DAUGHTER UPDATE

She must have been one determined girl!

I am pleased to announce that not only is the daughter currently at the horse show watching her friend compete, she was released from the hospital on Saturday morning!

It was a big surprise when I showed up to hospital on Saturday morning and she told me the surgeon came in earlier and told her that she can go home as soon as she packed up her things.

So my little Saab convertible was filled with life sized teddy bears, 6 bouquets of flowers, a large gift bag full of chocolate, 40 brand new nighties and pajamas, 11 stuffed animal horses, 63 cards, 17 hand drawn pictures, 6 mylar balloons, 13 DVDs, 9 magazines with titles such as "Girlfriend" "Dolly" and "Horse Beats" and one large bottle of scotch.

I think the scotch was meant as a gift for the partner and I.

Thanks for waiting

A big hug to everyone for their wishes and good thoughts about the daughter's recovery.

To give an update, she has had surgery to remove the spleen (which I may have said before, but I can't remember at the moment ie sleep deprivation) on Monday night and this morning had all of her tubes removed.

Her condition is no longer critical, but we are trying to keep her fighting spirit up. She has gained the ability to start walking short distances and sit up for small amounts of time.

Everyday the recovery is rapidly increasing. It does not appear the she will be out of Hospital in time to see her friends at the horse show on Sunday, but she is still keeping hope.

After a weekend of intense sleep, I should be able to have the time an energy to start writing the posts again.

I thought that for the upcoming Musical Monday I would write about Costume Design.

What are your thoughts?

Tuesdays with Tony - Lena Horne

Today's scratchy YouTube video is from the 1981 Tony Awards show.

Lena Horne won the Tony for her one-woman show Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. After seductive stroking her award during her acceptance speech, in true musical form, Ms Horne breaks into song.

Ladies and gentlemen, singing If You Believe from The Wiz, here is Lena Horne.

POSTING DELAY

Sincere apologies for the one of you that stopped in to read the Musical Monday post, only to find nothing.

Over the weekend there was a family emergency, where my man's daughter (who lives with us full time) was kicked by a horse and suffered a ruptured spleen.

She has had surgery tonight, and should be on the road to recovery, so look forward to a Musical Monday post (or any other post for that matter) to appear later on in the week when things become more stable.

For now, I will leave you with a quote sent to me by a friend:

All the happiness there is in this world Arises from wishing others to be happy.
- Shantideva

COLLEEN THE WHALE?

From News.com.au:

WHALE MUM FOUND, COLIN WAS A GIRL

"WILDLIFE experts will conduct DNA tests on a whale they believe may have been the mother of a lost calf nicknamed Colin, hours after the young whale was euthanased.

The Daily Telegraph reports the development came as National Parks and Wildlife head Sally Barnes revealed Colin was actually Colleen - a female humpback whale calf.

It is believed a whale carcass being eaten by sharks near Eden on the NSW South Coast may have been her mother, explaining why the young whale turned up alone and hungry in Pittwater on Sunday.

Ms Barnes also defended the NPWS handling of the calf's mercy killing, saying it gave her a “peaceful, respectful and dignified end”.

However, witnesses have disputed this account, saying the young whale thrashed and struggled until the very end."

OUTCOME OF COLIN THE WHALE

From News.com.au:

COLIN THE WHALE 'STRUGGLED TO THE END'

"GROWN men were in tears as Colin the abandoned baby humpback whale struggled as he was dragged behind a boat before being left to thrash on a beach after he was injected with a fatal dose of anaesthetic this morning.

Soon after 8.30am (AEST) officers from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) at the Basin in Sydney's northern beaches gave the calf what was believed to be as many as seven jabs of anaesthetic.

"It's a tragic end to a program that dozens of people have put their hearts and souls into," said NPWS spokesman John Dengate, describing the act of ending Colin's life as "harrowing".

NPWS spokesman Chris McIntosh said: "It was a sad moment, but it went quietly to sleep. "The calf has been quietly and humanely euthanised.' A vet on board a small boat administered an anaesthetic through a large needle, by simply leaning overboard and injecting the weakened humpback calf, he said. But activists said more could have been done to save Colin and locals who witnessed Colin's death said it lacked dignity.

Locals were in tears after the whale was euthanased.

In a shallow cove at Coasters Retreat, NPWS officers and Sea World Vet David Blyde administered about seven injections before towing the whale across the bay.

The local community was outraged at how the NPWS dragged the baby whale, bucking and thrashing, across 300m of water. It was still thrashing when it was pulled up on the beach. “I don’t understand why they didn’t let it die quietly,” said Michael Brown.

“It was obviously distressed. I’m 41 years old and almost collapsed.” Mr Brown and other locals were crying as the baby whale - which had sought refuge in the bay for five days - was lashed by ropes to the NPWS boat as it continued to struggle.

"After this comedy of errors of the past few days I thought that they would euthanase it with some dignity,” said Mr Brown. “For God's sake, it’s a baby. It’s been through hell. It was separated from its mother, it’s been starved and confused.”

A spokesman for the Divine Marine Group said they had organised a legal injunction against the NPWS to prevent Colin being killed but could not serve it in time.

"We had five minutes and during that time they euthanased poor Colin," Captain Alexander John Littingham said on Fairfax radio.

"That was a scene that we witnessed ... and then they towed the whale behind their National Parks and Wildlife boat. It looked like a scene out of the Antarctic with a Japanese fishing boat.

"It was absolutely disgusting."

Capt Littingham said the group had wanted to use a force-feeding system with an electronic pump.

The Environment Department said Colin was euthanased without causing the whale any stress.

"Vets who euthanased the animal said it was a smooth operation and the sedated animal remained stress free and calm throughout," it said.

Police kept the media and environmentalists at a distance while the whale remained on the beach.

It was later loaded onto a trailer to be taken to Taronga Zoo for an autopsy.

The autopsy will be aimed at finding clues as to why the whale was deserted by its mother - beginning the tragic story that has gripped the country."

Poor Colin the Baby Whale

From News.com.au:

COLIN THE WHALE EXPECTED TO BE EUTHANISED TODAY

"TEMPERS are running high at Pittwater, on Sydney's Northern Beaches, as authorities prepare to euthanase abandoned baby humpback whale Colin.

