Nudity is Only Skin-Deep

This morning I baked gingerbread. Not fake gingerbread, but the real thing, with fresh, grated ginger and a loaf pan. And yea, but it is delicious!

Here's the recipe (adapted from {the naughty} … & The Nice):

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• 2 heaping tsp ground ginger
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
  
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 1 tbsp. grated, fresh ginger
  
• 1/4 cup applesauce
  
• 2 large eggs, beaten
  
• 3/4 cup demerara sugar

- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift flour, baking powder, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves together in one bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk together milk, molasses, oil, grated ginger, applesauce, and eggs. Stir in sugar.
- Fold in dry ingredients. Don't overmix. Just go until it's all moist.
- Pour into a greased 9x5" loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes.
- Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. I found this is sliceable right out of the oven, though. Mmmm....



As a note, the applesauce I used for this is of my own making, too. I'll post that recipe next, because it's really, really good.

See what I made?



Link time.

Athletic Body Diversity: Here are a whole pile of athletes at the top of their form, and there is such a wide range of body types. Some are rail thin, and some are good and fat. But there's no denying they are all fit. Fit comes in all sizes!

Aliens on Earth: macro photographs of insects by Igor Siwanowicz: Gorgeous insect photography. I want to take photos like these.

Elementary-school children’s report on bees published in prestigious journal: "It came with wobbly writing and hand-drawn diagrams, but an elementary school science project has made it into a peer-reviewed journal from Britain’s prestigious Royal Society."

How to Make Goat Cheese: I really want to do this. I must remember to pick up some goat milk today (thanks, snowy_kathryn).

Star Trek Steampunk Photos: StarPunk.

Kaylene Kau's Prosthetic tentacle: Tentacle porn meets apotemnophilia! If I ever lose an arm, I want one of these.

This is one of my favourite pie recipes. It's really simple to make. I bake it all the time, yet for some reason, I don't think I've ever posted the recipe. I just baked one now. Here's the recipe!

• 3 cups blackberries
  
• 1 cup cranberries (frozen are fine)
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
  
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
  
• a bit of milk
  
• sugar for sprinkling

- Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Combine berries with the sugar and flour. Dump into an unbaked pie shell.
- Cover with the top crust. Seal and crimp the edges. Cut slashes in the crust for ventilation.
- Brush the top crust with milk, and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake at 425 degree F (220 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.

It's extra nice with vanilla ice cream.

Fleur de sel is a fancy sort of salt, likely available only at specialty gourmet shops. But it is worth having just for this recipe. Fleur de sel is hand-harvested from salt marshes, and has a slightly grey colour. It is very light and flaky, and melts on contact with the tongue.

Here's what to do to make about 2 pounds of candy (awesome for you if you're greedy, and also makes nice Christmas presents).

- cooking spray
- 1 lb unsalted butter
- 2 2/3 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- fleur de sel for sprinkling

- Spray a large rimmed cooking sheet.
- Bring butter, sugar, water, and corn syrup to a boil in a large pot, whisking constantly until it begins to boil. Cook without stirring until temperature reached 300 degrees on a candy thermometer (takes roughly 12 minutes).
- Whisk toffee mixture, and immediately pour onto the greased cooking sheet, tilting the sheet if necessary to ensure even coverage. Let stand for 30 seconds, and then sprinkle with fleur de sel. Let cool completely.
- Break the toffee into pieces. I did this by covering it with a tea towel and taking a hammer to it, lightly. I put all the pieces in a container and store it in the fridge so it doesn't melt into a big mess, but it tastes best if it's closer to room temperature before eating it.

I'd say the fleur de sel is optional, but it really does make the toffee something special.

