Snowflakes forming

The greatest video in the world today. This slow motion photography shows the forming of beautiful tiny snowflakes. This is the advancement in photography at its finest. The video shows the intricate formation of different snow crystals in such clarity. At first I had hoped this video would have some sort of music accompaniment, but the silence seems to be appropriate.

Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Contest

The Girl Scouts of Western Washington are sponsoring a recipe competition. Contestants are asked to enter a recipe using Girl Scout cookies. Although desserts are the most popular way to use Girl Scout cookies, contestants are encouraged to work outside the "cookie box" and also consider savory recipes. More details on the contest can be found at this website:  www.girlscoutsww.org/recipecontest 
 
If you're in the mood for Girl Scout cookies (and who isn't?), they will soon be available for public purchase. The sale date begins February 28 and ends March 16, 2014. Here is a link for a cookie locator, to help you find the nearest site sale. Don't miss out!!   http://cookielocator.littlebrownie.com/

I have decided to step up to the challenge of developing a recipe that is not a dessert. Yikes! How can one compete with desserts?!?! My family members (including my Girl Scout daughter) have been very helpful in coming up with the perfect main dish. They have been taste-testing and giving feedback to help perfect this recipe. We all think this is a really yummy chicken dinner. The Trefoil and pretzel crumbs make a crunchy, crispy coating that is fabulous.  The sweetness from the Trefoil shortbread cookies blends superbly with the honey in the sauce. The honey Dijon sauce is used to coat the chicken before cooking and then also used for dipping your chicken bites while eating. This sauce is like a party in your mouth! It's RIDICULOUS!!

 

Trefoil/Pretzel Encrusted Chicken
with Honey Dijon Sauce

 
Prep time: 22 minutes
Cook time: 26 minutes
Total time: 48 minutes
Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients:

12 Trefoil Girl Scout Cookies
2 cups pretzel crumbs
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup of grape seed oil or olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
freshly ground salt and  pepper
2 pounds boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray oil onto large non-stick baking sheet.
2. Put Trefoil Girl Scout cookies into food processor. Pulse until you have crumbs.
3. Toast Trefoil cookie crumbs and Panko bread crumbs together in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often. When lightly golden, remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Put pretzels in food processor. Pulse until coarsely ground. Add them to a medium bowl, mix with cookie and panko crumbs.
5. Sauce: In a separate bowl, add oil, honey, Dijon mustard, water, red wine vinegar and orange juice. Mix until smooth.
6. Use a mallet to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness. Season with pepper and salt.
7. Pour half the sauce into a shallow dish. Put flour on a large plate. Put half of the pretzel/cookie crumb mixture into a shallow dish. (Use the other half of the pretzel mixture to add to this dish, as needed.)
8. Drag a chicken breast through the flour, coating both sides. Then dredge the breast through the Dijon sauce, allowing excess to drip into dish. Then coat the chicken with pretzel mixture, patting the crumbs on, if necessary. Place coated chicken on a greased baking sheet.
9. Bake 24 minutes at 400 degrees (until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees)
10. Serve the chicken breasts with the remaining honey Dijon sauce, as a dipping sauce or pour over the top of your chicken.

For all you social media nuts (you know who you are) you can find more Girl Scout Cookie details at facebook.com/GirlScoutsWW and twitter.com/#!/GirlScoutsWW  #GSCookieRecipe 

2 cups panko crumbs

2 cups pretzel crumbs*

1/2 cup neutral tasting olive oil

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/3 cup honey (Iike clover or orange blossom)

1/4 cup bottled water

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 + 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup flour, plus more if needed

Read more at http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/honey-mustard-pretzel-chicken/#bdpZWfWX8t3JjAiG.99

Ingredients

2 cups panko crumbs

2 cups pretzel crumbs*

1/2 cup neutral tasting olive oil

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/3 cup honey (Iike clover or orange blossom)

1/4 cup bottled water

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 + 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup flour, plus more if needed

Read more at http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/honey-mustard-pretzel-chicken/#bdpZWfWX8t3JjAiG.99

Ingredients

2 cups panko crumbs

2 cups pretzel crumbs*

1/2 cup neutral tasting olive oil

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/3 cup honey (Iike clover or orange blossom)

1/4 cup bottled water

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 + 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup flour, plus more if needed

Read more at http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/honey-mustard-pretzel-chicken/#bdpZWfWX8t3JjAiG.99

Ingredients

2 cups panko crumbs

2 cups pretzel crumbs*

1/2 cup neutral tasting olive oil

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/3 cup honey (Iike clover or orange blossom)

1/4 cup bottled water

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 + 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup flour, plus more if needed

Read more at http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/honey-mustard-pretzel-chicken/#bdpZWfWX8t3JjAiG.99

Erupting Sarychev volcano, as seen from space



This is an awe-inspiring photograph of a Russian volcano, as seen from the International Space Station in 2009. Sometimes technology can be so cool.

