Blooming lotus

Here, Thai iced tea is deconstructed and made into an exotic and refreshing dessert: strong, spicy tea granita—a tad bitter—with super-rich sweet milk. Really simple; really good.

Serves 6

2 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup Thai tea leaves
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup whole milk

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the tea leaves, cover, and let steep for 7 minutes.

Pour the tea through a coffee filter or a sieve lined with a double layer of paper towels. Discard the tea leaves. Stir the sugar into the tea until dissolved. Pour the tea into a shallow pan and put it in the freezer until almost completely frozen, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Use a fork to scrape and break the mixture into shards or crystals. Return the pan to the freezer to freeze completely.

Meanwhile, mix the condensed milk with the whole milk. Chill in the refrigerator.

When the granita is frozen, scrape and toss it one more time with the fork. Keep frozen until serving.

To serve, divide the milk mixture among six glasses and top with the tea granita.

You’ve spent this month getting words on the page (lots and lots of ’em), punching through writer’s block, and deferring the daily scutwork that plagues creativity. And it’s about time you got rewarded.

As of Thursday DR Max electronic English, November 20, you can validate your word count to win. Here’s how:

Be sure you’ve created a 2014 novel.

At the top of our site, where you normally enter your word count, click “I am ready to validate my novel.” (You can also find this link on your novel page.)

Copy the entire text of your 50,000-word novel and paste it into the validator box.

Click “Validate.”

If our site recognizes that you’ve got all 50,000 words, you’ll be whisked directly to your winner page—where a few goodies patiently wait, soon to be joined (in early December) by even more winner-only offers DR Max electronic English.

(A couple of other possibilities to review: why there may be a discrepancy between your count and ours; how to validate if you’re writing by hand.)

After you win (or before), consider a donation to support our nonprofit. Our mission is about worldwide creativity DR Max electronic English, and we’re helping 500,000 people tell their stories this year. Your contribution will allow us to do even more in 2015.

And then, of course you need a souvenir…

This recipe was given to me by Amanda Sims, courtesy of her mom, Jeanie. The original comes from the Junior League of Knoxville's cookbook, Tennessee Tables, which was published in 1982. (less) - Sarah Jampel

Serves 8 to 10


1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, melted
1/4 cup crème fra?che
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons for sprinkling
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with aluminum foil or butter a 10-inch pie plate. If you'll be giving the cake as a gift Stroke signs, use a greased disposable pie tin.

Combine the butter, crème fra?che, and 1 1/2 cups sugar and mix until well-combined.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well-incorporated.
Add the flour, salt, and almond extract Grand Cru Cellar. Mix well, then pour into the prepared skillet.

Shower the cake with almonds and remaining sugar.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes Offsite Backup Strategy, until golden brown. Let the cake cool for 1 hour before serving.

 
Like fennel and oranges, artichokes and oranges are one of the traditional North African pairings that is so classic you've probably come across it before (even if you didn't know its provenance). I've written about it before, and I find it is one of those pairings I turn to again and again. It bridges the funny pre-spring, post-winter season, the last of the oranges, the first of the artichokes.
 
I learned this particular recipe in Fez, and quickly recreated it when we got home, obviously a good indicator of how much we enjoyed it the first time. Originally it was done with sweet large navel oranges, but this time I used some blood oranges intended for juicing. (Algerians take their oranges seriously, there are those for juicing, those for eating, those for cooking, etc.)

The orange here is quite sweet, but I find the bit of preserved lemon gives it just enough sharpness to prevent it from being cloying. I was trying to do a bit of research regarding the origins of this salad, if it was from a particular part of Morocco, but it seems to be rather ubiquitous. And now that you know how to prep artichokes, maybe it can be ubiquitous in your home too!

