My summer plans by Rosalia, 6A

In summer, I'm going to Dublin (Ireland).

I'm going to visit O'Connell Street, Grafton Street, Temple Bar, Trinity College, Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Jail, The Dublin Castle, etc.

I'm going to my village house too.
I'm going to ride my bike through the bike path.
I'm going to skate with my roller-skates.
I'm going to swim in my swimming pool.
And I'm going to walk every day with my parents.
Sometimes I'm going to have some family visit.
I'm going to take a lot of photos with my camera because I like it very much.
I'm going to paint a picture, it's very funny.

BYE FRIENDS!!!!!!!!

Absolute Best Brownies

I’d like to apologize, firstly, for my longer than usual absence here.  We have been eking out as much as we can from this summer (the hottest on record so far I’ve heard!).  That means spending our precious weekends and holidays in search of a cool body of water in which to immerse ourselves.  Now that little C has grown to be quite the beach bum that also includes finding a sandy shore where she can busy herself with her pails and shovels.  Cocktails, ice cold beers, seafood, a hot grill, and (of course) great company were also on the agenda.

And, secondly, I’d like to apologize for the amount of time I’ve been sitting on this absolutely fantastic brownie recipe.  I actually made them for one of the aforementioned beach trips.  My uncle had rented a house in a nearby beach for the summer (nearby meaning you don’t have to take a plane or a boat) and we went for a weekend.  Although my aunt insisted that they would take care of everything, I, of course, could not come empty handed.  So along with flip flops and sarongs and all manners of beach toys, I packed some of my favorite beef tapa and organic eggs (breakfast food…very important!), a bottle of Bombay, cans of Schweppes, and six lemons (preferred cocktail…also very important!), and these brownies.

Take them wherever you want a repeat invitation!

Robert’s Absolute Best Brownies 

(from David Lebovitz’s recipe as seen on Thyme for Cooking)

• 3 ounces unsalted or salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan
• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (I used walnuts) 

- Line the inside of an 8-inch square pan with 2 lengths of parchment, allowing for excess to extend beyond the edges of the pan (this is how you will pull the brownies out later).  You can also use foil but I prefer parchment.  Lightly butter the parchment. (It’s mentioned that the original recipe calls for a 9-inch square pan, but I used an 8-inch and it turned out perfect)

- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the chocolate and stir by hand until it is melted and smooth.

- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla until combined. Beat in the eggs by hand, one at a time. Add the flour and stir energetically for one full minute.  Yes, this is important so time yourself.  The batter is supposed to lose its graininess in this time, becoming smooth and glossy, and pull away a bit from the sides of the saucepan.  After that, stir in the chopped nuts.

- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake in a pre-heated 350F oven until the center feels almost set, about 30 minutes. Do not overbake.

- Let the brownie cool completely in the pan (be patient!) before lifting the parchment and the brownie out of the pan. I give it an extra window of time to cool out of the pan as well (it’s the tropics after all!).  Cut the brownie into squares.

I stumbled on this recipe over at Katie’s and our beach trip was the perfect excuse to try them out.  There are two important things to remember when making them, as per the expert advice of Mr. Lebovitz -- one is to make sure that you do stir them quite vigorously and two that you stir (vigorously!) for the prescribed one minute, no less.  This is what makes that batter temptingly glossy and the resulting brownies fudgy as sin.  I’d also like to add, as with any brownie, whose majority is made up of chocolate, please use the best chocolate you can get your hands on.  The brownies will keep for 4 days (or one month frozen) although I highly doubt they will be around for that long.

So here we are at summer’s end.  The rainy season is slowly making its presence felt, although the heat is still asserting itself bullishly.  I am so very happy though, that despite almost melting a fair number of times, I can look back on a summer of sunshine and fun…and the memories of my little girl looking up at me with sand in her hair and hands, telling me that she is “so happy” to be in the beach.  And even if our tans may fade, and grey skies replace the blue ones, I’ll have a wonderful brownie recipe to see me through the rain.

No Laggard in Love: Chapter 2 Review

No Laggard in Love, that cheesy book of wonder, continues on in Chapter 2. Last time we saw her, she was driving down a windy road in Scotland during a storm, recounting her life.

