I'm not sure why, but every time I see this T-sign ad on a double decker I feel like it's telling me something racist.
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| Am I the only one that finds this ad awkwardly racist? |
20 May 2011
A bit of structure for the ramblings
I think the first rule of writing, as cliche as it sounds, is to write about what you know. Unfortunately, I have learning schizophrenia so it's pretty hard to pick one thing to write about. I'm still going to write about things that I love; politics, music, gigs, food/cooking, festivals, dancing etc. - but the things that I know right now are pretty precise.
To do this, I now have a trusty gear of writing items:
And photo taking thing:
I'm hoping this helps me to track all of the things that I want to write about more (so long as I have it on me at all times). I have to get in the habit of using them, and that can be pretty hard when you haven't been doing or caring about it on a regular basis for a while.
To do this, I now have a trusty gear of writing items:
 |
| MacBook, iPhone 3GS and blank paged book from Paperchase |
And photo taking thing:
 |
| HP R742 |
Anyhow, structure is the name of the game, so I've had to decide what it is exactly that I know about and feel comfortable writing. I love and know social media, I am pretty much the poster child for all things on the interwebs, so it shouldn't be too hard for me to write about that when it comes up. I love living in London, and I've always wanted to live abroad. Granted, I wanted to be on a beach in warm weather but I suppose the British Isles is as close as I will get to that. I also love people, in particular people watching and I tell you some of the best people to judge watch are those that live around where I do in North London. So, I've decided I'm going to focus on the people, places and things in the area where I live - because it's what I know best.
I can go on for ages about why I love this bit of North London, but to be honest it all comes down to one thing: it reminds me of home. And by home I mean the place where I spent 8 years of my adult life on my own without my family, not the city where I just went to kindergarten - high school. Even more, North London reminds me a lot of The Short North but bigger, and well, in London, England rather than Columbus, Ohio - which makes this a glorious place.
Since moving to Upper Holloway and out of bumfuck-nearly-Essex-Leytonstone I've been able to take the bus home which is a nice 20-ish minute ride rather than the 40 minute Tube ride. On the bus I pass through some of my favourite places which will be the bits that I'll discover while living here and hopefully inspire me to write on the bloggy space. Things you can expect, or at least the places that have caught my eye on the bus ride home:
- The Camden Head
- World's End
- Camden Rock and figuring out that giant Sainsbury's next to it!
- Jews for Jesus - yes, this is a place and a real thing
- Abbey Tavern
- The Oxford
- The Kentish Town bridge over the tracks
- This place that calls itself Delicious
- Junction Tavern and all things 'Junction Road'-ish (I want to know the history of this bit)
Tufnell Park to Archway - once you get here everything looks a lot more local, i.e. there's the butcher, there's the guy that fixes your bike, there's the baker, etc
I'm really interested in learning more about this area and seeing what it was like 50 years ago. It reminds me a bit of Lorain Avenue back in Cleveland. I also like how church steeples seem to depict the separation of the old villages. Looking at the layout of cities/towns here, it's interesting to think how they could have been. Today, everyone's rocking their Arsenal kit as they walk around North London, but you can see the history of the town beneath the modernity of its residents. I've always liked the idea of local shops and cafes over chains so I'm really excited to learn more!!
Plus heaps more locations of course, as there are plenty of other places to discover in these areas as well as the walk from Upper Holloway through Islington to Angel! I love it, I love it, I love it so much over here and I want to make the most of it while I can.
And so, I leave you with a few cool photos from my daily scenery of Upper Holloway
 |
| The church at the end of my road |
 |
| The view towards Archway |
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| More of the church at the end of my road |
 |
| Bridge over the tracks to my close |
 |
| Artwork on the bridge |
 |
| Artwork on the bridge, i suppose inspired by the train below the bridge |
15 May 2011
Watch this space
Radio silence for some time now. Planning for a theme on the blog. It will still be a lot of rambling of many thoughts - I am a jack of all trades after all, but I want to get one thing that I can talk regularly about. Some ideas are in the works and I should have them started up no later than start of June.
