Christmas is closer than we even realize so it is time to start thinking about special desserts and baked gifts to give to family and friends. I usually make up cookie plates but might try this recipe for giving, too.
Sour Cream Pound Cake
1 1/2 cups butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
8 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon either freshly-grated lemon or orange zest or a combination
4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup full-fat sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using vegetable oil spray and then dust the inside of the bundt pan with flour. You can also use the mini-bundt pans or loaf pans, too.
In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar, beating until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Add the extracts and zest. Blend in the flour and sour cream. Batter should be smooth but don't over mix. Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake for 45-60 minutes depending on the size pan(s) you used. Cake should spring back when lightly touched and be golden brown. Cool for a few minutes before inverting on a wire rack to completely cool.
Lots of ways to make this cake to your own specifications and creativity.
Add 1/2 cup of mini-chocolate chips to the batter just before pouring into the prepared pan(s).
Add 1/2 cup of finely chopped nuts.
Grind up some fruit cake fruit for a colorful look and richer taste.
Dust with just powdered sugar to serve.
Ice with your favorite icing.
Melt either semisweet or milk chocolate chips and spread that as a 'frosting' on the cake.
Don't forget colorful Christmas sprinkles!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Your vote in 2012 could have cost you your privacy . . .
Just saw this posted on Conservative Daily and had to share it. It might open a few eyes to the results of their recent vote but it may be too late to stop these events from transpiring. Remember when you could hardly get your own medical information from the doctor? It may soon be possible for any government agency to access the private aspects of your life. And to think that we will be the last to know when and if we are the victims of hackers (other than the government's agents!), is surely a great loss to the freedoms we should be enjoying under the way the Constitution and Bill of Rights was written. It is sad to think that those of us who did not renew the current administration precisely because of these problems, will soon become collatral damage!
Americans are rapidly approaching a point where the government believes we don’t deserve individual rights. In April, the Department of Justice argued that warrantless tracking of our cell phone data and location information was permissible because they said citizens do not enjoy a "reasonable expectation of privacy" with regard to this information.
Now they are coming for our emails and our entire digital footprint. The vote is planned for this week!
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy introduced H.R. 2471 last year in order to PROTECT our online privacy. But, federal agencies and law enforcement groups didn’t like the legislation and pressured Leahy into changing the language.
Now, the bill has been rewritten and amendments added that run completely opposite of the bill’s original intent…all because a politician caved to special interests and abandoned his post as a defender of our Constitution and civil liberties.
Highlights of this new, freedom-killing legislation:
Law enforcement doesn’t need to obtain a search warrant from a judge listing "probable cause" before they dig through your emails—only a subpoena is required.
22 federal agencies will have warrant less access to your online accounts if they declare the situation an "emergency."
Correspondence stored on systems not offered "to the public"—such as university networks, for example—can be accessed by feds and law enforcement if they so desire.
The feds can take up to an entire year (360 days) to notify citizens that their personal account information has been intercepted; and service providers have to notify law enforcement first, before they tell their customers their info has been hacked.
Fax Congress Now!
This is chilling. Don’t let your first reaction to news like this be, "well I’m not doing anything wrong so this doesn’t apply to me."
Your emails, Twitter messages, Facebook posts, Google documents and everything else you do online is about to become the property of the United States government. Agencies like the Federal Reserve, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Maritime Commission, the Postal Regulatory Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Mine Enforcement Safety and Health Review Commission will all have a right to access your private correspondence.
Who knows what they will do with it. Perhaps they will see personal communications about medical issues, which they now have a vested interest in since they have taken over healthcare. Or maybe they’ll see comments against the current administration, and conveniently order an audit of your finances—as many Tea Party organizations saw happen last year.
As the famous and sober quote by Martin-Niemöller goes, "First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the socialists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."
Politicians seem to have forgotten our Constitution and our system of checks and balances.
Leahy previously said, "I’m not going to say that any administration, Republican or Democratic, gets a pass. We have to respect our privacy rights, our civil liberties." And then, he deleted all our rights after special interest groups put pressure on him.
And last year Senator Chuck Grassley suggested that requiring search warrants for emails would result in "increased burdens on the court system."
The United Nations is threatening an international Internet fee. Congress and President Obama are mulling cyber security orders that will harm consumers and stifle business. Law enforcement agencies across the country are pushing for more control without oversight, such as the ability to monitor your whereabouts via license plate trackers.