Wildlife activists have confronted National Parks and Wildlife Service officers, claiming more could be done to save the mammal.

A small group is at the Palm Beach wharf and more are believed to be in the Basin, where the whale will be despatched with a lethal injection of anaesthetic.

Experts are defending the decision to put Colin down, saying they have run out of time and options and that he is suffering.

"It's the same as you would do with a dog or cat in pain," one officer said today.

Head of the National Parks and Wildlife Service Sally Barnes last night said Colin's condition had "significantly deteriorated" and the most humane option was to euthanase the calf to "put him out of his misery".

It was believed earlier this morning that the whale might have swum out to sea overnight as he appeared to vanish - but Colin was then located again.

"He was listless, was having trouble breathing was not really staying afloat the way a whale should," Ms Barnes said after vets assessed his condition.

"We had hoped we'd have more time to look at arrangements but we've had to make a very, very difficult decision in the best and most humane interest of the animal to put it down," she said.

The NPWS and other animal welfare groups were supposed to meet last night to discuss ways to help Colin but it was cancelled at the last moment after they realised he was suffering and could not be saved.

The decision to inject the three-week-old with a lethal dose of anaesthetic capped a day of passionate exchanges between environmentalists and NPWS officials on the wharf at The Basin as a whale whisperer and a paediatric doctor both tried to persuade authorities to give Colin a second chance.

But, late in the afternoon, the nation's leading whale vet, David Blyde from Sea World, arrived from the Gold Coast and the decision to put down Colin was made after the whale's condition suddenly deteriorated and his injuries worsened.

Although the lost whale - who had not eaten for at least five days - was not expected to live through the night, officials put off any attempts to euthanase him until daylight.

The decision was made after consultation with Taronga Zoo and animal welfare groups ORRCA and RSPCA.

Once euthanased, the body is expected to be taken to Taronga Zoo for an autopsy to provide scientists with clues as to why it was abandoned by its mother.

Colin had spent the past five days nuzzling boats moored in the cove as if they were its mother."

FABULOUS FRIDAY - High Society

No, not High Society the musical movie. High Society the short-lived TV sitcom starring Jean Smart and Mary McDonnell. You know the show where the producers swore up and down they were NOT trying to imitate Ab Fab?

It only lasted 13 episodes before it was cancelled, however it is still exceptionally popular and the topic of discussion for many internet TV forums.

The scene that I remember to this day as one is when Ellie (Jean Smart) and Dot (Mary McDonnell) attempt to make a dinner for Dot's son. Watch 2:38 - 4:38 in the clip below for two minutes of roll on the floor laugh out loud laughter.

Battle of the Cupcakes on Test Tube Kitchen (part four)

It’s the final countdown (dah dah dah dah! Um…it sounded good in my head).

Welcome to the Battle of the Cupcakes on this week’s Test Tube Kitchen.

In this four part series I have baked two competing Root Beer Float Cupcake recipes, compared the results and will crown the Winner of the Root Beer Float Cupcake.

Competing Recipe #1 comes to us from Bittersweet, a vegan recipe blog. Competing Recipe #2 hails from Teamsugar, which pretty much says it all.

How did a vegan baked good compare to one made almost entirely of sugar?

Let’s go to the FINAL COUNTDOWN!!

The cupcake recipes and the results were given up to five “smiles” in four categories; Ingredients, Preparation & Clean-up, Presentation and Tasting.

Let’s look at how our competing recipes fared in each category.

1. INGREDIENTS

Recipe #1 - 3.75 smiles

This recipe had almost no cost to me, with the exception of Apple Cider Vinegar, which I will get plenty of use out of. Where Recipe #1 lost out was a key ingredient of root beer extract is not available to me and neither was sarsaparilla extract or even sarsaparilla cordial. After some extensive research I was able to find, within Australia, a company that produced sarsaparilla cordial which you could order over the internet, however time was not on my side. Unfortunately, there was no alternative listed in the original recipe so no smiles were made up for.

Recipe #2 - 4.00 smiles

Initially Recipe #2 lost major points for not only calling for Root Beer Schnapps, an ingredient that is not only impossible to find in Australia, but difficult to find in other countries as well. However, some of the loss was picked up because the creator of this recipe listed an alternative ingredient of plain old Root Beer. The cost of the ingredients were relatively low to me, as most of them are pantry items, except I did have to go out and specifically buy two bags of icing sugar.


2. PREPARATION & CLEAN-UP

Recipe #1 - 4.67 smiles

This is an easy recipe to prepare, there are no special tools required and I only had to wash up a minimal amount of dishes and utensils. You can’t beat that.

Recipe #2 – 3.50 smiles

Recipe #2 wasn’t didn’t not have a high level of difficulty but it was definitely not a beginner recipe either. If this recipe was a steak, I would say it was medium-rare. There were no special tools required, but there was a ton of clean up and dirty dishes to wash. To add insult to injury, the dishes were not just dirty, but covered in a sticky glaze or sugary mix. Somehow it got all over my floors and I had to mop as well.


3. PRESENTATION

Recipe #1 – 3.67 smiles

Recipe #1 received a full five smiles for the shape of these cupcakes. They came out of the oven perfectly formed. I was incredibly impressed. The colour was a bit placid, however possibly it would be slightly more decisive if I had been able to find root beer extract, sarsaparilla extract or sarsaparilla cordial/concentrate. The decoration suggested by Bittersweet was simple bordering on boring, so I took the liberty of dusting them with vanilla sugar.

Recipe #2 – 4.00 smiles

The cupcakes baked over the liners and spilled out onto the tin, which not only made them more difficult to “flip”, it also made the shape a bit more abstract. The colour of this cakes was scrumptious, almost the colour of root beer. As for the decoration, it was impossible to fully cover the top of the cupcakes with the glaze without also covering the sides and liners. The recipe suggests garnishing the butter cream frosting with a root beer barrel candy. If they were accessible to me, it would have certainly increased the amount of smiles given for the decoration.

