Dennys Food and Recipes: Summer Food: Blueberry Yum Yum Cake Says It All: From Denny: This sheet pan cake of creamy goodness only requires two cups of fresh blueberries. First you make a simple syrup of water and sugar, add cornstarch to thicken, then add the blueberries. Set the blueberry topping aside to cool while you create the crust.
The crust is a yummy combination of finely chopped pecans, butter and flour that you pat into the sheet pan and bake for about 10 to 20 minutes to make your tasty crust. Set aside to cool.
To make your filling you combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar together and when that is well combined you add in the whipped topping, pouring it into the cooled crust.
After the blueberry topping has cooled then pour over the cream cheese-powdered sugar-whipping topping mixture. Now set the sheet pan of blueberry goodness into the fridge to chill well. Serve to screams of total delight!...
Dennys Food and Recipes: Summer Food: Blueberry Yum Yum Cake Says It All
Shooting star Cooper says, "I'm the man!" What confidence! Who doesn't want to drink coffee every morning with him? More products available in this name design for your pet or your man!
Dennys Food and Recipes: Summer Food: Cream Cheese Pastry Blueberry-Apple Cobbler and Traditional Blueberry Cobbler: From Denny: Blueberries. The awesome blue food we all love. So, I went hunting for something interesting in the cobbler department for us this week. Thefirst recipe is from our local newspaper, a blueberry cobbler made with a cream cheese pastry and a filling that consists of a combination of blueberries, apple and lemon. A cream cheese pastry always tastes great with a fruit filling, especially blueberries! It's a simple and straightforward pastry recipe with flour, salt and butter but also with cream cheese and a bit of orange juice added to the pastry to spike up the flavor.
The filling calls for fresh blueberries, an apple and lemon juice and lemon zest. While this recipe calls for sugar I often substitute brown rice syrup or agave syrup in its place for a lower glycemic index than refined white sugar. Try it half sugar and half agave as an idea, whatever you like at your house, just try experimenting until you find that sweet spot Goldilocks zone for your taste buds!
The second recipeis a traditional blueberry cobbler made in a 9-inch square baking pan like you do for brownies and is from a local Louisiana blueberry grower. When a recipe calls for margarine, well, I'm no fan of margarine, so I use clarified butter. If you don't have the time to make your own clarified butter it's now available in grocery stores as I saw a jar in Trader Joe's just last week.
Also note that I use "Tablespoon" and "teaspoon" as an easier read so you don't get confused by small type - by writing it out instead of an abbreviation and also capitalizing Tablespoon. There have been those moments when I was busy and scan read a recipe only to make a mistake with too much or too little of an ingredient so I changed all my recipes to reflect what I do here on my food blogs. The whole point is to enjoy a good food experience!
Oh, and the Denny Lyon Gifts ads are from my Cafe Press store. The profits go to my two favorite charities: the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank that feeds half of Louisiana and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital that has helped thousands of children on the Gulf Coast. After all, should anyone go hungry in America? Should any parent have to emotionally stress and experience financial ruin because their child got sick? Thank you to those of you supporting my gift store effort!...
(As these articles post this week I'll add the links, so check back often!)
Dennys Food and Recipes: Summer Food: Deliciously Easy Small Blueberry Cake: From Denny: This is an easy to assemble cake, practically a dump cake after you add together the dry ingredients and milk. You pour the melted butter over the batter without stirring and layer loads of blueberries on top and then bake to get this marbling effect.
Make sure you are using aluminum free baking powder, an easy find at most grocery stores these days and always at health food stores like Trader Joe's. You could also substitute agave syrup for the white sugar to lower the glycemic index. I'm considering trying it with brown rice syrup to see how it performs so I'll let you know later how that turns out. (First we have to finish off my experiment with a rice pudding recipe that came out quite well.)
While this recipe calls for Louisiana blueberries there are plenty of other blueberry growers with very delicious berries in Texas, Mississippi and California and other states too. Since blueberries have grown in popularity more farmers have turned to growing them. Get what is local to you so the berries will be fresh. Buy USA berries which supports workers and farmers in America.
