Candy!

I used my candy thermometer for the first time and added a new sweet to my repertoire. As usual, I was inspired to make this particular thing because I happened to have peanuts lying around. And what's a better treat made with peanuts than peanut brittle?




For a first attempt it was damn near perfect. I think the only thing I might do differently is use raw peanuts or add the peanuts later in the cooking. The taste was great and the texture was crunchy that melted into sticky-smooth. It also didn't linger on your teeth like candy likes to do, which was an unexpected bonus.

I found so many recipes that equated peanut brittle with Christmas. It's not part of my holiday memories, but it might be this year.

Almond Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Double leftovers. I made some cupcakes to use up the egg yolks that I had from making a meringue-based frosting for different cupcakes and to use up the leftover frosting itself.

I substituted almond extract for vanilla for something different. I cut down the recipe since I had 5 egg yolks, but it still made 12 cupcakes and 2 heart-shaped ramekins.

Suspension

My mom got the DVD box set of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century for Christmas and we watched the first two-part episode today. I remember watching the show as a kid, but I don't know whether I've ever seen the pilot. What I do know is that I was completely taken by surprise when the theme song started and the familiar tune had lyrics!



When the end credits rolled, I found out the song was sung by Kipp Lennon, who has a website with audio clips available for download. Do yourself a favor and download Suspension (Theme from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) immediately! It is awesome.

And the Oscar Goes to...

Picks in all caps and bold

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

I really hope Slumdog wins because it was my favorite of the five.


BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins
Frank Langella
Sean Penn
Brad Pitt
MICKEY ROURKE

He's been cleaning up for playing a faded wrestler, plus his dog just died and he needs to thank her again.


BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway
Angelina Jolie
Melissa Leo
Meryl Streep
KATE WINSLET

Holocaust + accent + aging makeup = Oscar


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin
Robert Downey, Jr.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
HEATH LEDGER
Michael Shannon

Oh c'mon!


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS
Penelope Cruz
Viola Davis
Taraji P. Henson
Marisa Tomei

Hard one to call. If Amy doesn't get it Taraji will although I liked her better in Hustle and Flow.


BEST DIRECTOR
DANNY BOYLE (Slumdog Millionaire)
Stephen Daldry (The Reader)
David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon)
Gus Van Sant (Milk)

Same reason as Best Picture


ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
MILK
Wall-E

I think they'll throw Milk a bone here.


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

I heard it was a hard adaptation.


CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

I think it's between Slumdog and Changeling, but I hope Slumdog cleans up most of the categories for which it's nominated.


FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departures
Revanche
WALTZ WITH BASHIR

It's been playing at the art houses for a while, and I don't know much about the others


ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung-Fu Panda
WALL-E

I hear they won't go back until they've kissed a girl.


EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

This one usually follows best picture, doesn't it? Milk better not win this because I totally saw a boom mic in one shot.


ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
THE DUCHESS
Revolutionary Road

I'm going with the most periody of the choices. Benjamin Button might get more love than I think.


LIVE ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)

Holocaust movie.


ANIMATED SHORT
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory -- Lovestory
Oktapodi
PRESTO
This Way Up

If Wall-E doesn't win Presto might not win.


COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

Same reason as Art Direction unless they give it to Australia to make Hugh a happy host.


MAKEUP
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

I liked the makeup more than the movie itself. I particularly liked the chins on the old people.


ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Milk
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Wall-E

Hoping for a sweep!


DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
THE WITNESS - FROM THE BALCONY OF ROOM 306

I'm going with the longest title.


DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
MAN ON WIRE
Trouble the Water

That crazy French guy was on the talk show circuit. Plus, it's the twin towers.


SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Wall-E
Wanted

I like the way the host said Millonaire. No "yun" sound


SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Wall-E
Wanted

Hmm. Wanted might pull an upset and sweep the sound categories but I'll stick with Slumdog.


VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
THE DARK KNIGHT
Iron Man

Bat-pod!

Hello

Hi, I'm Deitri.

Up a Tree

This squirrel cracked me up the other day since he was running all around with an apple in his mouth. He ran up the tree in my front yard and then part of the way down. He was posed long enough for me to find my camera, turn it on and snap a few shots. Eventually, he ran down and onto the street and sidewalks. Lucky for me, he didn't try to get into my house.