4. TASTING

Recipe #1 – 3.00 smiles

My biggest issue with these cupcakes was their lack of enough moisture to create an instant positive reaction. The flavour intensity of the sarsaparilla was detectable but not enough to make it instantly recognisable. In the recipe’s favour, the extract or cordial may have boosted the intensity. As was stated earlier, this recipe creates a perfectly shaped cupcake, which means not a crumb falls when being eaten, which is why this recipe received top marks in ‘ease of devouring.’

Recipe #2 – 4.13 smiles

This recipe created cupcakes that were super moist. So moist in fact it received the top number of smiles. If they had been any moister, they would have fallen apart. I can safely bet that the high moisture content had something to do with the tablespoon of sarsaparilla which was poured over the top of the cupcakes when they were fresh out of the oven. The flavour was intense, without being over the top and if anything, due to the high sugar content, sugar glazing and buttercream frosting, it was is danger of being too sweet. Because of the cupcakes moistness and sticky glaze, devouring was slightly hampered.


OVERALL TALLY

This was a very difficult decision to make. Each recipe offered completely different and at times conflicting strengths and weaknesses. However, as I stated in the beginning, each cupcake is judged on its own merit against four categories. The individual category ratings were then tallied to create and overall score. The battle was close, with only a .13 of a smile difference.

But there can only be one winner AND THE WINNER OF THE BATTLE OF THE ROOT BEER FLOAT CUPCAKES IS:

Recipe #2 from Teamsugar with a total of 3.90 smiles!


RUNNER-UP – Recipe #1 from Bittersweet with a total of 3.77 smiles

You can check out my smiley rating sheets here:

Let’s not forget that Recipe #1 is a vegan recipe. This means no milk or animal fats such as butter was used. I was a vegan for over 3 years and let me be the first to declare that it is exceptionally difficult to translate recipes into veganhood. If you are vegan or trying to cut back on the sugars and fats, this is the recipe for you. My props go out to Bittersweet for doing such a fantastic job creating this recipe and many other recipes on her site.


Congratulations to Recipe #2 from Teamsugar. If you make these cupcakes, please do not send me your dental bills.

If you, gentle reader, have made either of these recipes I want to read your comments, see your photos and hear your stories!

MORE ON COLIN THE WHALE

From the Daily Telegraph:

CONFUSION PLAGUES FIGHT FOR COLIN

"LAST-ditch attempts to save Colin the whale calf are in disarray, with the SeaWorld vet expected to arrive still on the Gold Coast this morning.

National Parks and Wildlife spokesman John Dengate last night told The Daily Telegraph that SeaWorld chief veterinarian David Blyde had been called to the Pittwater site, expecting him to arrive midmorning, leaving on a 10.55am flight.

He said the vet had been called in "to get a second opinion".

At The Basin site this morning, Mr Dengate again confirmed was expecting Mr Blyde and a SeaWorld team to arrive "mid morning".

However, when contacted by The Daily Telegraph at 9.55am this morning, Dr Blyde said he was still on the Gold Coast, with no definite plans to travel to Sydney today.

"I haven't spoken to National Parks and Wildlife this morning,'' Dr Blyde said.

Soon afterwards, he said the situation had changed, and he was now on his way to Sydney.

Rescuers are also awaiting confirmation of plans to involve the Australian Defence Force in Colin's rescue.

Meanwhile, A paediatric doctor has joined the fight to save Colin.

Dr Kurosh Parsi cancelled all his patients today and trekked through three kilometres of national park to get to The Basin on Pittwater.

As National Parks and Wildlife officers await the arrival of a Seaworld vet, Dr Parsi said they should be treating the whale as doctors would treat a casualty patient.

“I have heard a lot of noise from all over the country talking about what happens to the whale down the track,” said Dr Parsi.

“But we need to take one step at a time in an emergency. This is an emergency. The whale needs to be feed.” "

The What? Bear

Pure gold. I wonder when they are going to come out with a whole range of animals other than bears.

COLIN THE WHALE

From Sydney Morning Herald:

FINAL SLING SHOT FOR ABANDONED WHALE

"Authorities today will use an inflatable sling in an attempt to unite a baby humpback whale with other whales in a bid to save its life.However experts say it is not physically possible to look after the calf and very little can be done.

The listless and abandoned calf - who has been named Colin - has not eaten for at least five days, and has been attempting to suckle boats around Pittwater, apparently mistaking them for its mother.

"A senior vet [from Taronga Zoo] examined the whale last night and, while the whale is not distressed, his condition has deteriorated as he hasn't fed in days," a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service spokeswoman said.

"The plan today is to use an inflatable sling to try to get the whale further out to sea where he might hook up with another pod of whales.

"That's probably its best bet."

It was hoped the sling would be more effective in reuniting the whale calf with a lactating female than previous efforts had, she said.

"Previously the whale was lured out to sea by following a yacht that it thought was its mother, but then it turned around and came back in because I think it was still attached to the yacht.
"If we can get it into the sling, we can get it further out to the ocean into deeper water and hopefully closer to another pod of whales."

The National Parks spokeswoman could not say when the attempt would take place.
Late last night, the National Parks contacted the Defence Department regarding the use of a "fuel bladder", believed to be the proposed inflatable sling, a Defence Department spokeswoman said.

The department was still considering the request, she said.

Feeding whale baby formula impossible: expertsRescue measures such as feeding the whale baby formula through a tube or trying to raise it in captivity have been dismissed as impossible by whale experts.

Finding a lactating female to accept the calf was the best best, although even this was unlikely, experts have said.

"If a lactating female with a calf goes past and this calf approaches that animal it may accept it, but ... it's a very slim chance," NPWS spokesman John Dengate said.

Meanwhile, as the young calf's plight sparked passionate discussion on blogs and social-networking sites, its battle for survival has also made international news. CNN, BBC and international wire news services have all covered the story."

COLIN THE WHALE

The following is an excerpt from ABC.NET.AU:

MILITARY READY TO HELP WHALE, BUT EXPERTS PESSIMISTIC

"The Defence Department could swing into action to help a starving whale calf in Sydney, but the main NSW Government spokesman on the whale's fate says military help may not save it.

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says his department stands ready to assist in the effort to save the month-old humpback, which is stranded and starving after being abandoned by its mother off Sydney's northern beaches.