Chapter 2

Louise Membury, still driving down curvy Scottish roads in her ancient (10 year old) Forrester, continues to fill us in on her history. It turns out that her niece Lynnette was to meet Alistair (to get married) on Thursday, and was to bring both her engagement ring and a secret sealed packet which she smuggled through “the Customs”. (Is that the British way of saying Customs or was just how they talked in the 70’s?) Anyway, Lynnette managed to elude Louise’s questions about Alistair’s suspicious behavior (because a guy who proposes on a boat is suspicious, no?). Lynnette convinced Louise to go meet Alistair in her place. Thus, Louise taped the secret smuggled package underneath her Forrester’s back seat and set off for Scotland.

Back in the present, Wow-wow is on the trip with Louise and is getting anxious due to the weather. He whimpers and whimpers. However, when the automobile behind Louise causes her to catch a fright and end up in the ditch, there is nary a peep from him (which is odd, because there are two pages dedicated to explain Wow-wow’s scary behaviour to strangers)… even when the dark lanky stranger from that automobile approaches and helps Louise out of the ditch (after reminding her that she has a reverse gear). Later, when the stranger meets Louise at the ferry crossing, Wow-Wow (whose name continues to amaze) does not bark (which is still odd after the two pages dedicated to Wow-Wow's ferocity toward strangers). It turns out that the stranger (who, as far as I can tell, has an afro) smokes the same tobacco as Louise’s dad. That stranger then asks her to drink coffee with him on the side of the road. She doesn’t want to, but…he knows her name. Dun dun dun…

MVOTD: Audio Adrenaline (Day 179)

"....Big House? We're a band?" This was the question I had when it came to which Audio Adrenaline video to post. Finally, I decided. It had to be We're A Band because even though Big House is more interesting I hadn't actually seen it as a child. Therefore, We're A Band from Audio Adrenaline's Don't Censor Me album caps off my week of childhood memory music videos. It was a good music video as a child because the song was good and the camera angles were dramatic. Other than that it was a typical rock group music video.  

For you I imagine it is much the same. For a 90's rock group, it is a pretty good music video. The camera angles are good, although the dramatic camera sweep under people gets repetitive. There is mild change of scene, as one guitarist leaps into the mosh pit and awkwardly lays there on top. ...Of course, it seems like crowd surfing on mosh pits was more of a 90's thing, so that's actually cool.

So it's repetitive on the one side, and very rock on the other side. An average music video in total.

VISIT LONDON!

WENLOCK AND MANDEVILLE

Colour the Olympic and Parolympic Mascots:

LET'S COLOUR!

Colour the Olympic Logo:

Now colour the medals. Remember the fist one is gold, the second is silver and the third is bronze:

" Summer Plans" By Alejandro Ramos , 6A

                                                                      MY SUMMER PLANS
I´m going to go to Canary Islands.
I´m going to play football every day.
I'm going to go to a water park.
I´´m going to read English very much.
I´m going to study class book and I´m going to write activity book.
I´m going to learn cook.
I´m going to buy my summer clothes in Pull and Bear.
I´m going to sleep in a hotel.
I´m going to miss the school and my friends.

Monday Review: No Laggard in Love

Otherwise known as No Laggard in Love: Chapter 1 Review.

Four years ago my Mom bought a bunch of large print books at a local book sale. Last weekend, she finally pulled them out. It turns out that she bought a jem, No Laggard In Love, by Leslie Lance. Clearly this was a book to be read. Why? Because it was obviously a cheesy romance set in Scotland (which is a land renown for its romance, no?).

In Chapter 1 many things happen. Many questions arise, just one of them being, how is a 10 year old car ancient? Car years aren't that small.

Chapter 1

Louise Membury, whose name you don’t yet know, is driving down a muddy track of a highway in Scotland pondering on why she agreed to do ‘this task’. ‘This task’ she then describes, from her tiny age gap with her niece and her father’s remarriage to a woman half his age, to her niece’s sudden engagement to a Scottish man. Louise’s father having remarried at 45, Louise is a second child, a mere 9 months younger than her niece, Lynnette. Her niece, Lynnette, is a model who travels the world doing modeling gigs. On the most recent trip, Lynnette becomes engaged to Alistair of Scotland. A passionate romance it probably was, but Lynnette wants to get out of the marriage so that she can go do modeling somewhere else (committed, wasn't she?). Thus, Lynnette confers the job on Louise who was going to take care of her father's estate during his honeymoon with the live-in nurse. Now Louise is stuck driving on bad roads in terrible weather.