This is a small pan cake (9" x 9") so it is suitable for just a snack for a few friends or a couple of people who regularly cook for two - with leftovers. Oh, that's too bad, you mean there might be more to enjoy for breakfast? This would be wonderful at tea time or a coffee break snack at the office or home as this little cake will travel well for picnics and gatherings too. It would even taste great chilled for the hot summer weather. Blueberries are awesome and healthy!
Oh, and a big thank you to those of you supporting Denny Lyon Gifts by purchasing products like aprons, t-shirts, pillows, bedding and mugs. My profits (paid by Cafe Press) go to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank here in Louisiana that basically feeds half of the state and also to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, two of my favorite charities that help a lot of children. Who should go hungry in America? Who should experience financial ruin because your child gets sick? So, I started up my small store at Cafe Press for some creative fun of designing and to give to these charities. So, again, thank you for your support. You guys rock!...
(As these articles post this week I'll add the links, so check back often!)
Dennys Food and Recipes: Summer Food: Easy Blueberry Heaven Trifle: From Denny: Could this week get any hotter? With 100 degree highs and a 115 degree heat index this summer is turning out to be a real scorcher. It brings to mind a Downton Abbey episode when Lord Grantham was arm-twisted by the women of the family to quit drinking for six months until his health issue was confirmed or denied: "Good God, man! Steady on!" Any time we don't like something or want to complain at our house that's our new go-to phrase for laughs.
Cooling summer desserts come to mind when the weather is uncooperatively too hot. In fact, before the age of air conditioning it was custom to never eat a hot meal. The vegetables were as cold as the meats on the plate. You still see some of that mindset in places like Greece where the concept of a hot vegetable is considered strange. They boil their vegetables and then chill them before even considering offering them to a guest or family. With this kind of outrageous weather the idea sounds good! It certainly takes the stress off the body for getting too hot.
What?! You've heard enough about the ridiculous hot weather and Greek culture? How about this easy recipe that is kid friendly too that the family could help with this one. This one is easy to assemble as it involves a purchased angel food cake torn into chunks, cream cheese (whipped or not), sweetened condensed milk, a box of Jell-O vanilla pudding, whipping cream, toasted pecans (Louisiana pecans, if you can get them, because they sure are wonderful) and a honking huge quart of fresh blueberries. Remember, this trifle does serve 10 to 12 people. Enjoy!...
(As these articles post this week I'll add the links, so check back often!)
* * * Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home. VisitDenny Lyon Gifts @ CafePress.com - see what's new!
Most people don't wash them until just when ready to eat. Well, that doesn't work in our house so I pour a large bowl of water, add about 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar and let the entire plastic box and blueberries soak for about 5 minutes to kill bacteria. Drain the entire box well, dry off a bit with a towel and throw back into the fridge. Usually, a reputable grocery store - and even from the farm - they give the berries a quick vinegar wash to brush off leaves and bugs.
We all like to dine on blueberries by the handfuls as snacks, toss them on to the breakfast cereal or yogurt and make breakfast muffins. Here's a new twist: how about blueberries in your homemade lemonade?
This interesting recipe (from our local newspaper food writer) combines two fruit syrups: a blueberry syrup and a lemon syrup. You only use the blueberry syrup to color the lemonade to your preference. The remaining blueberry syrup can be used on pancakes, waffles, toast or even in salad dressings. OK, you got me, this lemonade is so doggone pretty! Great idea for summer entertaining...
From Denny: Does any one in this country actually promote or like abortion? No. Even as a liberal I agree with my Republican voting friends that abortion is disgusting and disrespectful of humanity. But the way the Republican Party screams about the abortion issue does not solve the problem and has not solved the problem in over 40 years. Obviously, the Republicans do not know how to lead the country - just stir up passions in cultural scream-offs just to win yet another election. After the elections all the politicians sit on their hands doing nothing until the next election cycle of what will be broken promises.
Planned Parenthood has some serious problems with those insensitivedoctors caught on video discussing the marketing of fetal body parts. Of course, the calculating GOP strategists are promoting that video to rally the cause to defund Planned Parenthood - that also happens to do a lot of good for women's health issues in other areas like cancer testing.Defunding Planned Parenthood is not the solution that will change the need for abortions.