Artichokes with Oranges and Preserved Lemon

1 tablespoon butter
1 small sweet white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
5 large artichokes (or 8-10 small artichokes), prepped
4 navel oranges or 6-8 blood oranges
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 a preserved lemon, rind sliced

1. Slice one navel orange or 2 blood oranges into slices and set aside. Juice the remaining oranges until you have 1 generous cup of juice. Stir in the sugar to the juice and set aside.
2. In a pot melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onion until soft and translucent. Add in the garlic and stir to combine. Place the artichokes in the pot, turn the heat to low and cover the pot. Let the artichokes steam in the pot for 5 minutes.
3. Add in the juice and the lemon rind. Place the orange slices over top. Cover the pot again and cook for another 15 minutes, checking the pot once or twice, until the artichokes are tender when pierced with a knife.
4. Turn the mixture into a serving dish, arranging the orange slices on top. Serve warm.

Another wonderful Truffle season is soon coming to an end. With every smile that accompanies the turn of the seasons from Winter to Spring Hong Kong Macau Tour, there is a corresponding sigh as there is nothing quite so satisfying as being fortified from a cold night outside by hearty food, robust wine, and intoxicating truffles…

The Mundaring Truffle Festival has become a staple event of my winter for quite a few years now, and this years was no different. I trundled up the hill to Mundaring on Saturday morning, expecting to have my ears and nose frozen off like normal, but instead found myself basking in the warm winter sun all day long.

Such a lovely way to spend the day tasting all the goodness on offer from stall after stall packed with truffle goodness.

After being greeted by the charmingly hirsute Earl of Maynooth (He was a character from a Sherlock Holmes novel, and I didn’t really get the connection, but he was a lovely man) we were pointed in the direction of great coffee courtesy of Re from European Foods. Coffee situation sorted we strolled down the boulevard of temptation and sampled their wares. Truffle infused pork dumplings from Jumplings, truffle risotto from Il Paiolo, Rabbit Spring rolls with truffle from Creative Catering, Beef ribs and morcilla from El Asador, a truffled apple tart from The Loose Box, and probably a bunch of others I’ve forgotten Loop HK.

Perhaps my favourite part of the day however, was heading back into the kitchens for the truffle masterclass run by Guillaume Brahimi, Alain Fabrègues and Emmanuel Mollois. The three French chefs were at their finest on stage. Hamming it up and generally trying to outdo each other in raw Frenchness.

Alain was preparing a scallop entree, Guillaume a beef cheek main, and Emmanuel a tart tartin as you probably don’t know it.
So whilst they were out the front explaining the technique on stage, a small team of chefs were in the kitchens preparing the meals for the packed house of truffle fans.

Led by the head chef of the soon-to-be-open Bistro Guillaume at Burswood, alongside chefs from The Loose Box and Bistro des Artistes it was a formidable line up.

I did my best to stay out of their collective ways while scallops were sauteed rapid style, sauces and purees were blitzed and brought up to heat, and slow cooked meats were taken out of sous vide cocoons and slid onto plates with piping hot jus. Then virtually every plate finished with lashing of freshly shaved truffle red wine.

If i hadn’t eaten earlier I probably would have died in that kitchen. A giant basket of truffles was carted around the pass tables and the smell of each successive truffle being shaved was enough to send my porcine senses into overdrive. I fortunately managed to keep it under control (ok, one or two scallops may have gone missing), and did my best to look respectable as the masters each took a turn of inspecting their respective dishes as they were being plated.

Then a small army of eager faced young wait staff marched dish after dish out to the tables. The flurry of excitement and energy lasting 20 minutes and then subsiding briefly til the next course was due to go out.

Many thanks to the Shire of Mundaring and the organisers for continuing to put on quality events year after year, and I look forward to my seasonal truffle treat next year all the more.

Quick breads are one of my favorite things to bake and to eat. As the name implies, they are usually quick to make, so that’s a winning recipe trait for most of us. They are also a great breakfast, snack, or even dessert. Basically, you can eat them whenever you feel justified.

Whip up one of these simple treats this weekend or whenever you’ve got a hankering for a homemade quick bread.

One of the most popular recipes here on BoB is Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread. Well done, BoB readers! That’s an excellent choice to win a popularity contest. How can you go wrong with bananas, cream cheese, cinnamon, and nuts?
     
Sticking with banana bread, add a little bit (or a lot) of chocolate with this Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread. Roughly chop the chocolate so you’ll get big chunks as well as tiny slivers all through the bread. Yum!

