I am too political for my own good. I believe in Mermaids and Unicorns. I am the ringleader of Lunacy. I am sane inside insanity. I am who I am and I am what I am. And, truly, that is all I can ever be.
Just for shiggles (also known as shits and giggles), I've decided to blog about a special country, carefully chosen, for this week.
This week's country is Albania. That's right kids, Albania! This week's country was specially chosen by Phil. Thank you, Phil.
Albania, as it's official website claims, is in the heart of the Mediterranean. It is considered a part of the European continent and is actually rich with history and beauty. More so than you would think. Poor Albania is one of those forgotten countries, a lot of the time.
And to start off Albania Week, I have decided to present some delicious recipes. Apparently, Albania has a thing for meat dishes, because the very first page of recipes I looked at were all meat related. I did manage to find a recipe for a Spinach Pie and a Walnut Cake. For my culturally involved audience, I present this interesting recipe for Spinach Pie first.
Spinach Pie (Byrek me Spinaq)
1 cup oil, preferably olive oil
1 1/2 packets (or about 30) pastry leaves (Filo dough)
1 1/2 pounds spinach, chopped
1 cup diced feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 eggs
salt, half teaspoon
( NOTE: A medium-sized, round baking pan is recommended because it's more authentic but any medium-sized baking pan will do).
Brush the baking pan with some of the oil, and start laying the pastry leaves inside. First, lay two leaves, sprinkle or brush with oil, then lay two other leaves, and repeat the procedure until half of the leaves are laid. Make sure that they cover the pan by hanging them about one inch over the edges of the pan.
Sprinkle spinach with salt, then mix well by hand. Add the feta cheese, oil, onions, eggs and salt, and spread this mixture over the already laid pastry leaves. Finish by covering the spinach with the rest of the pastry leaves repeating the first-half procedure and then roll the hanging edges of the bottom leaves over the pie (think of a pizza crust), sprinkle top with oil and bake moderately at 3501_F for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot, accompanied with buttermilk, or beaten yogurt, thinned down in cold water or with chilled stewed prunes. Sometimes a green salad adds to the meal!
Serves 4-6.
Walnut Cake Ingredients Cake
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup Sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup buttermilk (or additional 1/3 cup yogurt)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon rind
1 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped Glaze
3/4 cup water
1 cup Sugar
1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 dash ground cloves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 °F.
cream together the butter and Sugar until light and fluffy, and then mix in the eggs.
Blend the yogurt with the buttermilk.
Sift together the cake dry ingredients and add them alternating with the yogurt mixture into the egg mixture.
Stir in the lemon rind and walnuts.
Pour the batter into a buttered 9X13 baking pan and bake for 30–40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake will still be moist.
Make the glaze by simmering together all the ingredients, covered, for about 15 minutes.
Remove the cinnamon stick.
When the cake is done, remove it from the oven, turn off the oven, pour the glaze over the hot cake and return it to the oven for about 10 minutes.
Cut the cake into squares and serve it warm or cool.
Throughout this week expect to see blogs about Albanian fashion, fun facts, music and other interesting (and slightly random) things!
Who doesn't like cupcakes? They are the perfectly proportioned amount of cake so that you don't have to feel guilty eating them! Of course, if you are already on a diet that requires no cupcakes you should feel bad, but why would you choose a diet like that anyway? Did you know that the British call cupcakes Fairy Cakes? I think I like that name better, actually! Australians call them patty cakes.
Anyway, this blog is all about cupcakes. I am going to post a few pictures of cupcakes and a recipe or two.
First let's start with a Cookie Monster Cupcake!
I'm not sure what this cupcake is made of, but it looks delicious!! I want one!
Oh Noes!! Not a Cannibal Cupcake!!! RUN!
Who doesn't love a puppycake? Also, may have to invest in that book. Just sayin'.
Best Costume Idea Ever! ^_^
Rainbow Cupcake! Tasty and beautiful!
And, just for Donnie, A TURTLE CUPCAKE!
Now that your tastebuds have been teased with these mouthwatering images of cupcakes, here are two different cupcake recipes for your enjoyment!
Sparkling Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes
I found this recipe on www.thecupcakerecipes.com. Sounds delicious, but I haven't gotten to try it yet. Will post whenever I can afford the champagne! ^-^
Sweet Pink Strawberry Champagne Cupcake Recipe
* 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® strawberry cake mix
* 1 1/4 cups champagne, (I used a Red Sparkling Wine - Cinzano Brachetto d’Acqui) it will compliment the fruity strawberry flavor.