The real questions every voter should be asking about that Planned Parenthood video is who the hell are these medical science creeps that are demanding said fetal parts be given for free or sold to them for their research and development of who knows what? How pervvy can you get? What exactly are they doing with that fetal tissue? Why is there a "market" for fetal tissue, hearts and lungs in the first place? Does this situation have anything to do with a severe shortage of donor organs in China with wealthy Chinese willing to pay any price to procure those organs?...
Dennys Food and Recipes: BBQ Grilling: Try Grilled Summer Cooling Puttanesca Gazpacho: From Denny: Fancy a cold soup to counter the ridiculous hot heat of the summer? Gazpacho is everyone's favorite, especially when entertaining for large groups. This version involves grilling all those delicious veggies like red bell peppers, poblano peppers, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and a head of fresh garlic.
Let the charred peppers cool before removing the skins and the inside seeds and membranes. Squeeze the cooled soft garlic cloves out of their papery skins and into the food processor. Add the delicious flavors of capers, Kalamata olives, anchovies, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Make the soup as chunky or as smooth as you like. Chill well before serving. To serve, garnish with yummy ricotta cheese and fresh torn herbs like cilantro and basil. Then sit back and wait for the compliments to arrive!...
Sophie is a sweet pup -and wise - she deserves the very best! More products like mugs and t-shirts, ornaments available in this Sophie name, so come see.
From Denny: Start your New Year off right with lots of laughter and some smart advice on meeting those New Year resolutions. And, hey, thanks for visiting all these blogs this past year, much appreciated!
Let Good Times Roll celebrates Mardi Gras all year long!
* * * Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home. Visit Denny Lyon Gifts @ CafePress.com - see what's new! And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort! You rock!
* Check outDennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my 24 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. *
*** 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!
A Christmas Post: True Christmas Story: Funny Christmas Conversations: From Denny: Think back. How much can you remember about the things your parents used to tell you about Santa? This Christmas Eve my husband and I started that conversation. Though we have been married many years there were still some things we did not know about each other.
We laughed about the incredible stories our parents told us on Christmas Eve. It was becoming a contest between whose parents were the most outrageous storytellers.
Do you remember the funny and downright lame excuses your parents used to give you when talking about Santa coming to visit on Christmas Eve? 3 videos.
and more guns... December 14, 2012 01 (Photo credit: Patrick Feller)
From Denny: The horror that occurred last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut was unthinkable. The entire world was shocked at the killing of 20 six- and seven-year-olds and six of their teachers who valiantly tried to protect and shield their children. The shooter also killed his own mother while she lay sleeping in the home they shared.
It was 20 years ago this style of mass killing in public places like schools began in Columbine, Colorado. Just this year there was a mass shooting at a movie theater and again at a shopping mall. Now a mass shooting at an elementary school. All in America.
When will the horror stop? When will the nation's politicians quit thinking only of themselves and their careers, living in fear of the powerful gun lobby like the NRA and other Republican groups, and get serious about doing the right thing? Yet the number of guns sold in America without background checks continues to soar. To date there are over 200 million guns owned in America.
3 video clips: Sen. Diane Feinstein, Sen. Joe Manchin, former Rep. Joe Scarborough
From Denny: As a way to teach students the election process mock elections occurred across the country last week. Right here in Louisiana, involving 88,600 students across the state from 280 public, private and home schooling, they voted President Obama into a second term. Louisiana broke for Obama by a margin of 51.29 percent to Romney's 48.71 percent.
From Angie Franklin, the gifted program teacher at Peabody Montessori in Alexandria, Louisiana, "Our objective was to make sure the kids here in the school knew what the election process was. And why it's so important, every four years, to vote."
From Denny: It's time to stop the madness along with the childish political campaign bickering. Americans don't want to hear it anyway. There are bigger issues at stake like the lives of these two seriously ill little girls from Utah, Natalie and Alice Fish. In light of what this one American family is enduring should shame all the national politicians who are so self-absorbed they have not stopped long enough to notice.
I'm so disgusted with the 2012 election's childish name-calling tone and enabling media encouraging it that I change the channel constantly. As a respite yesterday I went up on my page at Google + to catch up on those who friended me. Lots of really interesting people from all over the world. I grew up internationally and it's always great fun for me to see who's new that popped into my world.