Let’s just go ahead and get all the banana breads in this collection out of the way. Add fresh blueberries to a sour cream banana bread for yet another twist with Blueberry Banana Bread.

Now, we move from banana breads to a bread with no fruit at all. Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Quick Bread is a hearty quick bread packed with oats, chocolate, nuts, and a bit of cinnamon. This one is good enough and just sweet enough to be a good dessert as well strollers.

If you ask Quinn about his all-time favorite things I’ve baked, I feel confident that Pear Bread would be one of the first few he would list. I love baking with pears, and this bread is one of the best ways to do that. I make this bread at least a couple of times each fall when pears are in season. It’s really amazingly good.

Cinnamon may very well be my favorite baking spice. And, this simple Cinnamon Swirl Bread is a great use of it. It’s a very simple bread, with the focus resting on a delicious swirl of cinnamon, sugar, and nuts hosting service.

Dried fruits are a great addition to quick breads, and dates are one of my favorites. Dates and hazelnuts make for a nutty and not too sweet Hazelnut Date Bread.

On the other end of the sweet spectrum is this Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread. Sweetened cream cheese is swirled into a strawberry-packed quick bread for a sweet treat that you could serve up for dessert Panama Foundation.

Beef Chili with Ancho, Mole, and Cumin
This richly flavored chili pays homage to the Texas "bowl of red," in which meat is the star. Molepaste, ancho chile powder, and cumin add depth of flavor Digital Signage. Set out bowls of beans, cheese, onions, and other garnishes so that guests can have their chili just the way they like it.
Ingredients
Chili:

1 tablespoon cumin seeds
4 bacon slices, chopped
1 4-pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 1/2 cups (or more) beef broth, divided
1/4 cup pure ancho chile powder*
1/4 cup Texas-style chili powder blend (such as Gebhardt)
1 tablespoon mole paste**
2 teaspoons (or more) salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 to 2 tablespoons masa (corn tortilla mix)***
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Garnishes:

Warm, freshly cooked or drained canned black beans or pinto beans
Chopped white, red, or green onions
Grated cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, or queso fresco
Sliced fresh or pickled jalapeño chiles
Tortilla chips or oyster crackers

Preparation

For chili:
Toast cumin seeds in heavy small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes. Cool; grind finely in spice mill or in mortar with pestle wine pairing.

Sauté bacon in large pot over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to large bowl. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Working in 4 batches, sauté beef in drippings in pot until browned, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer beef and most drippings to bowl with bacon. Add onion and garlic to pot. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth to pot. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return beef, bacon, and any accumulated juices to pot. Mix in ancho chile powder, Texas-style chili powder, mole paste, 2 teaspoons salt, vinegar, oregano, and cumin seeds. Add 3 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to very low and simmer gently uncovered until beef is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding more broth by 1/2 cupfuls if chili is dry, about 2 1/2 hours. Mix in masa by teaspoonfuls to thicken chili or add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin. Season chili with salt, pepper, and cayenne, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled international paper company. Rewarm over low heat.

For garnishes:
Set out garnishes as desired. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.

*Available in the spice section of many supermarkets and at Latin markets.

**Available in the Latin foods section of most supermarkets and at Latin markets.

***Also known as masa harina; available at many supermarkets and at Latin markets.

Paint a dark night,

Presumably the cowboy and the weaver girl has embraced each other mutual action respectively.

You listen,

Twitter field autumn insects vacuum tube,

They are in for you as cheerful as a lark;

Thick clouds,

For your shield,

All the noisy bother dust;

The moon, the stars also tactfully escape;

The breeze brushless dc motor,

That is they send you cool.

The world lovers,

In this July 7th night,

But as they happy?

I wish the world tonight no acacia Amethyst earrings.