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 3 egg whites
Champagne Frosting
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 4 cups powdered sugar
* 1/4 cup champagne
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 4 to 5 drops red food coloring
Directions:
* Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
* In large bowl, combine dry cake mix and champagne. Add oil, eggs. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
* Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
* In medium bowl, beat frosting ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle with pink sugar or pearls.
Sweet Potato Cupcakes
I found this recipe on www.cupcakeblog.com. Now these may sound kind of gross at first, if you don't like Sweet Potatoes, but I am actually really intrigued by this recipe and will definitely have to try it! Hope you enjoy it! If you get a chance to try it, comment and let me know what you think!
Sweet Potato Cupcakes
~24 cupcakes / 350 degree oven
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups almond meal
4 large eggs
3/4 cup high-quality honey
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup sweet potato flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add almond meal and beat to combine.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.
5. Measure the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
6. Measure out the honey and buttermilk. Stir to combine.
7. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the wet ingredients and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
8. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3′s full. Bake cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
1. Heat brown sugar, cream, butter, salt over medium high heat whisking until sugar is dissolved. Cook for another minute.
2. Pour in bourbon and stir to combine. Take off heat and let cool.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until soft.
4. Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat to combine.
5. Add three tablespoons of the bourbon caramel (you might have some left over) and beat to combine. You can always add more, but the frosting may end up pretty soft.
Assembly
1. Frost.
2. Top with homemade sweet potato chips.
All for now ladies and germs!! Hope you enjoyed this very cupcake-centric blog!
Okay, so mine doesn't look as awesome as that one, but it is damn close!
Yes, I made a pistachio pudding pie. (Mmm Pie!) For no reason other than to try it. It is my first pie making experience. And it wasn't homemade. Which makes me sad, but next time it will all be from scratch.
Speaking of pies, I'm thinking of trying to make a Rose Petal Pie. Yes, a pie made from rose petals (well in my mind, in real life it is completely different). My friend, Jo, and I came up with that idea for a game we used to play. I don't know how I'll go about it, but I want to do it. Of course all the recipes I find for it involve strawberries and only a tiny bit of Rose Water.
I also thought about it as being like a pudding filling and that each pie was specific to the color of the rose. White rose pie was creamy white, Black rose pie was dark like chocolate. And each pie varies by the color of the rose. Lighter colored roses are sweeter and Darker colored roses are more like cinnamon and nutmeg, spicy with a bite of sweet. I have a very good imagination, apparently.
Also my mother said the most epic thing ever!
Me: I have 21 dollars in one dollar bills.
My mom: Its okay, people will just think you are a waitress. (pause) Or a lap-dancer.
Me: MOM!
That is my tangent for the moment. Hope you enjoyed it!
Which is exactly what I did last Friday night (the name of a Katy Perry song).
Kid, L.E.D and I went drinking. It happened. And we have discovered that when L.E.D and I have been drinking we get silly. (The Friday night before this last one we had played Miss Merry Mack at our table, to my everlasting humiliation.) Okay, I get silly. Very silly and very unscripted.
Waiter Blush #1:
I ordered a Frozen Mudslide. Tastes just like a chocolate milk shake and is even better because you get a buzz. Plus, the glass looks gorgeous until you stir. Anyway, I always get a spoon so I can eat the whipped topping. With said spoon I scooped up said whipped topping and popped all of it into my mouth. Yes, my mouth was full of creamy white stuff.
Our waiter gave me a look. I mean, I just took a whole spoonful of whipped cream in one bite, I'm surprised more people weren't staring. My response to the staring?
"You know you like seeing me with white stuff in my mouth."
Did I mean for that to slip out? No, but I think the whipped cream and liquor lubed things up and out comes Miss Unscripted and Inappropriate.
Waiter Blush #2:
Our waiter convinces me that I should order a Sauza Gold Margarita as it is on special. I say, sure why not? What's the worst that could happen right?
Well, I chugged it. Yep. Took a sip to taste it and then downed the rest. Well I did it a little quickly and choked a little. At that moment he comes up and says,
"You know you are supposed to chew before you swallow."
And who should make a guest appearance right then? Miss Unscripted and Inappropriate. I reply with all the wit of a 6 year old.
"That depends on what you are trying to swallow."
He not only blushed so bad that he had to walk away from our table, he also face palmed. That's right, who is the girl? Me.