Benjamin Franklin said, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
We can stop this from happening. The backlash against Leahy’s about-face was swift and strong. Petitions are circulating, and groups such as the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are holding him to account. We need to add our voices to the fight and let Congress know this is not okay!
If they open the door to accessing your digital communications, the government may as well have the ability to enter our homes, our cars, our businesses and our wallets and be allowed to go through our personal lives at any time of their choosing, without due process, without probable cause, and without reproach.
Don’t let this happen to the United States of America.
Sincerely,
Tony Adkins
Conservative-Daily
Conservative Daily | Your daily dose of sanity. (subscribe and keep informed!)www.conservative-daily.com/
YOUR INTERNET FOOTPRINTS BECOMEING GOVERNMENT PROPERTYAmericans are rapidly approaching a point where the government believes we don’t deserve individual rights. In April, the Department of Justice argued that warrantless tracking of our cell phone data and location information was permissible because they said citizens do not enjoy a "reasonable expectation of privacy" with regard to this information.
Now they are coming for our emails and our entire digital footprint. The vote is planned for this week!
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy introduced H.R. 2471 last year in order to PROTECT our online privacy. But, federal agencies and law enforcement groups didn’t like the legislation and pressured Leahy into changing the language.
Now, the bill has been rewritten and amendments added that run completely opposite of the bill’s original intent…all because a politician caved to special interests and abandoned his post as a defender of our Constitution and civil liberties.
Highlights of this new, freedom-killing legislation:
Law enforcement doesn’t need to obtain a search warrant from a judge listing "probable cause" before they dig through your emails—only a subpoena is required.
22 federal agencies will have warrant less access to your online accounts if they declare the situation an "emergency."
Correspondence stored on systems not offered "to the public"—such as university networks, for example—can be accessed by feds and law enforcement if they so desire.
The feds can take up to an entire year (360 days) to notify citizens that their personal account information has been intercepted; and service providers have to notify law enforcement first, before they tell their customers their info has been hacked.
Fax Congress Now!
This is chilling. Don’t let your first reaction to news like this be, "well I’m not doing anything wrong so this doesn’t apply to me."
Your emails, Twitter messages, Facebook posts, Google documents and everything else you do online is about to become the property of the United States government. Agencies like the Federal Reserve, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Maritime Commission, the Postal Regulatory Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Mine Enforcement Safety and Health Review Commission will all have a right to access your private correspondence.
Who knows what they will do with it. Perhaps they will see personal communications about medical issues, which they now have a vested interest in since they have taken over healthcare. Or maybe they’ll see comments against the current administration, and conveniently order an audit of your finances—as many Tea Party organizations saw happen last year.
As the famous and sober quote by Martin-Niemöller goes, "First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the socialists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."
Politicians seem to have forgotten our Constitution and our system of checks and balances.
Leahy previously said, "I’m not going to say that any administration, Republican or Democratic, gets a pass. We have to respect our privacy rights, our civil liberties." And then, he deleted all our rights after special interest groups put pressure on him.
And last year Senator Chuck Grassley suggested that requiring search warrants for emails would result in "increased burdens on the court system."
The United Nations is threatening an international Internet fee. Congress and President Obama are mulling cyber security orders that will harm consumers and stifle business. Law enforcement agencies across the country are pushing for more control without oversight, such as the ability to monitor your whereabouts via license plate trackers.
Benjamin Franklin said, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
We can stop this from happening. The backlash against Leahy’s about-face was swift and strong. Petitions are circulating, and groups such as the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are holding him to account. We need to add our voices to the fight and let Congress know this is not okay!
If they open the door to accessing your digital communications, the government may as well have the ability to enter our homes, our cars, our businesses and our wallets and be allowed to go through our personal lives at any time of their choosing, without due process, without probable cause, and without reproach.
Don’t let this happen to the United States of America.
Sincerely,
Tony Adkins
Conservative-Daily
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Perfect explanation of complete and finished . . .
No
dictionary has been able to adequately explain the difference between COMPLETE
and FINISHED. However, in a recent linguistic conference held in London , England
His
final challenge was this: Some say there is no difference between COMPLETE and
FINISHED. Please explain the difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED in a way
that is easy to understand.
Here
is his astute answer:
"When
you marry the right woman, you are COMPLETE. But, when you marry the wrong
woman, you are FINISHED. And when the right one catches you with the wrong one,
you are COMPLETELY FINISHED!"