From Denny: Jon Stewart sure makes the case for birth control for the parents of the very people who miraculously grow up just to vote against themselves in favor of financial serfdom by the Big Business puppet masters. Maybe we can come up with a pill that fertilizes only critical thinkers? Wouldn't that be a most interesting world?
Who doesn't enjoy silly dancing birth control pills, courtesy of crazy humorist Jon Stewart? There are actually still places in the world where birth control is considered controversial. With a world population rapidly approaching eight billion we all might want to consider a neighborhood Mardi Gras parade featuring these dancers. Maybe if we entertain those clueless voters just like Fox News we might gain some ground with serious thinking and serious issues.
Get a grin at funny Jon Stewart. It's been a long day for me, trudging through the garage for purge and clean-up in triple digit heat. It's also known as a Louisiana Sauna where you can drop a few of those extra pounds you've been meaning to throw in the trash. I knew summer was good for something besides yummy cold watermelon! :)
Moment of Zen - Dancing Birth Control Pills
A Planned Parenthood music video celebrates birth control through Indian dance.
* * * Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - helping homeless female military veterans come home. Visit Denny Lyon Gifts @ CafePress.com - see what's new! And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort! You rock!
* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my other 20 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. *
*** 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!
the two Baracks, Image via WikipediaFrom Denny: Author Sally Jacobs shares details from her new book which focuses upon the life of President Obama's enigmatic father. Barack Obama, Sr. was profiled as bold and reckless. The book is called "The Other Barack."
Barack, Sr. lived large, drank heavily and had multiple wives because he had come from a polygamous background. To him it was socially normal.
President Obama is rooted, extremely cautious, responsible, monogamous and an attentive father. He's the typical profile of the child of a raging alcoholic.
You see a lot of this reaction from the next generation in politics, the military and the intelligence community. Even President Bush 41 reacted in a similar fashion to his father, Senator Bush, who was an alcoholic.
Barack, Sr. left his son when he was an infant. The only real time they spent together was one month in 1971 when young Barack was nine years old.
What do they have in common? Healthy intelligence, an interest in politics and a desire to cast themselves as mediators, conciliators and as someone capable of compromise. Barack, Sr. was passionately interested in the politics of his new country.
The President Barack decided to become an attentive and quality time father in direct contrast to his father. As President, is he now capable of giving that same attention and devotion to the well being of the American people?
In order for the collective American family to rise above this economic chaos it's time to unravel all the NAFTA trade deals that have American workers at such a terrible and devastating disadvantage. Until we create jobs by the millions - instead of sending them overseas by the millions each year - will we finally pull ourselves out of this mess.
Giving multinational companies the rights - to avoid being answerable to our American courts - and to abolish our individual American rights is inexcusable. Congress and this President have enabled this travesty through the trade deals and allowing corporations to rule our federal government with an iron fist.
Currently, there is privacy rights legislation making its way through Congress that takes away the right of the individual to sue a corporation for violating their privacy. In other words, Senators McCain and Kerry have decided the average American no longer is allowed to have any rights they are allowed to pursue in the justice system. That's unconstitutional.
Get this, this new so-called privacy rights legislation up for a vote is that instead we are supposed to only allow the FEC to take the violators to court. The only people who can get any monetary compensation for punitive damages are small businesses - not individuals. and that compensation is only capped at a paltry $3 million. This is an outrage.
It's issues like this that Obama should spend his time and efforts. It's time he unwind NAFTA and other bad laws masquerading as reforms - like the tax breaks to the rich. You just can't run a country and several wars on the backs of poor people without any decent paying jobs to contribute into the economy and the national treasury.
Just this week, here's the latest tally of lost jobs:
NASA - 9, 000 jobs evaporated all at once - and Obama fired them
Cisco - 6, 500 jobs
Borders book stores - 11, 000 jobs eliminated
We have finally hit that exponential curve where this economy and this country has spiraled out of control because of greedy corporations and foolish politicians who enable them. The time of reckoning has arrived, like it or not.
* * * Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - helping homeless female military veterans come home. Visit Denny Lyon Gifts @ CafePress.com - see what's new! And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort! You rock!
* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my other 20 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. *
*** 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!
