What am I sappy whale blogging?
June 12, 2015
What am I talking about?
June 11, 2015Mother tonguesThere are at least 7,102 known languages alive in the world today. Twenty-three of these languages are a mother tongue for more than 50 million people. The 23 languages make up the native tongue of 4.1 billion people. We represent each language within black borders and then provide the numbers of native speakers (in millions) by country. The colour of these countries shows how languages have taken root in many different regions
Infographic by Alberto Lucas Lopez – click here for his website and a larger version of the graphic.
What celebration did I miss?
June 9, 2015This first Friday in June is doughnut day. I hope you did not miss it. We celebrated by taking a small road trip to the town of Wooster. Wooster is a small college town in Ohio. It has lots of trees, fine old buildings, good restaurants, two great bookstores, and donuts!
The key to this post is that Lerch’s donuts is located just a little north of town. Lerch’s donuts are unlike any other.
They are made on site. They melt in your mouth. They come in three flavors – plain, sugared, or cinnamon.
The donuts are made in a little food truck parked in a defunct shopping plaza (and at select locations around the area.)
Their website says:
Lerch’s Donuts was founded in 1933 by John Lerch, Sr., when he developed a method of frying soft cake donuts that are not greasy at his downtown Wooster bakery.
In 1934, he began producing Lerch’s Donuts at the Wayne County fair, soon becoming the #1 food vendor at the fair. Many things have changed since the 1930s; the bakery has closed, but not the recipe or popularity of Lerch’s Donuts.
Mobile concession trailers are located at the former Hawkins Market (Portage Square Plaza, Wooster, Ohio) and other various locations in season (spring – fall).
Wooster – come for the books, stay for the donuts.
Remember:
What am I reading?
June 8, 2015On a Semi-annual basis Japanese pharmacy company Aisei publishes a magazine called Health Graphic Magazine. The issues, which come out usually three times a year, are focused on a specific topic. They’re not long – usually around 23 pages – but utilize a wide array of creative methods that make it a joy and pleasure to learn about lack of sleep, sinus infections, stress, or whichever topic they happen to be focusing on.
This issue on constipation features a peach that looks like a butt
a waterfall of mucus humorously graces the cover of this issue on sinus infections
traditional face painting creates an intriguing cover for this issue on high blood pressure
This polar bear just can’t. Cover for issue on summer lethargy
an issue focused on stress.
What cheesy holiday am I celebrating on tattoo Tuesday?
June 2, 2015Smile and say, “Velveeta!”
On this day in 1928, Velveeta Cheese was first introduced. This is the same year Mickey Mouse was introduced to the world. Coincidence . . .?
Velveeta is that yellow brick of cheese food that melts smoothly over everything. Food.com describes it as,
“… a blend of colby and cheddar cheeses with emulsifiers and salt. The ingredients are heated until liquified, packaged in aluminum foil, then cooled.”
Is there a Velveeta tattoo? I could not find one, but I did find these cheese tattoos, including a GALLERY of tattoos from a wildly successful local restaurant chain, MELT, that will give anyone a 25% discount on meals (forever) if they get a tattoo of one of Melt’s approved logos.
This restaurant features huge sandwiches heavy on the grilled cheese with names such as:
Parmageddon / potato & onion pierogi, fresh napa vodka kraut, sautéed onions, sharp cheddar
The Dude Abides / homemade meatballs, fried mozzarella wedges, basil marinara, roasted garlic, provolone & romano
Lake Erie Monster / crispy battered jumbo cod, sweet slaw, jalapeno tartar sauce, american
More cheese tattoos:
Where am I living?
May 30, 2015
If you have a hankering to live off the grid in a self-contained pod, “the compact Ecocapsule fits all the home necessities within an egg-shaped space measuring 4.5 meters (14.6 feet) in length, 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) in width, and 2.5 meters in height (8.2 feet).”
The Ecocapsule is described as a portable, low-energy, green dwelling that will comfortable house two adults.
While portable, you have to transport the 1500 kilogram pod to your location. They are said to fit in a shipping container.
They do have the ability to generate power from the wind turbine and solar cells, and can collect and filter rainwater.
The pods are currently in the design phase, although delivery of actual capsules is anticipated in 2016.
I don’t know about long-term living, but they look like they are a huge step up from tent camping.
What am I sappy heron blogging?
May 29, 2015
We thought the herons did not return. We have not seen them at the duck pond. Here they are enjoying the lovely weather at a lake just a little further away.
No cat photos on this Friday, but my cats would like the herons. They taste like chicken.
This photo was shamelessly ripped off borrowed from my sweet patootie.
Why am I Australia-Dreaming?
May 29, 2015I love this very cool video of the Sydney Opera House – think of all the things you could project onto that beautiful surface.
What am I making?
May 27, 2015
This recipe is from tablespoon.com
Spiked Rainbow Ribbon Salad
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups water, divided
- 6 packages (3 oz) flavored gelatin dessert mix
- 3 envelopes plain gelatin (6 tsp gelatin powder, divided)
- 3 cups flavored rum or vodka, divided
- 1 1/8 cups vanilla yogurt, divided
Directions
- Place the bottle of liquor in the freezer for several hours before beginning recipe.
- Lightly spray bundt pan or gelatin mold with non stick cooking spray (I used a 10 cup bundt pan). Wipe off the excess spray with a paper towel. A slight residue should remain, just enough to help unmold your gelatin, without affecting the taste or appearance.
- Pour 3/4 cup water into a saucepan and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the plain gelatin. Allow gelatin to soak for a minute or two. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Whisk in the first package of flavored gelatin. Whisk for at least 2 minutes, or until completely dissolved (I find the sugar free mix dissolves much faster than the regular).
- Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup of the cold liquor, and stir to combine.
- Pour 3/4 cup of the gelatin mixture into the prepared mold, and place in refrigerator. Allow to set for 20 to 30 minutes, until the gelatin is a little firm, but still sticks when touched. Very important – if the layers set up too much, the next layer won’t bond appropriately.
- Refrigerate the remaining gelatin mixture in bowl about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Gradually stir in 3 tablespoons of yogurt and stir until well blended. This cooling step is also important – the gelatin must be cooled to room temperature before adding on top of other layers, or the layers will not be well defined!
- Gently spoon the gelatin/yogurt mixture over set gelatin and return to the refrigerator. Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until gelatin is set but not firm (again, it should stick to finger when touched). As the layers progress, the setting time will become shorter as the pan and gelatin becomes colder, and the layers become thinner as more layers are added to the mold.
- Repeat steps with remaining gelatin flavors, for a total of 12 alternating clear and creamy gelatin layers.
- After completing all the layers, refrigerate the gelatin overnight. To unmold, fill a larger container or clean sink with warm water (not too hot!). With clean fingers, loosen the gelatin around the edges of the mold cavities. Next, dip the mold almost to the edge into the warm water for just a few seconds (10 seconds worked for me). Dry the bottom of the mold with a towel and check the edges to see if they are loose. If not, repeat the dip for just a few seconds. Place your serving plate on top of the mold and invert. Voila!
I did not really make this. I thought I was going to, but it looks like too much work, and I am not all that fond of jello. But isn’t it great looking?
Gunsmoke and Knitting 