There you have it, the adventures of Sarai and her friends when they have been drinking. By the way, Frozen Mudslides are the bomb! I may, or may not, be a little in love with them. Just sayin'.
In fact here is a picture of one, not the exact same kind as the one I had (mine was cooler, just sayin').
Also, if you have the desire to make one of these babies at home here is a handy-dandy recipe.
2 oz Svedka® vanilla vodka
2 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
2 oz Bailey's® Irish cream
6 oz vanilla ice cream
Blend alcohol with ice-cream. Serve in a frosted glass.
Okay, now that I have posted all of that about drinking and partying (did I mention the gay bar dance scenes afterward? Or the brand new high heels I got?) I want to go out. Too bad it is the middle of the week and I have to work on Friday.
Well, that is all from me for now. Hope you enjoyed my craziness.
I am Sarai, this is my blog and I am out like my bottle of Vanilla Vodka.
Okay so this is crazy because I am going to post randomly. I'm not posting any pictures or recipes or videos or news. Just Sarai. You need a pure dose of Sarai every now then when it isn't intertwined with news, pictures, recipes or videos to stay alive. Bet you didn't know that.
So I am completely insane. You probably figured that out by now. And I have nothing interesting to relate, because I am ENTIRELY TOO BORED with the internet and the world right now.
I dream about seeing the Eiffel Tower in the Autumn. Starry red and gold leaves cascading to the ground and the scent of a café. I want to stand underneath it while it rains and watching the people running for safety.
I think about our world, how it is deteriorating and all the wildlife that is slowly disappearing into the oblivion of legend. It isn't fair.
I hate how people disregard history, how they forget and ignore it. I hate how we just let historical sites fall into disrepair and then it has to be demolished.
I have fallen in love with a dying man, as we are all dying of the human condition. I am dying, you are dying. The world is ending. But I don't think it will end in 2012, just so you know.
I believe in mermaids and unicorns and ghosts. I believe in the stars as they dance above me, I wish they could hear me.
Do the ones we love look down on us after they are gone? Are we re-incarnated or do we just fade out, like a candle at the end of its wick? I hope I am re-incarnated as a flower. An unobtrusive and beautiful flower like a tiny calla lily hidden by stones near a quiet stream. Doesn't that sound perfect?
I want to see the ocean under a violent sky.
I love it when it snows, but I wish it was warmer. I miss the flowers, like the sun misses them in winter. Beauty is cold, you know? It is you know.
I love giraffes. I have an affinity for strange and awkward animals. Like porcupines and platypi and narwhals and giraffes and penguins. Admittedly, who doesn't love a cute little penguin?
Well I'm getting ready to head out of here. Have to go eat with my friend. So I hope you have enjoyed just me. I am going to write more eventually about more interesting things than what I have been rambling about here.
Hey everyone! So I am stumbling (AGAIN) and I am going to share with you what I have found interesting. I hope to have something a little more uniform than this eventually, but for now this is the randomness that is my blog. Please enjoy and tell your friends!!
Some Websites ^^
http://www.alterfin.com/dominique/
http://virtualfunzone.com/literally-live-pictures.html
TWO news item that are too good to wait for the news blog!
Meet the first LEGALLY GENDERLESS person. It is named Norrie May-Welby and is from Australia. A VERY interesting article, I think. I hope you enjoy it.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/03/16/2010-03-16_no_sex_for_me_please_extranssexual_briton_is_first_legally_genderless_person.html
I personally love Archaeology and so I am incredibly interested in this article about a 4,000 year old cemetery discovered in the middle of a desert in Tibet.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/desert-riddle-unearthed-ancient-western-boat-people-20100316-qcks.html
You get not one, not two, but FOUR pictures for the day!!
HELLO KIDNEY!
I wanna place a bet of $100 on the Count von Count!
Mona Lisa never looked so tasty!
I love BioShock! ^^
A few Quotes I really like
"Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values."
Ayn Rand (Objectivist)
"Eloquent speech is not from lip to ear, but rather from heart to heart."
William Jennings Bryan (Lawyer)
and in honor of Women's History month a few quotes on women.
"No longer should women be denied the right to vote, no longer should women be treated as second class citizens, no longer should women not be allowed to be a citizen at all."
Ginny B. Waite (Female Politician)
"We women must listen to our inner voice. It is easier for women to do this as they are not afraid to say what they feel."
Indra Devi (a Disciple of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya)
"Women who love women are Lesbians. Men, because they can only think of women in sexual terms, define Lesbian as sex between women."
