Author: CircleMe

Fried chicken, crispy fried comfort

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fried_chicken

Forget about always eating healthily! Sometimes you just want some real comfort food and there is nothing more comforting than deep fat crispy fried chicken! The recipe requires one 4 pound chicken, cut into pieces, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 cups all-purposeflour, 1 teaspoon paprika, salt, and pepper to taste, and 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying.

Put flour in a plastic bag and add salt, pepper, and paprika. Dip the chicken pieces in buttermilk and then in the bag with flour and shake to coat. Allow to sit until the flour is of a paste-like consistency.

In a large skillet add oil and heat until very hot. Add as many chicken pieces as possible and brown the chicken on both sides. Turn down flame and cover skillet allowing chicken to cook for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and turn up flame again, cooking until chicken is crispy.

Drain the fried chicken on paper towels. Keep the already fried chicken in a slightly warm oven until ready. Fried chicken can be eaten alone, with french fries or potato wedges or with fresh bread rolls. As a side dish you can add potato salad and cole slaw.

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Sardinia, very nice

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sardinia

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the geologically oldest in Europe. It’s a close neighbour of Corsica to the north, Italy, and Sicily. Its capital city is Cagliari.

The island is mountainous with high rocky coasts and several bays, inlets, and rias. The island has a Mediterranean climate on its coasts, plains, and lowlands while a continental climate exists in the centre.

The island has come under influence from Romans, Byzantines, Italians, Austrians and theSpanish and some of their traditions are still practised in Sardinia today. Sardinian and Italian are the main languages spoken on the island. It is also site of several megalithic structures and aUnesco World Heritage Site.

The Sardinian diet relies heavily on meat, dairy products, grains, and vegetables. Sardinians also drink more beer per capita than anywhere else in Italy.

Sardinia has three international airports connecting it to the mainland of Italy and other parts of Europe. There are ferry companies which operate between Sardinia and cities in France and there is a rail network which connects towns across the island.

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Bond parachutist dies

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Mark Sutton, the stuntman who parachuted into the stadium dressed as James Bond during the 2012 Olympic Games in London has died in a freak accident in Switzerland.

The 42 year old Sutton died while wingsuit flying on Wednesday, August 14 in the town of Martigny in the Swiss Alps near the border with France. Police said it appeared that Sutton died after crashing into a ridge of rock.

The stuntman was one of the 20 top wingsuit pilots in the world who had been invited to participate in a non-competitive gathering of similar pilots who are filmed as they jump from helicopters. The accident happened on the first day after several successful jumps had already been made.

The stuntman jumped from the helicopter at an altitude over 10,000 feet.

Sutton and another jumper flew close to the mountainside in the Valais region and were supposed to land close to the village of Le Peuty.

Sutton stirred up the London Games Opening Ceremony as part of a stunt featuring Queen Elizabeth II and Daniel Craig as Bond. Craig reprised his role up to the point of the jump flying into the Stadium as Sutton as Bond parachuted in.

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Paul McCartney wins back rights to Beatles songs

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Let It Be – and so it shall be as Sir Paul McCartney has won back the rights to the Beatles songs he lost to Michael Jackson over 30 years ago.

McCartney lost the publishing rights to the quartet’s songs when Jackson outbid him to buy them for a reported £31 million pounds and was disappointed again when they were not left to him in Jackson’s will when the singer died in 2009.

The duo were friends and even teamed up for songs like “The Girl Is Mine” and “Say, Say, Say” before the King of Pop’s move turned caused the relationship to sour.

McCartney, who has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, will regain the songs and be able to claim the titles and earn royalties and licensing money in another five years under the US Copyright Act.

Under the Act songs written before 1978 become the property of the songwriter after 56 years. This means McCartney will regain most of the songs by 2026.

McCartney, who recently married for the third time, following an ugly divorce from Heather Mills, is already worth a reported £680 million.

Back in 2005, Sony paid Jackson £62 million pounds for 50 per cent of the rights to the back catalogue.

It is not known how much the catalogue is worth these days.

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Greek-style Roast Chicken

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roast_chicken
Roast Chicken is always a favourite for a simple yet stylish dish to serve when entertaining.

There are many different ways the roast chicken can be prepared but it can be given a twist by adding Greek Yogurt to the marinade. The yogurt helps the chicken retain its moisture while in the oven.

This recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts with the skin still on, salt, ground black pepper, to taste, 1 cup plain Greek non-fat yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ cup orange juice, 2 cloves garlic, and 3 tablespoons olive oil.

After seasoning the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, place them in a gallon sized re-sealable bag. Mix together the yogurt, cumin, smoked paprika, orange juice and garlic and pour into the bag with the chicken. Marinate chicken for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Over a medium flame, heat olive oil. Add chicken with the skin side down and cook for 2 minutes until chicken is golden brown. Place pan in oven and roast for 25-30 minutes until cooked.