15 March 2011
Cassata Cake
Right, so I've literally spent the last hour trolling the Internet looking for this exact recipe. You see, I printed this off ages ago, maybe circa 2005 - but I wanted to add it to my (eventually defunct?) delicious account. This is the only version of the cassata cake that I am willing to accept at this moment.
I have also decided that when I get married, this exact cake will be the wedding cake. Along with mini/cupcake versions of my cheesecake recipe
- I suppose that means I'll be cooking my wedding cakes then.
As a kid my mom would always get me this as a birthday cake - and apparently similar versions of this are the 'Cleveland Style' cassata cakes birthed from the Sicilians that migrated to Cleveland. Ahh my little melting pot of a hometown.
Strawberry Cassata Cake
-------------------------
To save time, substitute a cake made from a yellow cake mix (I use French Vanilla cake mix) for the Chiffon Sponge Cake. And don't forget to slice the tops off the cake layers to make them lay just right.
There will be leftover Pastry Cream; store in the refrigerator for up to three days and use for other desserts or pastries. It does not freeze well.
1 recipe Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
1 recipe Chiffon Sponge Cake (recipe follows)
3 cups heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pastry bag fitted with large star tip
1 (10-inch) cardboard round
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
2 cups almonds, toasted and crushed
Cake plate or pedestal
12 whole strawberries (buy the huge Driscoll variety)
Prepare the Pastry Cream and refrigerate according to directions.
Prepare the Chiffon Sponge Cake and let the layers cool; wrap and
store, if necessary.
When ready to assemble the cake, whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff, being careful not to overwhip or the cream will become buttery. Place 1 cup of the sweetened whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Place the bag into the refrigerator
until ready to use.
Remove the Pastry Cream from the refrigerator and whip it by hand for no more than 1 minute to smooth out the lumps.
Place one of the cake layers, right side up, onto the cardboard round. Spread a 1/2-inch-thick layer of Pastry Cream over the top of the bottom layer. Arrange a 1-cup layer of chopped strawberries on the cake layer and top with a thin layer of whipped cream, just enough to barely cover the strawberries.
Place the other cake layer, right side down, on top of the filling. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes to set.
Remove from the refrigerator and ice the top and sides with the remaining whipped cream. If you are right-handed, hold the cake from the bottom with your right hand and your palm flat up to the ceiling. With your left hand, grab a handful of chopped nuts and gently press them into the side of the cake. (Reverse for left-hand decorating.) Rotate the cake and continue pressing on the nuts until the entire side is covered.
Place the cake on a cake plate or pedestal. Using the chilled pastry bag, pipe 12 rosettes of whipped cream on the top edge of the cake. To evenly space them, think of the top of the cake as a clock. Pipe a rosette at 12 o’clock, then one each at 6, 3, and 9 o’clock, dividing the cake into quarters. Pipe on the remaining rosettes. Top each rosette with a whole strawberry. Refrigerate the cake, up to 3 days, until ready to serve.
Makes 12 to 16 servings.
---------------------------------
Pastry Cream aka Custard
---------------------------------
4 cups (1 quart) milk
3 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Place the milk in a large heavy saucepan and set it over medium-high heat.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs to break them up. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add the cornstarch, salt and vanilla, and whisk to combine.
When the milk comes to a slow boil, add 1/3 of it to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. (This is called tempering.) Bring the remaining milk back to a boil. Add all of the tempered egg mixture to the milk, continuously whisking over medium-high heat until thickened.
Place the cooked custard into a bowl, whisk in the butter until smooth and cover with plastic wrap so it touches the surface of the custard. Refrigerate until set.
------------------------------------
Chiffon Sponge Cake or skip if you went for the box cake...which I always do. Maybe I'll try one from scratch one day, but I even add things to the box cake recipe that may as well make it homemade
------------------------------------
For a taller three-layer cake, multiply the following recipe by 1 1/2 and divide the batter among three 10-inch round layer pans. Weigh the cake flour and sugar for best results. Otherwise, 14 ounces of cake flour is approximately 41/8 cups; 14 ounces of sugar is approximately 13/4 cups.