Some notes: There are also five pages on how she got her dog, Wow-Wow. Amazing name, yes? Also, Louise, called Linnet for some reason, is an author. She writes books about her dog Wow-Wow. Also amazing, yes? 

OLYMPIC MASCOTS

This is Wenlock, the Olympic Games mascot. Click on its image and learn more about it.

This is Mandeville, the Paralympic Games mascot. Click on its image and learn more about it.

These two playful cartoon animations were said to be created from the last drops of steel left over from the construction of the final support girder for the London Olympic Stadium. The mascots were designed for children, to inspire them to be the best they can be. The design includes a single eye which is a camera to record all the things they do, and yellow lights on their heads (a homage to London's black taxis). The mascot Wenlock wears friendship bands in the colors of the Olympic rings, while Mandeville wears a timing device to track its personal best.
Wenlock, the mascot of the Olympic Games, is named after the English town of Much Wenlock, which inspired Baron Pierre de Coubertin to found the modern Olympic movement.
Mandeville, the mascot of the Paralympics, is named after the town of Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games.

Now you can make the mascots the way you want. What sport are they going to practise?

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2012

Eurovision Song contest was celebrated las Saturday in Baku, Arzabaqijan. Sweden was the winner. Loreen is the singer, she sang in English and Euphoria is the title of the song.Spain was in the tenth position.
There were 42 countries and 24 sang in English. Don't you think english is important?

Congratulations, Depor!.

Hi, Depor supporters!.

Deportivo is back in the  Spanish First Division .A Coruña is white and blue today. Yesterday we  had a great time watching the football match and yes, we won the match and we went up to the first division again. Today it´s a day to celebrate the victory.

BYE, BYE and FORZA DEPOOR!!!!!!!

Topic of the Day: Alligator Hair Clips (Day 178)

If you are a person with hair, you probably have hair issues. Reasons why it is hard to style your hair. It might be frizzy or slippery or the wrong length. Whatever it is, you are super happy when you find something that works.

I have lots and lots of fine hair. It is slippery, knots easily, and is too thick to use bobby pins on. Other people can' t understand why I complain until they try to do my hair, and then I feel vindicated because they have a hard time too.

Yesterday I found some great clips at Ardene. Apparently they're called alligator clips. They actually hold most of my hair in an up-do. I only have to use like three bobby pins. It's amazing!

Picture from Ebay.com

That's about all I can say. I'm still thrilled to have something to do up-do's with. My hair woes are halWhat f over.

What about you. What do you use for your hair woes?

MVOTD: Steve Taylor (Day 178)

The week continues with music videos of my childhood. Here's one of the boring ones via a more mature Steve Taylor.

Steve was a satirical singer who often wanted to make a point. He had several songs people didn't agree with. For this one, I think that probably many Christians didn't like it because they didn't understand it. I certainly didn't understand the lyrics for a good long time, so that makes sense (considering the phrase "Jesus is for losers" is repeated frequently).

The music video's song, Jesus is for Losers, is about how Jesus is for imperfect people, for people who are willing to lose prestige or power or friends in order to be in relationship with Jesus Christ. The only things that make the music video itself interesting are the location and the special effects (which were duplicated on the cassette cover. Who knew?). This music video is a case of good music with average cinematics. Thus, please enjoy the music and the 90's ness. 

My holidays in London. By Paula C. 6A

Last week I went to London. I liked London very much.
Here you can watch my slideshow on Photopeach.



See you soon...!!!!

Wilma Tenderfoot By Inés 6B

I read several books but my favourites are Wilma Tenderfoot´s collection they´re many books (I read "The case of frozen hearts" and "The Putrid poison" ).

They are very funny detective books. The principal character is a ten years old girl who wants to be a detective. Somewhere between France and England there is an island that no one has ever bothered to discover. On it lives Wilma Tenderfood, a determined girl who dreams of one day becoming a World Famous Detective.

I love them. The author is Emma Kennedy . She is and English actress, writer and television presenter.

The books aren´t  mine because I took them in a  public library but They were very well kept.

I hope you read them .

"The Advengers" by Óscar Ares 6ºA

Hi, friends! 
Last saturday I went to the cinema with my friend Alejandro Martinez. We saw the Advengers.
It was great! .Although  I don't like superheros movies, I love this movie!

