solid fats in that it already contains millions of fine bubbles to aid in leavening. Shortenings are, by volume, about 12 percent fine nitrogen bubbles. This means that shortening will make a lighter cakes. Though shortening produces a nice cake, there is nothing like the taste of real butter, so butter is normally the fat of choice of fine cake bakers."

From "All New All Purpose Joy of Cooking" cookbook: Be careful when beating the cream cheese icing. Over beating the cream cheese will cause it to break down and make the icing too soft to hold its shape. Don't soften the cream cheese before beating to minimize the chance of this happening."

This cake should be kept in the refrigerator after serving, assuming any of it is actually left after the hungry hordes get a hold of it!







Italian Cream Cake

From: Carol Anne Blitzer from a recipe in “River Road Recipes II: A Second Helping,” published by the Junior League of Baton Rouge. Carol kicked out the shortening in the original recipe and substituted butter and oil. Canola oil is a good choice since it has no cholesterol and also is neutral in flavor, not harming the taste of this cake. Also, a great oil to use with chocolate as it takes a back seat, not overpowering the taste.


Serves: 16

Ingredients:

Cake:

5 eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola oil is neutral in taste and has no cholesterol)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup angel flake coconut
1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Grease and flour three (9-inch) cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside.

Cream sugar, butter and oil. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Stir soda into buttermilk. Add buttermilk alternately with flour to creamed mixture. Fold in coconut.

Gently fold egg whites into mixture. Add flavorings.

Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning pans gently about halfway through the baking process. Do not overbake layers.

Remove from oven. Let layers cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Place layers on racks and let cool completely before icing.



Cream Cheese Icing:

Ingredients:

2 (8-oz.) pkgs. cream cheese
2 sticks butter
2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar
3 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 tsp. butter flavoring
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cream cheese and butter. Beat in sugar gradually. Add pecans and flavorings.
2. Ice between layers and on top and sides of cake. Refrigerate cake.




*** Cake Photo by kimberlykv @ 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 - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
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

Muffin Monday: Coconut Muffins

*** Check out this simple easy recipe and enjoy a sweet breakfast or afternoon snack.





From Denny: While reading the news online I found myself over at The Baltimore Sun newspaper online database. So I went poking around to see what kind of recipe database they kept. So many newspapers online have gone to only featuring restaurant reviews and few, if any, recipes available. When I travel to an area the first thing I often do is research the local newspaper to get a feel for what people like to eat.

The easiest way to understand other people is to enjoy their food culture. Turns out this newspaper had a decent recipe archive - though devoid of photos. When that happens I go looking over at Flickr Creative Commons area for a photo that would look similar - sometimes I get lucky and it's exact! :) Anything is helpful to better visualize the finished product.

This recipe would make for a fine weekend brunch or lazy hot summer afternoon snack. Enjoy!


Coconut Muffins

From: Food section of The Baltimore Sun newspaper online

Yield: Makes 12 small muffins

Ingredients:

1 scant cup sugar
4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) margarine (or butter though it will increase the calories)
2 eggs
2/3 cup flaked coconut
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

Cream sugar and margarine, then add eggs one at a time, blending between each addition. Add the remaining ingredients. Divide evenly between 12 muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 20 minutes.

Tester Laura Reiley's comments: "I baked mine slightly longer, about 25 minutes, until the muffin surface would spring back from my touch. The resulting muffins are sweet, deliciously coconutty treats, good for a snack or for breakfast. You can change the level of sweetness by which kind of coconut you choose - an unsweetened shredded coconut will yield less-sweet muffins; the sweetened angel-flaked coconut produces sweeter, moister muffins. For a really decadent treat, these would be good frosted with chocolate or topped with some kind of tropical fruit jam."


*** Similar version of coconut muffin, photo by yomi955 @ 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 - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
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

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 1 Aug 2010

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







The Social Poets:


WikiLeaks, America, Tea Party, World Politics Cartoons - 31 July 2010

Walk The World poem - Libations Friday 30 July 2010 - A poem about sharing our life with others - when we are both in need - to receive the greatest gift.

Is The Middle Class Almost Extinct in America?

Funny Brain Quotes - Cheeky Quote Day - 28 July 2010

How Devastating Are Those 92,000 Wikileaks Leaked Afghan War Docs?

Monday Morning Brain Owners Manual

Roundup of Late Night Funnies - 26 July 2010

Funny Video: Colbert On The Environment - Run! Animals!

Funny Video: Colbert Cleans Up the Gulf

Funny Video: Sarah Palins Geography Song 50 Nifty States

Funny Video: Colbert On The Environment - Awww, Animals!

Monday Morning Brain Owners Manual

Posts Roundup of Dennys Blogs - 25 July 2010





The Healing Waters:


Easy Steps You Can Take For Computer Eye Strain

Can Child Abuse Cause Heart Attacks Later in Life?

Celebrities Who Fought Postpartum Depression





Beautiful Illustrated Quotations:


17 Short Beautiful Love Poems

What Do You Feel About Love?




The Soul Calendar:


BP Oil Spill Cartoons - 31 July 2010

Giant Asteroid Threatens Earth In 170 Years





Dennys Food and Recipes:


Cake Tuesday: Chef Bobby Flays Throwdown Competition Carrot Cake, Coconut Cake

Chef Spike Monday: Fun Recipes For Pizza, Burger and Salads

Chocolate Bread Pudding in a Slow Cooker





Dennys Funny Quotes:


Funny Hunh?! Cartoons - 31 July 2010

Funny Video: Colbert On The Environment - Wimpy Treehuggers, Dirty Hippies

Funny Video: Kimmel Says Palin Is Like The Eskimo Don King





Visual Insights:


Music: Paul McCartney Honored at Obama White House

Music News - A Song Of Longing: Harmony to My Heartbeat

Dennys Photo Gallery: Summer Heat Wave




*** Photo by heliosphan @ 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 - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
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