Headless Anne Boleyn

Sorry, this is a bit late... late is better than never! Here's a bit of history...

Anne Boleyn (pronounced /ˈbʊlɪn/ or /bʊˈlɪn/); (c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and 1st Marquess of Pembroke in her own right for herself and her descendants. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the start of the English Reformation. The daughter of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire and his wife, Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire, Anne was educated in the Netherlands and France, largely as a maid of honour to Claude of France. She returned to England in early 1522, in order to marry her Irish cousin James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond; however, the marriage plans ended in failure and she secured a post at court as maid of honour to Henry VIII's Queen consort, Catherine of Aragon.

In 1525, Henry VIII became enamoured of Anne and began pursuing her. She resisted all his attempts to seduce her, refusing to become his mistress as her sister, Mary Boleyn had. It soon became the one absorbing object of Henry's desires to annul his marriage to Queen Catherine, so he would be free to marry Anne. When it became clear that Pope Clement VII Catholic Church in England began. would not annul the marriage, the breaking of the power of the

The Archbishop of York, Thomas Wolsey, was dismissed to his diocese, allegedly at Anne Boleyn's instigation. (George Cavendish, Wolsey's chamberlain, records that the servants who waited on the king and Anne at dinner in 1529 in Grafton heard her say that the dishonour that Wolsey had brought upon the realm would have cost any other Englishman his head. Henry replied, "Why then I perceive...you are not the Cardinal's friend.") Later the Boleyn family's chaplain, Thomas Cranmer, was appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry and Anne married on 25 January 1533. On 23 May 1533, Cranmer declared Henry and Catherine's marriage null and void; five days later, he declared Henry and Anne's marriage to be good and valid. Shortly afterwards, the Pope decreed sentences of excommunication against Henry and Cranmer. As a result of this marriage and these excommunications, the first break between the Church of England and Rome took place and the Church of England was brought under the King's control.

Anne was crowned Queen of England on 1 June 1533. On 7 September, she gave birth to the future Elizabeth I of England. To Henry's displeasure, however, she failed to produce a male heir. Henry was not totally discouraged, for he said that he loved Elizabeth and that a son would surely follow. Three miscarriages followed, however, and by March 1536, Henry was courting Jane Seymour. In April–May 1536, Henry had Anne investigated for high treason. On 2 May, she was arrested and sent to the Tower of London, where she was tried before a jury of peers and found guilty on 15 May. She was beheaded four days later on Tower Green. Modern historians view the charges against her, which included adultery and incest, as unconvincing. Following the coronation of her daughter, Elizabeth, as queen, Anne was venerated as a martyr and heroine of the English Reformation, particularly through the works of John Foxe. Over the centuries, she has inspired or been mentioned in numerous artistic and cultural works. As a result, she has retained her hold on the popular imagination. Anne has been called "the most influential and important queen consort England has ever had," since she provided the occasion for Henry VIII to divorce Catherine of Aragon, and declare his independence from Rome.

Here's my costume I made of Anne Boleyn beheaded for Halloween.

Guiness Stout & Gingerbread Cupcakes!

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1/2 cup stout beer, such as Guinness
1/2 cup  mild-flavored molasses
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp.ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. table salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely minced candied ginger

For the frosting
4 Tbs. (2 oz.) salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2-1/2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lime juice, or more to taste
1 Tbs. whole or soy milk

Strips of candied citrus peel or candied ginger, for garnish

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

To make the cupcakes, in a very large saucepan, bring the stout, molasses, and oil to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the baking soda until dissolved. (The mixture will foam up, then settle down.) Stir in the brown sugar, then let cool until tepid.

Into a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

Whisk the eggs into the stout mixture, then whisk in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Don’t overmix. Gently stir in the minced candied ginger.

Divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake until the cupcakes feel just set in the center, 22 to 24 minutes. Let cool completely.

Make the frosting:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth, about 10 seconds. Decrease the speed to low and, with the mixer running, gradually add half of the confectioners' sugar. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as needed to make sure the ingredients are being incorporated. Add the lime juice, then add the remaining confectioners' sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated, add the milk. Beat the frosting on high speed until completely smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Taste, and add a few more drops of lime juice, if desired.

Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin. Pipe rosettes of frosting in the center of each cupcake. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can spoon a mound of frosting decoratively in the center.) Garnish each with strips of candied citrus peel or a piece of candied ginger.

