Dennys Food and Recipes: Labor Day, Football Tailgating: Check Out Some New Drinks, Appetizer Cheesy Zucchini No-Fry Fries with Smoked Paprika Dip Sauce

Photo:  Matthew Mead/AP

Dennys Food and Recipes: Labor Day, Football Tailgating: Check Out Some New Drinks, Appetizer Cheesy Zucchini No-Fry Fries with Smoked Paprika Dip Sauce: From Denny:  Ready to try something new for the Labor Day weekend and tailgating season?  Audition it on Labor Day and check out your reviews, and, if all goes well, you have some winners for the tailgating season.  I know.  I know.  The conventional wisdom is that you are not supposed to audition something new on your guests but my crowd likes to review.  Come on; put a little risk into your life!

I usually cook up standards I know most people enjoy and then introduce a couple of new things for review and comment.  It's a conversation starter and since my friends tend to be as opinionated as myself, well, they enjoy weighing in.  They even make suggestions to kick it up, tone it down or variations that I might not have considered.  Since I value their input it's all done in good fun.  For my guests to take home I also make copies of the new recipes with space for them to make notes while we discuss the food.

The first two drinks up for consideration are old standards with new twists:  a Planter's Punch and a Bloody Mary.  The new twist for the Planter's Punch is that it has some added Camus Cognac with the apple cider, apple juice and pineapple juice.  The new twist for the Bloody Mary is the addition of Lucid Absinthe with the spicy bloody mary mix, worchestershire sauce, horseradish, black pepper, celery salt and garlic salt.  These two drinks come from  Niccole Trzaska at The Liberty Bar in New York City.

This appetizer recipe is from Chef Sara Moulton, one of the busiest TV chefs.  Check out this link to her site for online cooking classes, links to her TV shows and awesome easy recipes.  Sara has enjoyed a long career:  a 25-year stint at Gourmet magazine (which had a run from 1941 - 2009), hosted several Food Network shows for a decade, hosts public TV's "Sara's Weeknight Meals" and has written three cookbooks, one of which is "Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners."  Whew! All while raising her own family.  It's no wonder she specializes in quick and easy food...


Dennys Food and Recipes: Labor Day, Football Tailgating: Check Out Some New Drinks, Appetizer Cheesy Zucchini No-Fry Fries with Smoked Paprika Dip Sauce

Louisiana Seafood Reusable Shopping Bag

Check out awesome Louisiana eating: oysters, shrimp, crawfish, gumbo, jambalaya

Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new! 

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Funny Coffee Cats Shower Curtain

Not ready for the world before your cup of joe? Quit hissing, COFFEE's brewing!

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Dennys Food and Recipes: Summer Food: Blueberry Lemonade To Beat The Heat

                                     The Advocate photo: HEATHER MCCLELLAND 


Dennys Food and Recipes: Summer Food: Blueberry Lemonade To Beat The Heat: From Denny:  Blue food.  It's pretty to look at and cooling in this summer heat.  Blueberries are the very essence of summer.  Did you know the silvery bloom on blueberries is a naturally protective waxy coating?

Most people don't wash them until just when ready to eat.  Well, that doesn't work in our house so I pour a large bowl of water, add about 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar and let the entire plastic box and blueberries soak for about 5 minutes to kill bacteria.  Drain the entire box well, dry off a bit with a towel and throw back into the fridge.  Usually, a reputable grocery store - and even from the farm - they give the berries a quick vinegar wash to brush off leaves and bugs.

We all like to dine on blueberries by the handfuls as snacks, toss them on to the breakfast cereal or yogurt and make breakfast muffins. Here's a new twist: how about blueberries in your homemade lemonade?

This interesting recipe (from our local newspaper food writer) combines two fruit syrups:  a blueberry syrup and a lemon syrup.  You only use the blueberry syrup to color the lemonade to your preference.  The remaining blueberry syrup can be used on pancakes, waffles, toast or even in salad dressings.  OK, you got me, this lemonade is so doggone pretty!  Great idea for summer entertaining...

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Libations Friday! 14 August 2009

Featured today: Cultural coffee trivia and original poem about the transformation of us and summer into the next season.

From Denny: There sure is some serious coffee studying going on out in the online world. People record the minutest trivia and craziest history about the substance we affectionately call coffee!

What I enjoyed reading was how people in various cultures take their coffee. Want to know? Of course, it's common knowledge to any coffeehouse lover that the Italians take their expresso with granulated sugar. Why? Because it dissolves faster than a cool looking sugar cube. White sugar dissolves better than brown sugar or candy too as it is more refined. Who puts artificial sweeteners in their coffee? It alters the taste - horribly in my coffee book.

