Sunday, May 24, 2009

Bagel Sünday...



Wake up your Sünday with a tasty billowy bagel! A homemade bagel say you? Da! Das right.... Bake yer own bagels! Check it out! Later add egg whites, tommy toes, fresh basil leaves (baisely as my gramma p. would say) and a sprinkly of freshly ground black pep and a twinkle of sweet sea salt. PERFECTION!!!! 

Ingredients:

2 quarts of water.
2 large eggs.
1 egg white.
1 potato, peeled and quartered.
1 packet of active dry yeast.
4 cups of all-purpose flour.
2 cups of boiling water.
¼ cup o¾f vegetable oil.
1 ½ tablespoons of sugar.
½ tablespoon of salt.
Cornmeal, to dust cookie sheet.

Preparation Instructions:

  • Put the potato into boiling water and boil for fifteen mins.
  • Discard the potato and allow the water to cool to about 110°F.
  • Transfer one-third of a cup of the potato water to a small bowl; then sprinkle the yeast over top of water and stir to combine. Set aside for three minutes.

Sift the all-purpose flour, salt, and ½ tablespoon of the sugar together into a suitably sized bowl; then add the yeast mixture. Stir in another 2/3 cup of the potato water and the vegetable oil. Add the eggs and stir to form a dough ball.

  • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until the ball is firm.
  • Place into a greased bowl, turning the dough so all sides are greased.
  • Cover the bowl with a clean towel and set aside in a warm place for about 60 minutes until the dough has risen to about double its original size. 

Punch the risen dough down to flatten and remove from bowl. Cut the dough into eighteen equal pieces and shape each piece into a six-inch long, ¾-inch thick rope. Bring the ends of each rope together and pinch to close, using a little water on the ends to help secure them. Cover all rings with the towel and allow to rise for 20 minutes.

  • Preheat your oven to 450°F.
  • Lightly grease a cookie sheet and dust with cornmeal.
  • Bring the 2 quarts of water to a boil and add the remaining sugar to the boiling water

Drop the bagels into the boiling water one at a time, cooking each for 3 minutes, turning once in the middle. As each bagel is removed from the water, place it on the cookie sheet.

  • Paint the tops of the bagels with the egg white that has been beaten with 1 teaspoon of water.
  • Bake for fifteen minutes or until the bagels are a golden brown color.
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!


Saturday, May 23, 2009

Come Clean For Congo

You've heard of conflict diamonds and the movie Blood Diamond helped to illustrate the cause against them... but listen to this.... a deadly war is raging in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and our insatiable demand for electronics products such as cell phones and laptops is helping drive that conflict. 

Eastern Congo is the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman or girl, and the sexual violence there is often fueled by militias warring over conflict minerals, the ores that produce tin, tungsten, and tantalum—the 3 Ts— that end up being used in our electronic devices. 

You can make an impact.

 The Enough Projects RAISE Hope for Congo campaign has teamed up with YouTube to launch the COME CLEAN 4 CONGO video contest. Submit your video now!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Tea and biscuits...


Check out that cute tea biscuit in the background right there. So quick and easy to do on a lazy Sünday morning. Right then. Here's the recipe.  
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 2 c. Bisquick
  • 8 oz. sour cream

Combine 3 ingredients. Drop into greased muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Slather on country fresh cream butter and a lashing of apricot jam. Bliss. Nothing beats a hot cup of tea. And I like me tea hot! So hot you could trot a mouse on it! Well, nothing beats a hot cup of tea... unless it's a hot cup of tea at a Mad Tea Party, eh? Enjoy!

And for all of you Mad Tea Party fans...

The play's the thing...

Dear Liar, 
I saw your show today. It was fabulous and that's no lie! If you are local to the NEPA region- I strongly suggest heading out to grab a seat at the remaining shows of the Electric Theatre Company's latest performance of "Dear Liar" starring Mary Ethel Schmidt and David Zarko directed by James Langan. Passing along my internet pouboires...

I must let you all know what a positively delightful performance it was. David and MaryEthel were both such a pleasure to watch. So fun! On the way home, I realized that I have never seen either one of them act before and I have to tell y'all I am blown away by the natural talent they both possess. They brought such lovely authenticity to their characters. 

What an intelligent, comical charmer George Bernard Shaw was. We laughed and cried. The scene about his mother's coffin at cremation was very moving, heartfelt, and triumphant. Not to mention that the comedic timing was spot on even down to his little "hrumphs". 

Perfect. 

Mary Ethel was fabulous as well and a joy to watch. You can tell she  had so much fun with such a great role and she looked just beautiful. Her range of emotions was exciting and selfless. I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to see them both in action. 