Stevie Wonder on Sesame Street

stevie wonder on sesame street

View on Grouper.com

Add to Blogger Blog

I love the brief glimpse of the kids groovin' to the beat.

Add a video comment to this video

Whipping Cream Pound Cake

whole cake

slice

I had half a pint of heavy whipping cream set to expire in my fridge so I needed to find a recipe. Not far into my searching, I found this one, which sounded pretty good. The pound cake was really delicious and actually tasted better a few days later.

I just had a great cup of coffee

I love coffee. Really, check my profile.

As much as I hate to admit it, coffee affects me. I don't get jittery or sleepless, but it causes my heart to race so I try not to drink too much. It's tough because, well, I love coffee!

And most decaf is disgusting. It tastes and smells like chemicals or plastic. Or Old Spice.

But, I do like Swiss wash decaffeinated coffee like they serve at Tommy's. And the other day at Zagara's I found a coffee that looked too good not to try.

Newman's Special Decaf from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. It's organic, fair-trade and water process decaffeinated. There's so much good on the label that I thought it was going to taste gross. But, it was bright, crisp and yummy.

It was weird to have a great cup of coffee without the bad feeling. I won't give up the real stuff, but I'm glad I found an alternative to my usual Kona.

Groundhog Day

Early spring
Phil
Chuck
Chuck
Huckleberry
General Beau Lee

More winter
Jimmy
Dave
Willie
Quentin

I choose to believe Buckeye Chuck because he's Ohio's official groundhog.

Labor Day Baking

Apple pie (with crust made from scratch, of course)

And I made some Rice Krispies Treats (not pictured) for the people who don't like homemade apple pie. Actually, having two desserts at a holiday gathering isn't all that unusual.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

I've been wanting to make this recipe since I found it back in February. As you can see, it was more a ribbon of fudge than a tunnel. I have several theories as to why:

1. I used just shy of 2 cups of walnuts since that was all I had. It was more than 1 3/4 cups but less than 2 cups. I also might have not chopped them small enough.

2. Butter doesn't really work, and I should have used margarine (yuck).

3. My Bundt pan sucks, which won't matter in the future because I threw it away since I scratched it by being too aggressive in taking it out of the pan.

The taste was somewhere between cake and brownies, in other words, delicious. The fudgy part was just that, fudgy.

This was a Flag Day birthday cake. I think the birthday guy liked it.

A Very Good Idea

Moon landing 2 - shoot your own video to help NASA

10k Yellow Gold Diamond Heart "Love" Pendant Necklace (.01cttw, I-J Color, I2-I3 Clarity), 18"

Features

• All our diamond suppliers certify that to their best knowledge their diamonds are not conflict diamonds.
• The total diamond carat weight listed is approximate. Variances may be up to .05 carats.
• Imported

List Price: $259.00
Special Offer: check this out!

Amazon.com
All you need is love, and a gift that expresses it. This charming pendant is crafted in polished 10 karat white gold and features the word Love in elegant script, backed by a shimmering heart with genuine diamond accents (.01 cttw). It comes complete with an 18-inch light rope chain. Offer the pendant with the chain provided, or choose a different gold chain from our wide selection.