Mr Fitzgibbon has confirmed to ABC NewsRadio that he has had a request about using Australian Defence Force (ADF) fuel bladders to tow the whale out to sea, where some hope it would join other whales and find an accommodating, lactating female.

"Yes, well, we're all watching Colin," he said, referring to the whale named after the person who found it.

"He certainly has caught the imagination of most Australians."

Mr Fitzgibbon says he is waiting on more advice from his department.

"We're doing a check now on exactly where we have these bladders, and having established that how we would best get them to the site the location and from there how we would best initiate the process," he said.

"I still haven't had final advice on whether its physically possible, they're getting back to me on that, but I have confirmed that there are bladders around. It's theoretically possible but whether it's practically possible I'm just not sure, I'm still waiting for that additional advice.

"Certainly defence stands ready to assist in any way we can," he said."

Battle of the Cupcakes on Test Tube Kitchen (part three)

Welcome to the Battle of the Cupcakes on this week’s Test Tube Kitchen.

In this four part series I have baked two competing Root Beer Float Cupcake recipes, compared the results and will crown the Winner of the Root Beer Float Cupcake.

Competing Recipe #1 comes to us from Bittersweet, a vegan recipe blog. Competing Recipe #2 hails from Teamsugar, which pretty much says it all.

Let’s continue the BATTLE OF THE CUPCAKES!!

Competing Recipe #2 comes from Teamsugar, a women’s social network & community which happens to have a very large recipe database. For the original recipe for Bittersweet’s Root Beer Float Cupcakes click here. As stated in yesterday’s Rules and Guidelines I have replaced root beer with sarsaparilla, white sugar with dark brown sugar and any required oils with olive oil.

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

1 Cup Root Beer Schnapps (Could not find any)*
1 1/2 Cups Sarsaparilla (or Root Beer, if you available in your country)
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Dark Brown Sugar
1 Cup Butter
2 Eggs
3 Cups All-purpose Flour
1 Tbs. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt

Plus 1 Tbs of Sarsaparilla/Root Beer for each cupcake.

Root Beer Glaze

4 Cups Confectioners Sugar
1/3 Cup Sarsaparilla
3 Tbs. Root Beer Schnapps*
3 Tbs. Olive Oil


*If you cannot find Root Beer Schnapps, the original recipes states that you can replace with more root beer, or in my case, sarsaparilla.

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting
(from Cupcake Bakeshop by Chokylit)

2-3 cups Powdered Sugar
½ Cup Unsalted Butter
1 Tbs Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Let's begin, shall we?

Pre-heat oven to 180°C (350°F).

How does this recipe rate? Find out on Friday and line your cupcake tin with cupcake foil liners. This recipes makes 24 cupcakes.

In a bowl, gently mix together Root Beer Schnapps (if available), sarsaparilla (or root beer) and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl cream together butter and sugar, until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and mix until smooth. Then sift in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

With your hand mixer on low, slowly add the Sarsaparilla (or root beer) mixture. And mix until smooth and free of lumps.



Pour batter into the cupcake tin lined with foil liners approx ¾ full.



Bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Whilst the cupcakes are baking, take this time to make yourself another cocktail and prepare both the glaze and the buttercream frosting


If you think you are using way too much sugar to make the glaze and frosting, you are right. Don’t think about it.

After cupcakes are done baking and have been removed from oven, pour 1 Tbs of Sarsaparilla (or Root Beer) over the top. The foil liners will prevent any leakage.



Once this has soaked in, pour some glaze over the top.



After the glaze has hardened, place a dollop of buttercream frosting on top. The original recipe suggests using root beer barrel candy as garnish, but these are not available to me.



MUSIC TO BAKE BY:
Cyndi Lauper – She's So Unusual album


COOKING COCKTAIL:

Absolut Mandarin with an Ciata mixer garnished with a slice of tangello.


How did this recipe rank? Stop by tomorrow for the results and the crowning of the Battle of the Root Beer Float Cupcakes winner!

Update on Colin the Whale

From News.com.au:

"A spokesman for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service said euthanasia was the "most likely option" for Colin. This would be done with an overdose of anaesthetic.

Vote in our poll: Would you support euthanasia of Colin the whale

"Euthanasia is still the most likely option," NPWS spokesman Chris McIntosh said.
"The animal has taken a turn for the worse."

Vets are examining muscle movement and preparing to take a blood sample.

"He is spending more time on the surface. His muscles are more relaxed," Mr McIntosh said.
He then repeated: "Euthanasia is the most likely option.

"The question is the timing. We want to do it promptly to minimise the stress."

Should Colin be euthanased? Vote now

The enormity of the task of saving Colin should not be underestimated. State Government sources and industry sources today have indicated the cost of a rescue could top $1million and go as high a $2million. "

COLIN THE WHALE

From 7 News:

"Wildlife authorities in Sydney who are facing a public clamour to save a baby whale that has lost its mother, say they have to let nature take its course.

Lost and confused, the baby humpback whale has been trying to suckle a boat that he thinks is his mother.

Without his mother's milk, the calf - which has been named "Colin" - will starve to death.

Hopes were high after a delicate rescue mission yesterday guided the calf out to sea. But Colin the whale reappeared the next day near shore.

"I feel sorry for it," one local resident said. "I'd like to go feed it myself. But what can you do?"
Experts say the calf will probably only survive a week without its mother, and believe he has already been apart from her for five days.

A rescued calf has been reared in captivity before. A week-old Grey Whale was fed formula milk at Sea World in San Diego. However, Sea World on the Gold Coast does not have the facilities to look after the baby whale.

The calf's only hope is to find its way out to sea and join another pod of whales."

Battle of the Cupcakes on Test Tube Kitchen (part two)

Welcome to the Battle of the Cupcakes on this week’s Test Tube Kitchen.

In this four part series I have baked two competing Root Beer Float Cupcake recipes, compared the results and will crown the Winner of the Root Beer Float Cupcake. Competing Recipe #1 comes to us from Bittersweet, a vegan recipe blog. Competing Recipe #2 hails from Teamsugar, which pretty much says it all.