子承父業，世人競相效尤的時代風尚；官本思想，中國人的驕傲與優良傳統。當年曹孟德一句“生子當如孫仲謀”，將孫權吹得霧吼連天，其實，孫權未必就比其父高明多少，只不過也是拼爹一族；欣逢亂世、天降大任於斯人，人家拼得更風光罷了。

李白寫詩，自詡謫仙人，當然不是自吹自擂，確實前不見古人，後不見來者。 “白也詩無敵，飄然思不群”即使詩國唐代，又有幾人能與其比肩？太白那個叫做伯禽的兒子，卻不見一絲優秀。翻遍詩書，也不過就是其父寫詩中提到的19 LED Light Bulb那數個伯禽文字？照樣消失在茫茫的歷史長河中，與平民子孫相差無幾。

再說伯樂吧，用今天的“粉絲說”去推斷，不知當時有多少人拜在門下心甘情願為其“吆雞關後門，打狗支桌子”，至少在每天紛至沓來的名人們面前，混個臉熟？撈個職務或職稱什麼的晉昇機會！誰叫人家伯爺牛氣沖天！很遺憾，伯樂的兒子照樣無名鼠輩。假如伯樂的兒子，子承父業的話，父親一定會給他灌輸許多相馬真經，中國可能就不叫做中國，叫做千里馬的國度！

再說三國那個阿斗、大號叫劉禪，官號叫做蜀後主的軟弱無能之輩：平常最易見的多是貶低詞兒：不要將別人看作阿斗！人們一旦說起三國，就不得不為聰明一世，糊塗一時“哭作秀”起家的劉備鳴不平；看來巷閭間所言“假假劉備哭江山”，“劉備的三分之一江山是哭出來的”，不無道理。劉禪既可恨，更可疼，更令人捧腹不禁。蜀漢滅，君臣淪為亡國奴，被押解到洛陽，劉禪在整天笙歌漫舞，日日夜宴承歡的氣氛裡，竟然高調唱起樂不思蜀的曲子！世上那有這樣的混賬東西？還配做皇上？太寡廉鮮恥了吧？說白了，還不是那嫡長子繼承製，弄得蜀主不得不按祖宗遺訓行事。好不容易打上劉邦子孫旗號，打下的三分之一江山，就這樣白白葬送了，怪誰啊？儘管當年劉備說過，如果阿斗不行的話，可以讓諸葛亮取而代之。這不是一張空頭支票又是什麼？豈不是將諸葛亮往不仁不義大逆不道的火坑里推！諸葛亮只有“鞠躬盡瘁”的份，那有偷窺王權的Business Centre in Hong Kong心！劉備腿一蹬，腳一伸給諸葛亮留下了一個爛攤子，說走就走了。聰明莫過孔明，諸葛亮命裡註定要流芳百世，只好“明知而不能為，卻偏為之”也就六出岐山，白白勞民傷財，死了也只有埋葬在五仗原上，眼看著曹家人統一中原，司馬氏建立西晉王朝。

……一個外縣來的朋友，說起自己的領導，那是一個局長，當然風光了好多年。兒子性格內向，不像其父那樣，既能搧又能播，見啥人說啥話。兒子參加工作了，用關係將其安排進一家不錯的事業單位，屬於技術性事業單位，技術含量不錯，兒子也安居樂業。兒子那裡知道老子只是想讓他將事業單位當跳板，也走當官的道兒，兒子卻樂不思官。並擲下一句話：自己就不是當官的料。

兒子也是典型的好孩子，父親怎麼說，就像當年我們一代人高唱“毛主席怎樣說，我就怎樣做”一樣，心裡真就那麼願意做Cloud Video Conferencing？不做行嗎？終究爸爸也是良苦用心啊，誰不盼望“生子當如孫仲謀”？誰不希望兒子青出於藍而勝於藍？好了，兒子到了老子費了好大勁弄來的新崗位，工作性質變了，人際關係變了，卻是一百個不適應，強打鴨子上雞架。

可見老子早已違背了“知子莫若父”的古訓，自己的兒子是一塊啥料，自己心裡總該有數吧！兒子整天在那樣一個到處充滿殺機、人類的“動物世界”王國里東奔西忙，天天忙得像轉軸，任務壓得喘不過氣來，卻經常事倍功半，到頭來總是不合領導心意。領導明批評，暗幫助，甚至耳提面命，總是天地不醒，不能點石成金。