The Advengers cover

This movie takes a long, but you don´t fell bored because there is a lot of action.
The advengers are five:

• Hulk: Don't anger it if you don't want to he converts on a giant and green thing.
• The black widow: Silent, agressive and pretty.
• Ironman: Sometimes he can't fight on team
• Captain America: He's a good fighther and he's got an a indestroyer shield.
• Thor: He's a demigod and he can control the storms.

MVOTD: PFR (Day 177b)

Of all the music videos of my childhood, one was my favourite. That music video was Wonder Why by PFR (Pray For Rain). Actually, Wonder Why is my favourite PFR song ever. As a child I liked the convicting tones, the smooth sound, and the wintery contrast of the young lads in the snow. It resonated with me. My favourite part was, "like a man lost at sea, for thirst, is lead to drink the water. The more you drink, the more your throat will run dry." Whether it was the words that got me or the bearded guy's face, I don't know, but that part is great.

As a music video, Wonder Why is pretty solid. Because PFR was a 'rock' (contemporary) group, there is obviously no dancing. There is the classic playing their instruments in open nature though (so 90's). The characters of the music video are twin teenage brothers and a younger lad, all in 'stark' outfits of collared shirts and trousers with suspenders. These characters fight, run, and are sad in the crispness of a forested winter's day. Visually it is very pleasing, and because it is stark, it matches the lyrics. There is also a mystery. Who is the man in red and what significance does he have? Is he representative? Maybe.

All in all, Wonder Why is a good blend of music, vocals, and visuals. A solid music video.

MVOTD: Joy Electric (Day 177)

Music videos I grew up on continues with Joy Electric's Burgundy Years. I remember this music video being vaguely creepy but cool, because essentially the Joy Electric man lives in Candyland. Strangely enough, my childhood assessment of it is still accurate. Joy Electric man has a dead pan expression and flat hairstyle that can come off as creepy, especially since the background behind him is so festive and joyful. It's like Edward Scissor Hands.

Here's some backstory...on my childhood music videos. 

Previous to the internets ruling the music video realm, there were VHS's. My parents' collection included a Tooth & Nail VHS (which Burgundy Years is from), and a 'Message in the Music' VHS. I guess some friends owned the Steve Taylor VHS, and that plus some music videos taped off of MuchMusic made up the music videos of my youth. Pretty impressive for someone who grew up on farmer vision only the basic channels. Also pretty impressive was this music video.

MVOTD: Newsboys (Day 176)

Second in line of music videos from my childhood, Shine by the Newsboys. I must say, this particular music video was much better as a child, especially since I didn't realize that the music video makes joke(s) about Asian people.

As a music video, Shine is actually pretty trippy. They use lots of harsh lighting, and what happens doesn't make terribly much sense. The stuff that happens actually relates to the lyrics... although I'm not sure that clarifies anything.

As a music video, Shine is pretty interesting. It's got dancing (better than NSYNC?), random faces, a waiting room full of interesting characters, nice cinematography, and a catchy meaningful tune.

Tim Burton Caketrope by Alexandre Dubosc

Master of the Zoetrope, French artist Alexandre Dubosc has just released this stunning tribute to director Tim Burton, which features several references to Burton's films. Watch carefully and you'll see visual nods to the films Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, and Burton's latest project, the stop-motion animated film, Frankenweenie. The "Caketrope," as Dubosc calls it, is actually not an animated film, although it may appear that way upon initial viewings, but is, in reality, a movie composed of still images. It is the rapid succession of these images that creates the illusion of movement. Pretty cool! For Burton fans and cake lovers alike! To see more of Dubosc's work, including additional edible zoetropes, click here.

MVOTD: Steve Taylor (Day 175)

Alright. It's time to interrupt MVOTD's normal flow to have a week of childhood memories. My childhood memories to be exact, starting with the oldest music video, Steve Taylor's Lifeboat.

Steve Taylor was a satirical artist/singer, so all his songs have a point. With Lifeboat he made fun of the lifeboat game children were made to play in the 60's, where the children decided who was worth keeping and who wasn't. I think this song makes its point fairly bluntly.

As far as the music video goes, it turns out that Steve was a fairly handsome guy at one point (what does that have to do with music videos?). He is also a very elegant elderly lady (also irrelevant). The children are cute and over the top. The chalk board is great. The lead up is pretty blunt so you will understand that Steve isn't racist/sexist/ageist. The best clip is where Steve is sharpening the pointer stick.

