DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

The Canine Collection    Transport your pet to another time with a "hilariously tongue-in-cheek" oil painting. For $950 and up, Dutch Touch Art uses a digital photo of your cat or dog to incorporate his or her regal visage into a hand-painted Old World–style portrait, using a stock background image or your suggestion. Should you wish, the image of your pet can include "personal effects, such as favorite toys." Feel The Turf Between Your Toes    You can get the feeling of walking barefoot in a grassy field wherever you go with Kusa flip-flops ($32), Australian-made knockabouts lined with high-quality synthetic turf that has "the look and feel" of the real thing. Their designer says that sporting the shoes is a way to rebel against "imposed conformity." But feel free to wear them just to start conversations when you're out strolling on a city street, along a beach, "or — if you're into irony — on an actual ...

Food is something we interact with on a daily basis – frequently, in fact. There are many very obscure facts about food that are fascinating and definitely worthy of knowing. So, at the behest of Juggz, here is a nice trivia list about food. 10. Coffee    The Fact: The most expensive coffee in the world comes from civet poop    Kopi Luwak are coffee beans that come from Civet (a cat sized mammal) poo. The animals gorge on only the finest ripe berries, and excrete the partially-digested beans, which are then harvested for sale. Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling for between $120 and $600 USD per pound, and is sold mainly in Japan and the United States, but it is increasingly becoming available elsewhere. My question is: who the hell discovered that it tasted good? 9. Feast    The Fact: The largest food item on a menu is roast camel    The camel is stuffed with a sheep’s carcass, which is s...

   Maha Shivaratri is celebrated with great devotion and religious fervor by Hindus, in honor of Lord Shiva, one of the Hindu Gods forming the Trinity. The festival falls on the moonless, 14th night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun (in the month of February - March, according to English Calendar). On the festival of Maha Shivaratri, devotees observe day and night fast and worship Shiva Lingam, to appease Lord Shiva. Many interesting legends have been related to the festival of Maha Shivaratri, explaining the reason behind its celebrations as well as its significance.    According to one of the most popular legends, Shivaratri is the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati. It is also believed that Lord Shiva performed ‘Tandava’, the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction on this auspicious night of Shivaratri. According to another popular legend, described in Linga Purana, it was on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifest...

   A dark chocolate cookie-crumb crust and “Jumbo” foil baking cups give these fanciful tarts a chic twist. Go ahead and pour the cheesecake filling all the way to the top of the extra-tall cups – it doesn’t rise during baking.                          Ingredients 12 jumbo-size aluminum foil baking cups Vegetable cooking spray 1 (9-oz.) package chocolate wafer cookies 1/2 cup butter, melted 3 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons key lime zest 1/3 cup fresh key lime juice 3 large eggs Garnishes: sweetened whipped cream, fresh cherries and blackberries, fresh mint leaves Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place 12 jumbo-size aluminum foil baking cups in lightly greased muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray. 2. Pulse chocolate wafer cookies i...

 

   Fairbanks is home to the BP World Ice Art Championships , one of the largest ice sculpting competitions and exhibitions on earth. Held every year since 1988, the BP World Ice Art Championships has grown to a month-long event featuring more than 70 teams from around the world. 45,000 visitors come to the Ice Park to see these intricately carved masterpieces. The theme for the 23rd Annual BP World Ice Art Championships is “Dreams Come True” and promises to deliver over one- hundred, larger-than-life sized sculptures.    This year, the event is moving to its new home at the George Horner Ice Art Park. The new Twenty-seven acre park is centrally located and contains a large on-site pond which will produce over four million pounds of "Arctic Diamond" ice—exceptionally clear, thick ice used by the sculptors. Near the pond there is a large designated Kid’s Park which features a whimsical set of slides and sculptures. In addition, there are ice mazes, a skating rink...

   This recipe comes from LilaLoa.   If you make some of these let me know how they came out.  Good luck! I can't stop thinking about how everyone should really try my chocolate cookies with coconut icing. So I've decided to post my chocolate cookie recipe. And peer pressure you all into trying it. Seriously, all the cool kids are doing it. In case you haven't noticed...I make A LOT of chocolate cookies. It's what I do. You can trust me on this when I say that this is the go-to recipe for chocolate cookies. So, you know, just try it. The End-All for Chocolate Cookies Recipe: 1 cup butter 1/4 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 2/3 cup cocoa 3 or 3 1/2 cups flour Cream butter, shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add baking powder and salt and mix again. Stir in the cocoa until well blended. Add flour 1 cup at a time. IF YOU ARE GOING TO...