Scribal Terror

Open Thread

for friends of the Owl

Cooking with calvados

I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, and for some reason it occurred to me to put some calvados into a dessert (caramelized pears). It was wonderful--smooth, flavorful, not sweet like some apertifs that are suggested for dessert making, like grand marnier, but not popping out of the texture like cognac. Since then I've used calvados in granitas, sorbets, cake, etc. I even used it in chicken a la king this evening and it worked perfectly. Anyone else have experience cooking with calvados? I've never seen it mentioned in a recipe.

Salsa recipe link

I like this salsa recipe, from The Pioneer Woman.

Yummy fluffy scrambled eggs

I love fluffy scrambled eggs, but I have a problem making them. I can make a perfect Hollandaise sauce every time, but I can't scramble an egg. Here's what I did this morning, and it worked great:

Break two eggs into a bowl; add salt, pepper, minced fresh parsley, and one tablespoon of fat free Greek yogurt (plain). Beat until smooth. Melt a pat of butter in a frying pan until it froths, then scramble the eggs as quickly as possible--just a few swishes around the pan. The Greek yogurt makes the eggs really fluffy. If you don't like the slight sourness of the yogurt on eggs (I don't), just serve with grated parmesan cheese to balance the flavors.

The door is open

Come on in and talk.  Or drop off one of your random bursts of verbal energy -- poem, limerick, story, top ten list, clerihew, essay, alliterative poem, rant, Surrealist or or Dadaist poem, parody, cento, dirty joke, amusing  syllepsis, haiku, dirty haiku . . . to share. 

The night owl is curious

about pranks and hijinks, musings and mutterings, and the door is open all night

 

The door is open

Come on in and talk.  Or drop off one of your random bursts of verbal energy -- poem, limerick, story, top ten list, clerihew, essay, alliterative poem, rant,

The night owl is curious

about pranks and hijinks, musings and mutterings, and the door is open all night

 

A new look at an old brain

Phineas Gage's, to be precise. Via Instapundit.

Image from Wikimedia.

The door is open

Come on in and talk.  Or drop off one of your random bursts of verbal energy -- poem, limerick, story, top ten list, clerihew, essay, alliterative poem, rant, Surrealist or or Dadaist poem, parody, cento, dirty joke, amusing  syllepsis, haiku, dirty haiku . . . to share. 

The night owl is curious

about pranks and hijinks, musings and mutterings, and the door is open all night

 

Spices in the news

In February 2009, the International Frutarom Corporation factory in, was found to be the source of a mysterious maple syrup aroma which had been reported as occasionally drifting over New York City since 2005. The odor was found to be an ester associated with fenugreek seed processing. No health risks have been found. --ABC via Wikipedia

The first thing I noticed when I opened up a bottle of fenugreek for the first time was that it smelled like maple syrup--a lot. By itself, though, it tastes very bitter.

Frontiers of gastronomy

Or, how to make fake caviar. I think this is geeky cool.

 

The door is open

Come on in and talk.  Or drop off one of your random bursts of verbal energy -- poem, limerick, story, top ten list, clerihew, essay, alliterative poem, rant, Surrealist or or Dadaist poem, parody, cento, dirty joke, amusing  syllepsis, haiku, dirty haiku . . . to share. 

The night owl is curious

about pranks and hijinks, musings and mutterings, and the door is open all night

 

Hullo. Anybody out there?

Hibernation alert

Scribal Terror will be hibernating for the foreseeable future. Anyone who wants to contact me already has my email.

The Bookshelf

We haven't had a book day at  Scribal Terror for a long time, so what are you reading -- and what are you learning from it? Squire Frogworthy wants to know.

Ginger snap tea

 Looking for a yummy hot drink? Boil some water and dissolve about three Nabisco Ginger Snaps in it. They totally dissolve--you don't have to drink around floating crumbs--and it tastes great. If you want a stronger taste, just put another ginger snap in.

Pumpkin spice muffins, reduced fat/sugar

 

Modified from Cooks.com

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
1 ½  cups sugar
½ cup powdered milk (if yours is granulated, run it through a food processor to powder)
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup Eggbeaters
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
½ cup water
1 ½  tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½  tsp. nutmeg
½  tsp. cloves
½ tsp. ginger
½ tsp. allspice
1 cup coarsely ground pecans

In a large, combine sugar, powdered milk, applesauce, oil, eggbeaters, pumpkin, and water. Beat until well mixed.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
Combine flour mixture and pumpkin mixture. Stir in pecans.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins tops spring back when lightly touched.