局長明明知道現在的官道是詭術最盛行的時期，自己怎樣一步步弄到眼前這樣位置的，總該心知肚明？卻一味的逆天行道，兒子天天生活在四面楚歌聲中，竟然神經錯亂！好端端，快快樂樂的孩子，一見人就狂躁起來：我沒有做錯啥啊！我沒有做錯啊！我沒有……

真不知道，伯樂如果當年硬要自己的兒子去子承父業的話，會弄出一個什麼樣的人物呢！

無法預料。

かつて思って、愛するのは一人でとても簡単な。愛は愛、二人で一緒に楽しい。その後、私たちはやっと知っていて、一人を愛して、複雑な感情はいくらですip networking HK。

わかって愛は占有、しかし、我々は本性そう。愛は男の時、彼は占有したい。彼の占有したい時、自分は間違って、そこで、自分も嫌いの占有しながら、できない占有彼は嫌い。彼に会った時、なんだか彼も大嫌い。なぜ彼は私を占有したくないですか？本当嫌なのかも、、、自分phone cover cases。

わかってて一人を愛して引き受けるべき彼のもとの様子が、しかし、愛することからも、彼を変えたい。自分が変わっていた彼は、ある日至って、彼はずっと変わらないこと。あの時、心の中はとても怒って、彼はもうとっくにと思って俺に味方か！誰が知っているのは嘘beauty wigs。

わかっていても二人を追うために楽しくて、しかし、時には、私たちは大きなことで一緻し、ささいなことで、各せたくないのに。喧嘩したくないが、冷戦たくないのに、自分を制御できない。どうしたことなんでしょうね？最後に、やっと自分が安全感がかんかん見たい、彼は歩いて、彼は歩いて、彼は非常に私の愛を証明する。元限り、私は彼に、彼が逃げ。何を言って私を愛して、最も愛したのは彼が自分で？

誰が教えてて、こんなに復雑に一人を愛して、まだ愛とは言えない。

由於內分泌處於活躍期，容易出現紊亂，所以常常有些人在月經期間皮膚變得油膩、毛孔粗大、發黃等等，但其實只要護膚手法把握得好，就能避免這些壞狀況，讓你告別暗黃。

時段1：生理期前一兩天

皮膚特征：

1、皮脂腺分泌明顯旺盛，導致油脂過多

2、肌膚光澤度下降、失去透明感

保養招數：護膚程序和護膚品要減少一些

皮脂分泌旺盛不但會導致皮脂阻塞毛細孔，同時容易形成麥拉寧色素，使黑斑點大量增加。當你發現經前一兩天油脂分泌突然變得旺盛，那麼你要改變一下自己正在使用的保養品，換上一些有去油作用的，在油脂較多的t字部位可比平時多塗一層平衡油脂分泌的職位精華素。

時段2：生理期中

皮膚特征：

1、敏感性增強，容易長痘痘粉刺

2、臉色暗黃，毫無氣色

保養招數：低刺激護膚品+輕度去角質

經期皮膚的敏感性增強，容易出現過敏反應，所以保養要從減少刺激和降低營養兩個方面著手。應避免使用過多的化妝品，盡量使用不易導致過敏反應的，或平時使用過而無過敏反應的化妝品。這個時期細胞脫落和更新得比平時快，所以要輕度去角質，避免皮膚變得暗黃，用油性較足的洗面奶來清除廢棄角質可降低對皮膚的刺激室內設計。

時段3：生理期結束後7天內

皮膚特征：

1、皮膚開始恢複彈性

2、能夠快速吸收養分

保養招數：抓緊機會深層去黃氣

在經期結束之後的一個星期中，是體內雌性激素分泌旺盛的時期，也是肌膚新陳代謝最快速、吸收養分最好的時候，不妨抓緊這幾天，給肌膚做更深層的養分補給，大膽使用高品質的營養品，如美白面膜、活膚面膜、高機能保濕精華等，美白去黃效果比其他時段更好更明顯，讓肌膚從裏到外透出明亮、白皙，輕松告別肌膚暗黃！