This recipe was found at Finecooking.com 

Photo credit by Sage

Tofurky!!!! And yes, it is very GOOD!

So this year I decided to make my tofurky the hard way. Which in the end, was not hard at all!

Tofurky with the stuffing!

Ingredients:
4-5 packages of firm tofu
2 tsp chopped fresh sage, thyme and rosemary
1 tsp onion and garlic powder
1 tsp orange zest (optional)
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp or 1 cube of veggie bouillon
salt & pepper to taste

Stuffing:
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped and toasted
3-4 slices of bread for the stuffing, cubed
1 onion chopped
1 celery stalk chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (I forgot to use this, still worked out good)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp maple syrup (I ended up just eyeballing it, as I do all the time ;))
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup veggie broth

Marinade:
1/2 cup of soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp orange juice (freshly squeezed)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
(I eyeballed the entire marinade, worked fine!)

Tofurky (previous night)
Squeeze out excess water from tofu and puree in food processor so that the texture is smooth. Place in a large bowl and mix in the seasoning. Add more seasoning or flavor if needed for taste. Wet cheesecloth, wring it out and line it out smoothly in a colander with no wrinkles. Put the tofurky into the colander press into the sides and bottom of the colander. Place the colander onto a plate to catch the excess water drippings, cover the tofu with the rest of the cheese cloth and finally place a plate on top and something heavy to weigh it down. In the fridge it goes!

Stuffing (the day of)
Crisp the bread cubes in the preheated oven (350 degrees) for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a skillet. Add about 1 tbsp of butter and saute the onions for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add celery and saute for another 2 minutes. Stir in apples along with other seasonings. Cook for 5 minutes. Add maple syrup and the vinegar, remove from heat. Combine the bread cubes along with the apple mixture. Stir in almonds and dried cherries. Transfer to a greased baking sheet and pour broth over the top and mix. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the stuffing begins to brown on top. You can make a crisp filling by removing the foil and baking for 10 minutes more.

Marinade
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade until combined.

The making of the Tofurky
Remove weight and plate from colander. Scoop out some tofu from the centre, making sure to leave at least 1-2 inches on the sides and bottom.

Now fill this hollow with the stuffing.

 Add back the scooped out tofu and seal in the stuffing. Carefully place a cooking pan or baking dish (large enough for the opening of the colander and slowly invert the colander onto the baking dish so that the tofurky drops gently into dish. Remove the cheesecloth from the tofu. Use the marinade and start basting the tofurky.
Bake for about an hour (basting every 15 minutes) until a golden crispy brown tofurky has been achieved!

Slice tofurky and add some yummy mushroom veggie gravy and your Thanksgiving meal is set! Enjoy!

Stuffed Pumpkin with Everything Good!

This was a recipe I found online (can't remember where). I decided to make this for one of our Thanksgiving dinners we attended this year. Tried, tasted and true! A must for every Thanksgiving from now on!

Stuffed Pumpkin with Everything Good!

Ingredients:

1 smaller sized pumpkin (so that it can fit into your baking dish)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
veggie (or real) bacon, crispy and chopped
Gruyere cheese, cubed
Emmenthal cheese, cubed
half a french baguette, stale, cubed
1 litre cream
1 tsp nutmeg
chopped fresh chives and thyme
Sea salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. First, cut the top off your pumpkin (save it) and hollow out the seeds and strings (think pumpkin carving). I always keep the seeds for roasted pumpkin seeds (that will be another recipe entry later). Season the inside of the pumpkin with sea salt and pepper (don't worry about going too lightly, season at will)!

In a large bowl, combine the bread, cheese, chives, bacon and thyme.

 Add everything into the seasoned pumpkin!

Add the cream, nutmeg and some more salt and pepper to taste. Stir well!

Top the pumpkin and in the oven it goes! Set the timer for 90 minutes so you can check on it. The pumpkin when fully cooked (about 2 hours) should be soft yet still retain the shape (otherwise over cooked, it will start to lose it's shape). You can test by pinching the fork into the inside and if the pumpkin meat is tender and easily scraped off, you're good to go!



Take the top off the pumpkin for the last 10 minutes so the top can brown lightly!

To serve, use a large spoon and scoop out the pumpkin from the inside (without puncturing the pumpkin) and mix into the delicious cheesy goodness and serve! Enjoy!

It's October!!! Pumpkin season!

