Recipe Maker - Fine Cooking Magazine

A few posts ago, I put up some pictures I took of a magazine. Specifically, it was a spread about making cheesecake. I've been a bit out of touch, in more ways than one lately and just now went back to check on the viability of the post. Well, good heavens, you can't read that! Nice! Very nice post there Lucy.

Anyway, I went to the website for Fine Cooking magazine and found the link to the make your own cheesecake recipe. Its fantastic!

This particular part of the Fine Cooking Magazine webpage is interactive. You choose flavors and toppings etc, add them to the virtual bowl and after following all the steps, there is a handy-dandy recipe all spiffy for you to follow immediately or to print out for later.

At the bottom of the page there are all manner of 'make your own' interactives. (Let's just call them that for now.) Choose your ingredients and make whatever your heart desires in the realm of truffles, fruit crisp, risotto, fruit tart, soup, bread pudding! Just to name a few.

How much fun is that?!

A lot, let me tell you.

Finding my way... back

When you ride stormy seas, it doesn't necessarily feel like you'll ever see land and feel solidity beneath your feet again. Oh, sure, when its all over you feel like you could weather it all over again. But that perspective really is from a safe place. Whilst amongst the Scylla and Charybdis you don't feel like it will come to an end, much less a good end. Yes, yes, positive outlook and prayers and wishful thinking. They all can lead to a good outcome. They don't necessarily though.

Anyway, I'm working on calmer seas and getting back to some level of normalcy. A new normal, if you will.

BTW - I've missed you!

And PS - Down today. That's a positive.

What I've been doing

Well, dealing with some stuff in my life which requires time. Time. And mental energy. And focus. And some relaxation. And taking a small, short, eensy-weensy sabbatical from blogging has relieved just enough stress from my being that dealing with the 'other' stuff has been far

more manageable.

Anyway, I've found a few recipes you should check out. Peppermint Patties. Oh my!! And how delicious do those dipped marshmallows in her blog header look?!? I'm a sucker for a good marshmallow.

Check out the beautiful bakerations (I may have just made up that word, but don't quote me on that) on I am Baker. I linked in from another blog and saw her hydrangea cake. Dear me! I not only want to eat it, I want to take its photo, desperately even. I made dairy free cheese cake using this formula. You can make any combination with the basic recipe. Its just a matter of choosing what flavor combo you are into on whatever day. I used vegan cream cheese. I was making it for Mister to enjoy (more than for myself - if for myself, it would have been plain vanilla with some sort of fruit). I added espresso powder to the filling and used regular flavored and chocolate filled Newman-O's for the crust. I also sprinkled those crumbled cookies on top before baking. Mister liked it and it was actually better around about day 3. Hopefully you get the gist of the article.

I've also been missing my photography. I inadvertently put my camera down and haven't really picked it up. Its on my list of things to bring back into my life.

And.... I think I forgot to tell you. Two of my submitted photos were selected for the publication I asked you to help me with a while back. These are the photos which were selected. One was the mushrooms from THIS post. And the other was this bird photo. I can't wait to get my copy of the publication.

The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls

...And tenement halls

And whispered

in the sounds

of silence

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they'd made

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night

hello darkness my old friend....

...I've come to talk with you again.

Please enjoy the music while you wait...

Intermission

I have been feeling a bit blurry and think a short break is in order.

My zen feels as though its been scattered to the four winds and my sanity needs to be gathered once again. Letting a couple things in my life go, for a short time (I'm thinking a week :) so I can focus on a few key items is the right thing for right now. Letting go of the internet and its trappings for awhile will be cathartic.

That's my goal anyway.

Like Arnold, I'll be back. Until then. Ciao Bellas.

Kiwi

Snowshoeing

Last weekend I snowshoed the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Awareness / fundraiser. Let me tell you that when the alarm went off at 5AM and it was 18 degrees outside, I really just wanted to text my friends and cancel. Sleep in a warm bed would have been awesome. But, I know me and I couldn't do that to them. Plus, they would have probably come and dragged me out of bed. My friends are good like that.

Mister and I usually snowshoe in the quiet with no one around out in the wilderness. Its an amazing experience. Snowshoeing with 910 other people, also an amazing experience.

When we arrived at the mountain, it was 3 degrees outside. A bit nippy! My friends had never snowshoed before so we all got warmed up with layers of clothing, spiked hot coffee and then the snowshoes. There was over 2 feet of fresh, powdery snow on the ground. The sky was clear and calm. We got into the middle of the herd of people and off we went.

If you've never done this activity, you really do it in a follow the leader manner. Breaking ground (done by the first person in line) is hard work, especially in deep snow. So, that's why it sort of looks silly, everybody all lined up.

I love snowshoeing. And I think I have introduced some of my friends to a sport that they actually like too. Yeah!

Just Watched: The Men Who Stare at Goats

I wasn't all that enthused about watching this film, but was looking for a comedy that Mister and I could watch / zone out to. We were both rather tired but when you are that tired and its only 6:30PM, you don't necessarily get ready for bed. You fill the time until, well, you know, at least 8:30 before making the "bedtime" decision.

Anyway, I had no preconceived notions going in except that I didn't think I'd like it. One of the first people you see, Ewan McGregor. Let me just pause here for reflection... ... ... I love saying his name, Ewan McGregor. Lovely Scottish accent in my head. And I love watching him act. He's pretty. And I think has talent, so that helps too. Not really much of a George Clooney fan, but he sold me in this and over the last couple years, Jeff Bridges has grown on me too. Kevin Spacey, you love to hate him in most of his adventures and this one is no different. Hmmm, the goat. Feel bad for the goats, but I remind myself that probably no goats were harmed in the filming.

So, I guess my summary is that it was an all star cast who each performed fabulously. I liked this movie. It had laughter and a bit of intrigue (as much as any comedy could) and good acting and really, in the end, had less to do with goats than the title leads you to believe. Its really a story about an 'alternative' army with a hippy (let's just use that term loosely here for the lack of a better term) Jeff Bridges leading a group of soldiers in a direction you might not think the army would go. There is the star of the alternative program and the disgruntled, much less talented subversive who causes problems. The aftermath and the fallout. Pretty straight forward. I would actually recommend it to you.

Harley 02-28-2011

I don't think you've seen him in awhile. He is as cute as ever.

Week 6 - Down

Back to where I was two weeks ago. It really does support the "it was mostly girl cycle weight".

I am trying to think positively about this. Three steps in the right direction and one step backward. At least its not the other way around. Slow and steady wins the race. I could definitely make some better choices to speed this process along. Maybe that will be my goal for this week.

Here's an unedited photo from last summer. Just some cheer on this cold and very wet March day.