appetizers & recipes: spring cleaning woe’s & a quick powerhouse salmon snack on a crostini

The notion of spring cleaning is pretty simple, it’s more like packing up all the winter things into boxes and preparing for spring! There are some people who are so organized they can practically reorganize their home and their wardrobe for a change in season on a whim. I, of course, count myself as one of those people. Okay, don’t get me wrong, I am not so OCD that every guest who enters my home has to be totally disinfected. I can say I am organized when it comes to my home and things. But… and I mean I do have my limitations, next time, we need to hire someone to do some major physical work around the house. It’s not worth bending over for hours on hours in a given week (or day) to get things spic and span for the summer months to come, and have blood rushing... Read the Rest →

 

appetizers & recipes: spring cleaning woe’s & a quick powerhouse salmon snack on a crostini

The notion of spring cleaning is pretty simple, it’s more like packing up all the winter things into boxes and preparing for spring! There are some people who are so organized they can practically reorganize their home and their wardrobe for a change in season on a whim. I, of course, count myself as one of those people. Okay, don’t get me wrong, I am not so OCD that every guest who enters my home has to be totally disinfected. I can say I am organized when it comes to my home and things. But… and I mean I do have my limitations, next time, we need to hire someone to do some major physical work around the house. It’s not worth bending over for hours on hours in a given week (or day) to get things spic and span for the summer months to come, and have blood rushing... Read the Rest →

 

appetizers & recipes: cain of cain's arcade with corn dogs by alton brown and lemonade

Remember the days before we had hundreds of TV channels? Do you recall the days before video games, before everyone had a computer, before iPads? Remember when you were a child and you would find a large box? That box became a castle, a robot, a space ship or a lemonade stand? If you had more than one box they became a town in the Wild West or all the departments in a department store. Do you remember that kind of creativity? A few cardboard boxes, some markers or crayons and a lot of imagination could provide hours of entertainment. We could not pass the opportunity to dedicate a post to a young man who is creative, ingenious and enterprising. We would like to introduce you to Caine of Caine’s Arcade. Please take a moment to watch the video about Caine. He will surely make you smile as you pine... Read the Rest →

 

appetizers & recipes: cain of cain’s arcade with corn dogs by alton brown and lemonade

Remember the days before we had hundreds of TV channels? Do you recall the days before video games, before everyone had a computer, before iPads? Remember when you were a child and you would find a large box? That box became a castle, a robot, a space ship or a lemonade stand? If you had more than one box they became a town in the Wild West or all the departments in a department store. Do you remember that kind of creativity? A few cardboard boxes, some markers or crayons and a lot of imagination could provide hours of entertainment. We could not pass the opportunity to dedicate a post to a young man who is creative, ingenious and enterprising. We would like to introduce you to Caine of Caine’s Arcade. Please take a moment to watch the video about Caine. He will surely make you smile as you pine... Read the Rest →

 

appetizers & recipes: hors d’oeuvres: oysters

We continue our dedication to the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. We have chosen to focus on the survivors of the tragedy, particularly women, as very few men survived. The survival demographics of the passengers (this does not include the staff and crew), in brief, looks something like this: Female/ Total: 416 Survived: 304 Died: 112 Children/Total: 112 Survived: 56 Died: 56 Male/Total: 768 Survived: 130 Died: 638 Male passengers (no matter what class passenger) had the lowest survival rate. Male staff and crew members even fared a bit better, with 195 surviving of the 896 who served aboard the Titanic. Female staff members had the highest survival rate with 20 out of 22 surviving. When all numbers are tallied there were 2214 people aboard the Titanic and only 705 survived, women whether passenger or staff member had the highest survival rate. One of the lucky ones,... Read the Rest →

 

appetizers & recipes: hors d'oeuvres: oysters

We continue our dedication to the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. We have chosen to focus on the survivors of the tragedy, particularly women, as very few men survived. The survival demographics of the passengers (this does not include the staff and crew), in brief, looks something like this: Female/ Total: 416 Survived: 304 Died: 112 Children/Total: 112 Survived: 56 Died: 56 Male/Total: 768 Survived: 130 Died: 638 Male passengers (no matter what class passenger) had the lowest survival rate. Male staff and crew members even fared a bit better, with 195 surviving of the 896 who served aboard the Titanic. Female staff members had the highest survival rate with 20 out of 22 surviving. When all numbers are tallied there were 2214 people aboard the Titanic and only 705 survived, women whether passenger or staff member had the highest survival rate. One of the lucky ones,... Read the Rest →

 

photography tips: how to brighten food photos with lightroom 4 and photoshop elements plus homemade curry spice

