A friend sent me some pictures which included the Õresund Bridge (there are several versions of the name) between Sweden and Denmark. It has been around for about 9 years and I had never heard of or seen it before. I was both fascinated and impressed intending to blog about it on Saturday. I fergot!! There is some interesting information about the bridge cum tunnel on Wikipedia at this address click here which I had to read to see what it was all about. The gap where the tunnel goes underwater is so that big ships can pass unhindered up and down the sound although several of the spans can accommodate pretty large craft apparently. I was interested to read that they had problems with unexploded World War II bombs lying on the bottom of the sound. What, I wondered, would happen if you got a major storm - wouldn't the tunnel get flooded? I haven't found an answer to that anywhere yet.
On Saturday I finished my latest book, Blood of Ambrose by James Enge. It was different, I must say. It seems it might be his first full book although he has written stories which have appeared in other places. There is a second book in the series called This Crooked Way which is supposed to have been published in October. I am trying to get hold of it now. If you enjoy fantasy and would like something out of the ordinary, I can recommend this book. James Enge seems to have quite a sense of humour too.
I actually watched White Christmas again this weekend. There wasn't much else on to watch unfortunately. I must have seen that movie a dozen times already, it is still enjoyable although I would have preferred something a bit newer. The costumes they wore in this scene were pretty fabulous I thought, although Bing Crosby has his hat jammed down on his head which emphasizes his sticky out ears and makes him look a bit stupid. Never really noticed that before. I found an advertising picture where they have angled the hat and it looks a lot better, but too late for the scenes in the film.
They keep telling us we are going to have snow, we haven't really had anything yet, just a couple of sprinkles. We are due to bowl in Elmira, which is a fair distance away, on Thursday so I hope the snow doesn't decide to arrive and prevent that from happening.
Everyone is making cookies like mad at the moment, except me of course. However, I just came across these in my Eating Well email recently and as I like all three things, meringue, coconut and chocolate, I might even have a go. They are supposed to be a low calorie treat, but who can stop at just one?
Chocolate Coconut Meringues
From EatingWell: November/December 2009
These chocolate, coconut and almond meringue cookies are so light and airy, they are a perfect little treat that’s not too heavy.
30 cookies
* 4 large egg whites
* 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract or imitation coconut extract
* 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
* 2 tablespoons trans-fat-free white chocolate chips or finely chopped white chocolate, such as Sunspire
Preparation
1. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 250°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
2. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, coconut, almond and vanilla extracts and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined. Gradually beat in sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff, shiny peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Sift cocoa over the mixture and gently fold together with a rubber spatula until combined.
4. Spoon the meringue into a gallon-size sealable bag (or pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip). Seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Cut a 1/2-inch hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe the meringue into 2-inch circles, about 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake on the upper and lower racks for 50 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the meringues stand in the oven with the door closed until completely dry, about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Melt semisweet and white chocolate (see Tip) and drizzle or pipe onto the cooled meringues. Let stand until it sets.
Tips & Notes
* Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Some crispness may be lost during storage.
* Kitchen Tips: To melt chocolate, place chocolate in a bowl and microwave on Medium for 45 seconds. Stir; continue microwaving on Medium in 20-second intervals until almost melted, stirring after each interval. Continue stirring until completely melted. Or place in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir until melted.
* To decorate cookies with melted chocolate, use a pastry bag fitted with a fine writing tip to pipe the melted chocolate or dip tines of a fork in chocolate and drizzle. You can improvise a pastry bag with a small plastic bag. Add melted chocolate to the bag, cut a tiny hole in one corner and squeeze the chocolate out.
Have a great day
I could not sit through the film "White Christmas" again. Bing and the song are unknown here in Paris but each Cmas when I'm in London the song's played in almost every department store and hotel lobby. It becomes so boring that I feel like shouting out for someone to turn the music off.
So what is France's Cmas song? Petit Papa Noel sung by Tino Rossi. Don't know whether you remember him from your French days. Died years and years ago, but like Bing's White Christmas the song goes on and on.
No, can't say I do remember him Marilyn. I know what you mean about the White Christmas song, its played ad nauseum here too, however, I quite enjoyed the movie despite the song.