The Germans and the Swiss like to drink their coffee in equal parts coffee and hot chocolate (remind me to get dual citizenship!). The Mexicans like their coffee with cinnamon. (I do too in the fall and winter, yum! And Mexican cinnamon is out of this world for flavor.)

How do you think they drink their coffee over in North Africa? The Moroccans like their coffee with peppercorns! Spicy bunch those guys; bet they could handle Cajun food. The Ethiopians like to take down the acid in their coffee and drink it with a pinch of salt. If you have coffee you find too acidic, take a tip from the Ethiopians and place a pinch of salt in with your ground coffee in the filter right before you brew it. I've done it many times and it's really good, especially if you have a sensitive stomach like many people who don't drink coffee because of the acidity.

How do they take their coffee in the Middle East? With spices, of course! They favor cardamon in addition to other spices but cardamon is the most common.

The Austrians love their version of cream in their coffee to the tune of good ol' fattening whipped cream. It's a damp climate in Austria, especially Vienna as it's on the Danube River. Hot coffee with soothing whipped cream is just the ticket when it's bone chilling cold. They don't heat their 800 year old churches like St. Stephans in downtown Vienna and the stone is so cold that you are cold from your feet up past your knees. They don't turn on the heat in public buildings or apartment houses until December! So, yeah, whipped cream starts sounding really good! :) Can you tell I lived there for a while? Wonderful place, Vienna, Austria; met lots of interesting people too.

*****

On to the poem section of today's feature! For several weeks now I've been pondering how to write a summer poem. You want to talk about the weather without sounding dull. You want to set the mood for place without wearing out the subject. The summer heat reminded me of a child with a hot temper and the rest is simile history! :) If nothing else this poem gave another way to employ the excessively used word "like."

Simile definition: a figure of speech that draws a comparison between two different things, especially a phrase containing the word "like" or "as."

Louisiana Summer Sigh



The July summer heat
Puffed its cheeks out
Like a pouting stubborn child
Told, “Go to bed, now!”



The hundred degree scorching
Soared as hot as that child’s temper
Weighing down the droopy moist air
Like that child’s protruding lower lip.



The scent of change wafted near
Fluttering sweetly on dragonfly wings
Ghostly mid-July presence announced
“Fall approaches; change is coming.”



The heat slowed from fever pitch
Like the child’s temper calming a bit
Then mid-August Perseid meteor showers
Chased high across the sky, amused our inner child.



The heavy August moon, huge eyes hung low
Pointed the way, “Look up! Change is coming!”
The night sky’s face moved different in one instant
Like the child’s, transformed new starred wonder.



The breezes stirred more often late summer
Growing stronger, more bold in their invite
Cooler weather calmed stormy tempers
Like the hugging arms of a patient mother.



The hurricane season of stormy tempers passed
The child’s once fuming countenance restored
Fall lovingly dried the moist air’s heavy tears
Like the child’s face lifted up to his mother’s

All smiles and joy. Breathe.



Denny Lyon
Copyright 14 August 2009
All Rights Reserved

Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for visiting!

*****

Photo Credits:

11th commandment Photo by allygirl520 @ flickr
Angry child photo by JustinLowery.com @ flickr

Screaming child photo by mdanys @ flickr

Lake Martin Swamp, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana photo by onealchristopher @ flickr

River Road Plantation, Louisiana photo by New Orleans Lady @ flickr

Smiling little boy photo by OakleyOriginals @ flickr

Blowing bubbles photo by Pink Sherbet Photography @ flickr

Smiling child photo by Pink Sherbet Photography @ flickr


Coffee, coffee trivia, Kids and Teens, denny lyon, poetry, Libations Friday, poems, the social poets, Vienna, Middle East, Hot chocolate, Beverages, Austria, parenting, seasons, summer poem, Home, Cooking, Whipped cream

Libations Friday! 17 July 2009

Featured today: Cold spiked coffee recipe, funny video about getting a coffee in a recession and a poem about winning against the current recession.

Spiked Coffee

From: Giada De Laurentis

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups coffee liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)

• 1 cup dark creme de cacoa

• 1 1/2 cups vodka

• 1 cup espresso, cooled

• 1 orange wedge

• Orange sugar crystals

• 12 ice cubes

Directions:

Mix the coffee liqueur, creme de cacoa, vodka, and espresso in a small pitcher. Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer until the mixture is very cold, about 3 hours.

Meanwhile, rub the rims of 8 Martini glasses with the orange wedge. Dip the rims in the sugar crystals to coat lightly. Place the glasses in the freezer.
Add the ice cubes to the vodka mixture and briskly stir the mixture until the ice begins to melt. Strain the mixture into the prepared glasses, and serve.

From Denny: When searching for coffee recipes up popped this funny video about trying to get a coffee in a recession, enjoy!

COFFEE BIAAATCH!