I'm on a roll. I got up early and got my grey hair vanquished by a nice boy armed with dye, combs, spritz bottles, a blow drier, and a flat iron. Then I did the hunter/gatherer thing downtown and brought home the Sesame Street shopping list: a loaf of bread, a carton of milk, and a stick of butter. Then I started cooking my glorious vegetable stock. It smells so good in here, right now, that I think I'm having a nosegasm. I've got the laundry on the go, Princess Tubby's cage is cleaned, the bed is made, and I'm thinking I'd like to have a relaxing bath once the driers are done their job. Oh yes, and I need to make a tassel for my harf.

I was good and ignored the siren call of the yarn store. Surely I deserve a reward for that alone! I know I'm looking forward to ice skating with knightky. I hope I don't fall on my arse!

Link time? Ok.

Shadow Dance: Pilobolus does an amazing and inventive royal performance. I love the stuff these guys do (thanks, tailchaser).

No, Jesus!: NSFW. So very NSFW. Just Jesus, some guy, and a lion, lovingly rendered in pencil.

Chocolate Swirl Gingerbread: This looks good! I especially like the touches of pepper and bittersweet chocolate.

Pastor “executes” elf to save Christmas: Oh, religion. You're so wacky!

20 Awesomely Untranslatable Words from Around the World: I wouldn't say untranslatable, but perhaps there are no simple English synonyms (thanks, Syndi).

GWAR Frontman Releases First Novel: If he wins a Pulitzer, I'll eat my hat (thanks, schwartzung).

I made this the other day. It's fantastic! I used homemade pumpkin puree made from mini pumpkins, but canned would also suffice.

1/3 cup softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp grated orange or lemon rind
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling

Heat oven to 350.

Beat butter with sugar until fluffy in a large bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in pumpkin and orange/lemon rind.

In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Mix in 1/3 of the pumpkin mixture, then 1/4 cup water. Mix in the next third of the pumpkin mixture, and another 1/4 cup of water. Mix in the last bit of pumpkin mixture.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread in a greased loaf pan, and sprinkle top with chocolate chips. I also sprinkled on some freshly-ground vanilla sugar, but that's entirely optional.

Bake for about an hour, or until cake tester comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack and cool.

I think this would also be good with walnuts added. I might try that next time. And there will be a next time. This loaf is delicious!

I just tinkered around with a recipe and came up with this. I liked it so much I ate two bowls. Yum!

2 tablespoons butter
1 leek, white part only, halved lengthwise, washed thoroughly and chopped
¾ pound asparagus, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth (I used this recipe for the stock)
1/3 cup coconut milk

• Heat the butter in a large pot until the foam disappears.
  
• Add leek and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add garlic and asparagus and cook for another minute.
  
• Add vegetable broth and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and put a lid on the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes, until asparagus is tender.
  
• Stir in coconut milk, then transfer to blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately, or put it back in pot on low to heat through.

I'm tired and hurt, sign of a LARP weekend.

Link time.

Banana Almond Quinoa: This looks tasty. Maybe I'll have some for breakfast this morning.
EDIT: I just made this, and am disappointed. It smelled good, but the texture and flavour are lacking. The quinoa is too hard, and the banana feels like boogers. I won't be making this again.

Top 10 Insane Anti-Masturbation Devices in History: "Many horrible, inhumane products were patented in the early late 19th and early 20th century to help prevent masturbation or 'self abuse' as it was called: products range from a mini spiked bear trap for penises to the invention of Graham crackers."

WHEN BAD TASTES GOOD: DISCOVERY OF TASTE RECEPTORS IN THE LUNGS COULD HELP PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA BREATHE EASIER: The title is in all-caps, so you know it's important. Seriously, though, this could be the next big thing in asthma treatments. I'm looking forward to more findings (thanks, f00dave).

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins: I made these on Friday, and they're pretty good. Definitely mighty in the lemon flavouring, but they call for 3/4 cup of lemon juice. Woo!

Spanish Prostitutes Ordered To Wear Safety Vests: "Spanish prostitutes have been ordered to wear reflective safety vests for their own safety, according to reports. Women working on rural roadsides in Catalonia must don the vests to avoid a €40 ($56) fine."

