DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

Ingredients cake 2 cups all purpose flour 3/4 cup almond flour or almond meal* (about 2 1/2 ounces) 2 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder** 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 3 large eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup plain reduced-fat (2%) Greek-style yogurt 1 cup chopped toasted almonds 1 cup halved fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw) 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries icing 1/3 cup powdered sugar 4 teaspoons (about) orange juice Preparation cake Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Whisk first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Beat in vanilla ext...

Do you get squeamish at the thought of cemeteries? If you put cemeteries into a new light, such as one that shines from history or from downright silly trivia, you may not be so intimidated. While cemeteries hold remains of the dead, they also hold some interesting facts such as the ones listed below: 1. The word “cemetery,” which is the traditional place to bury the dead, comes from the German words koimeterion (meaning a sleeping place), and koiman (to put to sleep). The word, “graveyard,” was not recorded until the early 19th century. 2. The The oldest known Jewish cemetery is the Mount of Olives Cemetery located in Jerusalem and also a burial ground for people of Muslim and Christian faiths. This cemetery is first mentioned in connection with David’s flight from Absalom in II Samuel 15:30. 3. The first tombstone recorded in the Bible is in Genesis 35:20, where Jacob set up a pillar (tombstone) on Rachel’s grave on the road to Bethlehem. 4. In March 2002, ar...

    The Boi Bumbá Festival presents myths, tales and legends using characters, parade carts and giant puppets followed by the words of a master of ceremonies who describes in detail every bit of the action.     It is an incredible musical and theatrical experience, a religious procession, a tribal ritual, a giant puppet show, a fairy tale of powerful villains and brave heroes, a folk art presentation, a major party for the audience and an energizing choreography of the galera (gah-le-rah), all at once. The characters in the performance come from the Boi Bumbá tale. There are two teams called Bois (plural of Boi). Each one tells the same story in all three night of the festival, amounting to 6 different performances of the same show. But every night is different because legends, rituals, dances, puppets, garments, alegorias, they all change and create the show anew.     There are many similar festivities in Brazil, but Parint...