This is my favorite time of the year for cooking with pumpkins! Pumpkins were never thought of as food for me when I was younger, because to me, I always believed that the sole purpose of a pumpkin was to become a jack-o-lantern. I always thought that pumpkin pies were not made of real pumpkin because you can't eat those! Little did I know, that pumpkins (squash family), were one of the most delectable vegetables that are incredibly versatile when it comes to cooking!

So, let's start with a pumpkin recipe that always hits the spot when the temperature outside grows chilly!
Pumpkin Soup!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
1/2 sugar pumpkin, remove seeds and strings, peel skin, cubed
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 stalk broccoli chopped
1 potato, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, chopped
fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme, onion power, paprika, cayenne pepper
6 cups of vegetable broth (I use water and veggie bouillon cubes)
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat butter in stock pot, add onions and cook for 5 minutes until fragrant and translucent, add celery, carrots and pumpkin, stir and cook for another 10 minutes, then add potatoes, broccoli, herbs and vegetable broth. Set to boil and then lower temperature to medium low for another 20 minutes or until pumpkin and potatoes are cooked. Salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and use hand wand blender to puree slightly with leaving some bigger chunks of veggies in the soup. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Sometimes if I feel the soup could also use some pasta, so I'll throw in a small amount of alphabet pasta or any type of small sized pasta (cute stars or other shapes) to the soup and boil until cooked. This is something you can do after you've made your soup and just wanted to add something extra to while reheating! Kids love the alphabet pastas!

Oops! forgot to take a picture of it served in a bowl!!!! LOL! oh well, you can imagine it was yummy!

Do it Yourself Star Wars Props

I'm in the middle of putting together a Jawa costume for my 9 year old. Boy, Swedish Bandoleers are hard to find!
Check out this great site tk409.com

Shower Shock! Caffeine Soap!

Have smelly co-workers that sleep in too much? Give the gift of Shower Shock...  Found here at ThinkGeek

Stuffed Peppers in the RAW!

OK, so I've made this dish now a couple of times, and each time I spiced it up and added some ingredients and made it my own style!

Ingredients:
2 red bell peppers
1/2 cup raw pecans (in this case, I used raw cashews)
1/4 cup hemp or sesame seeds
1/4 cup chopped red or white onion
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Mexican seasoning
1/2 cup sliced avocado
2 tablespoons cilantro

1. Cut the red bell peppers in half and remove the stems and seeds.
2. In a food processor, process the pecans (or cashews), hemp seeds, onion, lime juice, jalapeno, salt, and Mexican seasoning.
3. Fill each red bell pepper half full with the prepared mixture and garnish with avocado slices and cilantro.

Marinated Kale and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:
1 bunch dinosaur kale (approximately 3 cups kale)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons nama shoyu
1 1/2 cup diced avocado
1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon dulse (seaweed) flakes (totally forgot to add this!)

1. Peel the stems off the kale leaves. Roll the leaves and chop into small pieces.
2. Place the chopped kale into a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Massage the salt into the kale by hand and let sit for 10 minutes so the kale will become soft and wilt.
3. Pour the lemon juice onto the kale and let it marinate for a few minutes. The acidic lemon juice will further wilt the kale.
4. Pour the olive oil and nama shoyu onto the kale and mix well.
5. Top the kale with avocado, chopped cherry tomatoes, and dulse flakes. Enjoy as a side salad with your entree of choice.

Raw Stuffed Ravioli

What is Jicama? It is a sweet, root vegetable that looks like a turnip. What can I use it with? To make my raw ravioli! So here goes... Stuffed Ravioli! This one became an instant hit!

Stuffed Ravioli Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 jicama, peeled and sliced in thin strips
1/2 cup Cilantro Pesto
1/4 Pine Nut Cheese
Raw olives to garnish

1. Peel the jicama and slice it into thin squares, about 4 inches by 4 inches. A mandolin slicer works great for this! I don't have one, so I improvised with a cheese slicer! Works like a charm!
2. Place 1/2 tablespoon pesto in the middle of each jicama slice. Fold over the jicama and press together the edges to create the ravioli.
3. Place the raviolis onto a plate. Drizzle the pine nut cheese or pine nuts sauce on top and garnish with olives.

Add a side of green salad and lemon herb raw green beans and the meal is set!

Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh basil
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup pine nuts

1.Using the S blade on a food processor, process the basil, cilantro, garlic and salt until the basil is chopped.
2. Add in the pine nuts and olive oil. Process until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the food processor bowl. Do not overprocess - there should still be small chunks of basil and pine nuts in the sauce.
3. Pest will stay good for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

For the Pine Nut Cheese, please see earlier posts for the recipe and ingredients needed.
Recipe from The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book by Mike Snyder with Nancy Faass.

Raw Pasta Primavera!

I've lost track of how many nights of raw food dishes that were prepared. And I've forgotten to take photos of some. Oh well...

Here is a nice light dinner recipe for a hot summer evening. Pasta Primavera ~ raw!

Ingredients:
3 zucchinis sliced with a peeler or mandolin
2 carrots grated
1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved
1 red pepper sliced thinly

Pine Nut Sauce:
1/2 cup of pine nuts
1 cup of cashews (in my case I used walnuts)
1 garlic clove
fresh herbs
water to thin to sauce thickness
Blend together in food processor

Mix all ingredients and sauce together, garnish with fresh parsley, add some sliced avocados and yum!

Raw Pesto Lasagna!

Day Four:

Picked up a new cookbook called Everything Raw Food Recipe Book by Mike Snyder. Here's our new favorite dish, Raw Pesto Lasagna!

Ingredients:

2 Zucchinis sliced with a vegetable peeler or mandolin
Pesto
Pine Nut Cheese
Mushrooms (not originally in the recipe, but works good)
Olives

Pine Nut Cheese:
In a food processor, blend together until creamy smooth (almost like cream cheese texture):
2 cups Pine Nuts
1 cup Cashews
3/4 water
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon salt

Bon Appetit!

Raw Pad Thai!

Day three:

This is a favorite dish of mine. Any Thai restaurant I go to, I am the most predictable to order my usual, Pad Thai. Here's my tweaked version of Raw Pad Thai from various online recipes.

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchinis, sliced into strips with a vegetable peeler
• 2 large handfuls of bean sprouts, approx 2 cups
• small handful of diagonally chopped sugar snap peas
• 4 green onions, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 3/4 cup chopped peanuts

Sauce:

• juice from 1-2 limes
• 1 crushed garlic
• 2 tablespoons of raw agave syrup
• 3 tablespoons of Tamari
• 1 teaspoon of chili paste

I gotta say, I was surprised at how good this tasted! Especially for the fact that I loooove normal Pad Thai, my expectations were not high. But I was so wrong!

Raw Sushi! What a delight!

So the next day, we tried raw sushi. I actually enjoyed preparing this dish, however it took a very long time. Where's my prep cook when you need him?

Ingredients Used:

Nori Seaweed Wraps
Asparagus
Cucumber
Green Onion
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Cilantro
Carrots
Avocado
Sprouts
Tamari (for soy sauce dipping)

Very yummy!

And for dessert: BROWNIES!!!

This recipe was found on Gone Raw

Ingredients: 

Recipes:
Raw Brownies-
2 cup ground pecans
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp agave nectar
2 cup dates
2 tsp vanilla extract (thats a complete estimate)

Preparation: 

Process all ingredients in a food processor. Press into a brownie pan. Cool for at least ten minutes to firm them up a bit. ENJOY!

It was deeelicious!!!! And packed full of protein too! :D

Gone RAW!

What is the Raw Food Diet?

The raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed.
Heating food above 116 degrees F is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and "life force" of food.

My husband suggested we try it out and see how it goes. So............

Day One: Dinner = Lettuce Wraps or Raw Tacos

Ingredients:
Carrots julienne
Beets grated
Red onions sliced thinly
Red peppers sliced
Baby spinach
Jalapenos chopped
Parsley & Green Onions
Cauliflower marinated in Tamari (for the meat)
Guacamole (Avocados, Onions, Limes and Garlic)
Salsa
Head Lettuce (for the wraps)

It was delicious! And satisfying!

Surfer Blood!

Great band from Florida. This is a band you must check out! Surfer Blood

Who says you can't find love in replace for braaaaaaiiiiiinnnnss?

Created by Mingle2.com (Dating for non-zombies)

Bring on the New Year with this great band!

Here is Julian Casablancas
Listen to his music on MySpace 

He was originally a member of The Strokes, but honestly, going solo was the best thing for him. This guy is TALENTED! He's got one of those voices that draws you in and keeps you.