Advents Corner

Now everyone knows I love Stephen King. I can remember reading Thinner when I did Plasma Apheresis, that was defintly an experience. He is just an awesome writer. I wonder if he has nightmares? The Mist by Stephen King is due to be released November 21^st. I am really excited about this one. Once again it is a situation where man must come together to survive but as always they can not get along even if it is to save their own lives.

This one is sure to give you sweaty palms and make you jump a few times. Can you guess who is behind this mist that has covered the town? Is it man made? Is it aliens? From the clips you do see a man in a military uniform but did they create it or simply let it in? Andre Braugher is in this one. I think he is a wonderful and intense actor so look for a lot of conflict and drama with this guy in a lead role.

Check out the trailer on this one. Make sure you dim the lights and turn up the speakers. There are two trailer so you should catch both of them and watch out for the bugs.

We watched a couple of movies over the weekend and one of them was 1408with John Cusack.  We really like him and the  movies that he makes but this one was a little disappointing.  I had read the book and I know, I know, the book is always better.  But truly in this case it was.  There were some tense moments in the movie that got me hands sweating and my heart racing but they were few and far between.  I liked the book much better and the book even ended better, unlike the movie.  Why do they change things like that?  I just don’t get it. 

Anyway, watch it if you want but if there is something else you have been wanting to see you may be better off watching the other movie.  I little disappointing for a John Cusack movie but it passed the time.

I want to share this recipe with everyone for the Christmas holiday.  Just about everyone in our family loves mangos.  Matt and Lani love them.  It is sometimes hard to find really sweet ones here on the mainland so cooking with them is the next best thing.  The cake makes the mango sweeter.  With us living so far away from family we try our best to make our christmas’ as Hawaiian as we can.  Upside-down mango cake helps but of course nothing is as good as Mom makes.  This recipe is fairly simple and if you have a Hamilton Beach® Mixerit makes it even easier.  What takes the longest on the recipes is constantly blending the ingredients while mixing which with a hand mixer can become quit cumbersome.  The Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer helps with that because you just set the speed and with the splash guard you just add the ingredients and let the mixer do the work. Eclectrics® Mixerare wonderful Christmas presents to receive, you do not realize what you are missing until you receive one.

I have included the recipe if you want to give it a shot and add a little bit of Hawaiian into your Christmas holiday. 

  Upside-down Mango Cake                       

1/2 stick unsalted butter                                   3/4 C. light-brown sugar

1 ripe mango, halved, pitted and peeled

(slice each half lengthwise into 8 slices)

1 1/4 C. unsifted cake flour                              1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. each cinnamon & nutmeg                   pinch of salt1 stick unsalted butter (softened)                  

 1/2 C. sugar                                                       2 large eggs at room temperature                 

1/3 C. milk                                                         1 tsp. vanilla 

TOPPING: Preheat oven to 350°, with oven rack in lowest position. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat; add brown sugar and cook over medium heat until mixture bubbles and is creamy and smooth, 2 or 3 minutes. Pour onto bottom of greased 9×1 1/2″cake pan. Arrange mango slices in concentric circles on top of mixture, beginning in the center of the pan and working outward. Set aside. 

CAKE: In medium-sized bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Set aside. In large bowl, with mixer set on medium speed, beat butter until light and creamy. Add sugar a little at a time, beating until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). On low speed, beat eggs in one at a time; increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then increase speed to medium and add half the flour mixture and the milk and vanilla. When this is well blended, add the other half of the flour and mix until blended. Using a spatula, gently spoon the batter over the mango slices in the cake pan, carefully spreading it in an even layer and sealing it against the sides of the pan so the sugar mixture won’t bubble up over the batter as it cooks. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake until it is still warm: run a knife around the edge to loosen cake, then place platter over the top of the pan and carefully turn the whole thing upside-down, tapping lightly on the bottom of the pan to loosen any topping that may be sticking to it. Serve warm or at room temperature with a big dollop of whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

This video is crazy.  It is in Japanese so I have not idea what they are saying but the little girl is 3 and she solves the cube in 114 seconds.  I could not believe this.  You have to watch how fast her little fingers move and she does it.  I wonder how they figured out that she could do it, was it just laying on the table and she walked up to it and solved it?

This site is so cool.  Need to make some mixed drinks but not sure how?  Start off my choosing your glassware, yes it is that simple.  You pick shaken or stirred, ice or no ice and then your favorite spirit.  You can create an account and make your own drinks; it even walks you through that.

The only problem I found when you sign up is clicking the, I am over the age button.  You have to enter your birthday but there is a check box you have to check on two different screens to verify that you are 21. It is in the center of the screen to the right.  It took me a minute to find it but maybe you will have more luck and think I don’t know how to work a computer.   You can also look at the drink of the day, which it is very nice because everything to make it is right there.  Want to make sure the drinks you are serving at your holiday party match your color scheme?  No problem, pick your colors and they give you a list of drinks that will match.  You can also pick drinks by type: after dinner, long or shooters.  Give it a try and don’t forget to sign up.