Author: CircleMe

Spanish Flan, sweet dessert

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spanish_flan
The flan, also known as crème caramel or caramel custard in some countries, is a tasty simple sweet dessert that may be served at fancy dinner parties as part of a variety for guests.

It differs from plain custard because of its sugary base which becomes its topping when inverted.

The recipe calls for 1 cup white sugar, 3 eggs, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 can evaporated milk, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.

Ahead of preparation preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.

Then in a medium saucepan over a medium low flame, melt sugar until it turns into liquid and golden in colour. Slowly and carefully pour the hot sugary syrup into a 9 inch round glass baking dish making sure to turn the dish to ensure that the sides and bottom are evenly coated. Place aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs; then beat in the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. When finished allow to cool completely.

After the flan has been completely cooled and you are ready to serve, carefully invert the flan on a serving plate with edges.

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Valencia, the sea of ​​Spain

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Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and is its third largest city in Spain behind Madrid and Barcelona.

The city is on the Mediterranean Sea and the banks of the Turia River.

Major monuments in Valencia include the Valencia Cathedral, Torres de Serranos, Torres Quart, Llotja de la Seda which is a Unesco World Heritage Site, Museu de Belles Arts de Valencia, Ciutat de les Arts i la Ciences, and the Valencian Institute of Modern Art.

The city is well known for the Falles local festival, the La Tomatina tomato fight, and several other catholic festivals held each year. The city is also host of the European Grand Prix Formula One race.

Valencia has a subtropical climate with mild winters and long warm to hot summers.

Valencia is home of one of the traditional Spanish dishes the paella and the cuisine is also world renowned in the city. Other specialties include the fartons, bunuelos, Spanish omelettes, rosquilettas, and squid.

Places to eat include the Raco de Turia which is close to the city’s river banks and is ranked among the top fifty restaurants for Spanish cuisine in the city.

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Angela Lansbury to get Oscar

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British actress Angela Lansbury will join Angelina Jolie, Steve Martin, and Italian costume designer Piero Tosi on the Oscar stage this year.

 

All four will receive honorary Academy Awards. Lansbury will receive an award for her career achievements, as will Steve and Piero while Angelina will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The awards honour individuals who have made indelible contributions to their fields.

 

The board of governors for the Academy voted on the recipients last week and the awards will be presented at a ceremony to be held on November 16 at Hollywood & Highland Centre’s Ray Dolby Ballroom.

 

Eighty-seven year old Lansbury has been nominated three times Best Supporting actressOscars. The actress has been acting for 65 years and her latest project was in 2011′s Mr Popper’s Penguins. Piero has earned five Oscar nominations the last being for 1982′s La Traviata.

 

The Hersholt Award is presented periodically to a film industry member for exemplary humanitarian work. Jolie won an Oscar for best supporting actress in 1999′s Girl, Interrupted. She is a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

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Ryan O’Gorman: A season full of highs and lows

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Ryan O’Gorman has had a brilliant season. The DJ says his high point is always doing what he loves Among this season’s top scores was playing at Space with We Love as well as the free parties and sharing good times with friends and loved ones.

In addition to his club gigs O’Gorman also helped Carl Craig who staged an event in Formentera over the summer.

He visited Apollonia at DC10 and also the Vitalik free parties and staged a party of their own “Shonky”.

The season wasn’t all fabulous however with some of the worst moments coming according to O’Gorman when he allowed himself to get absorbed into situations that are stressful and the complications that come from working on an island and in clubs.

The last gig the group did was closed down prematurely after neighbours called the police. The group packed up their stuff and left.

O’Gorman says the idea is to make sure that the environment is one in which people understand that the reason the event is on is for a shared experience and that it’s all about respect and not disturbing the surroundings.

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Antipasto, open your appetite

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antipasto1
Antipasto is the quintessential Italian opener. This serves as an appetiser for dinner and can also be served when entertaining guests.

This recipe serves four and requires 2 cups chopped cauliflower, 4 cups pearl onions, 2 cups chopped red bell peppers, 2 cups chopped green bell peppers, 2 cups chopped celery, 2 cucumbers – peeled, seeded and chopped, 2 cups carrots, chopped, 2 cups vegetable oil, 1 cup black olives, 1 tablespoon pickling spice, 1 cup pitted green olives, 4 cups mushrooms, 2 cups distilled white vinegar, 1 can tomato paste, and 1 1/2 cans flaked tuna.

To prepare first soak cauliflower, carrots, pearl onions, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, celery and cucumbers in lightly salted water overnight. In another bowl boil vegetable oil, vinegar, carrots, tomato paste and pickling spice for 10 minutes.

Cook vegetables and cauliflower in water until cauliflower is tender and crisp. Add black olives, green olives, mushrooms and tuna to the mixture. When cooked remove from heat and refrigerate. When chilled, arrange on a platter and serve.

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Venice, Queen of the Adriatic

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venice
Venice is a city in Italy on the banks of the Po and Piave Rivers. The city is renowned for its canals, bridges, beautiful setting, architecture, and artwork.