Butter, for greasing
8 eggs, separated
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla
14 ounces cake flour
14 ounces sugar, divided
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Lightly butter the bottom of two 10-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with
a circle of parchment or wax paper, but do not butter the parchment or
the sides of the pan. (Similar to angel food cake, this cake needs to
cling to the sides while baking.)
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the egg yolks and vegetable oil into a deep bowl. Mix, then blend in the water and vanilla.
Into another bowl or onto wax paper, sift together the cake flour, 1/3 of the sugar, the baking powder and salt. Add to the egg yolk mixture and whip for about 2 minutes, either by hand or with an electric mixer.
In a very clean, deep metal bowl, whip the egg whites and remaining sugar until the mixture **EDIT* THIS IS A PAIN. IF YOU ADD THE SUGAR ALL AT ONCE IT WON'T WORK. IF THERE IS ANY OIL OR EGG YOLK IN THIS MIXTURE IT WON'T WORK. IT SHOULD TAKE NO LONGER THAN 2 - 5 MINUTES TO GET YOUR RESULT* forms stiff peaks (when you can turn the mixing bowl upside down without the egg whites sliding out). Gently fold half of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Leave the mixture streaky with
egg whites so that you do not overfold. Fold in the remaining egg whites, being gentler than the first time. Carefully continue folding until there are no streaks of egg whites.
Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans and gently smooth the tops. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Turn the pans upside down onto cookie racks to completely cool.
Gently run a knife around the sides of the pans. Tip the cakes out of the pans onto a flat surface.
The cakes can be double-wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Makes 2 round 10-inch cake layers.
I have also decided that when I get married, this exact cake will be the wedding cake. Along with mini/cupcake versions of my cheesecake recipe
 |
| Mango and Strawberry cheesecake |
 |
| Strawberry cheesecake |
- I suppose that means I'll be cooking my wedding cakes then.
As a kid my mom would always get me this as a birthday cake - and apparently similar versions of this are the 'Cleveland Style' cassata cakes birthed from the Sicilians that migrated to Cleveland. Ahh my little melting pot of a hometown.
 |
| My Cassata Cake along with the printout that I still have |
Strawberry Cassata Cake
-------------------------
To save time, substitute a cake made from a yellow cake mix (I use French Vanilla cake mix) for the Chiffon Sponge Cake. And don't forget to slice the tops off the cake layers to make them lay just right.
There will be leftover Pastry Cream; store in the refrigerator for up to three days and use for other desserts or pastries. It does not freeze well.
1 recipe Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
1 recipe Chiffon Sponge Cake (recipe follows)
3 cups heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pastry bag fitted with large star tip
1 (10-inch) cardboard round
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
2 cups almonds, toasted and crushed
Cake plate or pedestal
12 whole strawberries (buy the huge Driscoll variety)
Prepare the Pastry Cream and refrigerate according to directions.
Prepare the Chiffon Sponge Cake and let the layers cool; wrap and
store, if necessary.
When ready to assemble the cake, whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff, being careful not to overwhip or the cream will become buttery. Place 1 cup of the sweetened whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Place the bag into the refrigerator
until ready to use.
Remove the Pastry Cream from the refrigerator and whip it by hand for no more than 1 minute to smooth out the lumps.
Place one of the cake layers, right side up, onto the cardboard round. Spread a 1/2-inch-thick layer of Pastry Cream over the top of the bottom layer. Arrange a 1-cup layer of chopped strawberries on the cake layer and top with a thin layer of whipped cream, just enough to barely cover the strawberries.
Place the other cake layer, right side down, on top of the filling. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes to set.
