How to Combine Photos with Your Poetry: Cool Eye Theme Photos!

From Denny: These are some of the very cool photos I used in my recent poem, Eyeing Think Time over at The Social Poets this week!



Photo by pareeerica @ flickr



Photo by dreamglow @ flickr



Photo by Felipe Morin @ flickr - this one is so very Salvator Dali! :)

To see the other spectacular eye theme photos I chose, and see how to combine with poetry, go here.

4 Science Articles You Might Enjoy

From Denny: Since I have too many interests I've parked them on other blogs in addition to this one. Apparently, most people start a blog, lose interest, abandon the first one to start another blog. Not me. I just keep expanding to ADD more blogs! (totally crazy, I suppose - but hey! I'm happy...)

Anyway, articles about how the brain works, astronomy, psychology, some math and physics on basic levels is what I park over at the blog The Soul Calendar. It keeps climbing in the traffic rankings quite nicely and I happily write about whatever catches my interest for the week! Life is good!

I'm still poking around the web for children's resources for parents and science projects readers might find interesting. If you know of any sites or projects, speak up and shoot me an email at warriorspearl@gmail.com, much appreciated!

Here are a few posts you might find an interesting read:

Is My Brain Making Me Buy Things I Don't Need?

Double Amputees Shed Light on Brain's Flexibility

Robolegs Help People Walk

Hurricane-Killing, Space-Based Power Plants

NASA Photo by Image Editor @ flickr

Recipe: Irish Mist Cake

From Denny: Following are 4 videos demonstrating how to make this easy cake. Lots of people love Irish Whiskey and this is certainly one interesting way to "drink" the libation! :)

They take their time making the cake as this is an unprofessional video where a couple of regular people enjoy the romp through their version of the Food Network. Amusing as well as instructional.


Photos by stevegarfield @ flickr

More April Fools Day Funnies

For more April Fools Day hoaxes from the math and science geek crowd, hike yourself on over to one of my other blogs: The Soul Calendar - go here.

On that blog I place a lot of articles about the mind, how the brain works, some astronomy (killer eclipse photos) and anything else mildly geeky I enjoy when I read magazines like Discover. Enjoy!

Photo by Tambako the Jaguar @ flickr.

Funny Friday the 13th!

Photo by nao-cha @ flickr of dog Cocoa

From friends over at Twitter:

"Very funny page for Friday the 13th, both versions - peterdrew@keithbaxter It's Friday the 13th! Beware...
http://snipr.com/dp10t DUDE!! not nice scaring me like that :=)"

From Denny: Just click on the title as the address is linked. Enjoy!

Feedburner Glitch

Now I know why my feed counts have been going up and down wildly. Turns out Feedburner keeps deactivating them: on all 7 blogs! So, apologies, if you have found this maddening; join the club. Guess it's taking Google and Feedburner longer to merge and work out the gremlins than they are telling the public, oh, well... Meanwhile, rest assured I will be now manually monitoring these feeds twice a day to keep them activiated. Thank you for your patience everyone!

Don't you just love this photo of an ass? Such a good fit when things go wrong because that's how you feel and look to others! Might as well have some fun with screw-ups, right! ;)

Thanks go to the folks over at flickr who place their photos in the Creative Commons area for online writers and bloggers like me, much appreciated! They can be so funny.


Photo by gidibao @ flickr

Recipe: Romantic Chocolate Fondue for Two

Romantic Fondue for Two

From: Chocolate Lover's Cookbook for Dummies
by Carole Bloom (Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2002), spokesperson for NCA's fellow industry group, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association

Ingredients:

7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons orange liqueur or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cubes of pound cake or angel food cake

Whole fresh strawberries

Thick slices of banana

Dried apricot halves



Directions: In the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate and water. Stir over warm water until the chocolate melts and is smooth. Add the cream, orange liqueur or vanilla, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Stir until the mixture is smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a fondue pan and keep it warm over a low flame. Arrange the cake and fruit on a serving platter.

Supply each guest with a fondue fork so they can spear the item of their choice and dip it in the fondue mixture.

Yield: 6 servings

Remember: Your fondue mixture must be kept warm so that it will stay liquid. The best way to do this is to use a fondue pot that has room for a candle or a liquid heat source underneath.

