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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Irish soda bread / vegan mofo 2009
© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
It's always nice to have a little home-baked something to go along with soup. It makes the meal seem homier and more comforting. When I saw this quick bread on the Holy Cow blog, it looked like just the thing to whip up for our meal. I've always enjoyed the dense texture of Irish soda bread, and although the original recipe appeared to be lighter than the normal soda bread, I made a couple of changes that probably affected the texture. Vaishali used half whole wheat flour and I used all white whole wheat flour. She added cream of tarter, and I used her suggested substitute because I didn't have any. And I added raisins, just because I felt like it. You might want to try her original version - it looks really good!
© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
THOSE WHO ENDURE - ARISE,OH SLEEPER / 2009 / BIOGRAPHY / DISCOGRAPHY
THIS ALBUM DEMO CONTAIN(5-TRACKS)
1-TO YOUR DESTINY(Intro)
2-PLEA FOR CHANGE
3-VEIL OF SEPERATION
4-THE CHIKING MIST/THE CRUSHING FIST
5-THE BLESSING & BRUTALY
CREDITS:
Peter Ball - Vocals (2007-)
Tom Jagels - Guitar (2007-)
Chris Perkins - Guitar (2008-)
Jamison "Jamo" McGrath - Bass (2007-)
Caleb Rigby - Drums (2007-)
Kyle "Mean Mr. B" - Guitar
BIOGRAPHY:
(http://www.myspace.com/thosewhoenduremetal)
Those Who Endure are a band, a family of sorts; whose focus and hope is to glorify the Lord Jesus, through the music we want to create and the talents He has placed upon us. Our name came to us when we heard a message a pastor preached about enduring in our faith. From the book of James in chapter 1 verse 12 "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."We are seeking to bring something different, being both melodic and devastatingly brutal at the same time. We bring a message of committment and a call to stand up to all who say they believe. IT IS TIME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!. The band was birthed in the hearts of both Pete and Caleb since meeting in 2000 at a Nagasaki show(although there was no name at that stage). Being friends for several years and having a strong passion for our faith and for metal. We had to quench our desire to get a band together. After interactions and work within other bands, which ended shortly after forming; as well as supporting and having good freindships with various well known local acts over the years. We met Jamo who had a desire to play bass, and after spending time with us; grew a desire to play in a metal band with us. And therefore forming the band and the name in what was January 2007. Then after searching for a guitarist for basically a year, in November 2007 Petes' wife said that she felt that God was going to give us a guitarist within 2 months(when almost at whits end), and on the day the 2 months was up; Pete and Tom met online, everyone was keen to get it started so we began working on songs and practicing HARD in Mid 2008. Chris Perkins has joined us in the band after much prayer and thought once he saw the advertisements we posted, he called Pete, and then came along to a practice and it just clicked. He is amazing on guitar and is a great addition to this band, with high excitement to write new material together. We cannot express the excitement we have since getting this far.We a have now released our EP, it is available to order, contact us for your copy today. Blessings and Brutality in ChristThose Who EndurePS Please keep spreading the word about us. You are a blessing to us. If you need to chat or some prayer drop us a line.(http://www.holymetalrob.com/)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Love Soup by Anna Thomas
When I became a vegetarian, one of the first cookbooks I bought — maybe the first — was "The Vegetarian Epicure" by Anna Thomas. It was filled with recipes that not only I, but my omnivore friends, found delicious. It was a book that made vegetarian cooking seem almost mainstream and gourmet at a time when vegetarians were still seen as a little odd. Anna Thomas was a graduate student in film production at UCLA in 1973 when she wrote that classic book. She went on to write "The Vegetarian Epicure Book II" in 1978 and "The New Vegetarian Epicure" in 1992. In addition to writing cookbooks, Anna Thomas is a screen writer and producer. She won an Academy Award for best writing/screen play written directly for the screen for El Norte, and additional kudos for My Family/Mi Familia which she co-wrote and produced. She was also a screen writer on Frida as well as other films.
Ms. Thomas has just released a new cookbook, "Love Soup," devoted to wonderful-sounding soup recipes, and I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to review her latest effort. Although the book is described as vegetarian rather than vegan, it's "vegan friendly" in the friendliest of ways. Ms. Thomas' two sons are vegan, and she knows her way around a vegan recipe. In nearly every chapter (desserts might be an exception) the vegan recipes outnumber the vegetarian ones, and most of the non-vegan ones could easily be made vegan with the simple substitution of Earth Balance or olive oil for a bit of butter, by using a vegan garnish instead of a non-vegan one, or by substituting vegan sour cream or cheese in the few recipes using those ingredients.
The veggies from spicy Indonesian yam and peanut soup
© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
The Book begins with lots of useful information about stocking the pantry, choosing ingredients and equipment, and measurements. It continues with a chapter on homemade broths, offering seven recipes for soup stock, all vegan, for those who like to make their own. The main soup chapters are arranged by season, to facilitate shopping at farmers' markets or using produce from your garden. There are also chapters for breads, enticing condiments and spreads to round out your meal.
I was planning to try a fall soup, but was too attracted to certain winter and summer recipes to do that. The summer soup I chose features zucchini, Yukon Gold potatoes, and fresh basil - all of which are in abundance at our farmers' market now. The second recipe, spicy Indonesian yam and peanut soup, sounded so delicious I just couldn't wait until winter. The next soup I plan to make is also a summer recipe, roasted eggplant and garbanzo bean soup. Doesn't that sound tempting?
Zucchini and potato soup © 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
I decided to make zucchini and potato soup first, and I chose to make the puréed version because I was in the mood for a creamy soup. The author warns not to over-blend because potatoes have a tendency to become gummy when over-worked, and I under-blended at first. I didn't achieve the creaminess I was after, so I re-blended to creamy perfection. The taste was rich and delicious, and the texture lush and smooth. The soup was truly sumptuous - can't wait to make it again! I served it with an Irish soda bread. The soup took me one hour to make, start to finish.
The veggies from spicy Indonesian yam and peanut soup, simmering
© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
My next test-recipe was spicy Indonesian yam and peanut soup. Would you believe this soup contains an entire half cup of shredded ginger? Well, it does. It's a root vegetable soup with yams, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic, peanut butter, tamarind, lemon, and fragrant herbs and spices.
Spicy Indonesian yam and peanut soup © 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
It was a little more complicated and time-consuming than the zucchini soup, but it was worth the effort. (And it wasn't hard to make.) I asked my husband what word he would use to describe the taste, and he said, "exquisite" - this is from a person who doesn't usually get beyond "very good" when describing something. The flavor was rich and complex, and I'd love to make this soup for company. In fact, there was SO MUCH soup that I was wishing we'd invited a few people for dinner. It was filling, too, and along with a salad, made a fabulous meal.
I'm looking forward to trying lots more of the soups from "Love Soup," if I can stop myself from making these two over and over! If you enjoy making soups filled with seasonal vegetables, beans, fresh herbs and condiments, you should take a look at "Love Soup."
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Cooking from the vegan blogs
© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
Lately I've been enjoying making things from other people's blogs and cookbooks. It's satisfying and creative when I devise my own recipes, but with so many intriguing recipes already perfected by others, and begging to be tried, it makes sense to benefit from my fellow-bloggers' hard work. We had a family dinner (minus two) Sunday night and everything we served came from food blogs and cookbooks.
© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
I made a batch of Cheezy Quackers from Have Cake Will Travel to have on hand when our hungry guests arrived. I especially had in mind the mini-guest, aged 19 months, who really likes to eat, and appreciates a good cracker or two. I was right about this - she had a cracker in each little fist both before and after dinner, and even carried a couple home with her. Because I was thinking about Miss E, I reduced the pepper in the recipe by about half. Although the crackers were delicious, they were a bit salty for me so next time I think I'll reduce the salt a little, too. I used white whole wheat flour with a very small amount of baking powder and they turned out great. My favorites were the ones I thought I had rolled too thin! I didn't have a tiny duck cutter - just a pig and a flower - but I opted to use a pastry cutter, and cut the dough into rectangles because I'm lazy, and it's the easy way out of a lot of cutting. But I made pigs and flowers out of the scraps left over from straightening the dough. I may be lazy, but I like a certain amount of variety. :)
© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
For the main course my husband prepared Sweet Chili Lime Tofu With Wok Steamed Collards, and Quinoa from Vegan Yum Yum. This has become one of our favorite dishes. We used a combination of collards and kale for the vegetable, and a combination of red and regular quinoa for the grain. I've already blogged about this dish in the past so I didn't photograph it. Here's a photo from the old post, just so you can see how attractive it is:
I also made a simple salad of sliced, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and green onions drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
For dessert I made two selections from Ricki's cookbook, "Sweet Freedom." I'd been eyeing the butterscotch blondies forever, and finally got all the ingredients together to make a batch. She warned me in the recipe not to over-bake them, and I tried really hard not to, but without a working timer in the kitchen, and so much going on, I probably did over-bake them a little bit. (Sorry, Ricki, I'm not used to the oven in this house, yet.) But, they were still fantastic! Everyone loved them, and now I have a really good excuse to make them again.
© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
The blondies probably would have been enough, but I had two over-ripe bananas on the counter, and there was a recipe in "Sweet Freedom" for Banana Oat Bars that called for two very ripe bananas, so I made those, too. I subbed chopped prunes for the raisins or cranberries, and ground almonds for the coconut. I wanted to use coconut but we didn't have any, but they turned out great anyway. Guess I'll have to make these again, too, so I can try them with coconut and cranberries. (I also topped them with chocolate chips because I have a weakness for bananas and chocolate.)
© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking
The next day, I used the leftover quinoa and greens (the tofu was all gone, tsk) as the base for a lunch salad. I added tomato, cucumber and avocado, with olive oil and lemon for the dressing.
Now go make all this stuff! You won't be sorry.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Scrambled tempeh, Singapore noodles, general weirdness
Last night we attended an outdoor evening performance of Lullaby Moon, a celebration of the new moon and of dreams. The Lullaby Moon Web site says:
Lullaby Moon is a year-long invitation to Seattle to explore a world of dream.
A celebration of the night sky, the series of performance events brings bedtime whimsy and wonder to parks and other public spaces throughout the city, enlivening and enlightening the dark time of each month. Performances take place on each new moon for an entire lunar year beginning in October 2008.
I can describe this event but really, I think you would have had to be there. It took place in Magnuson Park on Lake Washington. As soon as we got out of the car, we saw a line of female figures with horse heads, all in white, pushing antique white baby buggies filled with white flowers. They proceeded from the parking lot down the long winding path to the lake shore where the rest of the white-clad characters and objects interacted with the night and the audience. Along the path we also encountered an entirely white-clad young man riding an enormous antique-looking white tricycle. On the grassy "stage" there were large white beds with billowing white quilts, occupied by a changing cast of characters.
There were clock people and rabbits, and black-tuxedo clad people as well. There was a live orchestra playing lullabies and other nocturnal music, and when it got dark, there were lights. We were there with Miss E, who at 17 months, was transfixed - alternating between glee and awe.
I'm glad we forced ourselves to go out on a gloomy, overcast evening, unfed, to enjoy this spectacle of fantastic weirdness. No real supper for us last night, but we have been sampling recipes during the past week.
My son cooked one night, and he made Singapore noodles. It was really delicious but when I asked him where he got the recipe, he said he watched a you-tube video.
We also tried Scrambled Tempeh from Vegan Brunch and it was great. There were a couple of additions and subtractions to accommodate our refrigerator's contents but the tempeh was prepared according to the recipe, and kale was the green of choice. (subtracted peppers and added zucchini and green beans)
update: Here's a link to the Singapore noodle video my son watched before making our dinner. He veganized the recipe but I don't have any specific information about what he did other than to use tofu instead of meat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFVJeiHzUrQ
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
FLAMMA IGNIS - HA SALIDO DE CACERIA / 2007 / BIOGRAPHY / DISCOGRAPHY
THIS ALBUM CONTAIN(6-TRACKS)
1-SUSPENSE
2-APARTE DE MI
3-SAL DE TU GUETO
4-LA MUERTE HAS SALIDO DE CASERIA
5-ARMAGEDON
6-LAS DOS BESTIAS
FLAMMA IGNIS - FORTALEZA SAGRADA / 2004
THIS DEMO CONTAIN(5-TRACKS)
1-PUERTA ABIERTA
2-BAJO SUS PIES
3-LA MUERTE HAS SALIDO DE CACERIA
4-UNA VERDAD IRREFUTABLE QUE NO DEVIERA SER QUESTIONADA
5-FORTALEZA SAGRADA
CREDITS:
David Gago - Guitarra
Andrés García - Bajo y Voz
.
BIOGRAPHY:
(http://www.myspace.com/flammaignis)
Flamma Ignis (Galicia, España) surgió como un proyecto de David Gago (guitarra) y Andrés García (bajo y voz), que se conocieron por medio del programa de radio "La Siderurgia" (por aquel entonces conocido como "Metal Cristiano”) y la web doblefilo.fiestras.com, proyectos que David mantiene dentro de la escena del Metal Cristiano.Andrés sugirió como batería a su amigo Berto Novoa, y a finales del año 2003 la banda se pone en marcha.Su pasión por el metal y su pasión por Dios les ha llevado a lo que hoy son: una banda de metal pesado con unas letras desafiantes sobre la realidad de sus creencias, ofreciendo una visión real del cristianismo, que es muy distinto de lo que habitualmente se ha contado.Letras inspiradas en La Biblia, el libro más impactante de la historia, y un enfoque sincero sobre las necesidades espirituales del ser humano. Las líricas no dejan de ser un desafío para la propia banda.Santiago Mella, al que la banda siempre le estará agradecida, facilitó al grupo un local de ensayo, y poco a poco se fue mejorando el equipo (batería propia, amplificadores, instrumentos…), puesto que al principio era bastante precario. Flamma Ignis no tardó en probar sonido grabando una demo en el 2004, gracias a Pepe (del grupo de Rap “1dTantos”) que puso su equipo y su tiempo desinteresadamente. De hecho, fue tan pronto que algunos de esos temas se compusieron sobre la marcha.La demo era variada, con temas bastante bien compuestos aunque el sonido dejaba mucho que desear y algunas letras eran mejorables. Hoy por hoy, ha quedado totalmente obsoleta en el sentido de que ya no se parece en nada al sonido actual de Flamma Ignis. Por esta razón no se cuelga en el myspace ningún tema de la demo, aunque posiblemente se suba alguno en el futuro a modo de curiosidad.Durante estos años, la banda ha podido dar conciertos en diferentes lugares de España y compartir escenario con bandas internacionales como Antidemon (Brasil), Bloodwork (Inglaterra), o Triplet y PSF (Portugal), aunque también ha tenido bastantes momentos de parones y contratiempos.El año mas activo hasta ahora ha sido el 2006, con muchos conciertos que siempre serán recordados, y con una presencia cada vez mayor en la prensa e incluso la televisión.Es a finales de ese año, cuando se incorpora un nuevo guitarrista, conocido en la escena como Dune, webmaster de www.ryp.cjb.net y miembro del proyecto Rhetorica. Siendo ya gran amigo y eterno fan de la banda, su llegada al grupo completa enormemente las carencias musicales de disponer de una Sola Guitarra y la música da un giro enorme.Flamma Ignis ya está asentado como cuarteto y el resultado global ha cambiado de manera sorprendente.La banda entra en los estudios pontevedreses de Litium Records en Marzo del 2007, para grabar su debut discográfico, "La Muerte ha salido de Cacería", y da el salto intenacional tocando por primera vez en el extranjero (Portugal) en Abril de 2007.A partir de ese momento han incrementado su presencia en escenarios Españoles y Portugueses, y en el 2008 entran a formar parte de un par de recopilatorios de Metal.En el momento actual siguen recibiendo invitaciones para conciertos, y preparando nuevos temas para los mismos y para una futura segunda producción discográfica.Gracias a todos los que han apoyado a Flamma Ignis hasta ahora, en especial los ya nombrados Santiago Mella, 1dtantos y también Irene Santiago, que ha sido la que ha puesto las cartas sobre la mesa para que el primer disco se pueda hacer realidad, sin ella, no habría sido posible. Y junto a ellos todos los que de una manera u otra han estado siempre ahí.(http://www.holymetal.org/)
REVIEW
(http://www.holymetalrob.com/)
bueno siempre me gusto la voz del vocalista enrique bumburi de la banda "Heroes del Silencio",nunca pude encontrar alguna banda que tocara en ese estilo tan buenaso,pero al fin encontre una Vos Allegada ala de "Enrique" talves no en el stilo de metal que la banda prodigiosa de "Heroes Del Silensio" tocaban,aunque espero algun dia encontrar algo asi.creo que alo mejor "Flamma ignis" sin duda alguna! F-I Han detener sus influensias de La Banda Heroes Del Silencio".
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Plums, cooking pot, salad, sandwich, soup
My son and I were out and about this morning prowling the neighborhood, taking advantage of the beautiful weather, getting some (three hours worth of) exercise and doing an errand or two. First we walked to the library so I could return a book and maybe find another but the library was closed so only the return was accomplished. Along the way I spied a hand-printed sign offering free plums from a plum tree. The note advised passers-by to pick from the tree twice a day to keep the plums from falling to the sidewalk. We did our part and picked a large bagful of what turned out to be my favorite plums - Italian prune plums. They're perfect!
We headed towards a local shopping area where I wanted to check out the thrift store. In the housewares section I practically stopped breathing when I found a like-new (maybe actually new) 5-1/2 quart Le Creuset white round cast iron French oven for $25. In spite of the fact that we'd have to carry it home, I bought it. We continued on to Archie McPhee where I got a strange gift to send to someone back in Wisconsin. (Can't say what it is in case he reads this.)
We ended the morning at a vegetarian Thai restaurant where we had lunch. I had something called ginger delight, and if I'd had any socks on, it would have knocked them right off. It might have been the most ginger I've ever eaten in one sitting. Good thing I love it.
Not a lot of creative cooking has been going on around the house as we've been living an undisciplined end-of-summer life. We eat when we want to, which can mean lunch at 3 or 4 o'clock, and a late dinner when we're too tired to put a lot of thought into the meal.
See this salad? It looks like it was meant for at least four people but nope, it was made by me for me on one of those late lunch days. I was starving and got carried away but yes, I ate the whole thing. We've been shopping at a lot of farmers' markets and also gratefully receiving excess garden produce, so salads are high on the fresh and easy meal list.
Another day my son made this spicy tofu sandwich for lunch and it was so good. I rarely eat sandwiches but when I do, I'm always surprised at how good they taste.
Here's an old familiar soup we had for dinner last night. It's called Tuscan stew and we ate so much of it last year that I couldn't even look at it for a while. But it was just right last night, filled with late-summer veggies from our kids' garden. Yesterday was dark and gloomy, with a windy chill in the air, and this soup was exactly what we needed to warm us up.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
ROB QUEZADA - SANGRE EN EL EDEN /2009 / BIOGRAPHY / AND REVIEW
THIS ALBUMCONTAIN(11-TRACKS)
1-PRELUDIO(LAGRIMAS ROJAS
2-A TODOS
3-VOCES
4-SALIDA
5-GUARDALOS DEL MAL(Juan 17)
6-POBRE LADRON
7-SUBLIME
8-CREDO
9-FUERZA
10-SERPIENTES EN EL PARAISO
11-EDEN
CREDITS:
Rob Quesada - Voz/Vocals
Dennis Montoya - Bajo/Bass
Alex Sánchez - Batería/Drum
Felipe Damazzio - Teclado/Keybords
Ignacio Meléndez - Guitarra/Guitars
(http://rob-site.com/)
REVIEW:
bueno aqui tienen el album completo de nuestro hermanos de costa rica,una banda que realmente exalta nuestro senor y que no se averguenzan de poner el nombre de nuestro senor en alto,bueno casi todo el album esta completamente bueno en realida todos sus temas son un exito aunque tomare tres temas de mi gusto, "EDEN", " SERPIENTES EN EL PARAISO" " VOCES" Y "A TODOS" "Eden"es una balada muy linda buena letra muy fina tambien la balada muy bien acordada y muy bien tocada pero sin duda lo que es "Serpientes En El Paraiso" es de las mas pesadas,y su letra super ideolisada relinda traendo y tocando las vidas a recordar de donde caimos pero tambien a que recordemos que ese error fue cuvierto por nuestro senor y que las serpientes que representan a Satanas ya no podran tocarnos porque nuestro jesus con su sangre nos ha librado del pecado,aparte de su letra tan original sus solos de guitaras son fasinante muy profecionales y su grabacion ha sido un exicto,sin duda que hasta ahora algo de lo mejor de Costa rica nuestros besinos quienes tambien tienen otras bandas de mucho peso como "Sepulcro Vacio"(http://www.holymetalrob.com/)
CHAINED - GREAFUL SINNER / 2009
THIS ALBUM CONTAIN(12-TRACKS)
1-MY SAVIOUR,MY LORD
2-SHATTERED MINDS
3-GREATFULL SINNER
4-TEARING DOWN MY WALLS
5-DRAINED
6-CONQUERORS
7-BOUGHT BY BLOOD
8-LIKE A RATTLESNAKE
9-BOUND FOR GLORY
10-CAN'T HAVE MY SOUL
11-THE WEAKEST ARE STRONGEST
12-WAR IS HATE
CREDITS:
Daniel Persson - Guitars
Jonas Stenlund - Bass
David Sandström - Vocals
Stefan Nielsen - Drums
BIOGRAPHY:
(http://www.myspace.com/chainedmetal)
CHAINED was formed by Daniel Persson (Guitar) and Stefan Nielsen (Drums) in late April. Daniel and Stefan both attend the University of Music in Piteå, Sweden where they study to become music teacher. They both agreed on the idea of playing in a christian metal band. They were joined by Andreas Lindberg On Bass, a friend who also study to become a music teacher, also at the same university. After seven months without a singer David Sandström, another student at the University of Music, Completed The Line-Up in early November. CHAINED recorded A Demo-Single called SHATTERED MINDS in late November. In early December CHAINED recruited Guitarist Johan Bergwall.CHAINED is the latest of upcoming christian metal bands hailing from Sweden. CHAINED's debut album ‘Grateful Sinner’ is a mixture of Raw Power, attitude and aggression that proclaims the word of God and the good news that Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind. CHAINED has gained much recognition and received great reviews for their EP ‘Shattered Minds’ (2007) in Sweden, USA, Alaska, Austria, Australia, Germany and Italy among others and has also been played on various Radio stations in the countries mentioned above. The highly anticipated debut album ‘Grateful Sinner’ is finally here. Featured Guest on the album is Hardrock Pastor Bob Beeman from Nashville, TN, USA. CHAINED has been described as a “Radical Worship Band” and a “very heavy attitude filled band with a positive message, that will sweep you away with pounding rythms and melodies”. From Heavy Grooves and thunderous riffs to Powerful Ballads CHAINED can guarantee a concert experience with the focus on Jesus Christ that will leave no one untouched.CHAINED released A Demo single SHATTERED MINDS was released in early february, the release was followed by a couple of gigs. Due to heavy workload CHAINED could not book as many gigs as wanted. In the beginning of March Johan left the band. In early april CHAINED did a gig with Laudamus at Solid Rock Festival, a gig for which they recieved great reviews. In late May bassplayer Andreas Lindberg left the band. During the summer CHAINED has recieved a lot of great and positive reviews in USA, Austria and Italy among others(http://www.holymetalrob.com)
FIREFLIGHT - UNBREAKABLE / 2008
THIS ALBUM CONTAIN(10-TRACKS)
1-UNBREAKABLE
2-YOU GAVE ME A PROMISE
3-BRAND NEW DAY
4-THE HUNGER
5-STAND UP
6-FOREVER
7-GO AHEAD
8-THE LOVE WE HAD BEFORE
9-SO HELP ME GOD
10-WRAPPED IN YOUR ARMS
FIREFLIGHT - THE HEALING OF HARMS/2000
THIS ALBUM CONTAIN(11-TRACKS)
1-SERENITY
2-WAITING
3-YOU DECIDE(Featuring Josh Brown of "Day Of Fire")
4-IT'S YOU
5-STAR OF THE SHOW
6-LIAR(Featuring Paul Pelsue OF "Kids In The Way")
7-MYSELF
8-SOMETHING NEW
9-ATTITUDE
10-MORE THAN A LOVE SONG
11-ACTION
BIOGRAPHY/REVIEW:
(http://www.fireflightrock.com/)
This is album is the stuff of legends. You can expect to hear catchy rock riffs laid down with a unique, enjoyable guitar tone. Dawn Richardson's singing is irreplaceable because her voice is a perfect fit for bright, edgy music. Her lyrics are inspiring and powerfully relevant to the hurt and the broken who look for hope and freedom in Christ from all the pain and uncontrolled behaviors in their lives. I liked almost every second of this album the first time I listened to it. Lyrically and musically this album has more hooks than a tackle box, and I'm certain this album is on its way to winning a Dove Award. There is no need for uncertainty; just go ahead and buy this album and see for yourself how good it is.Fireflight offers upbeat, rocking Christian music that combines sensible, positive lyrics with music you can feel and appreciate for its artistic quality. The songs vary in style, but all are great. Perfect for your ipod for the car or running, etc.The vocalist can really sing and the music rocks. One complaint I do have is that the guitar playing is just average. Where are the solos? This would be A much better CD if they did have a few rockin solos in the songs.I was looking for something else when I ran across FireFlight. I am often reluctant to buy Christian music because it appears to me that the message is often placed before the quality of the music. This is not the case here. Quality rock with a good message. It's almost strange to get an uplifting message when much of what is put out today is just the opposite. Great..Fireflight's first CD, The Healing of Harms, was very good. But Unbreakable rises to the level of being great. The music is tight and driving, with a crunchy post-grunge, alt-metal sound to it. If you like hard rock, this is your style. Fireflight has a sound similar to Flyleaf, minus the screaming vocals, and is comparable in quality to Red, another terrific Christian alt-rock band. The lead vocalist, Dawn Richardson, has an outstanding voice. She gives the songs a bit of a glam rock feel at times, but it all works very nicely. Let me tell you, this girl has pipes. She can flat-out sing! Soaring above the music at times, really fun to listen to. Fireflight is a Christian band, but they're not doing worship music and they don't get preachy. Even if you're not a religious person, it's nice to have some driving rock sound, fronted by a great female vocalist, with positive lyrics. No one is being urged to hurt themselves or anyone else on a Fireflight album. The message is to hang in there, because there is always hope and forgiveness(http://www.holymetalrob.com/)
OFICINA G3 - DEPOIS DA GUERRA / 2008
THIS ALBUM CONTAIN(15-TRACKS)
1-DAG
2-MEUS PROPRIOS MEIOS
3-EU SOU
4-MEUS PASSOS
5-CONTINUAR
6-DE JOELHOS
7-TUA MAO
8-MUROS
9-DEPOIS DA GUERRA
10-A ELE
11-INCONDITIONAL
12-OBEDIENCIA
13-BETTER
14-PEOPLE GET READY(Cover To Larry Norman)
15-UNCONDITIONAL
well I Have no Words for this amazing band just that you may love it if you are a Bigfan of B-C And "BELICA" AND "IRON MAIDEN" " TZIDKENU" (http://www.holymetalrob.com)
CLEANHEART - FIGHT IN THE NAME OF GOD / 2000 / AND A SHORT REVIEW
THIS DEMO CONTAIN(4-TRACKS)
1-FIGHT IN THE NAME OF GOD
2-HEAVENLY PLACE
3-TIME TO WAR
4-HUMAN SAFETY
How I wish this band could have been releasing more music Than this demo it's just fantastic but good bands apears for moments then desbaned this band brings me to mind "STRANGELAND" "THE CROSS " TORAT" "VIGILANCE" "RISING CROSS" "OFICINA 3G" "C-FORCE" " " CEREMONYA" AND "MIRACLE" .well i gotta set this info here so that you may be update with the good christian metal that really rock for our king jesus til the final days(http://www.holymetalrob.com/)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
From bean to bar - chocolate bar of course / fudge sauce
The Theo Chocolate store is filled with chocolate you can taste and buy.
On Labor Day six family members and I took a tour of the Theo Chocolate factory in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. This was the second time I had been to the store but my first tour of the factory. The first time I visited the store front, I was a bit overwhelmed by the quantity and variety of chocolate available for sampling, and quickly became a fan of the delicious Theo chocolate. Theo has earned the title of the only organic, fair trade bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the U.S. Here's a quote from their Web site:
At Theo Chocolate, we are changing the definition of “quality” by uniting creative excellence that results in deliciously award-winning chocolate with our unwavering commitment to changing the way the cocoa industry conducts business. At Theo, we believe there is no luxury in products that benefit us today, while jeopardizing future generations ability to meet their needs. When you taste our chocolate you will experience our passion and integrity in every luscious bite. We promise, there is something for everyone from the adventurous “foodie”, to those seeking the simple comfort of a delectably creamy milk chocolate bar.Even Jane Goodall has given the chocolate her blessing, and has two varieties, a milk and a dark, in her name. "Proceeds from the sale of these [Jane Goodall's label] chocolate bars will benefit cocoa farmers, promote conservation in the tropical rainforest and directly contribute to the Jane Goodall Institute’s efforts to save chimpanzees, develop community centered conservation efforts and direct youth education programs around the world."We follow our passion for excellence to bring you chocolate that will delight your palate, ignite your imagination and inspire you to think and act sustainably! Be a part of our movement to save our planet and its capacity to nurture and sustain all living things. We can’t do it without you!
We had to wear cool blue hair nets on the tour.
After our first little excursion to the shop, we blabbed so often about how much we loved it that our son decided to host a tour for his family, in-laws and parents. Whoohoo. We got the low-down on the history of the building and company, and a tour of the factory itself. Because it was a holiday and the factory was closed, no chocolate was actually being made while we were there, but the aroma of chocolate floated around our heads, and the samples flowed into our greedy little mouths.
Our animated guide, Abby, a food scientist by trade, was incredibly well-versed in all things chocolate. We learned more than we thought we wanted to know! It was so fascinating, and Abby was such a talented guide I found myself wishing I had become a chocolate maker instead of a graphic designer. We learned that the historic building was still in it's original state - just as it had been in its past lives as a trolley barn and a brewery. We learned about the fair trade practices involved in procuring the chocolate beans and the difficult task of gathering and fermenting the beans. (Did you know that fermentation was part of the chocolate-making process?)
We saw the machinery involved in making chocolate and learned how it worked. The machines were brought from Germany and are very old. (There is actually someone whose job it is to keep the machinery running, usually by making new parts to replace the old, worn-out ones. I think his name is Willy Wonka...)
In addition to the crazy machinery, there were buckets of beans and shelves full of chocolate molds. Did you know the reason chocolate bars are divided into sections is because they were originally designed by doctors, and each section was a dose? Yes, my friends, dark chocolate is a medicinal product.
We saw the kitchen where new flavors are created, and special chocolate confections are literally made by hand.
After the tour we re-entered the store and discovered a new display that we hadn't seen before. Theo has collaborated with a small vegan online company in Philadelphia to produce vegan specialty bars and hand-made chocolate confections.
Nicobella is an online small business. Click here for the Nicobella blog.
Since chocolate has been touted for its health benefits (lots of antioxidants in dark chocolate), and we can eat it with a little less guilt, I made sure to pick up a 91% cacao bar - for medicinal purposes, of course. I may need a daily dose!
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I wish I could send everyone a bar of Theo chocolate - perhaps a giveaway would be appropriate. What do you think? In any case, I'll share a chocolate recipe.
Back in 2007 I blogged a recipe for chocolate crispy rice treats. I just made them the other day because I needed a quick dessert, and as I was stirring away at the stove, dipping my (clean) finger in for a taste, I thought, "this would make a great fudge sauce for ice cream or whatever." I made some (with slightly different ingredients) to try it out, and it was really good. As it sits on the cold ice cream it starts to harden and become caramel-like and stretchy in consistency. Makes my teeth tingle just to think about it. This recipe makes one cup of thick sauce.
Chocolate-almond hot fudge sauce
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup barley malt syrup (for gooeyness and caramel-like texture)
1/4 cup agave syrup (for sweetness)
1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch sea salt (opt.)
Place almond butter, syrups, and chips in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until melted, thick and hot. (about 5 minutes) Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. (Gets thicker as it cools.) Make hot fudge banana splits using 1/2 banana, a scoop of ice cream and a ladle of fudge sauce.
Here's a link to a chocolate - peanut butter dessert sauce that I haven't tried but sounds wonderful.
note: Instead of saving my leftover sauce as sauce, I stirred crispy brown rice cereal into the pot of chocolate then pressed the mixture into a pan for some brown rice treats to have on hand.
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