For Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

JULY 27th, 2011

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side

It's WEDNESDAY!

TAKE YOUR PANTS FOR A WALK DAY

Take Your Pants for a Walk Day is a great day to get some exercise.

Its an easy day to celebrate. Simply go for a walk. Unless you are wearing a dress or a skirt, you probably are wearing pants. So, by definition, as you walk, they come along.

Give your pants some exercise. After all, they are looking a little tight around the middle. The walk will do them good.

Well-exercised pants are happy pants. And you don't want to see what happens when your pants get mad at you.

Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

Author Unknown

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

National Creme Brulee Day

This recipe requires no heating up the custard and slowly tempering the egg yolks. No crazy double boiler action needed. No fuss.

Just sweet custardy goodness with a crunchy caramelized sugar topping. Mmm.

Easy Creme Brulee

yields 4 individual ramekins/servings

2 cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more to sprinkle for topping
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
optional: fresh berries or mint for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add cream and vanilla and gently stir to combine, taking care not to mix quickly so as not to introduce extra bubbles. Place un-filled ramekins in a baking or casserole dish and fill baking dish with hot water until about half-way up sides of ramekins. Pour egg mixture into ramekins.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking every 10 minutes after 35-40 minutes. When done, a knife inserted into the center of the egg mixture should come out mostly clean.

Remove from baking dish and lay onto clean dish towel to dry, set and cool. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.

Place in refrigerator for 1 hour or longer to cool.

Set oven to low broiler setting.

Sprinkle a thin, even layer of granulated sugar over the top of the cooked custard. Completely, but lightly, cover the custard with the sugar. Place the ramekins back into the baking dish and surround by ice and cold water until the water almost reaches halfway up the sides. Don’t fill too high with water, as the ice will melt and add to the volume of water. Place baking dish with ramekins under broiler, or use crème brûlée torch, for 2-5 minutes, or until the sugar has melted and creates a golden brown, caramelized crust.

If you don’t want to wait for the custard to cool in the refrigerator and would prefer to have the custard warm, follow the step above without letting cool. This is pretty tasty as well.

Garnish with sliced strawberries, a few fresh berries and/or some fresh mint leaves.

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in

your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the

selfless acts they perform for us

in our time of need. I ask this in the

name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters

and Paramedics and EM

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

AROUND HOME

I really don't think I need buns of steel. I'd be happy with buns of cinnamon.

Ellen DeGeneres

Due to the heat no walking or exercise of any kind has been done here at my house lately.

We are to be in the low 80's today and that's just about perfect so I may just get out and take a walk for a change.

I'm like one of the quotes I saw that said -- if it wasn't for the distance between the refrigerator and the TV set I'd get no exercise at all.

The Ohio State Fair begins today. DS#5 and family will be there. He'll be working in his air conditioned booth so if you go, stop by and say hello. It sounds like the rest of the week is going to be hot again.

Take good care all, keep cool and enjoy these summer days!

COUNTING THE DAYS

Tonight is Over the Moon Night, the night each year when legend says cows get really jumpy

Hey diddle diddle,

The Cat played the Fiddle,

The Cow jump'd over the Moon,

The little dog laugh'd to see such sport,

And the Dish ran away with the Spoon.

Mother Goose's Melody

58 DAYS UNTIL FALL

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near…

Love,

ma