Spring in The Hague

IT'S SPRING IN THE HAGUE!!

 

 

 

 

 

For my hubby

Swimming

Love this look

http://worstgig.com/index.php

Lemony Cream Butter Cake

 

cake layer adapted from the Ricotta Blintz Casserole  recipe in "Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes," by Jeanne Kelley

For the cake 

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (heaping)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 eggs

2 tablespoons lemon juice (which was about 1 lemon for me)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

zest of two lemons

For the cream cheese filling 

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 egg

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 1/2 lemon

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease or spray a 9" springform pan with vegetable spray.

Make the filling -- In a large bowl or bowl of a standmixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-high to high speed for about 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy.

Add confectioners' sugar and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and beat until completely combined, about 1 minute. Add butter, both extracts and lemon zest. Beat until completely combined, about 1 minute. Set aside.

Make the cake -- In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk in melted butter, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon zest until combined. Do not overmix.

Pour batter evenly into springform pan. Carefully pour filling mixture evenly over the cake batter to within about 1/2 inch of the edge of the pan. (The filling should cover all but the outer 1/2 inch, at which point the cake batter will be visible.)

Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake has puffed up and toothpick inserted near edge of cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove springform sides and allow to cool on rack for 1 hour. Transfer to refrigerator and chill completely before serving.

Serve chilled, with a little sprinkling of confectioners' sugar.

 

3 tbs cake mix

2 tbs water

mix

nuke

1 minute

B A M !

cake in a cup

You're a 19 year old kid.
You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam ..

It's November 11, 1967.
LZ (landing zone) X-ray.

Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out.

Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again.

As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.
Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter.
You look up to see a Huey coming in. But.. It doesn't seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it.

Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.

He's not MedEvac so it's not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.

Even after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway.

And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board.

Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety.

And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!! Until all the wounded were out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.
He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Air Force, died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise , Idaho

May God Bless and Rest His Soul.

Medal of Honor Winner Captain Ed Freeman

Now... YOU pass this along. Honor this real hero.

Wagga Wagga spider webs

CILANTRO LIME CHICKPEA SALAD

CILANTRO LIME CHICKPEA SALAD

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 loosely packed cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 onion, chopped small
• juice from 4 limes
• 1 bunch of cilantro (about loosely packed cup, chopped)
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated on a microplane
• 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Chop the spinach very finely. Add the chickpeas, onion, and spinach to a large bowl. 
Mix the the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, mustard, garlic, chili powder, and olive oil into a dressing.
Pour over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste. 
Let sit for about 10 minutes on the counter or overnight in the fridge to let the flavors marry. 
Enjoy!

http://www.mattoled.be/

Wanna play?

Chet

I'm definitely a romantic.

I don't think life is really worth

all the pain and effort and struggling.

If you don't have somebody that

you love very much.

I'm a fool to want you.

Paris, November 1987