Hawaii/Mars, Squirrels.on Steroids. Ampersands.

Tight but spectacular quarters. Six people will spend the next eight months together in a 1,500-sq.-ft. dome on Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano (not the actively flowing Kilauea). The experiment, funded by NASA, will permit scientists to study the participants’ reactions to close quarters and minimal contact to the outside world, groundwork for a future mission to Mars.  This is fascinating, I didn’t even realise there were any plans afoot to send people to Mars at any time in the near future. I guess they want to figure out whether it’s feasible before they do make those plans. It looks pretty desolate doesn’t it? I am not sure if they think the area is similar to Mars or it’s just the isolation they are looking for.

Interesting story about Arctic Ground Squirrels and how they survive the winter in their burrows which can end up being –23C. They are in the burrows for 8 months. They cannot burn just fat for this length of time to get the results so they also burn muscle, This means that during the summer they have to bulk up on steroids and just before winter they are loaded with testosterone. Scientists were studying why these steroids don’t affect them adversely as they do humans, no squirrels with “roid rage” for example. The article goes on to explain this in detail. What it does not explain is what the squirrels ingest to obtain these steroids.

Something I have been thinking about lately, I recommend people do not use ampersands "&" on their blogs as 9 times out of 10, especially in headings, they come out as gobbledygook.

On Monday, a Portuguese friend, who had just spent 5 weeks in her native country, turned up at bowling with a present of some Ovos Moles for me. I love these sweets and could devour them in large quantities, but apart from anything else, they are sweets. There is a large Portuguese contingent in Cambridge (the next town) and I wondered if there is anywhere there where they are made and sold. Meanwhile I looked up a recipe. They are a lot easier to make than I thought. I still might look for a baker though.

OVOS MOLES DE AVEIRO (PORTUGUESE EGG YOLK CONFECTION)

Source: Easy Portuguese Recipes
June 21, 2013


We are going to show you how to make Ovos Moles de Aveiro, which are Portuguese egg yolk sweets. These are one of the most identifiable treats unique to Portuguese dessert making. They are seen at any dessert shop or any event and are perfect for those with a sweet tooth like myself. The smooth texture and sweet flavour of the yolk in the crunchy shell makes for quite an enjoyable treat. This dessert is sure to impress and quite simple and easy to make.

Ingredients:
Making the Shell:
1 pound flour
2 cups cold water
1/2 cup of olive oil
Making the Filling:
8 egg yolks
1.5 cups sugar
1/2 cup rice flour

Directions:
For the Shell:
1) Pour the ingredients in a bowl and knead them well until they reach a dough like consistency..
2) With the help of a rolling pin, roll the dough very thin, place it in a lightly greased form and with the tip of a knife, make the shape you wish to mould the filling in. The dough should be very thin, almost transparent.
3) Mould the dough into whichever shape you please, or if you have a specific baking mould, use that.
For the Filling:
1) Pour the sugar in a saucepan on the stove with a glass of water and let it boil until 245 degrees Fahrenheit or the sugar has become a syrup with an even consistency.
2) In another saucepan, dissolve the rice flour in 1/2 cup of cold water. Add the boiled sugar syrup to this mixture let it cook on low heat for 5 minutes.
3) Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly and begin adding in the egg yolks.
4) Keep stirring them together and let them cool for another 5 minutes on low heat in the saucepan.
5) Pour the filling into the moulded shells.
6) Serve and enjoy!
*If you wish to add a bit of crunch to the treats you can place them on a baking sheet in the oven at 250 degrees fahrenheit for about 3-4 minutes until they reach a crunchy shell.*

Have a great day