The audience was enthralled. The two of them held our attention like kinetic magicians... it's a talky piece where very little movement was used; yet we rose like kites and fell like hammers with a mere mixing of words and quick stir of emotions. 

Just like that. 
Just brilliant. 

Jim Langan did a great job directing (the blocking was spot on and if he had a hand in the lighting direction- it really set the mood and tone of the piece and the simple set was very appropriate) and I can tell Ms. Page Clements had her hand in the awesomeness that was the voice of the show (I thought it was especially fun when ME's character's voice (as it was written) had to reach the back of the theatre for GBS - that's so Page!) the "aha" moment from ME was hilarious. 

If you get a chance to see the show- please do! What better place to celebrate theatre than in the heart of Scranton (if you can make it there you can make it anywhere)!

xoxoxo <3> Üdo

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Sweet and salty sümmah treats...


What could be tastier than some deliciously delightful summer salad treats? Indulge in these satisfying refreshers for your body and spirit! I love the way the fresh mint leaves, lemon juice, and the prosciutto work together to bring out the ümami in the first salad. The melon mellows out the flavors and adds a subtle summer sunset vibe. The grilled peaches with their sweet and salty buttery goodness melt in your mouth while the sharp tang of the rocket and the rougher texture of the endive add a liveliness to the supah sweet Georgianess of the second dish. Enjoy! 


Üdo's Minty Melon Refresher
  • 1 cantaloupe (balled with melon baller)
  • 1 cup of mini fresh mozzerla balls
  • fresh mint leaves chopped to taste
  • sliced prosciutto to taste
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • lemon juice (to taste) about 1 tablespoon
Gently combine all ingredients and serve immediately.

Üdo's Grilled Peach and Rocket Salad
  • 1 peach halved and quartered
  • 1 tablespoon of butter (the real stuff - salted)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 bunch endive
  • 1 bunch arugala (aka rocket)
  • 1 cup of tiny fresh mozzarella balls
  • sea salt and freshly ground black peppah to taste
Grill the peaches in a non-stick pan with the buttah. Sprinkle with black pepper and set aside. Toss the endive, arugala, mozz balls, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve with grilled peaches on the side. To die for. 

xoxoxo <3>Üdo 

A Powerful Noise!

A Powerful Noise

Hanh is an HIV-positive widow in Vietnam. Nada, a survivor of the Bosnian war. And Jacqueline works the slums of Bamako, Mali. Three very different lives. Three vastly different worlds. But they share something in common: Power. These women are each overcoming gender barriers to rise up and claim a voice in their societies. Through their empowerment and ability to empower others, Hanh, Nada and Jacqueline are sparking remarkable changes. Fighting AIDS. Rebuilding communities. Educating girls.

  • Hanh learned that she had contracted HIV after her husband and daughter died from AIDS. Bouncing back from despair, she started a self-help group in Vietnam, called Immortal Flower, to give people living with HIV/AIDS a place for support, counseling and health care.

  • Nada is a working mother of three children.  As a refugee, she survived the Bosnian War. Her women’s association, Maja Kravica, is helping ease hostilities between Serbs and Bosniaks in a region marred by war crimes and massive destruction. Nada is building an agricultural cooperative to offer employment opportunities for war widows, and fair trade markets for families to sell their crops and livestock.
  • Jacqueline, better known as “Madame Urbain” fights forced labor practices in the slums of Bamako, Mali. Madame Urbain stands up for the rights of powerless girls who are often abused in the workplace or on the streets of the big city. Her organization, APAF, provides girls a basic education, teaches them vocational skills and places them in safe jobs
A Powerful Noise takes you inside the lives of these women to witness their daily challenges and their significant victories over poverty and oppression. Their stories are personal yet illustrate larger issues affecting millions of marginalized women worldwide. A Powerful Noise is a meditation on the inherent potential of women to change the world.

Friday, May 01, 2009

Great links to positive energy!









The Girl Effect...


What happens when a girl gets a chance?

Girls living in poverty are uniquely capable of creating a better future. But when a girl reaches adolescence, she comes to a crossroads. Things can go one of two ways for herself and everyone around her. Either she gets a chance, gets educated, stay healthy and HIV Negative, marries when she chooses, raises a healthy family, and has the opportunity to raise the standard of living for herself, her brothers, her family, her community, and her country....

OR

None of these things happen. She is illiterate, married off, isolated, pregnant, and vulnerable to HIV. She and her family are stuck in a cycle of poverty. 

The Girl Effect is about girls and boys. It's about moms and dads and villages and towns and countries. Learn more about the girl effect. When you save a girl, you really do save the world.