His
answer was received with a standing ovation lasting over 5
minutes.
Advent Cookies
-
A fun way to look forward to Christmas is to have a cookie baking day with the children! What better way to do this than to have cut out cookies but only use star cookie cutters as we look for and wait for the Star of Bethlehem to make it's appearance. This is a very simple recipe. When the cookies are baked and cooled, decorate them with sugar the color of Advent (purples) with a few cookies with golden sugar to show what is to come. It's a great way to give the children some time in the kitchen with you and help with the excited anticipation of the holiday with a hands-on project and the Christmas story, too!
- Advent Sugar Cookies
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Preheat oven to 357 degrees and line your baking sheets with parchment paper or use vegetable oil spray. Mix together the dry ingredient and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whip together the butter and sugar until fluffy and blended. Add the egg and extracts. Stir in the flour mixture. The dough should be manageable. If not, add bits of flour as necessary.
Roll half the dough out on a lightly-floured board, about 1/4 inch thick. You can go thicker if you are working with little ones to avoid breakage. Using your star cookie cutter, cut them out as close as possible to avoid too much re-rolling of the dough. Place about an inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for approximately 8-12 minutes depending on how thick you cut the cookies. Let rest a few minutes on the baking sheet once they exit the oven. Remove to a rack to complete cooling.
Basic White Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon corn syrup
Enough milk to form a spreadable icing
Gold and purple sugar or decorations.
To avoid excessive clean up, tape sheets of waxed paper down on the table for the decorating. When you are done, just carefully roll up the waxed paper and you should have an easier clean up.
First Sunday in Advent . . .
Jeremiah 33:14-16
33:14 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
33:15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
33:16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."
The year continues it's mad spiral towards it's end. We are into the last few weeks of 2012 already. All our New Year's resolutions either happened or are now long forgotten. Sometimes, it seems like the year consists of Christmas/New Year's/Christmas, etc. with everyone in between getting lost in the busy shuffle of life.
I find it sad that Christmas items went on the store shelves before Thanksgiving turkeys were in the store. It takes away from the anticipation as we drag out the preparation of the holiday with early-bird sales.
When I was growing up, the week after Thanksgiving gave way to the beginning thoughts of Christmas. I would thrill at every little aspect of the holiday that would slowly come into play. We never put gifts under the tree because the Christmas tree didn't go up until a few days before Christmas. We had the gift of anticipation! I would go to Midnight Mass with my mother and when we came home, the house had changed! We were still hearing Christmas Carols in our head while we witnessed the coming of the Christ Child as gifts were now under the tree. I never knew how my mother accomplished this but no matter how close I kept to her side, the presents and lit tree always happened.
An undecided bird . . .
Since the cold weather hasn't really arrived in California, this little bird seemed to be considering his options: stay and enjoy the weather or take off for warmer climes in case really cold weather finds it's way here.We have the most uninterested dogs when it comes to the various birds that visit our yard. I've seen them both sitting on the patio and watching the birds frolic in their water bowl and help themselves to dog food. The dogs don't wiggle an ear or bat an eye over this, bat an eye.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
obama aka Christ on the Cross - I think not!
The so called tolerance of our country is certainly one-sided and if the tolerance is offering a chance to disrespect Christians, then so much the better. Public displays of the Nativity scene are banned in many places, making obscene fun of the Catholic clergy and Pope is just 'innocent' fun, and art is a 'freedom of speech' act and should be honored and revered. This is just the latest in this war on Faith.
http://conservativebyte.com/2012/11/painting-depicts-obama-as-crucified-christ/
How this artist gets any respect for using his talent to disrespect our Lord and Savior is beyond me. It often reminds me of the story of the King's New Clothes and I'm just waiting for a public voice of reason to ask what the point is of dipping a crucifix in urine and getting a place in an art gallery or depicting the very, very pro-abort president as a Christ on the cross.
http://conservativebyte.com/2012/11/painting-depicts-obama-as-crucified-christ/
How this artist gets any respect for using his talent to disrespect our Lord and Savior is beyond me. It often reminds me of the story of the King's New Clothes and I'm just waiting for a public voice of reason to ask what the point is of dipping a crucifix in urine and getting a place in an art gallery or depicting the very, very pro-abort president as a Christ on the cross.
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