On to the poetry section: As I was considering what to write in the form of an essay for Bloggers Unite Human Rights 2009, out popped a poem. When I sit down to write a poem, you guessed it, out pops an essay. "Do ya think?" my brain could get it straight?! :) Well, who cares how it arrives as long as it shows up...

I'd just got an email from a lovely friend who lives in Michigan and her husband is now out of work and they've also lost their home. To her credit she is writing to battle the stress. She is also one fine fantasy writer! As I looked at my reply to her one sentence stuck out and I knew it was destined to later become one of my quotes. It also inspired this poem.

Image by Esther_G via Flickr

Quote: "Keep smiling. Humor pushes your attitude up and your heart wide open to sight the new opportunities coming your way." - Denny Lyon, 16 July 2009

Poetry of Life

The economy in chaos
Job markets spiraling down
Home foreclosures rising
News is bleak

Why turn on the TV?

Marriages are rocky
Children are scared
Bosses are grumpy
Life is tense

Why turn on the TV?

Banks grab stingy
CEOs finger greedy
Markets careen wild
It is what it is

Why turn on the TV?

Focus on outward order
Work at the job there is
Make a home anywhere
Chart a new attitude

Turn the channel!

Keep smiling when it’s tough
Open your heart wide to sight
Opportunities coming your way
Laugh ‘til your sides hurt

Be mentally tough: Love long!


Denny Lyon
Copyright 16 July 2009
All Rights Reserved

Coffee Photo by once and future @ flickr

Libatons Friday! 26 June 2009

Photo by once and future @ flickr

From Denny: With the triple digit heat across the nation and summer has barely begun – whew! – I’m looking for cold drinks and coffee cold drinks are my favorite. Here are two interesting ones from Food Network.

This one is from Guy Fieri of Guy’s Big Bite who used to be a bartender/mixologist before starting up his restaurant, getting noticed, then offered one happy gig on the Food Network! He’s high intensity and fast forward all the way, definitely as entertaining as he is knowledgeable and talented.



Chai's Big Bite Cocktail

From: Chef Guy Fieri of Food Network
Prep Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 1 drink

Guy Fieri Image by Laughing Squid via Flickr

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces coffee liquor

• 2 ounces Irish cream

• 1-ounce vanilla vodka

• 8 ounces Chai-tea concentrate (recommended: Oregon Chai Brand)

• 6 ounces milk or half-and-half

• Shaved chocolate, for garnish

• Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

• Fresh mint sprig, for garnish

Directions:

Fill blender with ice, pour in all ingredients, and blend thoroughly. Pour into a tall iced tea glass
Garnish with shaved chocolate and fresh nutmeg and a mint sprig.

From Denny: This recipe is from the Ask Aida show over at Food Network. I’m not familiar with her and this recipe popped up on the search and looked so good it just had to be included! Besides, it included my favorite ingredient: expresso! If any of you watch her feel free to leave a comment about her.



Caffe Shakerato

From: Aida Mollenkamp of the Ask Aida Food Network show
Prep Time: 2 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Serves: 1 drink

Ingredients:

• Freshly brewed double shot espresso

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• Crushed Ice

• Coffee Whipped Cream, for garnish (Make this recipe before serving)

Directions:

In the base of a cocktail shaker, mix together espresso and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Fill shaker with crushed ice, close, and shake until shaker is frosted and mixture is foamy, about 20 seconds.

Strain into a martini glass, top with a dollop of Coffee Whipped Cream, and serve.

Coffee Whipped Cream:

• 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)

Directions:

Place very clean glass or metal bowl and metal whisk in freezer just until cold, about 5 minutes.

When everything is cold, place cream in bowl and begin to whisk until it froths up and starts to thicken, about 1 minute. Whisk vigorously until soft peaks form (the cream will hold a point when the whisk is lifted but will fall back into the bowl almost immediately), about 1 minute.

Add the liqueur and whisk until stiff peaks just form (the cream stays put on the whisk when it is lifted from the bowl), about 1 minute. Store covered in refrigerator until ready to use.



Word Cloud Photo by Denny Lyon - from playing over at Wordle.net! :)

From Denny: With the extremely hot temperatures of early summer heat you can expect anything! Instead of a poem, out popped this zany romp of a short story this week that started as a self-imposed writing exercise. I thought you might enjoy trying this idea for yourself to get the writing juices going. Maybe you just want an emotional and mental vacation from the heat or stress of everyday life. That'll work too! :)

Wrote this recently as a raucous fast-paced ridiculous short story. It's really a bit long to post here and when that happens I park those writes over at HubPages. Take a look and you will be amused!

