Funny, I was thinking about all the books my blogging friends, or their friends, are writing. Some are successful and some don’t get too far which must be so disappointing when you have put your heart and soul into it. Then I 
was thinking about successful authors and how three very successful authors in Britain wrote about bears. Winnie the Pooh, Rupert Bear and Paddington Bear. I wonder what it is about bears that makes them so popular in the UK. Maybe because the country doesn’t 
have any bears. Winnie the Pooh was based on a Canadian Bear and Paddington is supposed to have come from Peru. Not sure where Rupert began. So if you want success, obviously you have to write about bears and publish what you write in the UK. The last picture is an actual 
statue of Paddington Bear which is in Paddington Station in London, England. Rupert Bear was originally seen in a British Newspaper, the Daily Express, and a book was published every Christmas; I always got one in my stocking. More recently it has been wizards of course. Oh, I just found out that Goldilocks and the three Bears originated in the UK as well. I didn’t know that before. I am thrilled to report that Canada has 7 medals in the Olympic Games thr
ee of which are gold, three silver and one bronze putting us at the top of the leader board. Not something that happens very often. Well done to our athletes. I hope they manage to hang on to their really good start. Obviously you can see the results for yourselves. I’ve been thinking I wished I knew someone who is there, I have always wanted one of those dolls. Matryoshka dolls. I’ve always wanted one, don’t know why. Forgot to say, I had a good day bowling on Monday again. Not Matt again I am afraid.
Valentine’s is nearly here and this is a recipe from Campbell’s which would be a nice and easy dish to make for that special day. I confess I have never heard of the Campbell’s Cream stock.
Chocolate Ganache Tarts
Ingredients
¾ cup (185 mL) Campbell's® Stock First Cream Stock
6 oz (170 g) semisweet dark chocolate, chopped
3 tbsp (45 mL) hazelnut liqueur (option to replace the liqueur with an extract of your choice [1/4 tsp (1 mL) of the extract and 2 tbsp (30 mL) of water]
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
Coarse salt for garnish (optional)
Pinch of cinnamon for garnish (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 ° F (190 °C).2. Bake the tart shells according to the instructions on the package.
3. Place chopped chocolate in bowl.
4. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the cream stock until simmering stirring frequently.
5. Pour hot Campbell's® Stock First Cream Stock over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Chocolate must melt completely.
6. Add liqueur and vanilla, stir and set aside.
7. When tart shells are done baking, remove from oven and spoon in warm chocolate mixture.
8. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Recipe Tips
Top with a cinnamon heart or dust with icing sugar on top for a festive look
Bears are pretty popular here, I suppose. My step-son has a whole collection of t-shirts that he wears, and every one of them has a bear picture on it. There are always statues of them around, at one time, the city had a walking trail/scavenger hunt that had a painting or statue of a bear at each stop.
ReplyDeleteSo, aside from that, I had a friend that lived in the Ukraine during his early twenties and came back home with dreams of having a Matryoshka doll empire here in the states.
It didn't work out. But man, he had a lot of them shipped here.
In the UK, maybe, but I wonder why in Britain. Hubby says it's because we haven't got any. Lots of bears in Canada of course.
DeleteI have just remembered my IT guy is from the Ukraine, I wonder....
We've seen a fair share of LIVE bears while camping. I've always loved teddy bears, and still have my collection. My boys have a private joke saying which is simply "BEARS!!!!!" They won't tell me what means, though. So the youngest bought a shirt with a bear on it...my favorite PJ's which I wrote about and photographed for a post have bears on them.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that all those "famous" bears originated in the UK. Cool!
Gonna skip the dessert recipe...
Tina @ Life is Good
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I don't know what ever happened to my teddy bear. It's a long time ago. I am actually friends with the daughter of the Paddington Bear author. She and the books are the same age.
DeletePity you have to skip it.
Write about bears - check! I'll add that to my list.
ReplyDeleteAh but it seems you have to publish in the UK.
DeleteI didn't know Campbell's did anything but soups. That recipe looks and sounds divine.
ReplyDeleteWinnie the Pooh is Canadian? That's why he's so lovable.
Be well, Jo.
xoRobyn
Not exactly Robyn, the character was based on a bear called Winnipeg. She was from Canada and lived in a London Zoo. Christopher Robyn decided to call his own bear Winnie the Pooh.
DeleteCongratulations on the Canadians' wins. What an odd mix of stories from the Olympics, but fun to read. I had a Paddington Bear which I bought at a jumble sale in the UK. He even had Wellies (spelling?). Loved Winnie, even painted the scene where Winnie tries to get some honey by using a balloon. This was on a wall in my infant son's room. Wish I had snapped a photo. Ah, Jo, you bring back some wonderful memories. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWe are still doing pretty well. Ended up in 5th at the pairs skating.
DeleteI never heard of Paddington til I lived in Canada. Yup, you are right with willies. I loved that story of Winnie and the balloon. Glad I am bring wonderful memories.