The city and its lagoon are listed as Unesco World Heritage Sites and is known as the Queen of the Adriatic.

Its beauty makes it one of the most demanded tourist destinations in the world and visitors can embark on a Grand Tour which takes them through cityscape, musical heritage and culture. One of the most famous aspects of the city is being able to take a tour through the canals on a gondola.

The city also hosts several international conferences and festivals as well as the Carnival of Venice annually. The Venice Film Festival is world renowned; other attractions include St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, Ca’ d’Oro, Grand Canal, Piazza San Marco, and Lido di Venezia.

Music is also very important to the culture of Venice as is food which relies heavily on seafood.

Risi e bisi, fegato alla veneziana and risotto with cuttlefish are a must try. For food try La Cantina and for bacari try the Alla Vedova.

The city has a humid subtropical climate with cool winters and very warm summers and is served by the Marco Polo International Airport.

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Big Hit for Patrick Stewart

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A video of English actor Patrick Stewart doing a quadruple take has gone viral on social media.

Stewart, who made his name in the American series “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, was doing a tutorial which was being filmed by his girlfriend and jazz singer, Sunny Ozell.

Stewart, who was dressed in a hoody and shorts during the tutorial, goes through the take, from single to the quadruple.

“What you have to understand about the quadruple take is it’s not in the same style as the take, single, or double take, right, it’s a different style of physical comedy,” he says.

Stewart, who will star on Broadway in Harold Pinter’s play “No Man’s Land” as well as Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” this fall, adds: “The first three were based on truth, on naturalism, on spontaneous, naturalistic acting.”

Just before he does the quadruple he says “This, the quadruple take, is in a different category of acting altogether but it’s the only one I know and you’ll be glad to hear that I don’t have anything beyond the quadruple take.”

The video has been viewed more than 1.6 million times since it was posted on YouTube on August 27. Stewart will star as Hirst in No Man’s Land and Vladimir in Waiting For Godot. Broadway officially open son October 26.

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Lily Allen plans a return to music

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British singer Lily Allen is planning a return to music for the first time in four years and on the way she also returned to her maiden name.

Allen, who announced her return by tweeting “I’m coming back, bitches” has changed her Twitter handle from Cooper to Allen.

A year ago 28-year-old Allen changed her professional name to Lily Rose Cooper and now she says the new album will be released under her maiden name.

Allen made an appearance on Pink’s single True Love but her own last single was “Who’d Have Known” released in 2009.

Allen retired from music in September 2010 not long after he second studio album “It’s Not Me, It’s You” which won both praise and commercial success.

Her retirement was post a performance at Wembley Stadium.

She has ventured into a clothing store Lucy in Disguise and a Sony-backed label, In The Name Of as well as married Sam Cooper and gave birth to daughters Ethel Mary and Marnie Rose since retiring.

The new single may be released next March or April with the album to follow. Allen made a live performance in February at Paris Fashion Week during Etam’s Girls Only! Lingerie Show.

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Ravioli, magnific italian food

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ravioli
To make the pasta use 6 cups all-purpose flour, 6 eggs, 3/4 cup water, and 2 teaspoons olive oil.

For the sauce use 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1 cup tomato puree, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup tomato paste, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons minced basil, 1 tablespoon minced parsley, 1 tablespoon minced oregano, 1 garlic clove, minced, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

For the filling use 1 carton of ricotta cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 2 teaspoons minced basil, 1 teaspoon minced parsley, 1 teaspoon minced oregano, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Place flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center and add beaten eggs, water and oil. Stir to form a ball. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

In a pot combine the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. In a bowl, combine the filling ingredients and refrigerate until ready for use.

Divide pasta dough into fourths, place teaspoonfuls of filling 1 inch apart over half of pasta sheet. Brush around filling with water, ffold sheet and press down to seal. Cut into squares with a pastry wheel.

Boil salted water and add ravioli. Simmer and cook until ravioli float to the top and are tender. Drain. Cover with sauce and serve.

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Marseille, port of France

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marseille

Marseille is the second largest city in France and also the largest port as it sits on the on the country’s southeastern coast.

The port is very important in visitor arrivals as well as industry while the city itself is well visited for its beaches, culture, and architecture.

In 2013, Marseille was designated the European Capital of Culture and with its blend of opera houses, historical and maritime museums and art galleries makes great entertainment for tourist.

Some of France’s greatest artists worked in Marseille, among then Dufy, Renoir, and Cezanne.

Some of their works can be seen at the Musée des beaux-arts de Marseille. Other museums in the city include the Natural History Museum, the Grobet-Labadie museum and the Musée de Civilisations de l’Europe et de laMéditerranée.

As with other cities in France cuisine is very important and the bouillabaisse is the most famous of the dishes in Marseille which is known for its seafood. Other specialties of the region include the anchoïade, bourride, and pied paquets.

Good restaurants to try in the city include the O’bidul which is the highest ranked restaurant for French cuisine according to Trip Advisor with meals ranging between $17 and $33.

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