Writing Exercise

Many times I will assign myself some kind of writing exercise to loosen up my mind to push it out of the usual day-to-day analytical mode of just plain dealing with life, you know, solving problems. You might need a break from everything you do, well, this is a great way to take a vacation without spending any money or leaving the house - how convenient! :)

Seriously though, writing like this is such a good idea to stretch your imagination, give you more ideas of what else you could write and most of all, no pressure of deadlines or expectations from yourself or others.

The idea is to forget most of what every writing teacher ever taught you. Sit down to the keyboard and start writing, literally, whatever silly thing comes to mind, the more ridiculous the better. Don't plan a thing; don't outline a plot, a theme, characters, nothing. It's strictly funny brain drivel!

The second idea to keep in mind as far as technique is to use a couple of "don'ts" like run-on sentences and cliches which usually are the kiss of death for a good write. But when it is a zany little romp like the short story here it actually is a fit! What I found is that the run-on sentences help increase the intensity of the action and create this fast pace that leaves you dizzy.

Try your hand at this kind of writing exercise, have some fun, and then laugh your socks off at what comes out! The only rule? It has to be utterly and completely ridiculous!

Here's an excerpt from my world of the ridiculous:

"Jack jumped over the electric blue fox - who was hunting down the orange cat - who was preying upon the stupid cockroach that was having an identity crisis - and believed he was a popular dragonfly down at the local Irish pub - because he sang Irish songs everyone loved and wrote some damn good poetry.

The orange cat circled back to chase the identity crisis cockroach - who just knew he was really Irish in a former life - while the blue fox preened and bathed in the fast-paced lights of the nightclub – this fox enthusiastically embraced blue as the new fashion neutral - it was Jack who was looking for the weird alien orange cat that kept eluding him - who was stalking the brave Irish-singing cockroach determined to make it to Broadway.

The powerful-singing cockroach drowned out the elegant Irish pub-singing dragonfly - and soon the people customers complained about the strange odd noises blaring from the rising platform – it was two ants standing on a leaf singing opera - and more ants joined them from the audience singing 49 Bottles of Guinness Beer on the Wall and Get Down Tonight! – and soon the nightclub was jumping and bumping - and the people were dancing and squishing and splatting the friendly ants - who got the place hopping on a Saturday night in the first place."

For the rest of the story just click on the story title link, go here! Thanks for visiting!

Organic Coffee That Burns Fat!

Image via Wikipedia

Organic Coffee That Burns Fat!: "Bskinny Coffee aka Skinny Coffee is a Thermogenic Fat Burning Coffee that helps you lose weight while enjoying a great cup of coffee.

The combination of Coffee and Weight Loss could be a huge winner since Coffee is the second most consumed beverage on the planet and weight loss is a 35 Billion Dollar industry. Together this could make Bskinny a household name, not to mention make Boresha an absolute fortune."

By bskinny @ HubPages

From Denny: Here's a short article about coffee from a new writer over at HubPages who is, of course, promoting their coffee company. This weight loss idea is a new one on me, fascinating read! Especially nice that the proceeds from this coffee company she writes about go to help children in Africa caught up in the civil wars and participating as soldiers.

Libations Friday! 1 May 2009

From Denny: It’s Friday and time for new coffee recipes from our friends over at coffeerecipes.org! The site’s bit of trivia about coffee:

• Coffee represents 71% of all the United States caffeine consumption.

• When coffee first appeared in Africa, it was used as a type of religious intoxicant.

• Americans' taste for coffee grew during the early nineteenth century, as a result of tea imports being cut off due to the War of 1812.

Since my theme poem is about the birthday event - in Taiwan many years ago, a year ago my own birthday, and today's birthday of my mother, all overlapping - a coffee recipe for a group is the first order of the day. My husband’s favorite party drink usually involves Irish Whiskey so there is an Irish Coffee recipe to keep him deliriously happy too.

***

Coffee Punch

Ingredients:

2 quarts of vanilla ice cream, softened

2 quarts of strong brewed coffee, cooled

2 cups of milk

2 cups of whipping cream, whipped

½ cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Ground nutmeg


Directions: Combine the coffee, milk, sugar, and vanilla; stir thoroughly. Chill.

Place the vanilla ice cream in a large punch bowl. Pour the coffee mixture over top of the ice cream, stirring gently. Top with whipped cream, sprinkle with nutmeg, then serve.

***

Creamy Irish Coffee

Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh coffee

1 cup of whipping cream

½ cup of Irish whiskey

¼ cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of Irish whiskey

Instructions: In a saucepan, add 4 cups of strong fresh coffee, ½ cup of Irish whiskey and ¼ cup sugar. Heat up, but do not boil.

Whip 1 cup of whipping cream until it is light, then beat in 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of whiskey. Pour the coffee into coffee mugs and spoon the cream on top. Serve.