Diamond Necklace, 10k Gold Diamond Baguette Heart Necklace (3/8 ct ... Shop for Necklaces online at Macys.com. A heart in the right place. Baguette- and round-cut diamonds provide a lustrous touch to this necklace, set in 10k gold. Xo I Love You Necklace Jewelry and Watches - Shopping.com This ultra contemporary pendant features 38 brilliant-cut shiny round diamonds spelling XO. Crafted in 14K white gold and set in pave settings these diamonds are ... Amazon.com: gold circle love necklace: Jewelry Sterling Silver "A True Friend Is Someone Who Knows The Song In Your Heart and Can Sing It Back To You When You Have Forgotten The Words" Circle Pendant Necklace, 18" Silver Necklaces -diamond necklaces 18k Rose Gold Plated Sterling Silver Two-Tone Simulated Diamond Double Open Heart Pendant Necklace, 18 SALE PRICE:$29.0 Metal stamp 925 Sterling Metal Rhodium ... Miadora 14k White or Yellow Gold 1/10ct to 1ct TDW Diamond ... Buy Miadora 14k White or Yellow Gold 1/10ct to 1ct TDW Diamond Solitaire Necklace at an everyday discount price on Overstock.com! Get everyday free shipping over $50*. Amazon.com: 10k White Gold Diamond Question Mark Pendant (0.02 ... Keep them guessing with this flirty question mark pendant, made from polished 10 karat gold and sparkling diamond accents (.02 cttw). Available in your choice of ... Miadora 10k Pink Gold Morganite and 1/10ct TDW Diamond Necklace (G ... Buy Miadora 10k Pink Gold Morganite and 1/10ct TDW Diamond Necklace (G-H, I2-I3) at an everyday discount price on Overstock.com! Get everyday free shipping over $50*. 1/4 cttw Black n' White Diamond Ster... Clearance Jewelry Specials - Rogers Jewelers Clearance Specials - Unbelievable Savings While Supplies Last ... Sign up now to get the latest info on new jewelry, exclusive offers and gift ideas! Diamond Rings With Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald at Sndgems Diamonds This stunning diamond ring will sparkle unlike any other ring elsewhere. Whether it's an engagement ring or a diamond ring on the world's best fashion site, find the ...

Velvet Tango Room

Velvet Tango Room

2095 Columbus Rd

Cleveland, OH 44113

Drinks: June 14, 2013

Party of Six

Clockwise from my drink (the one with the Maraschino cherry, natch!) Aviation, Cereza de Cal, KatyDid, Whiskey Sour, Hemingway Daiquiri, Old Fashioned

Clockwise from the tequila drink redux: Cereza de Cal, The Last Word, Blood and Sand, French 75, Moscow Mule, Ninth Ward(?)

The Velvet Tango Room makes cocktails for people who don't mind waiting for a good drink. It has an old-fashioned way of hand-shaking ingredients not found on the menu of your average sports bar. There's no guessing as to the price of these handcrafted libations-- each cocktail will set you back a stiff $18.  Each drink takes a while to mix so you might be clinking your full martini glass with your friends' half empty tumbler.

Since we were a larger party, we sat in the back room that is only accessible through a door that doubles as a full length mirror. A two-drink minimum is required with the reservation, and if your crowd fancies good mixed-drinks then it is well worth your while. It was an experience.

Lake Erie Island

I visited some friends on Kelleys Island this summer and saw new things that I didn't see a few years ago like Inscription Rock and the Glacial Grooves.

Hey look! Glacial Grooves!

One of the scenic photo ops while walking around the Glacial Grooves.

Interesting rock formation in the lake.

View from the Jet Express.

Jet Express dock.

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station.

Boats. Probably boat drinks.

View of Cedar Point from Lake Erie.

Hotel and rides.

Coasters, etc.

This is an awesome restaurant in Huron, Ohio.

LEMmy!

LEMmy's is named after the Lake Erie Monster. I like how there is a specific look to the monster. He's a friendly lake monster. Next time I'm in the area I am definitely stopping for a bite.

Birthday Cupcakes

This week, one of my co-workers had a birthday. Someone bought a card. Someone bought balloons. And I made cupcakes (no surprise there). Below are yellow cupcakes with white chocolate-butter cream frosting.

Decorating Committee

I love love love to bake. I'm not so keen on decorating. I make a million Christmas cookies and try not to decorate any of them. I didn't frost or sprinkle any cut-out cookies this year, but I didn't dodge the decorating bullet completely.

On Christmas Eve night, I was at my grandmother's house and decided to decorate a few of the gingerbread people (and bears) since I was going to give some to my aunt the next morning. She and I talked and watched tv while I decorated and the next thing I knew, all of the cookies were done and it was 3 AM.

The first few were hard, but I got better and more creative as the night wore on. It reminded me of when I would stay up all night writing a paper in college, only instead of typing big words and sharp turns of phrase, I drew fun patterns and hairdos. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of how they look. Maybe piping is my forte.

