DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Effortlessly elegant, chocolate mousse makes a cool partner for any occasion. For a party-pretty presentation, chill individual portions in heart-shaped ramekins or china teacups, and serve the sauce on the side in a cream pitcher.       Ingredients 2 cups whipping cream, divided 2 (8-ounce) packages semisweet chocolate squares 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 (10-ounce) package frozen raspberries, thawed Garnishes: fresh mint sprigs, fresh raspberries Preparation Line a 9- x 5-inch loafpan with plastic wrap, extending edges of wrap over sides of pan; set aside. Combine 1/2 cup whipping cream, chocolate squares, corn syrup, and butter in a heavy saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until chocolate melts. Cool. Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla at ...

    Let’s be honest with ourselves, with so many dead spirits roaming the planet, there are bound to be uncanny consistencies. I mean, how many of us have been walking around a public place or watching television and seen our doppelgänger? So why can’t the same be said for ghosts? They are bound to see other, more well-known spirits haunting us living souls, and thought, “I can do that!” And so a clone ghost story is born. Obviously, unoriginal apparitions are the best explanation for for our fireside stories sounding so close together, right? No way us humans spread the fake lore ourselves, that would be preposterous. 10. Only Reacts to One Gender    So there was this young girl, right? She bites it, probably from getting jilted by her husband. Well, a husband, not necessarily hers. She’s pretty down in the dumps, now she hates men, and she either gets sick and dies or takes the ghosts’ favorite way out, suicide by hanging. Either way, she is dead, ...

    The Carnival of Brazil , is an annual festival held 46 days before Easter. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival ", from carnelevre , "to remove meat". Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia , which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to practice repentance and prepare for Christ's death and resurrection.     Rhythm, participation, and costumes vary from one region of Brazil to another. In the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, huge organized parades are led by samba schools. Those official parades are meant to be watched by the public, with mini parades ("blocos") allowing a public participation can be found in other cities. The northeastern cities of Salvador, Porto Segur and Recife have o...