***



Photo taken by my grandmother Isabel long before I was born, cropped for a close up and restored by Denny Lyon

From Denny: Today was my mother’s birthday. Besides her genius intelligence and high creativity, she was fun-loving, accepting of all - long before it was part of mainstream culture. It was very controversial in her time period. She did it anyway as she believed in truly loving others. She was a gentle soul who really wasn’t mean enough to stand up to defend herself, usually allowing things to pass on by. Her name was Marie, nicknamed Ree, and she loved to paint nature like the rugged seashore of Maine since water was her element.

She was beautiful at almost 5’ 10” and was most elegant. (I got the shorter genes, sigh.) While half Scottish and a quarter French, she looked her quarter Spanish with flashing soft brown eyes, a winning smile and dark warm brown hair. By today’s standards Ree was considered a curvaceous hour-glass figured “hottie.” When she entered a room, well, men’s jaws dropped and they drifted her way to grin stupidly in her aura while the less secure women threw eye daggers.

Because of her high intelligence and kind nature, Ree was a gifted conversationalist, the reason men were so drawn to her: a good-looking woman who could talk, well, almost anything! This is what petty jealous women never seem to understand. It’s less about the looks but about the ability to connect with others in a way that is meaningful to them. Sure it helps to polish the outside look but it cannot stand on its own.

While she was aware of her effect she never used it to her advantage, always taking the time to be kind, thoughtful and a team player in any group situation. That only made people love her more! She had plenty of female friends who were, well, cool! They were stronger personalities than she and stuffed full of personality and talent. Ree had this unspoken ability to enliven that sleeping talent in others so they could thrive.

Her friends appreciated that in an atmosphere where women’s hopes were often squashed. She really believed in people! My mother was forever showing other women how to make the most of their own beauty as she did not believe there was any such thing as an ugly woman. That’s a true artist for you. After all, she was born, and grew up, in New York City so Ree knew style, loving clothes.

Reee died when I was eleven years old and the family never recovered the happiness and fun-loving optimistic atmosphere that was present while she lived. Like any family there were a lot of negatives in the family culture which I won’t go into here as it would take far too much space! You can read a portion of it in my article on HubPages: Obama Valentine Gift: Black Man Makes White Women Equal.

I was thinking of looking for birthday poems but suddenly remembered one I wrote on my own birthday. It was composed as a thank you for writing group friends who indirectly had helped me start writing again - after over two years and a car accident where my brain was compromised with a severe concussion. They really helped with the healing process and I am still quite grateful to them though they did not fully realize just how much it meant to me.

Our family moved to Taiwan a few years after Ree’s passing. She would have loved exploring the Chinese culture! Ree’s favorite color was red and she enjoyed the vivacious feel from the color as much as the Chinese. The curious thing about when a traditional Chinese has a birthday, they explained, is that the birthday person is the one who honors the guests and gives out gifts at their own party. What a twist for the usual Western and American mindset! Yet Ree would have understood this immediately and adopted it. She was a truly humble person who could see the value in honoring others.

Actually, my husband and I adopted the Chinese custom. Every year we throw an Aquarian party, honoring all his friends who are born in that time period, a lot of them. It has become quite the popular event over time. Read that as there is not much to do around the end of January! We give them gifts and a good time is had by all.

I think if Ree were here she would like this poem as it reveals how much she loved people. How much she loved you if she only had the chance to meet you all.

On to today's poem:

Image by Abllo™ via Flickr

A Chinese Birthday Favor


A Chinese birthday glorifies, beauteously awarding the self, not
A Chinese birthday pays homage, reverence to honor others, yes

Scattered, sown, plenty of red color, ornaments, auspicious day
Red is the Chinese color choice, celebrating essence of our life!

The birthday person joyfully wallets the opulent celebration
The birthday person attentively invites a large gregarious crowd

As everyone heartily dines and laughs and reconnects, engaged
Presents given to the honored happy guests, the fulfilled hosts, not

A Chinese birthday is about extolling the celebrant host, not
A Chinese birthday is about everyone else exalted their due, yes

The birthday person invited to remember goodness, reminisce
The birthday person bid by tradition to honor others, adorn

So here are my birthday gifts to all of you at this huge party
Blowing gentle kisses, may they land welcome, light and free

Goodwill expressed to all who helped nudge my brain, released
For two years not able to write, not fun at all, deprived liberty

For my fellow writers, writing unleashed, and those just here to read
Thank you, thank you, thank you, all, for coming, blessings you be

Take the time to remember how special you are to me, others too
Take the day to gift yourself for the giving, tendered most worthy

A spreading smile, mind satisfied, love verified, heart validated: you!
Spread the word, pass it forward, and live well, goodwill to favored all

Tell everyone you meet today a Chinese is celebrating a birthday, honoring you!


