This is my daughter’s favorite picture… for reasons I cannot explain. I think they would hang it in their dorm rooms to scare off all but the most worthy… which is fine by me. When I see this picture, I think of them.
A good friend of mine wanted to do a chrome shoot ( help his students learn how to photograph chrome) and needed two things: 1) a Harley motorcycle and 2) a great looking male model. 😉 So, I felt a bit like‘Zoolander’but a bit out of place since none of my suits fit. I was still a big boy at the time ( over 400) and lifting (weights) and a bit cranky at having to pose for hours. It was worth it as they detailed my bike which had been on a long trip.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Ladies!
Roger Freberg
PS. Ladies, if you need to scare someone off, print off this picture and tell the fellow that this is your dad and his new motorcycle that the bro’s gave him for getting out early! Use what works! 😉
I think it is part public service and part a reflection of economic reality that we have movies encourage cooking and baking. Not only can you save money, but when one learns to cook, one can make something nicer and more nutritious than what can often be purchased. In the film “No Reservations”, one of the many featured items was a more recent culinary creation called ‘Tiramisu.” Tiramisu is an Italian dessert whose origination is debated. I do remember various layered ‘lady finger’ desserts from childhood and all were marvelous! However, “Tiramisu” has been around no earlier than the late 1960’s.
Italian Lady fingers are called ‘Savoriardi’ and although chefs try to discourage you from making them… they are very easy to make using a pastry tube! Tiramisu is best made this way.
In any event, if you (Men) would like something easy to make — but doesn’t seem so — for that special person in your life and you really don’t know much about cooking… allow me to suggest the wonderful Italian dessert Tiramisu!
aaaah.... isn't this sweet? My wife & my name together at last! 😉
Have you seen the sequel to the Da Vinci code? Well, in the movie the ‘bad guys’ use ambigrams as part of their sinister plot… but I won’t tell you more or I’ll spoil all the fun. What you see isone type of an ambigram. As i have come to learn there are many kinds and styles, but I have provided a link so you can read all about it yourself.
Call it the romantic in me but I thought I would see if Laura and my name could produce a pretty ambigram, so with a little help from a couple of sites, some work on Arcsoft then Giffy animation software … there it is above!
So this is what I did today… hope yours was as fun!
My favorite memories of people, places, things and events are often the subtle accents of those occasions and the right food always made it perfect. Whether we had resources or not, like Bob Cratchit, we would make the best meal we could with what we had… and the extra effort often made the difference. The Favorite foods of people around the world continue to fascinate me and when I learned of a pie made on one of the Greek Islands, I just had to learn all about it.
The simple Honey Pie made on the Island of Siphnos is called ‘Melopita.’ It is made with the by product of making cheese … referred to as whey. The cheese Myzithra is made from sheep or goat whey and is said — and I concur — to resemble the taste of Ricotta ( one of my favorite whey cheeses). Using this humble cheese, a pie is made with sugar , eggs and honey and a sprinkling of cinnamon on the top after the pie is baked. Traditionally, this is a dessert served during Easter, but I hear tell that you can find it almost all year round on the island now-a-days.
There are many variations of this pie. Some make it with lemon and dub it ‘Siphnopitta’ , others add a dash of brandy and some add raisins and almonds. You will find recipes that include baking powder and butter. Although I do not make it this way, I do like the recipes that use raisins soaked in brandy (like mybread pudding ). Nevertheless, regardless of the variation you choose to make, I can’t imagine making it with anything other than soft and sweet Greek Myzithra cheese.
Pictures from the Greek Islands. Siphnos in the upper left and located on the map. Laura is swimming on the Island Of Hydra.
The basic traditional recipe from the island of Siphos has the following proportions:
___________
39 ounces of Myzithra cheese
1 cup of sugar ( they refer to a ‘glass’ of sugar which is 200ml or roughly 1 cup)
6 eggs
3/4 cup of honey
cinnamon for powdering the pie after baking
Mix and pour into a precooked pie shell
___________
Basically, they instruct you to bake the pie for roughly50 minutes at 200 Celsius (392 F.)… however, I would bake it more in steps like a cheesecake with an initial higher temperature that is significantly reduced.
Although my pie is a bit different, it doesn’t vary too much from the essentials and I will post it around Christmas time.
Make some memories with your holiday cuisine… everyone will love you for it!
