PAPAYA BOAT

I had made this table decoration for my friend's Baby Shower Party.
It is very simple and at the same time looks so pretty and decorative.
Here I have used blue and pink flowers because of the baby shower ...You may use any kind of vegetables like carrot, radish, cucumber or beet root strips or cherry tomatoes to be served with a dip of your choice.

Things required:
Papaya .... long .... boat shaped.
Flowers .... Pink & Blue (fresh or artificial)
Cherries ....for decoration
Bob pins .... with red colour heads
Tomato ..... carved into a basket shape (refer to the carvings section)
Tiny baby figurine.
Toothpicks.
Method:
1. Cut the 2 sides of papaya as shown in the picture and scoop out the seeds.
2. Fill them with blue and pink flowers on each side.
3. With a knife just give cross markings on the middle portion and decorate it with red coloured bob pins.
4. Secure the tomato basket on the top with the help of toothpicks and place the baby figurine in it.
5. Decorate the boat with cherries.


Sending this to the event - Create N Carve
Hosted by:
Simply.Food

We're Sorry, But From 20,000 Feet, You All Look The Same

"All Points Bulletin: Terminate with extreme prejudice a group of armed pickup trucks headed east from the town. They are known to carry Libyan Army units ..."

Rebel fighters claimed North Atlantic Treaty Organization airstrikes blasted their forces Thursday, in another apparent mistake that sharply escalated anger about coordination with the military alliance in efforts to cripple Libyan forces. At least two rebels were killed and more than a dozen injured, a doctor said.

The attack, near the front lines outside the eastern oil port of Brega, would be the second accidental NATO strike against rebel forces in less than a week, and brought cries of outrage from fighters struggling against Col. Moammar Gadhafi's larger and more experienced military.

"Down, down with NATO," shouted one fighter as dozens of rebel vehicles raced eastward from the front toward the rebel-held city of Ajbadiya.

Airstrikes without spotters on the ground coordinating the attacks lead to friendly fire incidents? Who could have seen this coming?

Cheezburger of the Day

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

I felt sure this had to be a Photoshop and the consensus seems to be the same. Even under the most extreme circumstances, I couldn't get my head around the mechanics of a giraffe climbing a tree. Having said that, it's still funny.

Did I ruin the joke?

But They Marched! And Chanted!

... and in the end it had no effect at all. The Portugese are about to become a protectorate of the European Central Bank (ECB).

Portugal will need as much as €90 billion ($128.98 billion), including €10 billion in June, under a bailout package from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, people familiar with the situation said Thursday ...

It will take about two to three weeks to work out an austerity program to accompany a bailout for Portugal with the help of the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the IMF, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Thursday.

Emphasis mine. A month ago they still controlled their own lives. Instead of sucking it up and voluntarily cutting their spending, they marched and chanted and demanded an infinite extension of childhood. All of that is over now as the (relative) grown-ups at the ECB are going to come down good and hard on them.

The thing I'm marvelling at is how a relatively educated population couldn't have seen this coming. They spent way more money than they were making. Everyone knew it because the newspapers told them frequently what their debt situation was.

I don't know why this didn't work. They had everything you'd need: a bullhorn, a sign, colored hair ...
I get it that a nation can elect an Obama once in a while. But to elect one and then after he wrecks the nation's finances by borrowing unbelievably vast sums of money, how could you have any collective reaction but panic? How could a majority think that by marching and chanting and demanding that a mythical someone else pay your bills you could avoid the inevitable end of all deadbeats? The Portugese education system must be screwed up beyond all measure to produce a population that can't make the simple connection between borrowing money and paying it back.

Next up: a search for an English-language Portugese newspaper or blog.

Moo

I picked this one up from Der Spiegel.

Side Dish: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

S.Kenney 2011

Some things in life are so simple.  Like this wild buttercup flower.  Each state we have lived in seems to have its own wild flowers growing rampant in empty lots, sides of the highways and in empty fields.  I know the bluebell flower is celebrated here, but this is the flower that we see growing everywhere.  My son has a wonderful view from upstairs out his window of a huge field filled with these buttercups.


Buttercups.  Its such a sweet name for a flower.  I remember being around 9 or 10.  I was at the bus stop one day.  There was this boy.  His name was Chad.  I remember him well because he used to eat acorns to shock us.  He said that if I rubbed the flower on my chin and there was left a yellow stain, then that meant I liked butter.  Well, I knew I really liked butter but I was a rather gullible child.  I rubbed the flower and looked hopefully at him for the results.  Yep, I liked butter.


Wow.  It worked.


Rather gullible child...like I said...


Anyway, is there anyone out there who doesn't like a simple bowl of mashed potatoes?  Give me cream, potatoes, butter, and garlic and I am a really content person.

If you read my previous post about the zucchini wrapped cod, I decided to make the recommended side dish from Curtis Stone's "Take Home Chef" program.  Garlic mashed potatoes paired really well with the fish.

