Individual Peach Cobblers with Vanilla Ice Cream

To contact us Click HERE

At 9pm after Emma has gone to bed and Mike and I are winding down we're always in the mood for something sweet.  Last week, I really wanted just a bite (or two...) of freshly baked, hot and bubbly, crumbly peach cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream.  Who wouldn't?

I whipped up a mini guy for us to share and put the rest of the crumb cobbler topping (I had made too much...) in the freezer.  Perfect - next time I have a craving and have a couple of peaches (or apples or berries...) lying around, I can just grab a handful of topping from the freezer. 

simple crumbly
Cobbler Topping


2 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/4 cup of sugar (or vanilla sugar)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 pound of butter, cold (2 sticks)

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt.  Stir together. Cut butter into small pieces (about 1/2 inch cubes) and add them to the bowl and mix on medium low for a few minutes until the mixture starts to come together and is a crumbly texture.


For the individual cobblers, the amount of fruit filling and topping depends on the size of the bowl you're using.  In general, here is the ratio :

2 peaches + 1 tablespoon of sugar +  1 teaspoon of flour + 1/4 cup of topping

For this size, bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the filling bubbles and the topping begins to brown. 



To peel peaches easily, drop them in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, then put them in ice water.  The skins will peel off easily with the help of a pairing knife.
 
Here is the extra topping ready to go into the freezer for the next last minute mini craving...


These Individual Peach Cobblers are part of my Fresh & Flavorful Father's Day Menu - get all of the recipes here!

Spicy Chimichurri Sauce for Grilled Flank Steak

To contact us Click HERE

I'm one of those people that don't didn't like cilantro.  Lately, its been sneaking into things I've tried and I, gulp, have really gotten a taste for it.  Here's the secret: I think it is best used subtly.  It really shines when it is in the background.  When I've tried it in the past, so many times it has been used in too much excess and it overpowered the recipe convincing me that I didn't like it.

This chimichurri sauce is soooo flavorful.  Mix it together without the fresh herbs, then add them just before serving.  It is great as a marinade for beef or veggies or can be used as a sauce.

fresh and spicy
Chimichurri Sauce


2 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Mix garlic, olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, cayenne and balsamic together.  Add fresh herbs just before serving.





 This Chimichurri Sauce is part of my Fresh & Flavorful Father's Day Menu - get all of the recipes here!

Is "margarine" a brand name?

To contact us Click HERE

Search: margarine

Why: Just posting an awesome article at work when a wild misspelling appears.

Maybe it's just because it's plural. I don't know.

Answer: Nope! It's just a thing that was invented by a guy. In 1870, Emperor Louis-Napoleon III offered a prize to whomever could produce a satisfactory substitute for butter. To make his entry, Provençal chemist Hippolyte Mège-Mouriez used a delicious fatty acid compound called margaric acid. It had been named for the Greek word for "pearl" - margarites - due to its "lustrous pearly drops."

Gross, man.

Source: ButterySpreads.com (my new homepage)

The More You Know: In the theme of foods that begin with "margari," nobody seems to know who invented the first margarita. Three popular legends:

• 1938, Tijuana - Carlos “Danny” Herrera made a drink for his customer Marjorie King, an aspiring actress who was allergic to all hard alcohol other than tequila. He combined all the usual elements of a regular shot - tequila, lime, and salt.
• 1948, Acapulco - Dallas socialite Margarita Sames invented the drink at her vacation home and served to guests - one of whom was Tommy Hilton. He later added the drink to the bar menu at his hotel chain.
• 1945 - The first importer of Jose Cuervo in the US advertised with the tagline, "Margarita: It's more than a girl's name."
  

Share

Which came first: Sylvanian Families or Calico Critters?

To contact us Click HERE

Search: calico critters sylvanian families

Why: I saw this thing on reddit (warning: it's a mockery of religious faith):


In the comments,

One guy: My sister had these toys when we were kids. What were they called?

Other guy: http://www.calicocritters.com/ I still have some of these toys, which makes me feel both appreciative of this comic and also incredibly lazy and uncreative because I've never thought to do anything remotely this awesome

I also had little animals like those, but they were called Sylvanian Families, not Calico Critters. What on earth.

Answer: Sylvanian Families! VINDICATED!!! The little animals were created in Japan (natch) in 1985. In the early 90s, Tomy - who had been distributing the toys worldwide - lost the rights to the name Sylvanian Families in North America. They reintroduced the characters as the Calico Critters of Cloverleaf Corners (I think; this website is confusing).



Then, because it was Japan in the 80s, and because there was a craze about small velvety anthropomorphic woodland creatures, the toys turned into a cartoon series. The first anime show was done by a completely separate company and called "Maple Town."



