Afghan Biscuits

Description:
Taking advantage of the cooler weather I decided I felt like baking tonight. I had tracked down a favourite recipe a few days ago on the NZ Womans Weekly site.

They are dead easy to make!

Ingredients:
200g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1¼ cups flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1⅓ cups cornflakes
Chocolate icing, recipe follows
½ cup walnut halves, to decorate

Icing:
2 cups of icing (powdered) sugar
3 heaped tablespoons of cocoa
25 gms butter, melted
boiling water

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with nonstick baking paper.

2. Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Sift flour and cocoa powder over creamed mixture and stir to combine. Lastly, stir in cornflakes.

3. Place tablespoonfuls of mixture on prepared baking trays. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until firm and golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

4. Combine icing ingredients, adding a little boiling water at a time until your mixture is a good consistency to spread, but not too runny. If you do add too much water then just add a little more icing sugar until you correct it. Ice the cold biscuits with chocolate icing and decorate with a walnut half.

Note: To convert ingredients and/or cooking temperatures go to :
http://www.onlineconversion.com/

Why I blog? Just my 2¢

I find myself amazed at how the blogging/networking phenomenon has taken the world by storm over the past few years. Every day I seem to find a new one to subscribe to....I'm hanging out for the universal ID idea to work across all the different blogging platforms, it would make my life easier. But that's not really what I wanted to talk about.

Just before christmas I was feeling very disillusioned with the whole deal. I actually pulled up the 'delete your account' page and sat there for a few minutes with an itchy mouse finger. Then I decided that before I did it, I really should check if there was any info I wanted to back up. I got totally distracted reading through a few older posts and before I knew it had changed my mind. Not because I rate myself as a blogger but because the comments were pure gold. I hadn't laughed so hard for ages.

But since then...well I don't know, maybe I'm just ultra sensitive at the moment, but in the last couple of weeks I have had at least half a dozen people comment directly to me to the effect of "you are blogging an awful lot at the moment aren't you?"

So I'm blogging a lot.....In comparison to what?
If I compare it to the number of times a year I wear socks (which is 2 or 3 times.... tops) well yeah I guess I am. But if I was to do the whole blogs versus the number of cups of coffee I consume then I'd have to say No, I don't blog much!

Could be a touch of paranoia on my part. What exactly do they mean? Do I just take that statement at face value? Are they just making general conversation,  is it a  good thing or not? Do they mean I'm blogging too often and I should just pull my head in and ease up on the number of posts?
Feedback is great but be a little more specific would ya? I'm not a mind reader.


It seems to me that unless you restrict your posts to close friends/family only, once a blogger develops an audience (of both supporters and critics) demands begin to be made on the blogger by the audience.

I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about, you would have found them on your own blog, if you have one. Demands like : Post more often, stop flooding my inbox with your posts, sick of/love the drama,  post more personal blogs, I want to see pictures, make a video, your jokes are lame, if you post another fcking music video I will hunt you down and kill you and your cat...

I could go on and on but I think you get the point.  And it makes me wonder, at what point do we decide our blogs are in fact no longer our own and modify our behaviour to adjust to the audience demand? Do we do this unconsciously anyway.... how many times have you blogged on a topic and been disappointed or surprised at  the response? Has the audience reaction made you want blog more/or less about that topic? Do you blog on demand?

Some people see their blogs as a publication, perhaps to showcase their artistic or photography skills, others as having a specific agenda (e.g buy my stuff), some are wholly personal and up to the whims of the person blogging. Blogs are interesting to me when there is a full personality there, writing about topics that appeal precisely because of the context of an individual’s perspective. Sometimes I’m interested in how to roast great coffee, sometimes I want to share with others their sorrows and joys as well as my own, sometimes it’s all about learning a new CSS technique.

I don’t think there’s any one way to blog, nor is there a right way. I think that reading blogs is a bit like T.V. in that if you don’t find what you want on someone’s blog, chances are pretty good you can change the virtual channel and find something that suits you better.

I chose to blog about certain things for a reason, and if zero, ten, or ten thousand people read or stopped reading, it wouldn’t matter. I’d blog to an empty house or a full one. For me, blogging is an outlet, my personal  cathartic as you will. My desire to please people suggests, at times, that maybe I should let my audience drive my content. And sure I will occasionally blog on a certain topic because I know it's of interest to a contact or I want to push some buttons, but at the end of the day my instinct demands that I stay true to what and who I am, not what others want.

So I'm turning the soapbox over to you....
Why do you blog or not blog?

Drink your rum, retire your parrot, your Pirate days are numbered....

 Over the years I have watched with interest the Music Industry attempts to curb people stealing music via the internet. I read an article in December wherein it stated they were going to drop their legal assault and search for more effective ways to combat music piracy.





Well it's taken me a couple of weeks but I think I have hit on the perfect solution to their dilemma. Ok there are still a few minor details I haven't quite figured out, like what to call my invention or how much I should sell my idea for, so I need a little input....


I figure that the fashion industry is able to recycle styles every so often so why couldn't that formula be applied to other industries? It may be a bit revolutionary for their tastes but I truly believe the new recording format will help win the war on illegal file sharing which is thought to be costing the industry millions of dollars in lost revenue.

 The new, yet unanmed, format takes the form of a black, vinyl disc measuring 12 inches in diameter, which must be played on a specially designed 'turntable.



"I can state with absolute certainty that no computer in the world can access the data on this disc."  " I am also totally confident that no-one is going to be able to produce pirate copies in this format without going to a hell of a lot of trouble."