Denny Lyon
Copyright 30 July 2008
All Rights Reserved


Coffee Photo by once and future @ flickr

Thanks for visiting! For more restored family photos of many generations (I love history and the faces that goes with it), visit my photo blog, Visual Insights, where there is a slide show of historical family photos going back to the early days of photography, the Civil War - and slide shows of some of my favorites from other photographers on flickr, go here.

Libations Friday! 24 April 2009

From Denny: The Fridays keep rolling on! Can you tell it’s been 87-degrees F. the past week here in Louisiana? My mind is definitely on those tall cold drinks! This one reminds me of when I lived in Vienna, Austria a while back and the Hungarian culture and cooking influences on the local Austrians.

From the very popular site: recipes.lovetoknow.com

Image by R. J. Malfalfa via Flickr

Photo of Sunset over coffee fields in Hawaii

Hungarian Caffe

Ingredients:

pint of very strong black coffee

A few drops of almond extract

2 well beaten eggs

2 tablespoons of sugar

4 tablespoons of thick cream

1 cup of sweetened whipped cream

1 quart of ice cold effervescent water

1 pint of shaved ice

Directions: Flavor the coffee with almond extract. Strain and place in the double boiler. At the boiling point, add the eggs, sugar, and thick cream. Cook only until the custard coats the back of the spoon. When perfectly cold, fold in a cup of sweetened whipped cream. Add a quart of ice cold effervescent water and a pint of shaved ice. Serve in tall sherbet glasses.

Another recipe from recipes.lovetoknow.com

Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

Here's an incredibly easy recipe even the novice cook can master and be proud!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup roasted coffee beans

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Easy Directions: Melt the chocolate chips, either in a microwave or in a double boiler, until smooth. Add several coffee beans to the melted chocolate, stirring until beans are completely coated with chocolate. Remove beans from chocolate and place on wax paper to harden. Repeat with remaining coffee beans. Freeze in a single layer for 30 minutes or leave at room temperature overnight. Store coffee beans in an airtight container.


*** POEM ***

Speaking of hot weather, here’s a poem I wrote last July 2008. Sometimes I paint my insights, sometimes I journal my dreams and, sometimes, those spiritual visions become poetry.

Since I wrote this poem I ran across a health study (which I placed on my health blog, The Healing Waters, go here) about how friendship helps boost your immune system to overcome disease and give us longer life. That new validation dovetails nicely into this poem about the offering of friendship among strangers.

Comments: And, yes, you are welcome to comment upon anything on this blog, including my poetry. I buried perfection a long time ago, preferring to live out loud - and happy!



The Long Road

I was walking along a narrow long road
It stretched dry dirt, winding horizon bound
Few canopy shade-welcoming trees there were
The hot sun stared down unrelentingly, glaring

Many people there were up ahead in the long distance
I squinted my eyes to see better and saw countless advancing
Why was I walking alone with so many far forward?
I wondered out loud. Why won’t they slow down?
I complained inside. Don’t they see me, hear my steps?
I mourned deeply low, hoping no one could hear my cry

I pushed on, focused my thoughts long and deep
I walked along in contemplative self-absorption
I pondered the meaning of life so disconnected, alone

When suddenly it occurred to me to a gentle stop come
The thought tugged at me to turn around, look behind
There in the sweltering distance, a few stragglers like me
Following behind them a large crowd distant orbit, far away

Waited and waited some more I did, those few to catch up, see me
Gasping for breath, with hard effort they coughed their thanks effusively
Lightheartedly we wiled away the hours; we laughed and laughed, talked more
When, all at once, they quickly tired, melted away, a little roadside, veered off

Sitting down, enjoyed they long rest; traveling beyond the hot road continued me
They waved smiling, content goodbye; pieces, my heart, left abiding with theirs
Again alone on the road I began to mull over, lingering visit I weighed
The day grew longer, hotter, more difficult to endure, yet journeyed I

Changing focus out of reverie, scouting the people far before me
I looked up to find, abruptly, stopped square in my path, one man standing
His eyes were sparkling, his attention riveted eagerly upon mine
Who are you? I asked startled, surprised, this sudden company of one

His deliberate smile widening, he carefully spoke,
It was now my time to stop, slow down to meet you


Denny Lyon
Copyright 18 July 2008
All Rights Reserved

Photo by once and future @ flickr

Libations Friday! 10 April 2009

Photo by once and future @ flickr

Coffee Trivia

Did you know that ALL coffee on the planet is grown within 1,000 miles of the equator between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn?

How about this one: Did you know that a mature coffee tree only produces ONE pound of coffee per season? That’s all, folks!

Where is the largest coffee importer center in the USA? Hint: It’s near me. Answer: New Orleans, Louisiana. Do you think maybe New Orleans is the closest American port to Central and South America?