Right?? Riveting. The Maple Town Friends were a bit different than the Sylvanian Familes. For starters, they looked more like cartoons, less like real animals. For twosies, they wore work garb - like lab coats and firefighter suits - instead of traditional home clothes.


The rabbits ran the post office.

Anyway, the next year, there was also a "Sylvanian Families" cartoon, but it wasn't a huge hit. Nobody is reading this. Bye.

Source: Maple Town, Wikipedia,

The More You Know: There is a Sylvanian Families theme park in Japan.



Of course there is.

Share

What's the difference between a blimp and a zeppelin?

To contact us Click HERE

Search: blimp zeppelin

Why: Corbett took Leigh on a blimp ride for his b-day. Nbd.



What makes a blimp not a zeppelin? The shape? The material? Are zeppelins even a thing anymore?

Answer: For starters, both blimps and zeppelins are dirigibles.

A dirigible is any lighter-than-air craft that is both powered and steerable (as opposed to free floating, like a balloon). Blimps, rigid airships, and semi-rigid airships are all dirigibles.

The name comes from the French verb diriger, "to steer."



A rigid airship has a rigid framework that maintains its shape. It also has one or more gas cells.



The USS Shenandoah

A zeppelin is a rigid airship made by a specific company, the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin ("Zeppelin Airship Construction Company") of Germany. The guy who started that company was one Mr. von Zeppelin (actually a Count).

A blimp - technically a "pressure airship" - has no rigid inner structure. Its shape is maintained by the pressure of the gases within its envelope. If it deflates, it loses shape.



Turns out: the thing Corbett and Leigh rode in was actually a zeppelin.

Source: Airships.net

The More You Know: The LZ-129 Hindenburg was a zeppelin (LZ = Luftschiff Zeppelin). At more than 800 feet long, it remains one of the largest objects to ever fly (even bigger than a pterosaur).



From its completion in March 1936 until its fiery disaster in May 1937, the Hindenburg provided the fastest and most comfortable way to fly across the Atlantic. In 1936, it made 17 round trips from the hangar in aviation town Friedrichshafen in Southern Germany over the Atlantic - 10 times to the US and 7 to Brazil. The flight to New York was something like 62 hours long. From New Jersey to Frankfurt, the Hindenburg's best time was 43 hours and 2 minutes.



According to passenger / reporter Webb Miller, passenger accommodations were enclosed in about 4,500 square feet. There 25 two-bed one-sink cabins, a promenade flanked by windows, a salon with writing desks and a piano, and a dining room. Below deck were shower / baths, toilets, kitchens, a smoking room, and a bar.





Tickets were $400. People were classy.



Nazis notwithstanding, it sounded very nice.




Share

What's the difference between a parable and a fable?

To contact us Click HERE

Search: fable parable

Why: The Bible is filled with parables; kindergarten is filled with fables. None of them are true. They both end in -able.

Answer: A fable has animals! or plants or anthropomorphized forces of nature. Each character represents a particular human virtue or fault, and what happens in the story is directly related to his personality. The word "fable" comes from the Latin root fari, "to speak."





A parable is set in the real world with human characters. It features realistic problems and results handled with spiritual fortitude if not sanctimony. The word is related to parabola, from from para, "alongside," + bole, "a throwing, casting, beam, ray."





Both fables and parables teach moral or ethical lessons.

Source: Wild Fables,

The More You Know: The word fable is also related to the word fabulous, i.e. "rich in myths; legendary." Speaking of fabulous, I just found out that Season 4 of "RuPaul's Drag Race" started January 30th.



May the best woman win!

Share

What's the origin of the word javelina?

To contact us Click HERE

Search: javelina name origin

Why: I was admiring some art from Draw Something (are you playing? I can't get enough. We literally lie in bed drawing and laughing and cornholing except Buster) when I spotted this:



which made me think of this:



Pagoda! Where's my javelina?

and subsequently this:



There you are.
Answer: It's a topic of debate! But here is a pretty good theory:

• It comes from the Spanish word jabali, "wild boar." A jabalina is a "wild sow."
• That term comes from the Arabic term khinzÄ«r jabalÄ«y, "mountain pig." A jabal is a mountain.
  

Another option: What it may come from (but probably not) is the word javelin. Javelinas have sharp teeth, don't it.



Source: Some person's page about javelinas

The More You Know: Other beautiful names for the javelina include peccary and skunk pig.

Bonus screenshot: Wherein James and I discuss "RuPaul's Drag Race" and his experiences with peccaries in Guatemala:


Share