Rita Mae Brown (Author)
And, because I COMPLETELY spaced African-American History Month (I usually don't forget it as it is my favorite month besides September)
"No other group in America has so had their identity socialized out of existence as have black women... When black people are talked about the focus tends to be on black men; and when women are talked about the focus tends to be on white women."
Bell Hooks (Author, Feminist)
"We need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it's like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old - and that's the criterion by which I'll be selecting my judges."
Barack Obama (The First Black President)
"Genius is an African who dreams up snow."
Vladimir Nabokov (Novelist)
And a recipe for good measure!!
7-Up Apple Dumplings recipe
makes: 10 Servings
2 c Sugar
10 Large apples
1 ts Cinnamon
1 Can biscuits
1/2 ts Nutmeg
1 ts Nutmeg
1 Stick butter
1 ts Cinnamon
20 oz 7-up
12 Butter
In saucepan combine first group of sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and the
7- up.
Heat until melted, set aside.
Peel and core apples, separate dough from 1 can biscuits. Separate and roll out each biscuit individually and place 1 apple in each.
Combine second group of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Sprinkle 1 tsp. of this mixture in center of each apple along with 2 T.
butter.
Fold biscuit around apple and pinch dough. Put dumplings in 9 x 13"
pan. Pour sauce over each dumpling.
This is your news, read and arm yourselves with knowledge
Nujood Ali. She is 10 years old. And she is Divorced.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-03-15/divorced-at-age-10/
More Howard Stern Controversy. What? You thought he was dead or something? Unfortunately no. He has a few harsh words for Gabourey Sidibe, the star of "Precious".
http://www.bvnewswire.com/2010/03/15/gabourey-sidibe-mom-howard-stern/
The shortest man in the world died at the age of 21.
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/03/15/worlds-shortest-man-dies/19400471/
A wild wolverine, the only known wild one, was found dead in Michigan.
http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=12143672
And for some reason a bunch of Thai people are going to protest by spilling blood. Their own.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/16/2846703.htm?section=world
There is a Vampire in Florida. He wants to be president.
http://www.wtsp.com/news/mostpop/story.aspx?storyid=127365&provider=top
In a "homicidal mood"? Threaten a parent with bone-cutting scissors
http://www.wtsp.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=127324&catid=58
A Dog swallows a Diamond.
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/pets/2010/03/13/2010-03-13_golden_retriever_swallows_20000_diamond.html
A RECIPE FOR YOU ALL TO TRY!
Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 Tbsp flour (if using defrosted frozen berries)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
Adjust the oven rack to the middle-lower part of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and one cup white sugar together, beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the grated lemon peel.
Beat in one half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat. Fold in the berries. If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, drain the excess liquid, and then coat them in a light dusting of flour.
Use standard 12-muffin muffin tins. Coat each muffin cup lightly with olive oil or grapeseed oil using a pastry brush, or with a little butter. Or use one of those convenient vegetable oil sprays. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle tops with brown sugar. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and serve slightly warm.
Last Meal: Wrinkles had a final meal request of a prime rib with a "loaded" baked potato, pork chops with steak fries, two salads with ranch dressing and rolls.
This Website promotes T-Shirts of people's hairstyles.
http://hirsutehistory.com/
A great Website with ALL sorts of Recipes for every person. I love Tastespotting!
www.tastespotting.com/
A rather Drunk Australia careened through the continents and has ended up upside down and wedged in the North Atlantic Ocean.
http://www.satirewire.com/news/jan02/australia.shtml
When you think about dying, how do you picture yourself going? I kind of hope it is in my sleep so I don't know it happened. That's just me personally.
Well this guy, Bernd Jürgen Brandes decided that dying in your sleep was just too passé. Instead he opted for the getting stabbed multiple times, having his penis cut off and eaten, and partially eating some of his penis himself. Its true.
Armin Meiwes was a murderer and a cannibal. Now he is a vegetarian. Oh the irony.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armin_Meiwes
The Girl with the Rose Red Slippers (An Egyptian Myth, possibly the first version of Cinderella ever told)
In the last days of Ancient Egypt, not many years before the country was conquered by the Persians, she was ruled by a Pharaoh called Amasis. So as to strengthen his country against the threat of invasion by Cyrus of Persia, who was conquering all the known world, he welcomed as many Greeks as wished to trade with or settle in Egypt, and gave them a city called Naucratis to be entirely their own.
