May10
The Problem With Giving Up
Tag Archives: Marcia Williams Cromer
May8
Over The Hump Old School Sound Check- Elton John
Happy Thursday all! The weekend is waiting just around the corner!!
May7
Salted-Caramel Six-Layer Chocolate Cake
Yes, you read that right: six decadent layers of salted caramel and chocolate. Dive in!
PREP: 45 MINS TOTAL TIME: 3 HOURS 20 MINS SERVINGS: 12
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE
Unsalted butter, room temperature, for pans
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablepoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Coarse salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons safflower oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
FOR THE CARAMEL
4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 cups heavy cream
Coarse salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
FOR THE FROSTING
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Coarse salt
1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped, melted, and cooled
Garnish: flaked sea salt, such as Maldon
DIRECTIONS
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: Butter three 9-inch round cake pans, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Sift flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt into the bowl of a mixer. Beat on low speed until just combined. Raise speed to medium, and add eggs, buttermilk, 1 1/2 cups warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
STEP 2
Divide batter among pans. Bake until cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool in pans set on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks, and let cool completely.
STEP 3
Make the caramel: Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Cook, without stirring, until mixture is dark amber, about 14 minutes. Remove from heat, and carefully pour in cream (mixture will spatter); stir until smooth. Return to heat, and cook until a candy thermometer reaches 238 degrees, about 2 minutes. Pour caramel into a medium bowl, stir in 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and let cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Let cool completely.
STEP 4
Meanwhile, make the frosting: Whisk together cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water in a bowl until cocoa dissolves. Beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, and a generous pinch of coarse salt in a clean bowl with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in melted chocolate and then cocoa mixture until combined. Let stand for 30 minutes before using.
STEP 5
Trim tops of cakes using a serrated knife to create a level surface. Cut each in half horizontally to form 2 layers. Transfer 1 layer to a serving platter, and spread 3/4 cup caramel over top. Top with another cake layer, and repeat with remaining caramel and cake layers, leaving top uncovered. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
STEP 6
Frost top and sides of cake in a swirling motion. Sprinkle with sea salt.
May7
#BringBackOurGirls: Nigeria FINALLY Accepts U.S. Help To Rescue Kidnapped Girls
Originally posted by By Boko Haram,on Bossip:#BringBackOurGirls: Nigeria FINALLY Accepts U.S. Help To Rescue Kidnapped Girls But Is It Too Late?
MAY 7, 2014
Why is Nigeria lagging in the effort to find the 300 kidnapped schoolgirls?
Nigeria Accepts US Help To Rescue Kidnapped School Girls
Via CBS News reports:
President Obama said Tuesday that the U.S. would do everything possible to help Nigeria find nearly 300 teenage girls missing since they were kidnapped from school three weeks ago by an Islamic extremist group that has threatened to sell them.
Mr. Obama said the immediate priority was finding the girls, but that in the longer term, the Boko Haram group must also be dealt with.
Speaking to CBS News Tuesday, Mr. Obama said the U.S. was “sending in a team of our military, law enforcement and other experts and we’re really glad that Nigeria has accepted the help.”
CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan said Secretary of State John Kerry first told Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday that the U.S. would send in the team, which would include hostage negotiators and intelligence experts, to help in the search.
“We remain deeply concerned about the welfare of these young girls, and we want to provide whatever assistance is possible in order to help for their safe return to their families,” said Kerry.
The technical experts heading to Nigeria will include U.S. military and law enforcement personnel skilled in intelligence, investigations, hostage negotiating, information sharing and victim assistance, as well as officials with expertise in other areas, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
U.S. armed forces were not being sent, Carney note.
Nigeria’s police have said more than 300 girls were abducted from their secondary school in the country’s remote northeast on April 15. Of that number, 276 remain in captivity and 53 managed to escape.
Another eight girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants early Tuesday morning or late Monday evening, according to local police and villagers who spoke to Reuters by phone. French news agency AFP reported Wednesday morning that 11 girls were actually seized in that latest raid on the village of Warabe. The discrepancy in numbers could not be immediately reconciled.
We hope to God it’s not too late to save these innocent girls! In a perfect world Boko Haram loses captivity of these girls when it sells them. All 300 have well-established identities from photos. Getting them out of the control of BR should be a top priority. But then they can be freed from their less militant captors one by one. Then, the monsters who perpetrated these kidnappings can be caught up with and themselves taken as prisoners.