In general it's a pretty good music video, especially considering that it's from the 80's. 

MVOTD: SHINee Sherlock (Day 174)

Now that MVOTD has focused on English songs for awhile, it's time to head back to the basics of the daily music video. For that, there is only SHINee's Sherlock, because they are just so curious.

With Sherlock, SHINee returns to the stage...not that they ever left it. This time around they are hard to tell apart. Yep, that's right. Just as I was beginning to be able to tell them apart, they get new looks and age a bit. Clearly I am not in their fanclub, eh. Did anyone else have this issue?

As a music video, Sherlock has some interesting elements. There's the the vaguely North American Aboriginal inspired outfits/jewelry. There's the guy Key wearing giant star spangled boxers/swim shorts with long underwear underneath. There's Taemin with long hair. And then there's my favourite part...the dance move where they trot forwards in formation. That move gets me every time. Their dancing is usually quite complex and interesting, so this one move makes me laugh at little bit. Other than that, I liked the 19th century Englishman look with the retro cameras. Very appealing as a look. It's a nice little music video.

CLAP YOUR HANDS

FAMILY FINGER

Visiting Corax by Inés 6B

A few days ago I visited a place called Corax.

It is a kind of zoo where you can feed  and play with wild animals.

I had a great time with all the animals.

The monkey made ​​me laughing because he stole the chewing gum  to a man who was there. 

The animals I like best are the tigers.

OLYMPIC MASCOTS

THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA

QUEEN ELIZABETH ll

On these days in the UK they are celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The Queen celebrates 60 years as Monarch. Here you've got some information about the Queen, click on her image:

Inspiration Board: Springerle

My mom has been obsessed with Springerle cookies lately. She’s planning on making some for my sister’s wedding and Springerle madness has officially set in. She keeps buying and experimenting with all sorts of different wooden molds, the kind that are used to make these lovely German cookies. With all this Springerle talk surrounding me these days, it seemed like the perfect time to do a post on them!

Springerle cookies, which have been around since the 1300s and are traditionally anise-flavored, are created by pressing a patterned mold onto rolled dough and then baking. The result is a hard cookie covered in a beautiful bas-relief image. The molds themselves are usually inspired by folk art and are often imprinted with images of flowers, animals, and people (with flowers and animals). In addition to the cookie molds, there are also patterned rolling pins available, if you want to cover a large surface, like a pie covering. These little cookies are truly edible art! For more Springerle info and to check out a recipe for the cookies, click here.

Pictured above: "Lady" Springerle Cookies by The Springerle Baker. For more Springerle examples on this site see: Cookbook Excitement: Pie it Forward and Inspiration Board: Easter.

Birnbaum Owl Mold (18.95) from The Springerle Baker

Cookie made with owl mold from The Springerle Baker

Gingerbread Springerle by King Arthur Flour

Springerle Cupcakes by Bakerella

Springerle Cookies/Cake by Martha Stewart

MVOTD: Donna Summer (Day 173)

Donna Summer is dead. The newspaper said so. Thus, today we celebrate her singing career with a  most amazing song, McArthur Park. McArthur Park is one of the easiest songs to make fun of. In fact, it almost makes fun of itself. McArthur Park is about a cake that got ruined in the rain. There are also little birdies singing in a tree, cotton dresses, and old men playing chinese checkers.

Pretty much McArthur Park rocks. Super rocks. Donna Summer knew how to dance and be amazing at disco. She waves that mic around like nobodies' business. Even though she barely moves she is really interesting and sounds great. Therefore, hers is a truly great 'music video'.

Rice Cooker Mushroom Rice

This has been a cruelly hot summer.  Particularly and most especially in the city.  Steaming pavements, blazing sun, heat-headaches and the sticky lethargy that comes upon you when you feel like you are trapped in an oven.  The slow roast…that’s what this summer has been.  It is driving people bananas and electricity bills sky-high.

Which is why we have been escaping to the beach every chance we get.  Lovely beaches aplenty are one of the many perks of living on a tropical archipelago, specifically one near the equatorial belt.  Yes, the heat can be debilitating, and the monsoons can drive you mad.  We don’t have four distinct seasons either, so I have never experienced a white Christmas, or a golden autumn.