In Naucratis, not far from the mouth of the Nile that flows into the sea at Canopus, there lived a wealthy Greek merchant called Charaxos. His true home was in the island of Lesbos, and the famous poetess Sappho was his sister; but he had spent most of his life trading with Egypt, and in his old age he settled at Naucratis.
One day when he was walking in the marketplace he saw a great crowd gathered round the place where the slaves were sold. Out of curiosity he pushed his way into their midst, and found that everyone was looking at a beautiful girl who had just been set up on the stone rostrum to be sold.
She was obviously a Greek with white skin and cheeks like blushing roses, and Charaxos caught his breath - for he had never seen anyone so lovely.
Consequently, when the bidding began, Charaxos determined to buy her and, being one of the wealthiest merchants in all Naucratis, he did so without much difficulty.
When he had bought the girl, he discovered that her name was Rhodopis and that she had been carried away by pirates from her home in the north of Greece when she was a child. They had sold her to a rich man who employed many slaves on the island of Samos, and she had grown up there, one of her fellow slaves being an ugly little man called Aesop who was always kind to her and told her the most entrancing stories and fables about animals and birds and human beings.
But when she was grown up, her master wished to make some money out of so beautiful a girl and had sent her to rich Naucratis to be sold.
Charaxos listened to her tale and pitied her deeply. Indeed very soon he became quite besotted about her. He gave her a lovely house to live in, with a garden in the middle of it, and slave girls to attend on her. He heaped her with presents of jewels and beautiful clothes, and spoiled her as if she had been his own daughter.
One day a strange thing happened as Rhodopis was bathing in the marble-edged pool in her secret garden. The slave-girls were holding her clothes and guarding her jeweled girdle and her rose-red slippers of which she was particularly proud, while she lazed in the cool water - for a summer's day even in the north of Egypt grows very hot about noon.
Suddenly when all seemed quiet and peaceful, an eagle came swooping down out of the clear blue sky - down, straight down as if to attack the little group by the pool. The slave-girls dropped everything they were holding and fled shrieking to hide among the trees and flowers of the garden; and Rhodopis rose from the water and stood with her back against the marble fountain at one end of it, gazing with wide, startled eyes.
But the eagle paid no attention to any of them. Instead, it swooped right down and picked up one of her rose-red slippers in its talons. Then it soared up into the air again on its great wings and, still carrying the slipper, flew away to the south over the valley of the Nile.
Rhodopis wept at the loss of her rose-red slipper, feeling sure that she would never see it again, and sorry also to have lost anything that Charaxos had given to her.
But the eagle seemed to have been sent by the gods - perhaps by Horus himself whose sacred bird he was. For he flew straight up the Nile to Memphis and then swooped, down towards the palace.
At that hour Pharaoh Amasis sat in the great courtyard doing justice to his people and hearing any complaints that they wished to bring.
Down over the courtyard swooped the eagle and dropped the rose-red slipper of Rhodopis into Pharaoh's lap.
The people cried out in surprise when they saw, this, and Amasis too was much taken aback. But, as he took up the little rose-red slipper and admired the delicate workmanship and the tiny size of it, he felt that the girl for whose foot it was made must indeed be one of the loveliest in the world.
Indeed Amasis the Pharaoh was so moved by what had happened that he issued a decree:
"Let my messengers go forth through all the cities of the Delta and, if need be, into Upper Egypt to the very borders of my kingdom. Let them take with them this rose-red slipper which the divine bird of Horus has brought to me, and let them declare that her from whose foot this slipper came shall be the bride of Pharaoh!"
Then the messengers prostrated themselves crying, 'Life, health, strength be to Pharaoh! Pharaoh has spoken and his command shall be obeyed!'
So they set forth from Memphis and went by way of Heliopolis and Tanis and Canopus until they came to Naucratis. Here they heard of the rich merchant Charaxos and of how he had bought the beautiful Greek girl in the slave market, and how he was lavishing all his wealth upon her as if she had been a princess put in his care by the gods.
So they went to the great house beside the Nile and found Rhodopis in the quiet garden beside the pool.
When they showed her the rose-red slipper she cried out in surprise that it was hers. She held out her foot so that they could see how well it fitted her; and she bade one of the slave girls fetch the pair to it which she had kept carefully in memory of her strange adventure with the eagle.