What are mashed potatoes without some wonderful milk or cream?  I don't really cook with low fat products when making potato dishes.  I try (key word...try.  I didn't say...succeed) to eat smaller portions of really yummy foods so that we can use whole ingredients even if they might be higher in calories.

Last summer, we were still settling into our new home.  I stopped at a local flower nursery to buy something for our two planters on either side of the garage doors.  I wanted something green that would spill over  and hang off the sides.


I saw something just like what I had in mind and I asked the man at the nursery if this kind of plant would like full sun.  He nodded his head encouragingly and said that it would like full sun.  He kept saying "pot-tito" over and over.  He had a thick accent and I assumed he was telling me the name of this pretty viney plant.  He pointed out several other types but I was sold and happily trucked home my new decorative plants.


Well, I planted them in my front planter.  Indeed, they like full sun and did well.  Towards the end of summer, I noticed some bulbous objects in the planter.  I pulled one out.   Lo and behold, what did I have?


Yes.  You guessed it...


Potatoes.  I had grown potatoes all summer long and had no idea. There were knobs of potatoes pocking out all over my planters.   Ya know, he tried to tell me!!  I didn't know potato leaves were so pretty.  I just might plant them again!

Be generous with the salt and pepper for mashed potatoes.  I can't help it if I have to take sample after sample bite to see if they are seasoned well enough.  I always need more salt and pepper.  I never quite seem to put enough.

MMmmmm.  Yummy, hot, garlicky, buttery mashed potatoes.  I know, not the healthiest but such a wonderful side dish.


I resort to potatoes quite often for side dishes.  Sometimes simplicity is what is ...comforting.  That must be why they call it "comfort" food.  I seem to be leaning towards cooking as a way to bring us all together, sit at the table, and slow down.


I would say that this latest move has definitely exhausted us the most.  With each move, we jump right into the programs, homeschool groups, clubs, field trips, etc.  Not this time.  We've tried to slow things down a notch.


I've kept things at a frenzied pace because we're always asked if our kids get opportunities to "socialize" like kids do when they are in school.  I fretted over this when we first began homeschooling. My kids were in school for their elementary years - many schools.   Quickly, after deciding to try out homeschooling, I realized, that homeschoolers can be easily overbooked.  Instead of being in one school building all day, they are involved in so many community areas and different groups that it can be too much.


Sometimes, teaching them that moving through life at a slower pace is o.k.  We are a really frenzied culture here in the U.S.  Relaxing and appearing to be idle is not tolerated very well.  We're trying to smell the roses a bit more.  Trying to notice things more, like this little bud, that says:


"Stop.  Relax.  Notice me."

S. Kenney 2011

Simple Garlic Mashed Potatoes:
Ingredients:
4 medium to large russet potatoes (about 3 pounds/1.35 kg total), peeled and each cut into 8 equal pieces
11 tablespoons/150 g salted butter, room temperature
1 cup/235 ml whole milk
2 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Recipe:
Place the potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water and cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.  Strain the potatoes in a colander and allow them to steam dry in the colander for 5 minutes. 
Working in batches, press the potatoes and butter through a potato ricer and into the same pot.  Mix in the milk to form a smooth and fluffy consistency.  Using a mortar and pestle, finely crush the garlic into a paste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic through a garlic press.
Stir the garlic paste into the potatoes. Season the potatoes to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the potatoes and keep them warm.

KARELA & CORIANDER JUICE

Karela ( bitter gourd ), as we all know, has lot of medicinal properties and is very rich in iron. One should try to consume some amount of karela in our diet, especially those suffering with diabetes.
The juice of coriander( also known as cilantro) is beneficial in producing vitamin A, B1, B2, C and iron. It is also highly beneficial in treating digestive disorders such as indigestion, nausea, dysentery, hepatitis and colitis.
Here is a recipe with the blend of both the juices. Some people find it difficult to consume karela juice because of the bitter taste, but when blended with coriander, lime and salt it is not as bad as we think.

Ingredients:
Karela .... 1
Coriander leaves ... handful
Lime juice ........ 1-2 tbsps. ( as per your taste)
Salt .................. 1/2 tsp.
Water ............... 1 small glass.

Method:
1. Wash and cut the karela into pieces.( do not peel)
2. Blend it with all the above ingredients.
3. Strain and serve chilled.

DHOKLA CAKE

Ingredients:

Rice ................... 2 cups

Urad dal .......... 1/2 cup

Chana dal ....... 1/2 cup

Ginger ............... 1 inch piece

Green chillies ... 3-4

Asafoetida ........ 2 pinches

Baking soda ...... a pinch (mixed in oil)

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak rice and dals for 10-12 hrs.

2. Grind them with ginger, green chillies, salt adding very little water.

3. Mix asafoetida and let it ferment well.

4. Add in the baking soda mixed with oil

5. Grease a tin with ghee and pour the batter in it.

6. Steam it in a double boiler for 15-20 minutes.

(Garnish with mint chutney and cashewnuts)

Contributed by Manju Sharma.....this is her innovation.

She made it specially for me on my birthday because I do not eat sweets.