Funny Comics Review The News - 26 Mar 2010

From Denny: Want to know what's on the minds of comics when they watch the news? Here's your chance as several comics review everything from the sorry Sandra Bullock Oscar saga of a jerk husband, Sarah Palin's odd reality TV show, health care reform drama, Vice President Joe Biden's potty mouth statement on microphone in front of national TV cameras about how great it was to pass the health care bill, the state of California's possible legalization of marijuana and the weird former Presidents: George Bush "43" oddly wiping his hand off on Bill Clinton's shoulder. What drugs is he on now?

If you ever wanted a comedian to be your news anchor here's your chance as three comics gather around with The Early Show host, Harry Smith, to discuss the news and solve all the problems of the world in an amusing way.



Watch CBS News Videos Online


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Easy Rich Yellow Loaf Cake with Chocolate Ganache

From Denny: Remember those dense rich flavorful pound cakes your great grandmother used to make in her time? Wonderful rich cakes full of butter - and calories. Well, we don't work on the farm anymore, unable to justify those calories since most of us are desk jockeys these days. How wonderful those cakes must have tasted with fresh homemade creamery butter! I have to go down to the Farmer's Market on weekends to find that "fresh from the farm taste" and quality product.

Well, the good news is the pound cake recipe idea has been streamlined calorie wise and is far lighter in texture. I paired this recipe with simple chocolate ganache. There is a video from Southern Living demonstrating how easy it is to make. There are also two ganache recipes, one with butter and the other uses light corn syrup. Take your pick.

Breakfast for the Diva Queen: Loaf Cake French Toast

Use leftover slices of Rich Yellow Loaf Cake to make a decadent breakfast treat. For four (1/2-inch) slices of cake, whisk together an egg and 1/2 cup of milk. Dip each slice in the mixture, turning to coat. Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in a nonstick skillet and cook the slices, turning once, until golden and crisp. Rich Yellow Loaf Cake, cooked this way, is great with strawberries and whipped cream.

Option: Make two smaller loaf cakes rather than the one (9x5-inch) loaf. Enjoy one and freeze the other one for later. Defrost the cake at room temperature before serving.







This new cookbook is available from Amazon and already discounted for sale! Check it out: “Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes, and Other Good-to-the-Last-Crumb Treats”






Rich Yellow Loaf Cake

From: “Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-to-the-Last Crumb Treats” by Lauren Chattman

Serves: 8 to 10

Lighter in texture than traditional pound cake, this golden loaf is still wonderfully rich tasting because it is made with egg yolks.

Ingredients:

4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup milk
2 tsps. pure vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
1 tbl. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour. Combine the egg yolks, milk and vanilla in a large glass measuring cup and lightly beat. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice as necessary.

3. With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.

4. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 1 minute on medium speed.

5. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for about 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.

6. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.






Make a simple chocolate ganache to "enrobe" this luscious simple cake:









Chocolate Ganache Icing

From: Southern Living Magazine

Ingredients:

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons butter


Directions:

Microwave semisweet chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt.

Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in butter; let stand 20 minutes. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture forms soft peaks.





Chocolate Ganache

From: Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez

Makes: enough for 24 cupcakes
Active time: 15 min
Start to finish: 15 min

Ingredients:

6 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup


Directions:

Put chocolate in a large bowl. Heat cream in a medium saucepan over moderate heat until it just comes to a boil, then pour over chocolate and let stand 3 minutes. Whisk until smooth, then stir in corn syrup.





*** For more recipes like this, please visit Romancing The Chocolate!


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Funny Rules of Chocolates, Origins of the Funny Easter Bunny

From Denny: Finding a lot of funny things about the Easter bunny for Cheeky Quote Day over at The Social Poets was totally crazy! I went looking for funny Easter quotes, only to find very few. What I did find were plenty of late night show "top ten lists" and funny videos. This is a sampling of the funnies. Be sure to check out the full post for lots more grins and how to dye your own boiled eggs the way it was done before it became commercialized.


Check out this kid friendly music video of the Easter Bunny Rap to give you a smile:





Since Easter morning involves the giving of lots of chocolate, please abide by these "important" rules:


The Rules Of Chocolates


If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

The problem: How to get two pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car.
The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal.
It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?