Before I submit my idea to those in the biz, I plan to implement a rigorous testing process, by giving some discs ( that I found at the back of a cupboard),  to a group of teenage computer experts who regularly use file swapping software such as Limewire, Utorrent etc and who admit to pirating music CDs.

I'm sure after several days of trying, none of them will be able to hack into the disc's code or access any of the music files contained within it.


Under my new format, raw audio data in the form of music will be encoded by physically etching grooves onto the vinyl disc. The sound is thus translated into variations on the disc's surface in a process that I'm sure you will agree is 'completely revolutionary' and 'stunningly clever.'

To decode the data stored on the disc, the listener must use a special player which contains a 'needle' that runs along the grooves on the record surface, reading the indentations and transforming the movements back into audio that can be fed through loudspeakers.

So what do you think of my idea? Do you think it will fly?

And does anyone know how I can get Shawn Fanning (the inventor of Napster) to return my calls? lol

I'm bored...where the "france" is everyone???

Got time for a chat? What's on your mind? What do you have planned for the weekend?

Entertain me...or I might just have to do something drastic like chores...and that would suck.
Truly!!

Concentration Camp

What would you do?

You comply with the guard's wishes, and hang your son to spare another life.

 3

You refuse knowing that your son and one other will die but at least it will not be by your own hand.

 6

After a short break over the holiday period I've decided to resume the moral dilemma's series. Here is scenario #6

Although neither option is palatable to most of us please cast your vote in the poll and explain your reason for your decision in the comments section. Any other preferable solutions you can think of are also welcome.




You are an inmate in a concentration camp. A sadistic guard is about to hang your son who tried to escape and wants you to pull the chair from underneath him. He says that if you don’t he will not only kill your son but some other innocent inmate as well. You don’t have any doubt that he means what he says. What should you do?

Blogging is like a box of chocolate

You never know what you are gonna get!

I've been asked a few times lately if we have set a date for the wedding, or if we have secretly already done the deed and kept it quiet? The answer to both questions is No and No.To be honest, I just don't think I could cut it as a wife, especially after reading 'The Good Wife Guide'

.......the following pictures are more indicative of my position lol ~ Enjoy.

The Good Wife's Guide
(an extract from Housekeeping Monthly 13 May 1955)

- Have dinner ready.
Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

- Prepare yourself.
Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has spent his day with a lot of work-weary people.

- Be Gay.
Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and it's one of your duties to provide it.

- Clear away the clutter.
Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc and then run a dust cloth over the tables.

- Make the house inviting,
Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

- Prepare the children.
Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacumn. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

- Be happy to see him.
Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

- Listen to him.
You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours!

- Make the evening his.
Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

~ Your Goals~

-Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

- Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

- Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might gone through that day.

- Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

- Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

- Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or intergrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

- Finally.......... Don't forget that a "good wife" always knows her place!

Sticky Rice with Mangoes

Description:
Lee requested this one.

Apart from deep fried icecream I have to confess I have not tried many Asian-style desserts as I rarely order them when dining out.

This was delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients:
1½ cups of glutinous (short-grained) rice, soaked overnight
3 tablespoons palm sugar
3 tablespoons boiling water
3 large ripe mangoes, skin removed & sliced into wedges
400 ml coconut cream

Directions:
1. Drain rice and place in a foil lined steamer. Add fresh water to cover by about 1.5cm and steam for 30 minutes until cooked.


we have a large steamer that can sit over our wok. They come in various sizes and are very cheap at the Asian market

2. Press the steamed rice firmly into an oiled mould (I used a pie dish) and leave until cool.

3. Dissolve palm sugar in the boiling water.

4. Cut the rice into slices (or wedges) with several slices of mango on the side. Pour on the coconut cream and then the palm sugar.

Snow White and the Seven Vertically Challenged People

Is this a case of political correctness gone mad or just parents wrapping their children in cotton wool?




Recently I read an article online about politically correct parents ditching traditional fairy tales. I'll post a link to the article at the end but I'll basically summarise it here.

In the UK a bunch of parents were surveyed (3,000 of them) and the survey revealed that one in four parents believe that fairy tales are either too politically incorrect or too dark to read to children. One in ten parents even said Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs should be re-titled,  because 'the dwarf reference is not PC'.

And 17% of the parents were worried that fairytales would give their children nightmares.

LOST CLASSICS
These are the 10 most neglected fairytalesSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Hansel and Gretel
Cinderella
Little Red Riding Hood
The Gingerbread Man
Jack and the Beanstalk
Sleeping Beauty
Beauty and the Beast
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Emperor' s New Clothes

I don't know about you but I loved fairytales/fables as a child and both of my children enjoyed them as well. In fact fairytales are a great way to teach young children morals, how many fairytales can you think of where the bad guy triumphs in the end? As for nightmares....well I'm sure five minutes watching the evening news on television would give a child more night terrors than a story!

Are we raising a generation of namby pamby's who have to be sheltered from anything bad or scary? Real Life is scary....Get over it!

My favourites were not the stories that Disney chose to make blockbuster movies out of. I was a big fan of Rumplestiltskin and Snow White/Rose Red. I also loved The Porridge Pot and one I think was called The Tinder Box.

So did you have a favourite or two? Please share....


I decided if you can't beat them, join them. Had a go writing a politically correct story:
The Politically Correct Adventures of Little Red Riding Hood

You can view the article in full here : http://tinyurl.com/8m7bdj

Controlling our food

If you have an interest in what is going on in the realms of GM foods you may wish to put aside the time to watch this.
This documentary is nearly 2 hours long. It was aired on French television and is a documentary that probably won't make it onto American television. The gigantic bio-tech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years. Imagine how powerful you would be if you had control over the world food supply? With seed patents Monsanto appear to be well on the way to achieving that.
~We all need to wake up!