But the beaches...ah, yes.  No matter how hot it gets (and believe you me, it gets scorching, fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot), having my toes in the sand, ice cold beer in my hand, or just floating on my back in the sea, letting the gentle waves rock me this way and that…this still makes me feel like I am the luckiest girl ever.

It does not, admittedly, make for the best environment for cooking.  Fortunately, another perk of living in this particular tropical archipelago, is the presence of a rice cooker in ever home.  Toss everything in, plug, power on, and scuttle back into a/c.

Rice Cooker Mushroom Rice

• Roughly 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 40 grams dried oyster mushrooms
• 120 grams Chinese sausage (about 3 pieces), sliced on the diagonal
• 300 grams brown rice
• 3 cups liquid (water or the mushroom liquid)
• 5-6 stalks green onions, sliced (white and light green parts only)

- Bring the water to a boil.  Place dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl.  When water comes to a boil, pour over the mushrooms.  Set aside.

- Mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, sugar, and sesame oil is a small bowl and set aside.

- When the mushrooms have softened and the water has cooled down a bit (not completely cool but not quite boiling hot anymore), drain the mushrooms but make sure to save the liquid.

- Measure out into your rice cooker bowl the rice, 3 cups of the mushroom liquid, the mushrooms, the sausage, and the sauce mixture.  Mix well.  Cover the rice cooker and set to cook.

- When the rice is done, sprinkle in the green onions, fluff the rice, and cover once more on the “keep warm” setting for a further 10-15 minutes.

- Remove the rice from the cooker and serve in bowls.

I remember the first time I read that many consider the rice cooker a “single use” non-necessity.  Single use??  For Filipinos, that “single use” is one of the most basic and necessary uses we have in our kitchen.  For a culture that cooks a batch of rice almost once a day (sometimes more!) the rice cooker gets more work than many other “multiple use” appliances.  That being said, we sometimes fail to look beyond this single, yet ever so important, use.  You can use the rice cooker for many other things as well.  You can make oatmeal and quinoa in it.  I’ve even cooked pasta in it.  And, like this dish, you can make many a one-pot meal.

I used the dried oyster mushrooms here from the giveawayI had a while back.  I wanted to feature a recipe that used them so Sweet Tooth, my lucky winner, could get some ideas.  These dried ones have a stronger and more intense taste than the fresh oyster mushrooms, but do need more liquid, and a longer cooking time, to cook properly.  Soaking them, as I have done here, and then cooking them with the rice, really plumps them up and infuses them with all the flavors in the dish.  They would also work very well is stews and braises.

If I am lucky enough to have some Chinese goose liver sausage on hand I would use that instead of regular Chinese sausage.  I like to serve this with some sliced omelet on the side.  You can also toss a nice handful of frozen peas in before cooking.  C likes to have it generously laced with sriracha, which I also highly recommend.

We are, once again, off to the beach tomorrow!  To escape the city heat but also to make the most of our last month of summer.  We will be with my mom’s family, a crazy bunch that I love to bits.  Little C, who has become quite the island girl, as is her birthright, has been asking us every morning this week for “beach” and “sand”. So I bid you good night and a happy weekend, whatever the weather may be like where you are!

MVOTD: BOA (Day 172)

BoA. She's super famous in South Korea, and once upon a time she tried to be famous in the States too. Here is one of the songs resulting from that attempt. Energetic. 

Notice the harem pants? Those were cool in 2009. Just saying.

 BoA is actually really pretty in this music video even though she's trying to be gangsta. I approve of most of her outfits. The wing shoes are cool, the 'B' braided into the side of her head is cool, the corset thingy looks cool, and I like the large amount of jewelry she wears. The only weird thing is the face glitter. BoA is also quite good at dancing and shows off her moves. BoA even has a pretty good English accent, which is great because 90% of singers in the same company(S.M. Ent.) don't. The biggest improvement to this music video would be a better song because the song is easy to get sick of. Other than that, this is a fine music video, and a good attempt at gaining the American audience.    

Topic of the Day: Yard Lettuce

There is an interesting phenomenon occurring on my lawn, and I would like to talk about it. Yard Lettuce. That's right, lettuce that grows on your yard...in your lawn. It looks alot like dandylions without the flowers, and is often streaked with red.