Almost Classic Cake

Special Birthday Cake with Semi-Sweet Chocolate Buttercream frosting.
3/4 of the whole cake

I was asked to make a cake as the dessert for a fried chicken dinner. Since most of the attendees watch their sugar intake, I thought I'd try using the bag of Splenda for Baking that's been in my pantry for a while. (I called the 800 number to make sure it was still good. Turns out it never goes bad!) The cake wasn't as moist as I would have liked, but for a first attempt it was pretty good.

The frosting was outstanding. The recipe was a mix of Mrs. Millman's and semi-sweet chocolate buttercream. I used 12 ounces of chocolate chips (melted and cooled), a stick of butter (cold), 1 cup of powdered sugar, a little vanilla and some milk to thin it out.

I left a little bit of the cake unfrosted at the request of the host, but cut it out of the picture because it looked weird.

Giant Banana Muffins

The muffin is almost as big as the teapot! Okay so the muffin is pictured next to a kid's tea set, but I made it in a jumbo muffin tin, which makes muffins that are about twice as big as regular muffins.

Here's a close-up:


The recipe came from the same muffin book as the zucchini nut muffins and the pecan muffins, and since that book is inconsistent, I wasn't sure how these would taste. They were yummy, but next time I'll try adding some nuts or coconut to liven them up. I love the jumbo tin though. I may never make a cupcake-sized muffin again!

14 Karat White Gold Cable Chain (18 inch)

Features

• Dress up any casual outfit with this unique 14 karat gold necklace
• Weighs 1 gram(s)
• Crafted in 14 karat gold
• Comes with a comfortable spring ring clasp closure

List Price: $177.99
Special Offer: check this out!

Product Description
Cool, gleaming, and durable, 14 karat gold is a timeless classic. This beautifully crafted necklace showcases both beauty and craftsmanship art. Wear it for your everyday stylish look.

10k white gold chain eBay - Electronics, Cars, Fashion ... Find great deals on eBay for 10k white gold chain and 14k white gold chain. Shop with confidence. Fremada 14k White Gold Singapore Chain Necklace (16-30 inch ... Buy Fremada 14k White Gold Singapore Chain Necklace (16-30 inch) at an everyday discount price on Overstock.com! Get everyday free shipping over $50*. Read some ... OroLatina 14 Karat Gold Jewelry 14K Two Tone Gold Diamond Cut Oval Bar and Link Bracelet: 7.5in-long 20.32mm-wide 18.5 grams . This is a Genuine 14 Karat Two Tone Gold Diamond Cut Oval Bar and Link ... Amazon.com: 14 Karat White Gold Italian Rolo Chain (18 inch): Jewelry Cool, gleaming, and durable, white gold is a timeless classic. This beautifully crafted necklace showcases both beauty and craftsmanship art. Wear it for your ... 14 Karat Gold Chains in Genuine 14 Karat (14K) Gold 14K Two Tone Gold Hammered and Diamond Cut Oval and Circular Bead Chain Necklace: 16in-long 5.08mm-wide 7.6 grams . This is a Genuine 14 Karat Two Tone Gold Hammered ... 18 Inch 14Kt Gold Necklace Chains - Fire Mountain Gems and Beads You and your customers deserve the very best. This ready-to-wear chain necklace is made of 14Kt gold. 14 kt white gold chains Necklaces & Pendants Bizrate ($39.99 - $2,910.00) : 2000 matches. Find great deals on the latest styles of 14 kt white gold chains. Compare prices & save money on Necklaces & Pendants. High-polish 14-karat White-gold 18-inch Cable Chain with Spring ... Buy High-polish 14-karat White-gold 18-inch Cable Chain with Spring Ring at an everyday discount price on Overstock.com! Get everyday free shipping over $50*. Read ... Ladies 14 karat Solid Gold chain 16 to 18 inches long Simple yet elegant and beautiful this 14k gold chain will suite most of the small to medium sized women's pendants. 10 kt gold chain eBay - Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles ... Find great deals on eBay for 10 kt gold chain and 14kt gold chain. Shop with confidence.

Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Glaze

These pictures are kind of ugly, but the cake was delicious.