If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

Money talks. Chocolate sings.

Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.

Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous?
Because no one wants to quit.

Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

Chocolate is a health food. Chocolate is derived from cacao beans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived either from sugar beets or cane, both vegetables. And, of course, the milk/cream is dairy. So eat more chocolate to meet the dietary requirements for daily vegetable and dairy intake.

Check out the full post of the latest Cheeky Quote Day from The Social Poets for more grins and how some Easter traditions got started from the beginning:

Origins of the Funny Easter Bunny - Cheeky Quote Day 24 Mar 2010


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Louisiana Crawfish Etouffee From Lafittes Landing

Boiled crawfish photo by adie reed @ flickr


From Denny: Crawfish are coming into season and besides the first crawfish boil of the season my tummy goes to thinking about crawfish etoufee, a savory stew served over rice. Traditionally, this is a Creole dish but is now found all throughout Cajun country. It's served in the most upscale restaurants which makes a lot of old timers chuckle. To them it's just a good ol' country dish that tastes good and not expensive to make when you live off the land.

"Etoufee" is a word that means to stew, smother (a favorite technique throughout the entire American South for everything from pork chops to crawfish) or braise. My Cajun father-in-law always talked about smothering his Mississippi Pork Chops. And, oh, were they good too! Anyway, call it smothering, stewing or braising, this method of easy slow cooking is used for shrimp, crab, crawfish, meats and game.

This is an easy version of etoufee for the beginner cook as it is made with the simple light colored roux, sometimes called white roux. You don't have to master the darker roux.

Lafitte's Landing is about 40 minutes outside of Baton Rouge, the capital city. Baton Rouge is an hour plus 15 minutes west of New Orleans. If you come to visit, come long enough to traipse across southern Louisiana, going from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and farther west to Lafayette in a horizontal bee line. Lafayette usually has an International Music Festival around Easter or early April which is great fun.

If you have never visited Lafitte's Landing at Bittersweet Plantation - the brain child and huge success and a bed and breakfast too - of Louisiana native Chef John Folse, then hike on over and pay them a visit! The food is top notch; bring your wallet too. It's worth the time and money every time. Take a look at their B & B Suites as they are in the process of adding new ones, go here. Call them for availability and pricing as they may not have updated their website.

This chef is quite enterprising. He has developed his products as frozen entrees and more, ready to ship from his website in case you get a craving for good Louisiana food. For the crawfish etoufee, check it out here.




Cajun sampler platter with crawfish etoufee (front right), photo by Wyscan @ flickr


Louisiana Crawfish Etouffee

From: Chef John Folse, Lafitte's Landing Restaurant in Donaldsonville, Louisiana

Yield: enough for your hungry friends and relatives

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds cleaned crawfish tails (you can purchase these frozen)
1/4 pound butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons diced garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup flour
2 quarts crawfish stock (by boiling the shells in water to extract the seasonings and seafood flavor)
1 ounce sherry
1 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons basil
2 tablespoons thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Louisiana Gold Pepper sauce


DIRECTIONS:

In a 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.

Add onions, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic and bay leaves. Saute 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted.

Add half of the crawfish tails and tomato sauce and blend well into mixture.

Using a cooking spoon, blend flour into the vegetable mixture to form a white roux.

Slowly add crawfish stock or water, a little at a time, until all is incorporated. Bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add remaining crawfish tails, sherry, green onions, parsley, basil and thyme. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

Season to taste using salt and pepper. Serve over steamed white rice or pasta, adding a few dashes of Louisiana Gold pepper sauce.


*** To purchase any of Chef John Folse's products, check out his extensive offerings at his online store, go here.


*** For more recipes like this, please visit Comfort Food From Louisiana!


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41 Post Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 22 Mar 2010

From Denny: Catch up on posts at all of Denny's blogs. Lots of choices from news, political humor, political opinion, science news, poetry, motivational quotes and spiritual thoughts, great recipes and humor. And hey, if you would like to bookmark this on your fav social site, it sure would make my day! :)


The Social Poets:

Health Care Reform Resistance, Funny Political Cartoons - 20 Mar 2010

The 11 Choices poem - Libations Friday 19 Mar 2010

Fleecing America: Political Hypocrites Drenched in Stimulus Money

Funny Sarcastic Sayings for St. Patricks Day - Cheeky Quote Day 17 Mar 2010

2 Months Later: Haiti Still Suffers Yet Has Faith

Funny Late Night Comedy Roundup - 15 Mar 2010

29 Post Roundup at Dennys Blogs 14 Mar 2010



Dennys Global Politics:


Health Care Vote and What You Get, Iraq War Anniversary - News Roundup 21 Mar 2010

Latest on Health Care Bill - Headlines Roundup 19 Mar 2010

News Headlines Roundup 16 Mar 2010 - Religious Sex Scandals, Scientology Abuses, Lost Shakespeare Found

News Headlines Roundup 15 Mar 2010 - CEO Bonuses, Life in Antarctica, Old Europe

News Headlines Roundup 12 Mar 2010 - W.H. Press Sec and Canada Bet, American Adooption, Americas Yellow Journalism

News Headlines Roundup 10 Mar 2010 - Rep. Patrick Kennedy outburst in House

Funny Colbert Interviews Erickson, Head of Conservative RedState.com



Beautiful Illustrated Quotes:


Does Your Life Feel Like a Disaster?

3 Quotes About Facing Tough Times




Food blogs:


Moistest Low Cal Chocolate Cake, Pesto Veggie Lasagna, Quick Salad

Gorgeous Whiskey Chocolate Brownies

5 Super Easy Chocolate Desserts: Only 5 Ingredients

4 Star Food on a Budget: Pecan Chicken, Salad, Orzo, Sweet Cheese Tarts

Martha Stewarts 4 Fast Spring Recipes

New Orleans Recipes: Crawfish Etouffee, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Jambalaya, Sazerac Cocktail

Stop That Cold in Its Tracks: Illness Fighting Foods

Check Out Statistics 4 Real Cost of Fast Food vs. Whole

Chef Mario Batalis 3 Saltimbocca Recipe Variations

Olympics Seafood Dish: Pan Roasted Black Cod, Sunchokes, Lentils and Mushrooms



Science @ The Soul Calendar:

Check Out This Tripping New Look for the Milky Way

New Finding Under Antarctic Ice: Stinky Greenhouse Gas Ready to Go Boom

Friday Trivia: 14 Useless Random Facts

Comics Point of View: Our Weird Politicians



Humor Blogs:

Funny Sarcastic Sayings 4 Any Day

Funny News: Italys World Slow Day

Weird News: Watching Porn in Church

7 Funny Quips 10 Mar 2010

8 Funny Quips



Visual Insights:

Photography, Beautiful Metaphor for Life: 17 Boats

Only White Theme: 26 Photos

Photo History: 1st Lady Gowns, Michelle Obama Donates Hers

16 Beautiful Creative Angel Photos

10 Make You Think Fantasy Photos

30 Funny Creative Animal Ads


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, 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!

MyBlogLog verification

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Photography, Beautiful Metaphor for Life: 17 Boats

From Denny: When I'm writing I take a break and rest my mind. That's when I go to places like flickr and focus only on the visual, no words. I get to think in pictures instead of words. Take a look at my version of a coffee break of what appealed to me today, enjoy!



Boats




Colorful boats in Italy by Emile Bremmer @ flickr







Shrimp boat in Vietnam by Lucas Jans @ flickr







Dream vision boat by gjeewaytee @ flickr







Brown and white boat by FriaLOve @ flickr







Boat with purple sky by *JRFoto* @ flickr







Aqua boat by mike138 @ flickr






Boat aground by mike138 @ flickr







Bored boy in a boat by Kr. B. @ flickr







Turquoise blue boat by cloudzilla @ flickr






Boat with clouds reflecting in the water by jonrawlinson @ flickr






Antique wooden boat in India by Anant Rohankar @ flickr







Coast Guard boat on rough seas by mikebaird @ flickr







Simple white boat by pdam2 @ flickr







Leaf boat in Croatia by prkos @ flickr







Junk boat in Hong Kong by ncburton @ flickr







Weathered boat in England by NickStenning @ flickr







Colorful boats from Malta by papalars @ flickr


*** For more like this, please visit my photo blog, Visual Insights!

*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, 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!