At what point in American history did we as a nation develop a taste for coffee? Answer: It was during the War of 1812 when tea imports were cut off, and, “the rest is history”!



Photo by Ballistik Coffee Boy @ flickr

Coffee Quotes from CoffeeSage.com

“Starbucks says they are going to start putting religious quotes on cups. The very first one will say, ‘Jesus! This cup is expensive!” ~ Conan O’Brien

And a blast from the past:

“The coffee is prepared in such a way that it makes those who drink it witty: at least there is not a single soul who, on quitting the house, does not believe himself four times wittier that when he entered it.” - Charles de Secondat Montesquieu

“Black as the devil,
Hot as hell,
Pure as an angel,
Sweet as love.”

– Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

That last quote sounds a lot like a haiku!

Coffee Poetry Contest over at Roast Magazine. Here’s the link to last year’s winners, go here. Past winners of David Demitasse Poetry Contest where the poem has to be about coffee.

Poetry page for poems all about coffee, go here.



Photo by Ballistik Coffee Boy @ flickr

Coffee with some punch from CoffeeRecipes.org:

Alcoholic Cappuccino recipe

Ingredients list:

3 cups of coffee

3 cups of half and half

4 oz. of Creme de Cacao

2 oz. of rum

2 oz. of brandy

Easy directions: In a suitably sized saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Heat then serve.

From Coffee Review.com

Coffee Culture: Coffee Ceremonies

“For people in the Horn of Africa and parts of the Middle East coffee has maintained its religious connotations, and the ritual aspects remain conscious and refined. Ethiopians and Eritreans brought their coffee ceremonies with them as they immigrated to the United States.

My first experience with a formal coffee ceremony was in the apartment of an Eritrean friend in a thoroughly urbanized part of Oakland, California. His wife carefully roasted the green coffee beans in a shallow pan, passed the just-roasted, steaming beans around the room so that everyone could enjoy their sweet black smoke, cooled them on a small straw mat, ground them in an electric grinder (at home in Eritrea she would use a large mortar and pestle, but she explained that the pounding disturbed her downstairs neighbors!), brewed the coffee in a traditional clay pot, and served it in tiny cups.

The entire event was an opportunity to talk and gossip while basking in the smell and spectacle of the preparation of the beverage whose consumption consummated the morning.”

***

From Denny:

The Unusual Poems from Our Ancient Past

As I was rooting around the internet for something interesting in the way of poetry for today, my brain seemed to get stuck in coffee and chocolate mode. I went from coffee site to coffee site, followed blog roll links to wine, food, coffee and chocolate blogs. I read about how to roast your own coffee. I read musings from ex-baristas. I waded through a lot of coffee!

Eventually, after a number of searches I ran across an obscure poetry site. This is one of those little gems you enjoy finding because it is so unique. I was searching for ancient poets. After a good deal of time among the ancient Greeks I looked for more and up popped this site about the Ancient American Poets. What? Anything in America is ancient? My mind took a quick hook-shot left turn and came to a sudden stop. Now what’s this all about?

This site contains ancient Inca, Mayan and Aztec poetry dated from about 500 years ago when it was first recorded by the occupying Spaniards. Now for America that’s definitely ancient! What was compelling was the man’s story of how he came to be a translator and learned several languages to get to the point to translate some of this text.

His name is John Curl and his book and site are both called Ancient American Poetry.

From John Curl: “These early manuscripts of ancient literature are a hidden part of our heritage; very few students of poetry in the USA know the names or existence of some of the earliest American poets. These translations and biographies are one attempt to help correct that. Reclaiming our multi-cultural heritage deepens our understanding of who we are and where our society is going.”

This sacred hymn is both a prayer and a philosophical musing considered to be of the highest poetic art form for their culture dedicated to the Creator they called Wiracocha.

From John: “Quechua poets liked their verses brief and without obvious artifice. Arawikujs didn't care about metrics, and scorned technical rigidity.

The meters of their verses were determined by the inner necessities of meaning and poetics. Inside the forms of the songs there was great flexibility. The rhythm was the natural fluidity of the language.

The number of syllables in each line was highly mutable. A line of poetry usually consisted of only five or six syllables, and rarely more than eight. Rhyme and assonance were common but not necessary. Many Quechua words have the same endings. Blank verses were common.

The Quechua (Runasimi) Language

Quechua (Qhëshwa) - or, more properly, Runasimi, meaning literally "People Mouth" - is an agglutinative language, adding syllables onto a root to form long meaningful words. By the addition of small particles to Quechua verbs, one can express numerous subtleties of thought and emotion.

