Who's that?!

Piece of Cake

As my wife’s birthday, which happens to share the same day with our wedding anniversary, approached earlier this week I had the motivation to do something special. I have only made a cake once before and, while it was successful for the most part, it was overwhelming and took me forever to complete. Years pass though, and there I was on Wednesday flipping through cookbooks and comparing different versions of cake recipes.

What would I make? Well, my wife loves hazelnuts, as do I, so I decided on a classic, German style Hazelnut Torte.

I chose to go with the recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Joy of Cooking (Rombauer, Rombauer Becker, and Becker). To limit my time in the kitchen on the weekend, I planned ahead and prepared the cake components in stages; Mocha-Frangelico Buttercream Thursday night, cake layers Friday night, and assembly frosting and decorating on Saturday morning. The result was fabulous, not too sweet, and not too heavy.

To dress it up a bit, I added chopped nuts to the side of the cake, and made some caramel espresso-hazelnut candy broken into 8 wedges, which I placed in a fan pattern on top of the cake.

My cake project didn’t overwhelm me this time and was actually very enjoyable, and the sweet success has me looking forward to the next baking opportunity!

*RAM: See, she got her flowers... Now, Happy Birthday to you!

(Thanks Jean Louise at Juniper Flowers!)

It's only a secret if you don't...oh nevermind

First off, it's not a secret if everyone can read it in the news...America's secret plan to arm Libya's rebels. So as always, be weary of the smaller 'secret' details.

Anyone out there keen on a possible lineup of candidate marionettes to lead the Libyan people's new puppet democracy? Inquiring minds want to know!

Turning the Corner (cont.)

In continuing the theme of turning corners, here's a bit of proof that a few US citizens are alive and awake: Public Workers in Wisconsin Protest Plan to Cut Benefits

As protesters turn out in the tens of thousands in Madison, WI, bigger plans are being laid for US austerity in efforts to keep the failing USS American Dreamliner afloat. And it couldn't come at a better time! With recent and ongoing events in Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrain fresh in the news and hopefully on people's minds, I can't think of a better time to question our current path - 'our' place in 'their' system, or better yet 'our' place in 'OUR' system?

Personally, I think that asking the average American to shoulder the burden of unending, unpopular wars, bogeyman state-security measures, and the fallout of decades of government kleptocrats selling us out to the corporate oligarchy does not sound like an acceptable means to an end. It is merely a band-aid holding back an eventual torrent of bigger problems, while we dig deeper to fill more sandbags and cross our fingers.

Time will tell, and history will document a time of action and change, or the continuance of a downward spiral of a nation.

Turning the Corner

What a pleasant February day here in Seattle! Mild temperature, dry, and sunny. Seemed like everyone was out. It's starting to feel like we're turning the corner and can see Spring and Summer up ahead!

WAKE UP!!!

“…a house of cards that has to be constantly held together…we have to be told every single day what the story is. And they have to do it every day because it is unnatural. If it was natural, they wouldn’t have to do it, and if they stop they know that it in fact would fall apart. That actually is the great hope for me…the amount of time they have to spend convincing us about the value to society is in fact what gives me hope that there is an alternative…just below the surface. And that alternative is much more human, much more compassionate, is much more connected to concern for other people, it’s much more connected to concern for the planet, and it’s being held down by this incredible and relentless propaganda system.”

Excerpt from Metanoia's film PSYWAR

Watch full 1 hr 39 min video here PsyWar (YouTube)

You Shouldn't Do That

...no, you shouldn't, but you did.

Digging through a box of CD's this afternoon, I came across some music that doesn't make it onto my regular playlists.

What a nice find, and a reminder to slow down and enjoy the ride.

Hawkwind; You Shouldn't Do That; Album - In Search Of Space (1971)