1st Photo by Traveling Fools of America @ flickr
2nd Photo by -Gep- @ flickr

Thank you to new Feed subscribers!

A big hello and hearty welcome to those of you who are now taking the Romancing The Chocolate feed! Thank you for joining my happy little community! (Chocolate folks tend to be that way. The medical community tells us it's just chemicals.)

Let me know if there is something you would like discussed. I'm still hunting for great chocolate recipes. Also, I'm planning to start with the chocolate facts and trivia segment soon. Even I'm bored with only posting recipes! :)

Again, welcome and thank you for coming to enjoy chocolate with me!

Take care,

Denny

Recipe: Chocolate Carrot Cake

CHOCOLATE CARROT CAKE

From: mOOnchild

Ingredients
For cake layers:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

4 medium carrots, shredded coarse (about 2 cups)

For cream cheese frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup confectioners' or powdered sugar

For chocolate glaze:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 ounces fine-quality BITTERSWEET chocolate
(not unsweetened)

6 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup confectioners' or powdered sugar


CAKE LAYERS:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. and grease and flour two 9 by 2-inch round cake pans, knocking of excess flour. Into a bowl sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together eggs and oil on low speed until combined well. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in carrots and devide batter between pans. Bake cake layers in middle of oven 35 to 50 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pans on a rack 10 minutes and invert onto rack to cool completely.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and confectioners' sugar and beat untl creamy. Spread frosting on top of 1 cake layer and top with other layer

CHOCOLATE GLAZE:

In a small saucepan combine glaze ingredients and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and glaze is smooth. Remove from heat and cool glaze slightly. Spread glaze over top and sides of cake and chill 1 hour, or until set.

Serves 6 to 8.


Photo by scubadive67 @ flickr

Todays Blogging: Born from Yesterdays Underground Newspapers

Todays Blogging: Born from Yesterdays Underground Newspapers: "Read the real life story of the amusing transition from subversive underground newspaper writer to today’s blogger."

What has this got to do with chocolate? Are you kidding? With a typewriter in one hand in those days, the other was on a Hershey's chocolate almond bar. Chocolate rules in the world of blogging!

By Denny Lyon
Photo by heliosphan @ flickr

Newest Health Care Plan: Food as Medicine

Newest Health Care Plan: Food as Medicine - "OK, so what does the minor political rant have to do with food as medicine you ask? Plenty. When jobs are scarce or people are underemployed – like most of America right now with 100,000 each week entering those unhappy ranks – people make really bad food choices.

Because of job and ensuing financial stress they go to sugar, lots of carbohydrates and low quality meats. With stress on the rise during this tough economic time worldwide, wallets and bank accounts depleted, it’s time to think of food as medicine."

By Denny Lyon
Photo by Zest-pk @ flickr

Molecular Gastronomy – Where Science Meets Cuisine

Molecular Gastronomy – Where Science Meets Cuisine: "The science of molecular gastronomy has given us knowledge about why foods do what they do, under what circumstances, and how. And it has fascinated us by busting myths..."

By Sallys Trove
Photo by Claire L. Evan @ flickr

Obama is now the 44th President!

Just finished watching Obama's speech and other news coverage - what an historic time, what emotion for millions around the world. There must be millions of people crowded together on the Washington Mall. It reminds me of when the Pope in Rome, Italy celebrates Mass in St. Peter's Square and a million strong gather.

Interesting is that the ceremony ran a little long and by so doing Obama became the 44th President exactly at noon BEFORE he took the oath of office four minutes later. How many of you knew that bit of trivia?

Congrats Mr. President! May you be successful in all endeavors.

Denny

A new day is here!
Photo by stephentrepreneur @ flickr

Just how much do you really like chocolate?

Just how much do you really like chocolate? - As I write on HubPages, they have this area where you can make requests for other people to write about your question - or "hub" as they call it. This writer answered my request and her chocolate story of a friend was most unusual!

Photo by hfb @ flickr

Quote

"The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway." - Mother Theresa

Photo by zoyachubby @ flickr

Quote

"If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway." - Mother Theresa

Photo by Manassas Cakery @ flickr