Delta's 80's In-Flight Safety Video

I'm so sure! This safety video by Delta Airlines is totally awesome, dude! I believe this is the first airline safety video I have ever watched in its entirety. The over-the-top 80's theme is hilarious. My formative years of high school and college were in the 80's, so this brings back tons of memories. I love all the big hair and crazy fashions (some of which I had forgotten.) These are my LOL moments when watching the video for the first time:

1. Atari joysticks and game console
2. Tab cola
3. Unraveled cassette tape

Typical airline safety videos are so boring. Delta has done a good job at trying to keep the viewers' attention during a long, but necessary step in airline travel. Thanks for the memories, Delta.

Red Velvet Swirl Brownies

A saw Sunny Anderson make this recipe on TV, and knew I had to try it. These brownies were a big hit with my family. So delicious, I have to share it.

(A Sunny Anderson recipe)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/red-velvet-swirl-brownies-recipe.html

Red Velvet Swirl Brownies

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for pan

Red Velvet Brownie Layer

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Layer:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Special equipment: 8 by 8-inch baking pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking pan, and set aside.
Brownie layer: In a saucepan on medium heat melt the butter. Remove the butter to a large bowl and add the sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar, in that order, mixing between additions. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and stir it into the cocoa mix. Fold in the flour until lightly combined. Stir in the walnuts and pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, saving 1/4 cup of the batter for the top.
Cream cheese layer: Blend together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Gently spread the cream cheese layer on top of the brownie batter in the pan. Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese layer. Using a skewer or the tip of a knife, drag the tip through the cream cheese mixture to create a swirl pattern. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before cutting

The Beautiful Flight Paths of Fireflies

The Beautiful Flight Paths of Fireflies | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian


I found these wonderful photos in Smithsonian Magazine. Fireflies/Lightening Bugs are such a fascinating natural phenomenon. I don't live in a climate that is conducive to a firefly habitat, so I consider them very special. I remember, as a child in Pennsylvania, spending my summer nights chasing these glowing creatures. The amazing photos in this article were taken by Japanese photographer, Tsuneaki Hiramatsu. He shot a series of eight-second exposures, then digitally merged the images, creating connect-the-dot photos of the fireflies’ flight paths. Apparently Hiramatsu is an amateur photographer, but this is so impressive, I think it's time for him to quit his day job.

Click on the link above to see a full collection of these magical photographs.

How Great Thou Art by World Outreach Worship featuring StikYard

How Great Thou Art by World Outreach Worship featuring Stikyard


This video is a wonderful, modern, rhythmic rendition of the classic hymn, How Great Thou Art. The passionate performance is brilliantly displayed by World Outreach Worship and features the moving percussion of Stikyard. The website of Stikyard.com describes their sound as "a spirited fusion of sound and instruments, both modern and traditional." These "percussionists in motion" are stirring and mesmerizing. Although the other musicians and vocalists in this performance are excellent, the percussionists steal the show. I love the synchronicity of the drummers and other percussionists. The massive drums are a perfect fit for this very powerful song.

When the soloist sings the refrain:

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Chills go up my spine, while my spirits soar. I should use this as my alarm clock each morning, since I'm sure it would get me out of bed. This beautiful work of art is definitely the greatest thing in the world today.

 

Olympic Moms ad by Procter and Gamble "Pick Them Back Up"

 

You may remember the touching advertisement that Procter and Gamble put out for the 2012 Olympic games. Well, they have done it again. "Pick Them Back Up" is a new ad about moms picking their children up after they fall. It is dedicated to moms of the Sochi Olympic athletes (and all parents) who encourage their children to try and try again. The ad begins with moms teaching their babies to walk, while encouraging them in various languages. As the video continues, the children get bigger and learn to ski, skate, snowboard and play hockey, while mom is still encouraging them to keep trying. The ad ends with successful athletes and the phrase, "For teaching us that falling only makes us stronger, thank you, Mom."

 

My favorite parts of this ad:

1. The novice skier learning to ski down a mattress in the living room. This reminds me of how my own living room has been used to foster the athletic skills in football, baseball, volleyball and fly fishing.

 

2.The end of the ad when the happy, victorious hockey player puts a fist to his chest and looks to his mom and grins. Also the part where the successful skier crosses the finish line and goes directly to hug her mom. This is all a mother asks in return for the countless hours she has spent honing the skills of her children and helping them every step of the way - just a simple gesture of thanks.

 

Do Procter and Gamble make tissues? I need one for my happy tears.