Let’s start the BATTLE OF THE CUPCAKES!!

Competing Recipe #1 comes from Bittersweet, an excellent blog that specialises in vegan recipes. For the original recipe for Bittersweet’s Root Beer Float Cupcakes click here. As stated in yesterday’s Rules and Guidelines I have replaced root beer with sarsaparilla, white sugar with dark brown sugar and any required oils with olive oil.

1 Cup Sarsaparilla
1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Root Beer Extract (note: if you can find it, use it. I could not find it)
1 1/3 Cups Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt

There is something missing from the picture of ingredients…


That’s better.


First preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

In a bowl add the root beer and apple cider vinegar and let set for a few minutes.



While waiting, now is a good time to line the cupcake tin with papers. This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.

Now add the sugar and oil into the root beer mixture and whisk until frothy.



Stir in the vanilla extract (and the root beer extract if you can find it). Then slowly add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Take care not to overmix.

Next spoon the batter into the cupcake liners until they are ¾ full.



Bake for approx 20 minutes.

In case you are wondering why 12 cupcakes went into the oven, but only 11 cupcakes appear here? I think it was abducted by mice who love to eat hot cupcakes.

After cupcakes cool, add chocolate ganache and butter cream frosting. Bittersweet’s original recipe called for making the butter cream with soy milk and vegetable shortening. I don’t have a use for soy milk and vegetable shortening is come in waxy sticks here, so I made a traditional butter cream frosting (which was also needed for Competing Recipe #2).

MUSIC TO BAKE BY:
A mix of disco favourites.


COOKING COCKTAIL:
Root beer floats conjure up wholesome images from the 1950s. Keeping with this theme, Martinis were in order.

How does this recipe rate? Find out on Friday.

Tomorrow we bake Competing Recipe #2 from Teamsugar.

What's Happening on Broadway

What's happening on Broadway? I don't know.

As I have said a thousand times, I now live on the bottom side of the world where an amateur production of Cats sells out an 8 week run... I swear that they were wearing pipe cleaner whiskers?

To keep me informed of what is happening on Broadway I check out Steve on Broadway who tells me about the downturn of funding and advance ticket sales. Or Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment where our beautiful hostess teaches me how to buy tickets for the Metropolitan Opera. Or Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals who explains why The Fantastiks has lasted 42 years. Or I read an interview with Tracie Thoms on Broadway World. Or I pop over to Blue Gobo where the most recent addition is (at this moment in time) a video of A Chorus Line from the 2006 production.

PS- SarahB, I will glady join you at the Met Opera next time I am in NYC, as long as you join me to see Cats next time you are Down Under.

Battle of the Cupcakes on Test Tube Kitchen (part one)

Welcome to the Battle of the Cupcakes on this week’s Test Tube Kitchen.

I will present to you a four-part series where I will bake two competing Root Beer Float Cupcake recipes, compare the results and crown the Winner of the Root Beer Float Cupcake.

Competitor 1 comes to us from Bittersweet, a vegan recipe blog. Competitor 2 hails from Teamsugar, which pretty much says it all.

Are you ready for the BATTLE OF THE CUPCAKES!!

Each competing recipe will receive up to five smiley faces in each of the four categories:

Ingredients – We will judge the availability and cost of the ingredients required

Preparation & Clean-up – We review the difficulty level, if any special tools are required and most importantly, how many dirty dishes are left for me to wash.

Presentation – At this stage we will critique the shape and colour of the cupcakes as well and rate the overall presentation, including icing and garnishes as suggested by the recipes.

Tasting – Some may say this is the most important part of the judging process. We look at the moisture, flavour intensity, ease of devouring and overall taste.

The number of smiley faces from each category will be averaged together to create the “Overall Smiles.” The cupcake recipe with the highest number of Overall Smiles will become the official winner of the Battle of the Root Beer Float Cupcakes.

Battle of the Cupcakes will proceed in four parts:

Tuesday 19 August 2008 - Part One (Which you are reading right this second) sets the ground rules and guidelines for the recipe competition.

Wednesday 20 August 2008 – Part Two. Our first competing recipe is prepared as per normal Test Tube Kitchen standards. The process and accompanying photographs are shared with you.

Thursday 21 August 2008 – Part Three. The process of preparing of the second competing recipe will be posted for you to read.

Friday 22 August 2008 – Part Four. The final results will be revealed and a winner declared!

I must state that Root Beer is exceptionally difficult to find in my part of the world, however Sarsaparilla is readily available. Whilst root beer and sarsaparilla are first cousins, they are not the same. Sarsaparilla is slightly earthier in flavour.

To counter balance the earthiness of the sarsaparilla, any Root Beer Float Cupcake recipe that calls for white sugar I will replace with dark brown sugar and add a dash of vanilla extract.

Also, the only oil I have in my cupboard is cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Any oils that are required in each recipe will be replaced with olive oil. Why don’t I just go down to the grocery store and buy the suggested oils? Because I was already at the grocery store once today and I refuse to suffer the embarrassment of being served by the same check-out clerk twice in one afternoon. I am sure you understand.

Stop back tomorrow when we showcase competing recipe number one, from Bittersweet.

Tuesdays with Tony - Rent

It's Tuesday and that means it is time to share a poor quality YouTube video of a Tony Awards performace!

Today's scratchy video is of RENT. I really hate that show... but I do absolutely love the song Seasons of Love.

MUSICAL MONDAY - 42nd Street

Last night I watched the movie 42nd Street. Is that the worst musical to ever grace the silver screen?

A musical show is being planned. The main starlet, Dorothy Brock, is hired, thanks to her wealthy sugar daddy Abner, becoming a producer.

Then the director is hired. Julian Marsh, who has lost all of his money in the stock market crash and has been told by his doctor that anything stressful, like directing this show, will give him another nervous breakdown. Julian takes the job anyway.

Now all we need are lots and lots of chorus girls, which require a very long audition process. All the usuals are there, including “Anytime Annie” (played by Ginger Rogers), who for some reason has taken to acting like a wealthy matron, complete with a monocle. I don’t get it, but she adds much needed personality to the dullness of the movie.