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Bydgoszcz, visit Poland

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Nestled on the banks of the Vistula and Brda Rivers in Poland is the city of Bydgoszcz. The city, the eighth largest in Poland, has in recent years become one of the most important in the country.

The oldest building in Bydgoszcz is the Fara Church or Church of St. Martin and Nicholauswhile the Church of Poor Clares is a landmark. Water sports, Art Nouveau buildings, thewaterfront, music, and urban greenery are some of the things for which Bydgoszcz is noted.

The largest city park in Poland (830 hectares sits in the city. Culture is very important especially music and the city has housed an Academy of Music since 1974. The Opera Nova sits on the banks of the Brda River and it is possible to take tours along the river.

Many famous opera singers have performed in the theatre. The city is served by a local airport and railway which connects it to other parts of Poland including the capital Warsaw.

The city also boasts a tram line and this is an easy way to get around and see the sights. The old town is easy to walk around in with many gothic style buildings.

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Minnie Driver discovers her dad was a married man

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British actress Minnie Driver discovered on television that her dad was a married man – and it wasn’t to her mom.

On the BBC1’s Who Do You Think You Are? Driver found out that her dad was married and had another daughter the entire period f his relationship to her mother Gaynor Millington. The pair also had another daughter, older than Minnie, Katie.

The actress who was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as a pre-medical student in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting did not find out her parents weren’t married until she was a teenager. Driver never met her paternal grandparents or saw a picture of them until the programme.

Her father later moved to Barbados where she and her sister Katie were raised. She said having her son Henry Story Driver made her want to learn more about her roots.

Driver’s dad, Ronnie, was a World War II hero who also won a medal for bravery. He won the Distinguished Flying Medal for saving three injured crewmen in thebattle of Heligoland Bight in 1939.

He told her that he threw the medal in the River Thames because he didn’t believe he deserved it. Ronnie’s wife eventually discovered he was leading a double life and divorced him.

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Dance music hitting the high notes in the Uk

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daft_punk
Dance music is gaining popularity in the UK. The latest data from the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) says that dance music is the most popular it has been in the Isles since 2006. The genre has a market share of 16.3%. That is behind the two largest market shareholders pop and rock.

Singles in the genre have also gone up by 19.1% in the first six months of the year and dance album sales are up by more than one third.

At least ten dance songs have sold more than a quarter of a million copies in the last seven months.

Calvin Harris beat Michael Jackson’s record for the most top ten hits from a single album in April with the album 18 Month. Harris has had eight top ten hits while Jackson’s previous record was seven.

Dance music single sales are up by 19.1 per cent.

Other interesting facts see that more than one in six singles sold in the UK between January and June were dance tracks; six of May’s top ten selling singles were dance songs, and 46.9 per cent of dance songs were downloaded.

Among the most popular acts are Daft Punk, whose album Get Lucky took 69 days to sell 1 million copies in the Uk.

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Chicken Curry, a taste of India at home

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Chicken_Curry
Nothing says exotic like curry and one of the simplest curry dishes to make is chicken curry. The dish is traditionally Indian and is like bringing a little taste of the sub-Continent home.

The curry can be spiced according to your own taste – fiery hot or just mild enough to leave you wanting more.

Chicken curry is best served with either Jasmine or Basmati Rice or Nan, or both.

Gather together 2 cups of Basmati or Jasmine rice, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 medium onion chopped, 1 clove of garlic minced, 3 tablespoons of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon of grated ginger root, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 skinless chicken breast halves cut into bite sized strips, 1 cup plain yogurt, ¾ cup coconut milk, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and salt to taste.

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over a medium flame and sauté onion until lightly browned. Add the garlic, curry powder, paprika, bay leaf, ginger root, and salt. Stir. Add chicken, tomato paste, coconut milk, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and yogurt. Bring to boil, turn down heat, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. In a separate pot, cook rice according to directions on package.

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Istanbul, East meets West

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istanbul
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and the second largest in Europe. It was the capital of four separate empires throughout its history from its founding in the 6th century as Constantinople.

It was once the seat of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. The city lies on the Strait of Bosphorus between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea with one part of the city in Europe and another in Asia.

The city’s historic and economic centres sit on the European side. It is further divided by a natural harbour known as the Golden Horn.

The city was the centre of Christianity for centuries until the rise of the Ottoman Empire when Islam took over. Today the city is still home to what was once one of the largest cathedrals in the world, later a mosque and now a museum– the Hagia Sophia.

The symbol of Istanbul may be the Topkapi Palace which was built after the fall of Constantinople. The city’s Grand Bazaar is also the largest covered market in the world.

The city has a borderline Mediterranean and humid sub-tropical climate but also has microclimates due to its vast size. Kebab is the most-well known of the city’s cuisine but it is also famous for its seafood.

The city was once famous for being the eastern terminus of the Orient Express from Paris. The city is still served by two international airports – the Istanbul Ataturk and the Sabiha Gokcen.

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