Remove from the refrigerator and ice the top and sides with the remaining whipped cream. If you are right-handed, hold the cake from the bottom with your right hand and your palm flat up to the ceiling. With your left hand, grab a handful of chopped nuts and gently press them into the side of the cake. (Reverse for left-hand decorating.) Rotate the cake and continue pressing on the nuts until the entire side is covered.
Place the cake on a cake plate or pedestal. Using the chilled pastry bag, pipe 12 rosettes of whipped cream on the top edge of the cake. To evenly space them, think of the top of the cake as a clock. Pipe a rosette at 12 o’clock, then one each at 6, 3, and 9 o’clock, dividing the cake into quarters. Pipe on the remaining rosettes. Top each rosette with a whole strawberry. Refrigerate the cake, up to 3 days, until ready to serve.
Makes 12 to 16 servings.
---------------------------------
Pastry Cream aka Custard
---------------------------------
4 cups (1 quart) milk
3 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Place the milk in a large heavy saucepan and set it over medium-high heat.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs to break them up. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add the cornstarch, salt and vanilla, and whisk to combine.
When the milk comes to a slow boil, add 1/3 of it to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. (This is called tempering.) Bring the remaining milk back to a boil. Add all of the tempered egg mixture to the milk, continuously whisking over medium-high heat until thickened.
Place the cooked custard into a bowl, whisk in the butter until smooth and cover with plastic wrap so it touches the surface of the custard. Refrigerate until set.
------------------------------------
Chiffon Sponge Cake or skip if you went for the box cake...which I always do. Maybe I'll try one from scratch one day, but I even add things to the box cake recipe that may as well make it homemade
------------------------------------
For a taller three-layer cake, multiply the following recipe by 1 1/2 and divide the batter among three 10-inch round layer pans. Weigh the cake flour and sugar for best results. Otherwise, 14 ounces of cake flour is approximately 41/8 cups; 14 ounces of sugar is approximately 13/4 cups.
Butter, for greasing
8 eggs, separated
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla
14 ounces cake flour
14 ounces sugar, divided
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Lightly butter the bottom of two 10-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with
a circle of parchment or wax paper, but do not butter the parchment or
the sides of the pan. (Similar to angel food cake, this cake needs to
cling to the sides while baking.)
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the egg yolks and vegetable oil into a deep bowl. Mix, then blend in the water and vanilla.
Into another bowl or onto wax paper, sift together the cake flour, 1/3 of the sugar, the baking powder and salt. Add to the egg yolk mixture and whip for about 2 minutes, either by hand or with an electric mixer.
In a very clean, deep metal bowl, whip the egg whites and remaining sugar until the mixture **EDIT* THIS IS A PAIN. IF YOU ADD THE SUGAR ALL AT ONCE IT WON'T WORK. IF THERE IS ANY OIL OR EGG YOLK IN THIS MIXTURE IT WON'T WORK. IT SHOULD TAKE NO LONGER THAN 2 - 5 MINUTES TO GET YOUR RESULT* forms stiff peaks (when you can turn the mixing bowl upside down without the egg whites sliding out). Gently fold half of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Leave the mixture streaky with
egg whites so that you do not overfold. Fold in the remaining egg whites, being gentler than the first time. Carefully continue folding until there are no streaks of egg whites.
Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans and gently smooth the tops. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Turn the pans upside down onto cookie racks to completely cool.
Gently run a knife around the sides of the pans. Tip the cakes out of the pans onto a flat surface.
The cakes can be double-wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Makes 2 round 10-inch cake layers.
19 February 2011
I Won't Hold it Against You
Holy Crap Brit Brit! I thought this song was going to suck hardcore but it actually had me pumped at about 3 minutes in! If this is what's going down in the States it's a relief because now I won't have to explain myself and British music in the clubs to friends that come here and visit!
Here ya go - enjoy a decent song for a (nearly) 30 year old popstar. Speaking of being older....can't dance anymore can you Brit Brit? Tsk, shame.
Here ya go - enjoy a decent song for a (nearly) 30 year old popstar. Speaking of being older....can't dance anymore can you Brit Brit? Tsk, shame.
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