Then the messengers knew that this was the girl whom Pharaoh had sent them to find, and they knelt before her and said, 'The good god Pharaoh Amasis - life, health, strength be to him! - bids you come with all speed to his palace at Memphis. There you shall be treated with all honor and given a high place in his Royal House of Women: for he believes that Horus the son of Isis and Osiris sent that eagle to bring the rose-red slipper and cause him to search for you.'
Such a command could not be disobeyed. Rhodopis bade farewell to Charaxos, who was torn between joy at her good fortune and sorrow at his loss, and set out for Memphis.
And when Amasis saw her beauty, he was sure that the gods had sent her to him. He did not merely take her into his Royal House of Women, he made her his Queen and the Royal Lady of Egypt. And they lived happily together for the rest of their lives and died a year before the coming of Ambyses the Persian.
Snow Ice Cream (A Recipe)
First, bundle up and go outside to gather up some fresh snow. Make sure that it’s not yellow! (There are a lot of dogs in my neighborhood so I have to be extra careful).
Ingredients:
• 8 cups snow (lightly packed)
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
Lightly pack snow in to serving bowls. Mix the condensed milk and vanilla in a separate bowl. Pour on top of your snowballs, mix to combine, and add a dash of cinnamon if you wish. Serve immediately!
Pearl Jam's "Jeremy". Good Song, I had never heard it before today, but thanks to Fawn and Donnie I have and I like it a lot. Let's see what you guys think. ^^
Hooray Pictures!! Enjoy!!
This is a Kitty TOY, not an actual Kitty... but it is SO cute!! ^^
This is Adolf Hitler as a baby. Such a serious baby, don't you think? Who knew he would grow up to kill millions of people?
This is a Black footed Ferret. And they are almost extinct. They are the only ferrets native to the United States and are rapidly decreasing. They were actually thought extinct until one day a shepherd dog brought one to its owner.
This is a Chinese Dog. She adopted those tiger cubs that were abandoned by their mother. I think it is SO sweet that she is nursing them with her own puppies!
This is what happens when a Leopard decides to attack a Porcupine.
Marilyn Monroe as a young woman named Norma Jean.
For those of you who don't know, this is making a joke about the fact that the only person whose career survived Star Wars was Harrison Ford's. Well everyone still had a career but NONE of them became nearly as famous.
Poor Dorothy!
Polar Bear Attack!!
Princess Leia Rocks my Socks
The Cast of Star Wars. The only person missing is Anthony Daniels who played C3-PO (human cyborg relations)
Princess Leia got GROPED!!
My beautiful Marilyn Monroe
And now a Recipe!
BANANA BREAD WAFFLES
1 3/4 cups Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 pinch of Freshly Grated Nutmeg
3 Eggs
2 sticks Butter, melted
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk
1/2 tbsp Vanilla
3 Ripe Bananas, chopped
1/2 cup Pecans, toasted and chopped
In a large bowl whisk first 7 ingredients together.
In a small bowl mix eggs, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Add in bananas
Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir..but don't over stir. It is good to have lumps. Fold in the pecans.
Cook according to your waffle iron directions.
Top with sliced bananas and chopped pecans if desired!
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and line or grease 2 baking trays.
Combine the butter, sugar and vanilla, beating until pale and creamy. Then add the egg and beat again. Add the flour and your mix should form a smooth dough.
Take it from the bowl and refrigerate for just 10 – 20 minutes, then roll out the dough (1/2cm or 1/4in) and cut cookies with any shape cutter you like. Obviously hearts are obvious… ha.
Once you’ve cut out all the dough, pop them onto the baking sheet and into the oven for 10 minutes. We made pretty small ones, bite size, but if you make them bigger just cook for another couple minutes- not long. They should hardly have turned colour at all.
This made about 35 small, thin cookies for us, so double the batch if you’re making BIG hearts this year! These cookies are crisp and sweet, very smooth and durable for decorating so go wild! (We ate most of ours before we could decorate them.)
Here’s a good simple icing recipe for easy piping/writing.
Decorator frosting
* 80 g (2.8 oz) butter
* 2 c confectioners sugar (powdered/icing sugar)
* 1 Tbsp water
* 1/2 tsp flavoring (vanilla extract, lemon, peppermint, coconut, etc)
* a drop or two of food colouring if you like
Beat the butter and half the sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, then add the water, flavoring and colour and beat again while slowly adding the rest of the sugar until the mixture is creamy.
Pipe onto cookies using a piping bag or cut a tiny tip off a zip-loc bag and squeeze the icing through there onto the cookies.
A few random websites you might enjoy if you are crazy like me