Bukkake Milk: Uh, what? Sorta SFW, I guess.

Tubeless Toilet Paper Isn't the Answer to Waste, Not Using Toilet Paper Is: I'd love to have a bidet. Someday.....

A Beautiful Tragedy: Looks like an interesting documentary on the creation of Russian prima ballerinas.

Pumpkin Butter: This looks yummy. I want to make it.

At 7 am, I woke up with a feeling of dread and anxiety. I have no idea why. I eventually got back to sleep, and when I woke again, I still had the feeling, but the volume wasn't turned up so high. I've no idea what kicked that in, but I'm not very fond of it. Ick. I still feel like crap, but not full of dread, thank goodness: just a headache, cramps, and general wooziness. I blame the bees.

I went for a bit of a bike ride and picked up some pretty glass canisters from Khizmet. They are now filled with dry noodles and quinoa. My kitchen is slowly becoming deplasticized. It's also becoming prettier. The jars just look so much nicer than plastic bags. As far as my deplasticization project is going, I think half of the people think it's awesome, and the other half think I'm insane. Maybe it's just a bit of both. I can be awesomely insane, can't I?

My sister and family came to visit yesterday, and she brought a dead turkey with her. Over the course of the day, we put together a pretty tasty feast. Roast turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes with carrot, sweetened turnip, roast acorn squash, roasted beets, steamed green beans, steamed asparagus, bread stuffing, toasted spiced squash seeds, and apple crumble pie with ginger ice cream. Jeammy came by afterwards and had a plate, too. My brunch was more of the same. I made a nice big pot of turkey stock with the bones and froze a bunch of it, so I'll be having turkey soup at some delicious point.

I love turkey, but living with a vegetarian makes it ridiculous for me to purchase one. That's just too much food for one person.

I'm still feeling pretty gross, so I think I'll take a nap, and when I'm awake again, it's time to tackle my workload. I have a bunch of proofreading to get done today. It's not exciting, but it's paying work, and it's in my field. Yes, I finally got work related to my university degree. How awesome is that?



Linke.

Insane Clown Posse: And God created controversy: I guess the deal is they were trolls all along. But, "fucking rainbows. How do they work?" Their most recent video, Miracles beats my brains out with its proud ignorance.

These are cakes? Great examples of creative bakery: I don't know what they taste like, but they sure do look amazing. My favourite is the octopus, of course.

The Simpsons Banksy Intro: Just brilliant.

Apple Butter: My sister gave me a bunch of apples, so I think I'll try this recipe out.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Protein Bars: I think I'll give these a try, too.

Chai Tease: This looks completely decadent, and not at all good for me, but what else would I do with that carton of cream that ended up in my fridge?

I was determined to bake bread today, and a loaf is in the oven even as I type. I modified this recipe and turned it into this, instead:

- 2 tsp honey
- 2 2/3 cup lukewarm water
- 4 tsp dry yeast (I used 2 little packs)
- 3 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 5 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup ground flax meal
- 2 Tbsp flax seeds

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
   
2. Stir honey into 2/3 cup lukewarm water in a small bowl.
   
3. Sprinkle yeast over the mixture and set aside for 10 minutes.
   
4. In another small bowl, mix molasses with 2/3 cup warm water. Combine with yeast mixture.
   
5. Put flour in a large bowl. Add salt, flax meal, 1 Tbsp of flax seeds, and 1 1/3 cups warm water. Dough will be sticky.
   
6. Pour dough into a greased loaf pan.
   
7. Smooth top down, and sprinkle with flax seeds.
   
8. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes
   
9. Cool 10 minutes on a rack, then turn out of pan. Let cool before slicing.

I'll let you know how this turns out. The recipe was just so quick and easy, I had to give it a try.



The verdict: Dense but good. I think I'll keep trying out other recipes, but this isn't bad.