In walks, Peggy Sawyer. This is Peggy’s first audition ever!!! Anytime Annie takes Peggy under her wing and by sheer luck (and bit of prodding by the lead star, Billy Lawler, who is taken with her) Peggy is hired as one of the chorus girls.

During the relentless, and apparently all night long rehearsals, Peggy faints and she meets Pat, Dorothy Brock’s secret boyfriend. On this particular night, Dorothy is taken out by her sugar daddy and leaves Pat standing by the stage door.

Pat then gets the great idea to ask Peggy out for a late supper. After the supper, Pat escorts Peggy back home, some thugs drive up, tell him to stop dating Dorothy and then punch him in the face. Peggy takes him up to her room, when the landlady barges in and says the man has to go. Peggy, for some reason, gets really dramatic and says, “If he goes, then I go.” The landlady says some thing along the lines of “Whatevah, bitch, see ya.”

So Peggy stays the night at Pat’s apartment. The sexual tension is rising as Pat lifts Peggy up, carries her to his bed and…. leaves her there to sleep.

Dorothy breaks up with Pat, because her “success is his failure.” And Pat is all like “Whatevah, bitch. I’m moving to Philly. See ya.”

As luck would have it, the show’s preview location has changed from Atlantic City to Philadelphia. The cast moans and groans and Anytime Annie (or someone that looked like her) say “It’s Philadelphia P.A. until night time when it becomes P.U.”

Well, Pat shows up and he and Peggy get into a cab where she heads off to the cast party. Dorothy sees this and gets in a right fowl mood!

At Dorothy’s own party, Abner (the sugar daddy) is drunk and acting like fool, Dorothy gives him the what for and he makes some statement about the fact that since he paid for her salary to get her into the show, then he owns her… or something.

She gets mad and starts to throw shoes and champagne glasses then calls Pat to ask him to come over right away. Which he does. Peggy sees him go into Dorothy’s room. So do two of the show’s producers who are off to get Julian Marsh, the director.

Peggy pounds on Dorothy’s door to warn Pat, but is greeted by a drunk and angry Dorothy, who falls down and breaks her ankle and can no longer go on tomorrow night.

Julian is about to have a nervous breakdown, when Abner walks into the theatre with the new lead of the show, Anytime Annie. Annie then breaks down and says she does not have enough talent to pull of the show and he should hire Peggy.

Yeah, that is right, make the star of the show the girl who had never been on stage and fainted in rehearsal.

Just before the show, Dorothy hobbles in to Peggy’s dressing room. At this point, I was ready for a good backstage cat fight!! Dorothy said “When I first heard you were taking my place, I wanted to rip all of your hair out!”

Yes! This will be a great cat fight!

Dorothy continues, “…but now I am marrying Pat and I have everything I need. So, good luck to you. I know you can do it.”

What???? If you think that is a let down, just wait for the show. Watch this:



Did you watch the clip? Isn’t it the worst? Peggy flops around on stage like she is lost, and her voice is mostly off-key. In one number we go from happy tap dancing to an attempted rape and murder back to a glamour girls dancing scene. What???????

Of course, the audiences love her and deem Peggy to be the next star of Broadway.

Whatevah, bitch. See ya.

BATTLE OF THE CUPCAKES

Starting on Tuesday 19 August 2008 I will present to you a four-part series where I will bake two competing cupcake recipes, compare the results and crown the Winner of the Root Beer Float Cupcake.

Competitor 1 comes to us from Bittersweet, a vegan recipe blog. Competitor 2 hails from Teamsugar, which pretty much says it all.

Are you ready for the BATTLE OF THE CUPCAKES!!

FABULOUS FRIDAY - oops

Oops.

I seem to say that a lot. When did I become so technologically disabled that the actual words of my 30 Rock post didn't appear?

Not only did they not appear on the post, they were kidnapped by gypsies and sold into white slavery.

This 'oops' is exactly the reason why I love 30 Rock. It makes me forget, or at least feel better that I have no idea what is going in the real world.

30 Rock is witty, without making a point that the actors are being witty. Which means that if you don't catch the joke first time, you have something to look forward to the 25th time you watch that episode on DVD.

I almost forgot! Tina Fey does the best vocal impression of Condoleeza Rice.

The other day I was playing boss at a work-related cocktail party. I was having the most interesting & civilised conversation with an 85 year-old Englishman right up until he stated that the person he would most like to have a conversation with was Condoleeza Rice.

At that exact moment, Tina Fey's vocal impression replayed in my head and I burst out into laughter and literally, had to walk away. The Englishman was left standing there alone in partial shock. Thank goodness most of my staff already think I am a bitch or else the incident might have made me look rude.

Thank you, Tina Fey.

FABULOUS FRIDAY - 30 Rock

Hula Hank Looks Like...

Yet another Google Party Trick! You may remember from this post that I came across a fun Google trick on The Jason Show where you type your name into Google followed by a partial phrase (i.e. "likes", "needs", "wants to") and see the first 10 things that come up.

Here is what happend when I typed "HULA HANK LOOKS LIKE..." into Google.

HULA HANK LOOKS LIKE...

… Monkey Magic, in my opinion. (I will have to research this one, as I don’t what Monkey Magic is and if I do in fact, look like Monkey Magic)

…one of those football guys with a 3 month pregnant belly. (I thought I wasn’t showing yet!)

…they had sex the whole way there. (and boy are my arms tired!)

…he’s almost to the point of walking on water and turning water into wine. (A fabulous red wine, perfectly paired with roast lamb)

…you! (Hello, gorgeous!)

…the before shot in a Proactive ad. (Ouch.)

…attractive to me. (I think you’re hot, too!)

…John Glover. (Touch my heart. With your foot.)

…adorable in these photos, if I do say so myself, I love his chubbiness. (bitch.)

…too clean to be real. (I would hate to smell this person)

And a pinch to grow an inch:

…a homeless fitness trainer. (Those fabulous arm muscles came from years of pushing aluminium cans in a shopping cart.)

On Tour with Sister Wendy - Salvador Dali

Dear gentle reader, you know that I am an armchair art lover and on occassion I like to take you on an armchair tour of paintings that have some significance (no matter how fleeting) to me. I don't believe art is necessarily about what the artist is feeling and the reasons behind why a certain piece was created. I believe art is about how that piece makes you feel and react.