Many words have several synonyms, each with a slight twist of meaning. Runasimi contains many onomatopoetic words. Although outlawed for a period by the Spaniards after the revolt of Tupac Amaru II, Quechua survived and has about ten million speakers today. It is described by native speakers as an extraordinarily expressive idiom…

The hymns of Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui, composed for the Situa ceremony around 1440-1450, are among the world's great sacred poetry.

The eleven hymns, or jaillis, in Quechua verse, were sung to the accompaniment of instruments during the annual Inca ceremony of the Situa Raymi, held at the first new moon after the Spring equinox.

In appreciation of the sacred Inca hymns, the great Quechua scholar Jesus Lara writes, ‘Among the hymns... there are fragments of profound beauty, interpreters of a high level of spirituality reached by the Inca people.

Many of them seduce by their transparent simplicity, for the elemental gratitude in them for the deity who creates and governs, who grants sustenance, peace and happiness. Many captivate by their elevation contiguous with metaphysic. All by the emotional force that palpitates in them.’"

Random Denny Thought: It makes me wonder if on a spiritual level or perhaps encoded in the languages of our continent that this idea of free verse where the message is of highest importance survives today in American culture. This ancient American culture had a disdain for rigid technical forms as our generation does today. The attitude survives though the formal culture does not.

Ancient American Poets by John Curl sure sounds like a must have for the poetry shelf of the ancients who once walked where we walk today. I wonder what they would have to say now…



Sacred Hymn to Wiracocha the Creator

Oh Creator, root of all,
Wiracocha, end of all,
Lord in shining garments
who infuses life and sets all things in order,
saying, "Let there be man! Let there be woman!"
Molder, maker,
to all things you have given life:
watch over them,
keep them living prosperously, fortunately
in safety and peace.
Where are you?
Outside? Inside?
Above this world in the clouds?
Below this world in the shades?
Hear me!
Answer me!
Take my words to your heart!
For ages without end
let me live,
grasp me in your arms,
hold me in your hands,
receive this offering
wherever you are, my Lord,
my Wiracocha.

***

To all the spirits of places

Creator, end of all things
root of all
Lord of the Lake
active diligent Wiracocha,
Lord of Mountains
Lord of Prayers
Lord of Rituals
Lord without measure,
Creator, end of all,
who rewards and grants:
Let the communities and peoples prosper
and also those who journey outside or within.

***
From the Amazon site about the author:

John Curl is a respected poet and author of historical works who has published fiction, poetry, essays, and history in numerous magazines and periodicals during the last three decades. He is a board member of PEN USA West and PEN Oakland and has also hosted a weekly radio show.

Tracking down this book over at Amazon.com I also found some used ones as well for the budget. New is $16 US. It can be found by going here in the Ancient Poetry section of The Social Poets Store banner at the top of the posting area or just click here.

Libations Friday! 3 April 2009

Image by ahisgett via Flickr

From Denny: OK, I am seriously on a happy high! Just found the coolest group of videos to demonstrate how to make Spanish Coffee from a resort in Cancun. Of course, the server is phenomenal in his presentation – or should I say - magic act. We are left wondering if there was a fire extinguisher off camera…

First the recipe from iNeedCoffee.com by Marketman.

Spanish Coffee (also called Mayan or Flaming Coffee)

Ingredients:

A shot of Rum

A shot of Brandy

Coffee

A dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Sugar

Heavy cream

Tablespoon of Kahlua

Lime wedge

Whole orange for pouring Brandy


Directions from Marketman: Some preparation is necessary. An un-ripened orange is peeled in a corkscrew fashion. Glass mugs are used for the coffee, and prepared by being dipped first in lime wedges, and then in sugar, to coat the rims. An ounce of Rum is added to each mug.

An ounce of Brandy is added to each glass next, but not without a show. The Brandy is added to one of two stainless-steel pouring containers. The Brandy is then lit on fire. The flaming alcohol is poured back and forth several times, and then distributed in equal amounts to each of the coffee mugs. The other half of the flaming Brandy is saved for later. A mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg are then shaken into each container, which causes sparks to fly from the still-flaming brandy. Coffee is then poured into each mug, which should extinguish the flames. A spoonful of heavy cream is then added to each container.

The remaining Brandy goes on last, but not without another fiery show. The remaining flaming Brandy is now poured down and around the corkscrew of the orange that was peeled in the first stage. Cut-up lime wedges are then placed on each serving plate.

The mugs are then placed on the serving plates with the lime wedges. A flaming tablespoon of Kahlua is set on top of each drink. Finally, the lime wedge is squeezed onto the flame just before serving, aggravating and then extinguishing the final flame just before consumption.

Now for the videos at iNeedCoffee.com – these guys are really something!

Note: I had to load today's post in reverse, so hopefully all will show up on time and in the right order. Apparently, Blogger can't handle 4 videos' codes in one post, sigh...