It turns out, if you let your garden lettuce flower too often, the seeds actually do something. Check it out, parent and child.

Yard lettuce is my new favourite random thing that grows in grass. It's super cute and has a funny name.

GALICIAN LITERATURE DAY 2012

The Galician Literature Day 2012 on May 17 is a holiday in Galicia. This year the Galician Royal Academy has decided to dedicate this day to Valentín Paz Andrade.Click on this image and learn about this writer.

RECYCLE IT!

World Recycling Day is on May 17th. Remember the importance of recycling and do it, please!
Chorus
Recycle it Recycle it
If you think that you might just throw it away
Remember it can live to see another day
Recycle it Recycle it
Whatever you do don't throw it away
Make it live to see another day


Verse
Maybe it's a plastic bag
Maybe it's the Sunday Paper
Maybe it's the bottle that you drank your soda from
Or the wrapper on a stick of gum
Maybe it's a soup can
Maybe it's a jar of strawberry jam
Or the big container that holds your juice
It all can be put to another use


(Chorus)

Verse
Maybe it's a plastic bag
Maybe it's the Sunday Paper
Mabye it's the bottle that you drank your soda from
Or the wrapper on a stick of gum
Maybe it's a soup can
Maybe it's a jar of strawberry jam
Or the big container that holds your juice
It all can be put to another use


(Chorus)

MVOTD: One Republic (Day 171)

'English Week' continues today with One Republic's Secrets. My cousin really likes this song. The music video, which is almost the same but completely different from Savage Garden's Truly Madly Deeply, features a woman at a 'bistro' in not Paris not waiting for someone. The lead singer of One Republic creeps on her, and there is much tie/collared shirt/vest wearing. People play great instruments like cellos and violins. Then the woman walks around not Paris only to return to the 'bistro' and sees...a man...whom she walk away from.

POCOYOLYMPICS

Breakfast #59: Peanut Butter and Honey Granola

One of the things I resolved to do this year is to make more things from scratch...to make more of our basic commodities (as far as food is concerned that is – I haven’t yet reached the exulted heights of making my own detergent or conditioner) and condiments .  I love the feeling of smug satisfaction I get from having homemade jams and chutneys in my pantry, stock in my freezer, and jars of pickling vegetables in my fridge.

Some may scoff at the Suzy-homemaker-ness of it all and label it as trite or kitsch or old-fashioned.  I see you rolling your eyes, brandishing your high-stress jobs like swords, all while trying to keep those multiple balls that you juggle in the air.  Well, I only have this to say, I am one of you.  I have a full time, high stress job that I absolutely love to wield like some shiny weapon, or more to the point, like a shield…"I’m stressed!  Don’t bug me!"  My job has nothing to do with writing or food or this blog.  It is a regular job, and like the millions of regular jobs out there – takes up most of my time and can be the cause of some energetic head-against-the-wall banging.  I juggle multiple roles and yes, it does get tiring and frustrating.  I don’t always stick my lemons in my San Pellegrino, despite my best efforts.  Sometimes I suck on them and grumble and say “oh phooey!”

But, these homey, hearth-y tasks like making stock from scratch, kneading bread, or making your own cereal, actually help relieve the stress of a fast-paced world.  Its very clichéd corniness, its almost primitive function, brings me comfort.  Slowing down my steps, doing something good for myself, my body, and my family...puttering, contemplating, working with my hands.  The very antithesis of the harried pace of work and, sometimes, life.

Plus there is the added benefit, lest we forget, of avoiding all the additives and what-nots that you find in the packaged, store-bought stuff. 

Peanut Butter and Honey Granola

(adapted from theKitchn)

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup very roughly chopped walnuts
• 1 cup very roughly chopped almonds
• 1 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or chunky
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped dried dates

- In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, salt, and cinnamon.

- In a small saucepan, mix the honey and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is melted.  Take the pan off the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

- Pour the honey/peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture. Add the oil, and stir thoroughly until everything is evenly coated. The mixture will be chunky and rough.

- Spread the oat mixture evenly on 2 foil-lined (original calls for parchment-lined but I like how foil stays put better) baking sheets and bake in a pre-heated 325F oven for 40 minutes, stirring 2-3 times while baking (I like stirring every 10 minutes).

- When the granola is done transfer to another baking sheet, this one lined with parchment, and spread out.  I find this is a good way to let the granola cool down.  Once cool, add the dates, and toss to combine.