There are times when we take photos and look at them after only to realize that they appear a little too dark or underexposed. An afternoon scene could look like an impromptu eclipse occurred and everyone’s smiling faces are in shadow. We can do a reshoot but sometimes it just isn’t possible. The moment may have passed, or it might be expensive to do a retake, or the subject is not available, or we’re just too lazy to get up, drag all our camera equipment to the location and shoot again with the right exposure settings this time around. {Dark Photo} Don’t worry, post-processing to the rescue! Fixing dark photos with an image editing program might just be our next best and probably most convenient option. Keep in mind that not all dark photos can be saved and brightened up, whether you are using Photoshop or Lightroom. Sometimes, the dark... Read the Rest →

 

easy desserts & recipes: {winner announced} cherry blossom extract giveaway (sakura) petit fours

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year where all the flowers start to bloom in all their glory. Usually, spring in Japan means cherry blossoms! A cherry blossom is actually the flower of several varieties of trees from the Japanese Cherry, also known as “sakura”. The most popular cherry blossom in Japan is the Somei Yoshino. Its flowers are almost all white with a tinge of pink, like blushing cheeks. The flowers are in full bloom for only about a week and many people, locals and tourists alike, flock to ogle the majestic beauty of these wonderful trees. They are truly one of nature’s grandest spectacles. Cherry blossoms are very much sought after, not just because of their beauty, but because of their edible blossoms and leaves. They are not to be mistaken for the trees that bear edible cherry fruits which belong to a completely different... Read the Rest →

 

easy desserts & recipes: {winner announced} cherry blossom extract giveaway (sakura) petit fours

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year where all the flowers start to bloom in all their glory. Usually, spring in Japan means cherry blossoms! A cherry blossom is actually the flower of several varieties of trees from the Japanese Cherry, also known as “sakura”. The most popular cherry blossom in Japan is the Somei Yoshino. Its flowers are almost all white with a tinge of pink, like blushing cheeks. The flowers are in full bloom for only about a week and many people, locals and tourists alike, flock to ogle the majestic beauty of these wonderful trees. They are truly one of nature’s grandest spectacles. Cherry blossoms are very much sought after, not just because of their beauty, but because of their edible blossoms and leaves. They are not to be mistaken for the trees that bear edible cherry fruits which belong to a completely different... Read the Rest →

 

appetizers & recipes: diamonds and pomegranate champagne jelly

Huguette Clark, the youngest daughter of former United States Montana Senator, mining and railroad industrialist William A. Clark and his second wife, Anna Eugenia La Chapelle, was born in Paris, France on June 9, 1906. Huguette had an older sister, Louse Amelia Andree Clark, who died in 1919, as well as five half siblings from her father’s first marriage. Huguette’s father died in 1925. It wasn’t long before the heiress began slipping away from the public eye. She was briefly married to William MacDonald Gower from 1928-1930. A photograph taken of her the day her divorce became final was the last image ever made public. In this last public photo Huguette Clark is wearing two magnificent bracelets, which were recently shown on the Today Show. Clark died, after leading a reclusive life, on May 24, 2011 and only recently has a bank vault been opened that hadn’t according to reports,... Read the Rest →

 

appetizers & recipes: diamonds and pomegranate champagne jelly

Huguette Clark, the youngest daughter of former United States Montana Senator, mining and railroad industrialist William A. Clark and his second wife, Anna Eugenia La Chapelle, was born in Paris, France on June 9, 1906. Huguette had an older sister, Louse Amelia Andree Clark, who died in 1919, as well as five half siblings from her father’s first marriage. Huguette’s father died in 1925. It wasn’t long before the heiress began slipping away from the public eye. She was briefly married to William MacDonald Gower from 1928-1930. A photograph taken of her the day her divorce became final was the last image ever made public. In this last public photo Huguette Clark is wearing two magnificent bracelets, which were recently shown on the Today Show. Clark died, after leading a reclusive life, on May 24, 2011 and only recently has a bank vault been opened that hadn’t according to reports,... Read the Rest →

 

tastily touring: klui-klui peanut butter plus free printable's

Benin, or Republique du Benin, lies in West Africa. Prior to 1990 Benin was called Dahomey, a kingdom comprised of several ethnic groups from the Abomey plain. The Republic of Benin is bordered by Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger. Benin is one of Africa’s strongest democracies. Europeans began arriving in Dahomey in the 18th century. The Portuguese, French, and Dutch established trading posts along the coast and traded weapons for slaves. This region was known as the Slave Coast because of the numerous slaves that were shipped to the Americas. Today, a majority of the population live on the Bight of Benin, the southern coastline. The official language of Benin is French as it was France that governed the area beginning 1872. However, many of the indigenous languages are still spoken. Benin was called French Dahomey until 1960 when the region gained full independence from France. French Dahomey was... Read the Rest →

 

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