A friend sent me some pictures which included the Õresund Bridge (there are several versions of the name) between Sweden and Denmark. It has been around for about 9 years and I had never heard of or seen it before. I was both fascinated and impressed intending to blog about it on Saturday. I fergot!! There is some interesting information about the bridge cum tunnel on Wikipedia at this address click here which I had to read to see what it was all about. The gap where the tunnel goes underwater is so that big ships can pass unhindered up and down the sound although several of the spans can accommodate pretty large craft apparently. I was interested to read that they had problems with unexploded World War II bombs lying on the bottom of the sound. What, I wondered, would happen if you got a major storm - wouldn't the tunnel get flooded? I haven't found an answer to that anywhere yet.
On Saturday I finished my latest book, Blood of Ambrose by James Enge. It 
was different, I must say. It seems it might be his first full book although he has written stories which have appeared in other places. There is a second book in the series called This Crooked Way which is supposed to have been published in October. I am trying to get hold of it now. If you enjoy fantasy and would like something out of the ordinary, I can recommend this book. James Enge seems to have quite a sense of humour too.
I actually watched White Christmas again this weekend. There wasn't much else on to watch unfortunately. I must have seen that movie a dozen times already, it is still enjoyable although I would have preferred something a bit newer. The costumes they wore in this scene were pretty fabulous I thought, although Bing Crosby has his hat jammed down on his head which emphasizes his sticky out ears and makes him look a bit stupid. Never really noticed that before. I found an advertising picture where they have angled the hat and it looks a lot better, but too late for the scenes in the film.
They keep telling us we are going to have snow, we haven't really had anything yet, just a couple of sprinkles. We are due to bowl in Elmira, which is a fair distance away, on Thursday so I hope the snow doesn't decide to arrive and prevent that from happening.
Everyone is making cookies like mad at the moment, except me of course. However, I just came across these in my Eating Well email recently and as I like all three things, meringue, coconut and chocolate, I might even have a go. They are supposed to be a low calorie treat, but who can stop at just one?
Chocolate Coconut Meringues
From EatingWell: November/December 2009
These chocolate, coconut and almond meringue cookies are so light and airy, they are a perfect little treat that’s not too heavy.
30 cookies
* 4 large egg whites
* 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract or imitation coconut extract
* 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
* 2 tablespoons trans-fat-free white chocolate chips or finely chopped white chocolate, such as Sunspire
Preparation
1. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 250°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
2. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, coconut, almond and vanilla extracts and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined. Gradually beat in sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff, shiny peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Sift cocoa over the mixture and gently fold together with a rubber spatula until combined.
4. Spoon the meringue into a gallon-size sealable bag (or pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip). Seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Cut a 1/2-inch hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe the meringue into 2-inch circles, about 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake on the upper and lower racks for 50 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the meringues stand in the oven with the door closed until completely dry, about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Melt semisweet and white chocolate (see Tip) and drizzle or pipe onto the cooled meringues. Let stand until it sets.
Tips & Notes
* Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Some crispness may be lost during storage.
* Kitchen Tips: To melt chocolate, place chocolate in a bowl and microwave on Medium for 45 seconds. Stir; continue microwaving on Medium in 20-second intervals until almost melted, stirring after each interval. Continue stirring until completely melted. Or place in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir until melted.
* To decorate cookies with melted chocolate, use a pastry bag fitted with a fine writing tip to pipe the melted chocolate or dip tines of a fork in chocolate and drizzle. You can improvise a pastry bag with a small plastic bag. Add melted chocolate to the bag, cut a tiny hole in one corner and squeeze the chocolate out.
Have a great day
I could not sit through the film "White Christmas" again. Bing and the song are unknown here in Paris but each Cmas when I'm in London the song's played in almost every department store and hotel lobby. It becomes so boring that I feel like shouting out for someone to turn the music off.
ReplyDeleteSo what is France's Cmas song? Petit Papa Noel sung by Tino Rossi. Don't know whether you remember him from your French days. Died years and years ago, but like Bing's White Christmas the song goes on and on.
No, can't say I do remember him Marilyn. I know what you mean about the White Christmas song, its played ad nauseum here too, however, I quite enjoyed the movie despite the song.
ReplyDelete