I haven’t bought granola, or cereal, for a while now (except for the occasional box of raisin bran…for which I have an inexplicable love).  I cannot recommend making your own granola enough.  It tastes so much better than what you buy in the stores, it is wickedly easy, and you can tailor it to your tastes.  I have my basic, go-to recipe for granola here, but this is a wonderful variation.  I mean, peanut butter granola…what more needs to be said?  I deviated from the original recipe by using walnuts and almonds instead of all peanuts, and forgoing the ground ginger.  This makes an absolutely gorgeous granola – redolent with sweet-salty peanutbuttery goodness, and the dates are the perfect dried fruit for it.  The recipe makes a nice big batch too, so take out those jars and cute labels and share with family and friends!

Now, don’t think that I’ve gone the full Martha.  Although I do dedicate my best efforts to making things from scratch, I won’t get up on a soapbox and say that I never use cube bullion or buy jam.  I do, after all, as I said, understand firsthand life’s often frenetic pace and I won’t (and neither should anyone) beat myself up if I can’t make bread this week.  Still, do not underestimate the benefits, both in the goodness of the end product and in therapeutic qualities of the process, of doing things the “old-fashioned” way :) 

To all the worker bees out there: may our weekend be as luxuriously slow as our week was dizzyingly fast!

And to all the mamas out there, who are always working, 24/7: Have a fabulous Mother’s Day!  If I could give all of you peanut butter granola topped kisses I would :)

MVOTD: Coupleskate (Day 170)

Joe Christmas's Coupleskate. It's one of the few songs that I originally liked because of the music video (because VHS is so cool). The music video, which stars two awkward teenagers going roller skating together, is well, awkward. And cute. And just a little bit silly. The band, while not beautiful (as we are becoming accustomed to), are charming. It's a very nicely packaged music video.

Coupleskate as a song tells the story of someone going rollerskating with the person they adore. It is all very cute as they want to impress their special someone. Also, it is a tale of mild and pleasant happinesses. The world won't explode if things don't go right, which is nice because sometimes we need to relax. Here's Joe Christmas's Coupleskate.

OLYMPIC GAMES PROJECT

Do you want to learn about the Olympic Games?
Click on these link:

Learn about the Ancient Games:

LINK 1


Learn about London Olympic Games 2012:

LINK 2

MVOTD: Savage Garden (Day 169)

Savage Garden. They were soooo cool in the early 90's. Or maybe it was the late 90's. Either way, they bring it. Counter-tenor high notes, romantic lyrics, smooth instrumental, and clips filmed on location in Paris (which we know thanks to a clip of the Eiffel Tower). The storyline, two (ruggedly handsome/pretty) people trying to meet each other at a bistro who miss each other by minutes and find each other through extensive and sad wanderings, would not work in today's world. The concept would not have worked now due to the extensive use of cell phones (call, problem fixed). However, for Savage Garden, the theme is poignant enough for the song, but not too romantic. Plus, the swagger walk the lead singer does is pretty great for filming. 

For people who can hear colour, Truly Madly Deeply, is burgundy/maroon (thanks Youtube for that tidbit). I think knowing that makes the song sound even more smooth and romantic, but maybe it's just me.

"My favourite song" by Martin.F class 6B

Hi fiends.
This is my favourite song.
Name: Dynamite.
By: Taio Cruz
I hope you enjoy

MVOTD: NSYNC (Day 168)

NSYNC. Kings of cheese. In It's Gonna Be Me NSYNC brings the cheese. They bring it good.

In It's Gonne Be Me The members of NSYNC are Ken dolls roaming around a toy store. They fight G.I. Joe's, get jealous, flirt with Barbies, and are generally very plastic in general. And that's not even including their cheesy 90's choreographed dancing. Thanks to NSYNC I know that if one purchases an NSYNC Barbie, they'll turn into real people when they go over the scanner. Yup, It's Gonna Be Me is very 90's and wonderful.

TITANIC PROJECT

Look at this photos about the Titanic! In all the levels we talked about this big ship, its journey, what happened,...We had two big posters with information, vocabulary, news and pictures in the corridor! It was very interesting! Thanks Loli, Jose Mª, Marian and all the teachers who helped with this project!

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This slideshow was made by Loli. Great job, Loli!