Chocolate cake, faux ganache filling, strawberry glaze. This cake had to replace the one I wanted to make when I couldn't find a recipe that I liked. I wanted a chocolate cake with a fudge filling, topped with a strawberry glaze. Ideally, this would have been a Bundt cake. Unfortunately, the only from scratch recipes I could find involved nuts and the birthday boy doesn't like nuts so it wouldn't work. The strawberry glaze was a little thin and spread a bit more than I wanted, but that was because I added a few extra strawberries to make it pinker.

XPY 14k Gold and Diamond Heart Devil Pendant Necklace (.05 cttw, J Color, I2 Clarity)

Features

• Both sweet and sassy, naughty and nice, this XPY heart and devil pendant necklace is a gorgeous way to express your mischievous side.
• Gemstones may have been treated to improve their appearance or durability and may require special care.
• Imported

List Price: $399.00
Special Offer: check this out!

Related Products

• XPY Sterling Silver and 14k Yellow Gold Diamond Winged Halo Heart Pendant Necklace (.04cttw, I-J Color, I2-I3 Clarity), 18"
• XPY 14k Yellow Gold and Created Ruby Heart Devil Pendant with Diamond Accent, 18"
• XPY 14k Yellow Gold Black and White Diamond Panda Bear Pendant (1/5 cttw), 18"

Amazon.com
This sassy pendant hints to the world that there's a little devil in you. Fashioned from 14 karat gold, it highlights a diamond-studded open heart with polished gold devil horns and a diamond-tipped devil's tail. Showcased on a 14 karat gold rope chain with a spring ring clasp, this pendant is the perfect mix of sexy and sweet.

Top Products in Necklaces & Pendants - Smarter.com Comparison ... Sterling Silver Tanzanite Heart Pendant (1.00 ctw) 14k Rose Gold Mother of Pearl & Diamond Pendant (.15 ctw) 14k Rose Gold Mother of Pearl & Diamond Pendant (.16 ctw) NovaTechGadgets.com Union Officer Aviator Spiderman Standard - Original apt. 9 axcess Candie's Frigits Deluxe Humidifier and Misting Fan Invicta Men's Lupah Revolution Combat Black ... Amazon.com: Gemstone Pendants: Jewelry XPY Sterling Silver and 14k Yellow Gold Created Ruby Heart and Diamond Accent Pendant Necklace, 18" $199.00 $85.00; Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping. Amazon.com Coupons and Amazon Coupon Codes, Amazon.com Promotional ... This page offers free Amazon coupons, Amazon.com coupon codes and discount promotional code deals on books, movies, music, tools and more. Save with Amazon coupon ... Anniversary Gemstones and Meanings for 1st to 100th Anniversaries Do you know your Anniversary Gemstones and Meanings? Gemstones carries powers that; protect the wearer, aid in healing diseases, brings good luck, success, prosperity ... XHTML namespace - World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) XHTML namespace. The namespace name http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml is intended for use in various specifications such as: Recommendations: XHTML 1.0: The Extensible ... Prince Deals - Prince Hot Deals ,Prince coupons, Prince printable ... Prince Deals,Prince Hot Deals ,Prince coupons, Prince printable coupon Amazon.com: Heart Pendant Necklaces: Jewelry 10k White Gold Double Heart Black and White Diamond Pendant Necklace (.2 cttw, I-J Color, I2-I3 Clarity), 18" $370.00 $181.00; Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping. Amazon Coupons & Amazon.com Promotional Codes Use Amazon coupons to save money. Whenever you want excellent amazon.com coupons and discount deals or amazon coupon codes and promo codes to use online, just come to ... Rings, Jewelry - Bed Bath & Beyond Shop for Rings,Jewelry at Bed Bath & Beyond. Brands include Badgley Mischka,Hello Kitty Fine Jewelry,J. Goodman,STEL,Ze.

Listen To This

I downloaded a new app for my iPod Touch called Top 100's by Year by Bing. The app streams the "top 100" songs from each year from 1947 to 2010, one year at a time. The app information describes the tunes as, "songs that have stood the test of time" so they aren't necessarily the most popular songs of the years. Although the songs play on a shuffle mode, you can skip ones that you don't want to hear.

I'm not sure I would have paid for it since I don't generally buy apps for my iPod, but it's worth a free download. It's completely entertaining to listen to songs from a particular year. But I wonder who ranked the songs on the lists? Is Free Bird really the top song of 1973?