One artist who never fails to stimulate a response from me is Salvador Dali. I am not going to bore you with his life detail, if you want to know more you can read about him on Wikipedia here.

I was browsing the Salvador Dali Art Gallery and have chosen 4 of my favourite.

The Truck (We'll be arriving later, about five o'clock), 1983

First, this painting and its title made me laugh. I can imagine waiting, impatiently, for a delivery that never arrives on time. The second reason is that today I am going to a house warming party at five o'clock.

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Celestial Ride, 1957

The rhino has a slight robotic feel to it (almost like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz) but as you look closely at the elongated legs and face, the rhino is still of flesh and blood. Mechanically enhanced, almost like he is the Six Million Dollar Rhino. How could not notice the TV embeded in his side, which is casually showing a baseball game.

There is almost too much for me to take in during a single viewing. I will need to set aside more time just to look at the bottom half of the painting. The more I look at it, the more it changes.

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Nude in the Desert Landscape, 1946

Again, the more you look at Nude in the Desert Landscape, the more you see. It reminds me of Carlos Castanada's The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Figure at Window, 1925

To me, this photo is that warm, humid air wind that and calmness that happens right before a thunderstorm. That is a very contemplative, calm and spiritual moment.

On a side note, this particular model was very close to Dali, until she published a biography about her times with Dali, which did not make the artist very happy. He responded by painting a "sequel" to Figure at Window, which was entitled Young Virgin Autosodomized by her Own Chastity (1954).

Misty Watercolour Memories

In September, after a five year absence, I will be returning to the US for four weeks. Since booking the plane tickets, everyday activities such as driving down the street, going to sleep or watching TV have thrown me into deep nostalgic thoughts about times gone by.

Sometimes these nostalgic thoughts are trivial… like the taste of Golden Grahams or my favourite flavour of Hostess Fruit Pie. Some are more innocent like catching lightening bugs, or having a snow day from school and getting to watch Little House on the Prairie .

The most important thoughts are of the people who have played a strong role in my life and helping me to form who I am. This morning I suddenly recalled my visiting my Grandma.

My Grandma lived on 50 acres of land in a red house on a dirt road just over an hours drive from the city. She had an open door policy, and anyone who was driving by was free to break journey and stop in for a coffee and a chat or a game of pinochle.

Quirky does not even begin to describe my Grandma. She was a chain smoker, but could not stand anyone drinking alcohol. She loved to bake apple pies, and most often forgot to use sugar. She saved the styrofoam holders from packages of ground beef and reused them as dinner plates… she had a special affinity to the pink styrofoam.

I am not sure that I ever saw my Grandma actually wear a pair of panty hose, but they were often seen tied around leaking pipes. Despite her closet full of Chanel suits, she felt that an old pair of strategically cut and tied panty hose made great a hat to keep the hair out of her face when she was gardening. For those hot summer days, her panty hose were transformed into disco-style tube tops. Some people may call this resourceful.

One sunny afternoon she was on her tractor mowing the lawns when a car drove by and honked their horn. My grandma did not recognise the car but being a friendly sort, she gave the car a huge wave hello. A couple minutes later, the same car drove past again and honked the horn. Again my grandma gave a big wave. Almost immediately the car drove past for a third time, and once again my grandma, arm in the air, gave the driver a big wave.

She chuckled to herself and got back to the business of mowing the grounds, when she looked down and realised that her panty hose tube top had slipped down to her waist and every time the car drove past and she waved, she was actually flashing them.

Panty hose used to come packaged in plastic eggs. She saved these plastic eggs, put candy inside and passed them out at Easter. The candy, of course, was from the previous year’s after Easter sale at K-Mart.

Tuesdays with Tony - Avenue Q

Everyone's favourite puppet show!

Musical Monday

Today on Musical Monday, we look at the "Inspiration Chain" phenomena in today's musical theatre and movie business.

Musicals have long been inspired by literature, plays and real life human stories. It is a modern trend to turn successful movies into stage musicals. Footloose, Dirty Dancing, Legally Blonde, 9 to 5, Billy Elliot... the list goes on. Some work and some don't (I am looking at you, Dirty Dancing).

Often times, the same stage musicals which were based on a movie are then turned into movie musicals. The Producers and Hairspray are two prime examples.

The original movies are often times inspired by plays. The play, Chicago, made its stage debut in 1926. In 1927 it was turned into a silent movie starring Phyllis Haver and Julia Faye. In 1975, the Bob Fosse's musical version Chicago hit the Broadway stage, for a disappointing run. It wasn't until the 1996 Broadway Revival starring Bebe Neuwirth and Anne Reinkingthat Chicago: The Musical became a household name and thus leading way for the 2002 Oscar winning film adaptation.

Let's not forget about the power of the pen. Novels have also inspired many creative chains. The Color Purple, a powerful and beautifully written novel by Alice Walker became an eleven time Oscar nominated film directed by Stephen Spielberg, starring Whoopie Goldberg and Oprah. Oprah then produced the 2005 musical version, and she has long admitted on planning to produce the movie musical version.

One of the most impressive novels to be transformed is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Frank Baum's childrens novel inspired the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz which then inspired the stage musical of the same name. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz also inspired the musical The Wiz, which then was turned into a movie musical starring the way-to-old-to-play-Dorothy, Diana Ross.

The inspiration doesn't end there. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz inspired a book titled Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Which then inspired Wicked. Do I even need to explain that Wicked is a musical? If you have not heard of it, it is currently playing in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Stuttgart and Melbourne, in addition to a road show touring to every mediocre city in the United States. There is a major buzz by Universal Pictures to turn Wicked into a movie musical, but only when the timing is right.

Then there are other musicals which are inspired by a novel, a play and a movie. Auntie Mame was originally a novel written by Patrick Dennis. This novel was then turned into a play starring Rosalind Russell who then went on to star in the movie. After this, Auntie Mame was turned into a musical and the name changed to 'Mame'. Mame also went on to become a movie musical with the controversial casting of Lucille Ball as Mame. Of course when I say "casting" what I really mean is she produced the movie, hired the director and chose the cast.