May5
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA SNACK BREAD
This recipe is just one bowl with everyday, simple ingredients and is both vegan and gluten free! But, it’s infused with creamy, salty peanut butter and chocolate in the form of cocoa powder and dairy-free chocolate chips!
PREP TIME: 15 mins COOK TIME: 1 hour TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 mins
Serves: 10
INGREDIENTS
1 flax egg ( 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 2.5 Tbsp water | or sub 1 egg)
3 medium ripe bananas (~1.5 cups)
3.5 tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
1/3 cup salted natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
2.5 Tbsp grape seed or coconut oil, melted
scant 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2-3 Tbsp agave or maple syrup, depending on ripeness of bananas
3/4 cup unsweetened almond or other non-dairy milk
1 1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup gluten free flour blend (my go-to blend, or I recommend Trader Joe’s all purpose GF blend)
1 cup gluten free oats
1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup Peanut Butter Chips
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
2. Prepare flax egg in a large mixing bowl and let rest for 5 minutes to activate.
3. Add banana and mash thoroughly.
4. Add all ingredients through almond milk and whisk vigorously to combine.
5. Add cocoa powder, almond meal, gluten free flour blend, oats and stir.
6. Last, stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips (if using).
7. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes. When ready, it should feel firm and be crackly on top. My sweet spot was about 1 hour 5 minutes.
8. Let cool completely before cutting or it will be too tender to hold form (preferably overnight).
9. Store completely cooled leftovers in a covered container for up to several days, though best when fresh. Slice and freeze for longer term storage.
May5
E&B World Music Showcase
Music from Uganda – Ghetto Kids dancing to Sitya Loss
Repost from World Music – the Music Journey
May 5, 2014
May4
Enki-Eyewear For The Enki Via Ethiopia Collection
Check out this amazing look book by Enki Eyewear for the Enki Via Ethiopia collection. A quirky set of spectacles, perfectly fit for the modern and, as shown below, the tribal. Enjoy!
Credit: fashionghana.com
May4
Sunday Reflections
To get to the “promised land,” you’ll have to navigate your way through the wilderness. All of us encounter obstacles, problems, and challenges across our paths, and our decisions as to how we respond to them and view them are significant.
James 1:2-4 (TLB), “Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.”
A man with twenty challenges is twice as alive as a man with ten. If you haven’t got any challenges, you should get down on your knees and ask, “Lord, don’t you trust me anymore?” So what if you’ve got problems – that’s good! Why? Because consistent victories over your problems are important steps on your stairway to success. Be thankful for challenges, for if they were less difficult, someone with less ability would have your job.
“A successful man will never see the day that does not bring a fresh quota of problems, and the mark of success is to deal with them effectively. “ Credit: Lauris Norstad
May3
Espresso Crepes with Ice Cream and Dark Chocolate Sauce
You’d think the intoxicating combination of crepes and ice cream drizzled with a sultry chocolate sauce would make you lose your head, but in fact, the opposite may be true. Preliminary research shows that chocolate increases blood flow to the brain, which may improve attention span, memory, and problem-solving skills. Since both the crepes and chocolate sauce can be made ahead, this is the simplest of desserts. If you make the sauce ahead, warm it just before serving. #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM enjoy!
Ingredients
1/3 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons honey
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
8 Espresso Crepes
Ingredients for Crepes
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat 1% milk $
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 cups low-fat coffee ice cream
Preparation for Crepes
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, espresso powder, and salt in a small bowl. Combine milk, water, melted butter, and eggs in a blender. Add the flour mixture to milk mixture, and process until smooth. Cover batter; chill for 1 hour.
Heat an 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or skillet over medium heat. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers pan with a thin film. Cook about 1 minute. Carefully lift the edge of the crepe with a spatula to test for doneness. The crepe is ready to turn when it can be shaken loose from the pan and the underside is lightly browned. Turn crepe over, and cook for 30 seconds or until center is set.
Place crepe on a towel; cool completely. Repeat procedure with the remaining batter, stirring batter between crepes. Stack crepes between single layers of wax paper to prevent sticking.
Final Preparation
Combine half-and-half and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until tiny bubbles form around edge of pan, stirring frequently (do not boil). Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth.
Fold each crepe in half; fold in half again. Place 1 crepe on each of 8 plates. Top each serving with 1/4 cup coffee ice cream; drizzle with 4 teaspoons sauce.
May2
Why Fashion Matters
Egos & Buffaloes 