DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Chocolate chip cookies are almost everyones favorites.  So here's are recipe I found that claims to be one of the best.  It comes from www.atendercrumb.com .   This recipe originally comes from Jaques Torres, a very famous French pastry chef with years of experience.  Try it and let me know what you think.  It may take a little bit more extra work but nothing comes easy.  Goodluck! I have experimented with countless recipes searching for that perfect chocolate chip cookie. The characteristics of the perfect cookie are a very personal matter, and here are my preferences: texture: chewy w. medium thickness --- everyone has their preference, and this is mine! chocolate to cookie ratio: 50/50 --- I really enjoy having a lot of chocolate in every bite chips vs. chunks: chunks --- I like sizeable pieces of chocolate in my cookie. type of chocolate: bittersweet --- I like using Valrhona 61% extra bitter nuts or other...

    The RMS Queen Mary is reputed to be one of the most haunted objects in the world. The ghost stories and haunted tales told about the ship are so popular that it has inspired countless investigators to climb aboard. Whether you believe the ship is haunted or not, there is no discounting its long history.     The Queen Mary was built as a fabulous ocean liner that could cross the Atlantic in just two weeks. She was built for the Cunard White Star Line, the same company that built the ill fated Titanic. Construction started on the ship in 1930, but took nearly four years to complete.     Though the ship operated for over thirty years, there were a few problems associates with it. During its maiden trip just after it had been officially named, the ship lost control. She came close to hitting another ship, before managing to stop. During World War II, the Queen Mary became one of several ocean liners to be used as troopsh...

    The festival of San Fermín (or Sanfermines , in basque language Sanferminak ) in the city of Pamplona ( Navarre , Spain ), is a deeply rooted celebration held annually from 12:00, 6 July, when the opening of the fiesta is marked by setting off the pyrotechnic chupinazo , to midnight 14 July, with the singing of the Pobre de Mí . While its most famous event is the encierro, or the running of the bulls , the week-long celebration involves many other traditional and folkloric events. It is known locally as Sanfermines and is held in honor of Saint Fermin , the co-patron of Navarre. Its events were central to the plot of The Sun Also Rises , by Ernest Hemingway , which brought it to the general attention of English-speaking people. It has become probably the most internationally renowned fiesta in Spain. Over 1,000,000 people come to watch this festival. Saint Fermin     Fermin is said to have been the son of a Roman of senatorial rank in Pampl...

   Rhetoric is only as potent as its source material – this is why any allusion to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 is so effective. What comes immediately to mind is the hideous and completely unfound legal proceedings – based mostly on superstition, irrational paranoia, Puritanism-fueled mass hysteria, and deception–which resulted in 19 wrongful executions, each one hanged, burned, or drowned for some ill-fated finger-pointing. The imagery evoked is just as barbaric and painful as the means by which these accused “witches” were tried and ultimately “proven” guilty. (In actuality, most of the “afflicted” were just suffering from some mental illness medical science hadn’t quite caught up to at the time, “evil” being amongst the worst know epidemics.) Here are ten ways their verdict was ascertained: 10. Spectral Evidence      This type of evidence is based on claims by accusers that they would see the individual accused of witchcraft in dreams or visio...

   This is another fine recipe find from www.bakersroyale.com .  truely a dessert to have knife, fork and spoon wars over.  Good luck and eat a slice for me. Strawberry Icebox Cake ~ Easy, casual elegance comes together in just thirty minutes for this three-ingredient, no-bake cake. Strawberry Icebox Cake Rounding out this week’s 4th of July dessert group is this simple and delicious dessert that you can throw together in less than thirty minutes. Icebox cakes are about as easy as it gets; sculpt, chill, serve and enjoy the compliments. A few notes: To simplify this icebox cake further I used Cool Whip instead of making my own whipped cream. For the flavor I used fresh strawberries and pureed them, but any type of berry or fruit will work. For ease of layering, I used a pastry bag to pipe the strawberry whipped cream layer. This can be assembled two days in advance (up to the point prior to frosting) and kept tightly wrapped in plastic. St...

    The Paris Air Show ( Salon International de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, Paris-Le Bourget) is an international trade fair for the aerospace business. It is held at Le Bourget Airport, North Paris, France every odd year, alternating both with the Farnborough International Exhibition and Flying Display and the Internationale Luft- und Raumfahrtausstellung Berlin.     The Paris Air Show is a commercial air show, organised by the French aerospace industry's body the Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales (GIFAS) whose main purpose is to demonstrate military and civilian aircraft to potential customers. It is one of the most prestigious in the world; traditionally, some major sales contracts are announced during the show as part of the corporate communication of the manufacturers. All major international manufacturers, as well as the military forces of several countries, attend the Paris Air Show. SOME SHOW   FIG...