Holidays and Cooking & Recipes - #51

I really enjoyed this exercise, since I love to cook, and I am always looking up new recipes. I found a wonderful recipe for cinnamon rolls on the bakespace.com website. The original recipe is for 12 servings and I converted it to 24 servings using the Recipe Ingredient Conversion Calculator's website. Here are my findings:

CINNAMON ROLLS

· 1 cup milk
· 1/4 cup butter
· 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
· 1/4 cup granulated sugar
· 1 egg, room temperature, slightly beaten
· 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups flour (I use bread flour, but you can use all purpose)
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 cup brown sugar, packed
· 1 tablespoon cinnamon
· 1/2 cup butter, softened
· 1/2 cup pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the milk, 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Let cool until temperature is about 110 degrees F (like bathwater warm).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine milk mixture with yeast, egg, and 2 cups of the flour and the salt; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. (Alternately, just use the dough hook on your mixer and let the mixer knead the dough for about five minutes)
3. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean damp towel. Allow dough to rise until double, about 1 hour. In the mean time, in a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
4. Roll out the dough into a 12X9 inch rectangle (I like to do this on my Silpat). Spread the dough with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with pecans if desired. Roll up the dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal sized pieces and place into a greased 9X13 inch pan. Cover and let rise until doubled.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and frost while warm.

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24 servings conversion:

2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
7 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup butter
1 cup pecans
2 eggs

Global Nation - Potluck #50

I visited Igougo and planned my dream vacation to Venice, Italy. I chose to stay at the Hotel Abbazia, because it had a 5* member rating and it is 1 minute away from the Grand Canal, where I will be taking a breathtaking gondola ride across the many canals Venice has to offer. The gondola driver will enlighten me with the history of the city and pinpoint important buildings. I know I will be very comfortable, since many reviewers stated that the gondolas had very plush seats. After my gondola ride, I will visit Piazza San Marco in St. Mark's Square, to go on a heavy shopping spree and enjoy a nice cup of cappuccino at one of the many cafes. All of this walking around and shopping will get me very hungry, so I will stop by the Pizzeria Marciana, located behind St. Mark's Square, to indulge on a slice of pizza and some spaghetti. I want to taste the difference between Americanized Italian food and the real Italian food, I'm sure I will be very surprised by the difference in taste! In the late afternoon, I will walk away the pounds at the Gallerie dell Accademia, which is an art gallery best known for its pre-1800's art in Venice. Then, I will grab dinner at Iguana (a Mexican restaurant), just to see what the Italian's interpretation of Mexican food is. Possibly similar to Tex-Mex food? I shall see on my visit. I can just imagine meatball tacos being served on the menu!

Love of Languages - Potluck #49

I browsed through the language sites and I registered for Livemocha. The site asked me what language I currently know and what language I am trying to learn. I chose Italian, because I love the Italian culture and I want to be able to speak the language. I enrolled in the Italian 101 course and it basically displayed a few words and pictures of those words. I was then quizzed on matching the words to the pictures and learning how to write those words correctly. The site also allows you to ask another member (who speaks the language that you are trying to learn) a question. I did not like the site, Mangolanguages, because there were too many slides and the training was at a very slow speed. I am a very impatient person and I like to go through things very quickly and not at a slow speed. Too many slides saying the same word over and over again. For work purposes, I can always brush up on my Spanish when translating documents, and visit Livemocha.

Games & Gaming #38

I visited the arcade retro website and I played Ms. Pacman. I used to play Pacman & Ms. Pacman on my Atari when I was very young, so playing it brought back many good memories. I have never played this video game on a computer and I thought that using the keyboard instead of a joystick was more challenging.

I think that the console game system that is best suitable for library purposes is the Nintendo Wii. This video game is suitable for every age group and it could be used by adults as well as children. The children can have fun playing the Wii Deca Sports. It contains a bundle of different sports such as soccer, skateboarding, ice skating, volleyball, and basketball. The adults who happen to be health conscious can enjoy a great workout using the Wii Fit. This game offers different exercises such as aerobics, yoga, and strength training exercises. The elderly can also benefit from this game system. I read an article a few weeks ago that mentioned that the Nintendo Wii was being offered at a veteran physical therapy rehabilitation site, in order to get the joints and muscles of disbaled veterans moving. The veterans played different sports by using the Wii, such as baseball, and they were improving their health and having fun at the same time. I thought that was a great story!

I think that players would come to the libary for the game, but also stay for the books and other available resources that the library offers. I think if the library promotes the books in conjunction with a certain video game, then my theory would be more valid. For example, a display of books featuring biographies of famous baseball players would catch the eye of a player who is playing baseball on the Nintendo Wii. Also, a display of healthy cookbooks would interest the adults that are working out using the Wii Fit.

Games & Gaming #37

I read the NYTBS article on the topic of gaming in the library and it was very informative. The article focused on the New York Public Library and its Friday afternoon game sessions. The library claims to own 2,500 copies of 92 different games, that are available for circulation during one-week intervals. I think having games available at the library is a smart way to increase youth participation at the library. The games will attract kids who normally would not want to hang out at a "boring old library", and this may cause them to venture over to the other resources that the library offers, such as magazines, CD's, or even a book! I played the "I'll Get It" game that was on the Carnegie Mellon University Library's website. The object of the game was to help your peers find research tools for a certain question. This cartoon figure would pick up a piece of paper from one of his peers and take it over to the catalog. The catalog displayed different available resources that could help answer the question. I had to choose between looking in the books, periodicals, or electronic database section. It was fun once I got the hang of it!

Games & Gaming #36

I visited Runescape, registered with the site, and created my own avatar. My avatar had light brown skin, black short hair, medium build, and small feet. She was wearing a blue long sleeved shirt, blue pants, and black boots. I wasn't sure how to take a screenshot of the avatar, so I did not post it on here. I did not find it easy to get around the Runescape site. Once the game started, I was basically stuck inside the house that the avatar was originally in, because I was not sure how to get her out of there. I could not find an exit door, and there were two other avatars in there that looked at me like I was crazy! I only knew how to point my mouse to a specific location on the computer, and the avatar would walk in that direction. If I had more time, I could possibly figure out how to play the game. If I get bored at home, I might solve this mystery.

Games & Gaming #35

I visited the website, http://www.freerice.com/, and I really enjoyed it! It is a site that allows you to enhance your vocabulary skills by playing a game where you have to choose the best definition for a certain word. The best part about it is that the site donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program for every correct answer that you get. I enjoyed playing the game and I actually donated 2,520 grains of rice! That makes me feel very, very good! The sponsors listed at the bottom of the page within that site, are the ones who donate the money to pay for the rice. This site actually accomplishes two things at one time: enhance people's vocabulary & feed the hungry. What a wonderful website, I will recommend it to all of my friends!