Is this inspirational chain of movie to musical to movie musical a positive or negative? Does it represent entertainment producers fear of taking a risk on original material? What is your opinion?

BLOGROLL - nicole hanusek

Next up on the old Blog Roll (which has been renamed "Other Bits of Fabulousness") is Nicole Hanusek.

Nicole is an artist living in San Francisco and overall supercool person. She has this great contest where if you correctly guess the logo, you are entered into a monthly draw to win some of her artwork.

In addition to this contest, there are some hilarious stories like this one and beautiful photographs.


Nicole Hanusek

Fabulous Friday

Intitially for today's installment of Fabulous Friday, I set out to tell you how fabulous the TV show 30 Rock is, however one sentence into the post, I recieved an e-mail confirming a certain Hula Hank favourite that is going to be performing the 2008 Beijing Olympics theme song during tonight's Opening Ceremony.

Although tonight's specifically commissioned Olympic theme song is still a highly gaurded secret, it has been confirmed that SARAH BRIGHTMAN will be performing the secret theme song along with Chinese singer Liu Huan.

There is no information as to what Ms Brightman will be wearing. Is she going to go for her new 'Symphony' image or will it be a specially designed frock to honour the Olympic host nation?

Whatever she sings and whatever she wears, Sarah Brightman never fails to deliver pure fabulousity.

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony begins tonight, 08/08/08 at 8:08pm.

TEST TUBE KITCHEN - Pineapple Panna Cotta

Recently my entire existence changed when I tasted the best panna cotta I have ever had in my life. This particular cauliflower panna cotta was the topic of last week’s Fabulous Friday. Since that epiphanous culinary outing, I have been obsessed with creating new and replicating interesting twists on the panna cotta experience.

The past two weeks I have turned my kitchen into a panna cotta palace as I obsessively created diagrams, altered recipes and collected prime ingredients. Thus far, I have made over 15 different varieties of panna cotta, both sweet and savoury.

Today I have decided to share with you a recipe which was literally created in my panna cotta palace! Although the result is delicious and aromatic, it is not quite perfect. I share this recipe with you in hopes that after you attempt to create it over the weekend, you can help me get it right.

Let’s getting cooking Pineapple Panna Cotta!

Before I begin to tell you of the beautiful smell of the cooking pineapple and coconut milk or the ecstasy of eating the leftover cuttings of a perfectly ripened pineapple, I must first give you this bit of advice – NEVER PUT STEAMING HOT LIQUIDS IN A BLENDER!!!!!

THE LID WILL BLOW OFF AND THE STEAMING HOT CONTENTS WILL EXPLODE ALL OVER YOU, YOUR KITCHEN AND YOUR COCKTAIL!!!!

Now that I have potentially saved your drink from catastrophe, let’s begin with the ingredients for Pineapple Panna Cotta:

Half a Pineapple
1 tin Coconut Milk
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/3 cup Milk
2 ½ tsp Gelatine
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

You may notice that there is a bottle of Frangelico in the photo. That was not to go into the recipe; it was to drink while making the Pineapple Panna Cotta.

Begin by gathering all your ingredients, utensils, blender, pan and moulds. This is immediately followed by fixing your cocktail and turning on music.

Cut the Pineapple in cubes (AFTER removing the skin and core).

Pour another cocktail.



Next in a bowl put 1/2 cup Milk and sprinkle Gelatine over milk, let stand.
Next mix the Pineapple, Coconut Milk, Heavy Cream, Sugar & several dashes of Vanilla Essence in a sauce pan. Place on medium heat and bring to a slow boil, stirring occasionally.

Pour another cocktail.

I was in heaven by the smells wafting from the stovetop. The tropical scent of the pineapple mixed with the rich, warm aroma of the cream had me floating around the kitchen. I wish I could capture that scent in a candle.

Pour another cocktail. Dance to music.

As the Pineapple chunks tenderise and the creamy mixture come to a boil, remove it from heat and dump the contents into a blender and pulse until smooth.



The picture I did not take was of the blender exploding steaming hot pineapple cream all over the kitchen walls, decorating my laptop and smothering my hair with tropical island lather.

Pour another cocktail.



Place what is left of the Pineapple mixture back into the pan and stir in the gelatine and milk mixture. Bring to boil for one minute, stirring constantly.



Next pour the mixture into ramekins / moulds / martini glasses / coffee mugs / ashtrays and bring to room temperature. Then chill for at least 4 hours or overnight, ideally.

Pour another cocktail.

To remove panna cotta from ramekins / moulds place in warm water for 5 seconds. Put chilled plate over top of moulds, holding on to the plate and the mould, flip the plate over and shake the panna cotta loose.



I originally was going to make a ginger jelly and use crushed macadamia nuts to top the Pineapple Panna Cotta. I ran out of time to make the ginger jelly and I forgot to buy macadamia nuts. So I used thickened cream and crushed cashews.

Time for the taste test!

The flavour is very strong pineapple, slightly subdued by the cream and coconut milk. It was also runnier than a panna cotta should be, which means I may have to increase the amount of gelatine to 3 tsp.

This panna cotta has promise, but it needs some tweaking to make it perfection! This is where I need your help. After you make this recipe to your own specifications, give me your thoughts on what made or would make it perfect!


OTHER POSSIBLE OPTIONS

- Increase gelatine to 3 tsp
- Try vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract
- Strain pineapple bits from mixture after pureeing in the blender, if this takes away some of the pineapple flavour, you may want to use the strained pineapple chunks to create a gelee as garnish.
- Make smaller portions, garnish generously with fresh ginger and serve in between courses as a palate cleanser (instead of the traditional citrus sorbet).
- Make fancy white chocolate nests to use as garnish, garnish place with crushed macadamia nuts, and use pineapple leaf to add height.


COOKING COCKTAIL

I initially started out with Frangelico over ice. Another word of advice, Frangelico and pineapple DO NOT play well together. So I recommend to you a Pink Grapefruit Martini. This consists of 60ml Campari and 120ml Cointreau topped with soda water.



MUSIC TO COOK BY

Original Cast Recording of “Mame” starring Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur.