Healthy and full of crisp, sweet, nutty flavor, these are my favorite treat to take hiking, camping, or just to keep around the house for breakfast or snacks. The nice thing about granola bars, is that they are so easy to modify!

Granola Bars

Ingredients

10 cups rolled oats
1 3/4 cups wheat germ
1 3/4 cups oat bran
3/4 cup sesame seeds (optional)
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
1 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
Note: In place of the nuts above, you can also use two 10 oz cans of mixed nuts, finely chopped)
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1 cup flax seed/flax meal (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (optional - but incredibly perfect for all chocolate lovers)
1 cup flavored syrup (maple, boysenberry etc)
1 cup honey
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1 1/2 cup butter or margerine
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease two large 11x21 baking sheets (or 4 9x11's).

Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, coconut flakes, almonds, pecans, flax seed and walnuts in a large bowl. Whip the eggs together until lightly frothy and stir into the oat mixture just before adding the following syrup mixture.

Syrup Mixture - Stir together the salt, brown sugar, syrup, honey, butter, cinnamon, cocoa powder and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat everything well. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.

Bake for 25 minutes for a softer crunch, 10 minutes more for a crispier crunch. When you remove from the oven, gently cut into bars but leave in the pan until completely cool. Store in an airtight container.

40 large 1 serving bars

Please remind me that I really must stop baking! Especially if I expect to fit into a wedding dress in a couple months!

Every morning at the cafe, we made 100 cookies to go with the bagged lunches ($5 got you a sandwich, chips and a large cookie of sorts). These were the most requested:

Mary's Dirty Brownies

Ingredients

• For the brownie layer

10 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour

• For the cookie dough layer

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 15 ounce package Oreo Cookies


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9×9 baking pan with tin foil and then spray the tin foil with a layer of baking spray. The foil isn't necessary, but does enable you to easily remove the cookies from the pan. Important if you don't want to loose anything so tasty!

• For the brownie layer:

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the sugar and cocoa powder once the butter is melted. Stir together well and remove from heat. Add the salt, vanilla and eggs and continuously whisk until the eggs are combined. Add the flour and continue to mix. Set batter aside.

• For the cookie dough layer:

Cream together the butter and sugars using a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set dough aside.

• To assemble:

Layer the cookie dough on the bottom of the prepared baking pan, pressing down to form the bottom of the brownies. Layer as many Oreos as you can on top of the cookie dough. No need to overlap. One single layer will be perfect. Pour the brownie batter on top of the Oreo layer and spread evenly on top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if the center is done. If the toothpick comes out clean, then remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies rest before serving. If the toothpick comes out wet with batter, allow the brownies to bake another 5 minutes. Best served with ice cream! Makes 16 brownies.

Warning! These brownies cause extreme taste satisfaction and complicate weight loss.

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It's hard for me to pass by any musical piece that lends positive energy to the feeling of the day. So it wasn't surprising that I fell in love with the Citybank commercial song, sung with a lusty femme fatale voice belting out "Somebody left the gate open, Come save us a runaway train", where the woman climbs to the top of a massive rock formation and stands on it's pinnacle. It's as if my life's motto was placed before my feet, much like letting all the horses out, simply to take delight in their storming across the fields.

Somebody left the gate open 
You know we got lost on the way 
Come save us a runaway train 
Goin insane

LP aka Laura Pergolizzi, a relatively unknown singer-songwriter from Los Angeles by way of New York, is responsible for the wonderful vocal acrobatics of the commercial's song in which she not only throatily sings but whistles evocatively. Her music seems to bridge the gap somewhere between folk and pop. Since 2001, LP's songwriting credits list the Backstreet Boys' 2007 hit Love Will Keep You Up All Night, Rihanna's Cheers and Christina Aguilera's Beautiful People.

Visit her interesting website at http://www.iamlp.com/


{ Image: 0.tqn.com/d/top40/1/0/_/c/2/LP-into-the-wild-warner-bros.jpg }

Even better: Download "Into The Wild" free, for a limited time (who doesn't love free music?) at http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com/news/download-lp%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9C-wild%E2%80%9D-live-east-west-studios

This is a mini batch of the same recipe served in my cafe. They were always in short supply as they seemed to almost fly out the window!

Skillet Country Fried Potatoes

4 cups small red potatoes, diced in approx 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup chopped sweet onions (Walla walla's if you can find them!) (Optional)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (Optional)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine (Country Crock is my favorite because it will brown your tators very nicely without burning)
paprika, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
Ham chunks, bacon bits, browned ground beef, or other precooked meat (Optional)

Boil diced potatoes in water for about 4 minutes, until just a bit tender but not fully cooked. Drain potatoes and toss with onions. Heat butter/margarine over medium heat in a heavy skillet; add potatoes and onions. Fry, bringing potatoes up from bottom of pan with a spatula occasionally for even cooking and browning. Try not to turn your tators too soon, so the edges fully crisp while browning. If adding meat, this is the time to do so. Season to taste with paprika, salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheddar over the top and cover with lid for a minute and serve.
Serves 4.

Note: If planning breakfast in advance (large gatherings or that weeks breakfasts), preboil a batch of potatoes and store in the fridge. They will keep up to three days before souring.

Here they are, sans onions and cheese:

Food can be the most intimidating thing to tackle for someone who has never owned a parrot before. Yet, bird foods can be horribly expensive. Making my kids food from scratch is the most reasonable for my pocketbook. Better yet, it's 100% healthy and lacks the preservatives, shelf life extenders and additives found in most pre-prepared bird foods.

These recipes are flexible, so feel free to make substitutions based on what your birds prefer or what's available in your area.

Birdy favorites:

Multi grain pasta (lightly cooked), quinoa, kashi, tabouille, hummus, falafal, oatmeal, flax seeds, popcorn, sprouts (be sure to rinse them well to avoid toxins), chia seeds, sesame paste & seeds, the list goes on & on...And don't forget Corn on the cob: It's a treat and it's a toy! Mariah loves it and shreds the whole cob after she's eaten all of the corn. Cooked beans are good because they are a good protein source and are a favorite treat of many birds, but raw, dry bean mixes can be extremely harmful to your bird. Uncooked beans contain a poison called hemaglutin which is very toxic to birds. To avoid exposure, make sure to thoroughly cook any beans that you choose to share with your bird. Try boiling a 15 bean soup mix without any seasoning. Allow the beans to cool, and then offer a scoop to your bird. Chances are that this will become a fast favorite with your little friend.

Then, there is the love of cayenne pepper (birds love spicy hot!). Although many humans have trouble eating spicy peppers, birds can definitely take the heat. It seems that our avian friends lack the taste receptors that pick up on a pepper's stinging bite, which makes them a favorite of birds around the world. Try giving yours a nice fresh chile or banana pepper and watch him chomp through it to get to the meat and seeds inside. You may find out that you have quite a hot little tamale on your hands!

Avoid giving your birds sugar, salt, dairy and high fat foods. Never give your bird avocado, artichoke, onions, mushrooms, tomato leaves, caffeine or alcohol as these are poison to your bird. Remove any seeds or pits from fresh fruit. Believe it or not, apples - along with other members of the rose family including cherries, peaches, apricots, and pears - contain trace amounts of Cyanide within their seeds. While the fruit of the apple is fine for your bird, be aware that in addition to the poisonous seeds, there may be pesticides present on the fruit's skin.

Birdy Nutriberries

Ingredients:

1 cup of unsulphured dried fruit

• These are Icks favorites:
  • Mango
  • Papaya
  • Sultanas
  • Dates (stoned)

2 Tablespoons of shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup of uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup of organic raisins or currants
1/4 cup of small seeds and/or crushed nuts

• These are Icks favorites:
  • Peanuts
  • Walnuts
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup dry split peas
1/4 cup dried corn kernels (I get mine from the feed store)
1/4 cup pellets (I prefer Roudybush)
1/4 cup of raw organic wheat germ flakes
2 Tablespoons of organic almond butter
1 to 2 Tablespoons of blackstrap molasses (more or less to suit)


Blend all the dry ingredients in a food processor until chopped finely - if you have larger birds like Macaws, chop less, chop finer for parakeets. Place mixture into a bowl and add almond butter and molasses. Mix very well, the mix will be sticky. Add more molasses one drop at a time if it's not wet enough, being careful to not make it too gooey. Roll mixture into small 1/2" balls and place on a cookie sheet. Save the fine coconut shreds until last and roll the balls in it, or shake them in a bag of wheat germ or ground almonds. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cool and serve. Recipe x 2 makes over ninety nutriberries!

Birdy Avicakes

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed cereal (Shredded Wheat and whole wheat Cheerios are Ick's favorite)
2 cups crushed pellets (I prefer Roudybush)
2 cups assorted seed mix - crush the larger bits
1 1/4 cup honey or 1/2 cup honey & 1/2 cup molasses

Stir until mix is wet, but not dripping. Pour onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet and spread to the thickness you want your cakes. Bake at 225 degrees for 25 minutes and deeply score the top of the cake to the biscuit size you desire. Bake for another 20 minutes. Break apart when cooled and serve as desired.

Birdy Popcicle Cookies

Pre-drill small holes at the top of 15 to 20 Popsicle sticks (for easy hanging later)

Soak over night in tap water:
1/2 cup Split Peas
1/2 cup Dried corn bits

Blend in large bowl:
1/2 cup chopped Peanuts
1/2 cup shredded Coconut
1/2 cup shelled Sunflower seeds

Chop fine and add to the bowl:
1/2 cup Mixed fruit
1/2 cup Sultanas
1/2 cup Dates
the soaked ingredients

Add:
Couple handfuls of mixed Birdseed
1 tbsp peanutbutter
2 tbsp honey or molasses
2 beaten Eggs
Shell from four eggs, which are first dried and finely crushed (coffee grinders are perfect for this).

Mix all ingredients together well making sure the egg is well distributed and shape around Popsicle sticks (not too thick) and cook on wax papered cookie sheets at 120 degrees for 2 hours. Note: egg shells are not mandatory but help boost low calcium issues.

Birdy Corn Bread

My birds love this stuff!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup shortening
1 jar pureed baby food vegies
1 jar pureed baby food fruit
1/2 cup raisens
1/2 cup nuts
Chopped vegies
2 eggs

Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and shortening in a bowl with the baby food until you get the right consistency. If you need more liquid, simply add more of the baby food or a little water. Then add raisin, nuts and regular vegetables, the egg (shell and all - just crush the shell well in your hands prior to adding). Pour into a greased bread pan. Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. Serve by the chuck, appropriately sized for your bird.

Birdy Daily Staple Bread

This recipe is the mainstay of my parrots every day food and they waste less of this than anything else (two pans last my 6 birds of varying sizes about two and a half weeks).

Ingredients:

4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup baking powder
1 cup shortening
2 bags of frozen mixed veggies
1 bag of frozen green veggies. My birds prefer chopped turnip greens.
3 small bags of frozen fruit. I usually use one bag of blackberries, one bag of blueberries, and one bag of mango chunks.
1 large sweet potato
2 heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter
6 eggs (be sure to include the shell!)
Approx 1/4 cup Baking powder. Aluminum-free is best.
2 cups pellets (I prefer Roudybush)
1 cup almonds
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes
1 green apple
Olive oil
Ground cinnamon

Put 1 bag of mixed veggies, 1/2 bag of green veggies, and 1/2 of each of the three bags of fruit into a colander and run some cool water over it until it is completely defrosted. Peel your large sweet potato. Cut half of it into small pieces. Crack 3 eggs into a large mixing bowl. Crush up the shells and throw them in the bowl as well. Add a large (heaping) scoop of peanut butter and the chopped sweet potato. Mix well. Add the thawing vegie and fruit mix to your mixing bowl and stir. Add 2 cups cornmeal, 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup baking powder and 1/2 cup shortening and sprinkle a little baking powder on top. Add 1 cup of pellets and 1/2 cup of almonds.

Follow the above steps again for the second pan in a second bowl. This ensures your birds get a well balanced meal with each serving. A steady diet is very important for healthy birds. I've tried mixing everything in one bowl, but it never fails that one pan gets more or less of something than the other and the birds get shorted in the end.

Lightly coat two 9x13 pans with olive oil and pour batter into the pans. Cut the apple into thin slices and arrange them in a single layer on the top of the batter in the pans. Sprinkle a little ground cinnamon over both. Put both of the pans in the middle rack near the center of your oven and bake for 80 minutes (1 hour 20 minutes) at 350 degrees. Once the pans are cool, separate the bread from the sides of the pan with a blunt knife and dump them out onto a large cutting board. Cut the bread into whatever size pieces your birds prefer most and wrap them. Keep the unused bread in the fridge. For longer storage you could easily freeze the pieces. Makes 2 sheet pans.

Birdy Pilaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown rice
1 Tbsp oats
1/4 cup frozen peas (could also use succotash, peas and carrots, or really any frozen veggie mix)
small crown of broccoli, finely chopped
1/2 medium sized carrot, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 bell pepper, chopped
sprinkle of cinnamon (makes your bird smell nice!)
1 to 1 and 1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients and simmer, covered, on low heat for 35 minutes or until rice is cooked. Serve by the teaspoon. This freezes well and is a great thing to serve on those occasions when you are in a hurry. Place teaspoon servings on a cookie sheet covered in waxed paper and freeze. Once frozen, pour the individual pilaf servings into a zip-lock bag and keep in the freezer.

Birdy Mash

This recipe is my variation of Shan Lung's Tinkerbell Mash, and takes approximately three to four days to make, so plan ahead. It's a lot of food, so be sure you have enough freezer space available. Important note: Soaking the beans for 72 hours, while not mandatory, allows the beans to sprout and adds to their nutritional value. However, soaking the beans for a minimum of 24 hours is a must. Most of the beans used in this recipe contain toxins. If the beans are not properly rinsed and cooked, the toxins could damage your parrot's internal organs.


Ingredients:

3/4 cup black beans
3/4 cup lima beans
3/4 cup kidney beans
3/4 cup soybeans
3/4 cup garbanzo beans
3/4 cup black-eyed beans
3/4 cup great northern white beans
3/4 cup brown rice
3/4 cup crushed barley
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup rolled wheat berries
1 1/2 cups millet
2 cups diced yams
2 cups diced potatoes
2 tbsp wheat germ
2 tbsp crushed fine oyster calcium tablets
2 cups California Mix frozen vegetables
2 tbsp red palm oil (optional)

Also needed:

1 strainer
1 wooden cutting board
2 bath towels
6 24-oz plastic containers, with lids
1 20-q. stock pot
40 1-qt sandwich bags


Place each type of bean in a 24-oz. plastic container. Fill the containers with enough water to cover the beans plus an additional inch. Place lids loosely on each container to allow gas to escape. Set aside to soak. Rinse the beans thoroughly every 12 hours for 72 hours. Thoroughly rinse each container prior to replacing the beans and add fresh water. Beans should begin to sprout after 72 hours. Add soaked, sprouting beans to the stock pot. Add water, covering beans with an excess of approximately 2 inches of water.

• Cooking

Bring to boil for five minutes. Reduce heat and remove any foamy buildup from the top of the water with a strainer. Add grains, potatoes, yams, wheat germ, crushed calcium, frozen vegetables and palm oil. Stir thoroughly. Return heat to boiling for 15 minutes and stir constantly to avoid sticking. Remove from heat and cover with the stock pot lid. Place the warm stock pot on the wooden block and cover with towels to retain heat. Let the mixture sit for 8 to 10 hours. Spoon the cooled mixture into sandwich bags. Freeze portions for later use.

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It takes a lot of time and love to make your own bird food. Unlike human foods, a manufacturer is only required to place the ingredients they themselves place in their product on the label. That means, if they buy pre mixed mixes, pre made anything, there may still be preservatives in the stuff you just don't know about it because the manufacterer doesn't have to list what he didn't add. This is extra important because birds are extra sensitive to everything. Especially their foods. Plucking, discomfort in breathing, a reduction of the body's own antioxidant enzyme, this list of health issues cause by additives seems endless. Go whip up a batch of the most nutritious food for your parrot from one of these healthy recipes that is free of any kind of presevatives and shelf life extenders. Made with love and care for your birdie. Your birds will love you for it!

...that take our breath away.

Feels So Good by Steven Tyler
http://music-mix.ew.com/2011/05/10/steven-tyler-new-single-it-feels-so-good/
http://www.directlyrics.com/steven-tyler-feels-so-good-lyrics.html
Steven Tyler also made a very fun video that goes with the song, but it's not exactly family friendly lol. Send me a note and I will send you a link.

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Forget pudding box mixes! You will find this is a very easy to make, moist and delicious, cake!

Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups sugar or, bakers Splenda for a perfect sugar free version
• 1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Stir the above ingredients together well. I will often make two batches of the above, and save one batch in a ziplock bag for future use as a pre-made cake mix. It is far better than any boxed cake mix on the market!

To the above, add:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Mix well for 2 minutes, or until creamy - batter will be thin. Grease and lightly flour two 9 inch cake pans or 1 9x11 lasagna pan. Pour into greased pans and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a wood toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for at least ten minutes before frosting. Makes terrific cupcakes too!

Chocolate Frosting

• 1/2 cup margarine or butter
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt margarine/butter and stir in cocoa. Then alternately add powdered sugar and milk, a little at a time, beating until it is a spreadable consistency. Stir in vanilla. This will make enough frosting to frost both tops and sides of your two 9 inch cake pans for one cake. Cut this recipe in half if you are frosting a cake made in a lasagna pan, unless you like a lot of frosting.

Left over frosting? Simply zap leftovers for 25 seconds in your microwave to freshen and spread on cupcakes, cookies or what ever you wish to sweeten.

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At the request of a dear friend, these are the very same biscuits I served in my cafe in Snohomish Washington.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface, but do not knead more than once or twice. Pat or roll dough out to 1 1/2 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass (3 inches wide) dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4 Let rest for an hour on baking sheet; or, for extra large biscuits, roll in foil and refrigerate. Keeps for up to 36 hours. Allow to return to room temp before baking.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

Note: You can store baked biscuits for up to two days, and zap them in a microwave for 10 to 20 seconds (depending on your microwave) to serve piping hot - no one will ever know they didn't just come out of the oven!

Alternatives:

- replace shortening with 1/3 cup canola oil
- replace milk with 1 1/4 cup sourdough starter
- replace 1/4 cup white flour with 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- use butter or butter flavored shortening and as little as 3/4 cup of milk for slightly heavier biscuits
- no shortening or milk in the fridge? Try butter and a cup of beer. Go ahead and laugh, but they always came out great.

Makes 5 or 6 very large biscuits. Top with butter and serve with jam or honey! mmmmmmm

{ Image: goldtoken.com/pics/albums/photo670110408164206.jpg }

Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 1/4 cups flour - two table spoons more if you prefer thicker heavier pancakes, two table spoons less if you prefer thinner, lighter pancakes
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• Canola oil to season pan

Preheat a flat skillet over medium heat after wiping a layer of canola oil on the pan with a paper towel. That is the most important step to keep the pancakes from sticking. Pan choice is also very important for the best pancakes and crepes. I use a large well seasoned cast iron skillet. The general rule: Once a pan has been seasoned for crepes or pancakes, never use it for anything but pancakes or crepes!

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. This is much better than whipping by hand and ensures a very creamy consistency. Pour batter onto the skillet, the amount depends on the size you desire. Flip pancakes when edges firm and the bubbles on top pop. Cook pancakes on other side for same amount of time until golden brown.

Serve with fresh butter, and your favorite topping.

Buttermilk Crepe variation: Add an additional 1/4 cup buttermilk and an extra egg for the most delicious crepes ever. Although there is a technique to making crepes, once you have mastered it you'll make crepes as easily as pancakes. There are two ways to cook your crepes - either way, you must use a properly seasoned pan or your crepes will stick horribly and frustrate the bedoodles out of you!

Method 1.) Preheat a flat skillet over medium heat as noted above for pancakes after wiping a layer of canola oil on the pan with a paper towel. Pour 1/4 cup of crepe batter into pan, quickly tilting in all directions to completely coat the surface of the pan. Cook 2 to 5 minutes, turning once, until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

Method 2.) To use an ”upside-down" crepe pan, pour the prepared batter into a shallow dish or pie pan. Preheat crepe pan upside down over a medium-high heat and test for readiness after wiping a layer of canola oil on the pan with a paper towel (when a small piece of butter melts and bubbles on the pan the temperature is correct). Dip the crepe pan into the batter in an even motion to obtain an even coating. Turn the pan over and cook until the edges begin to turn a golden brown. Patch the crepes if necessary with a drop or two of batter. This will take about 45 seconds. Invert the pan and let the crepe come off onto a plate. Sometimes you may have to loosen the crepe edges a bit with a table knife or fork to get it to come off.

Special note for crepes: To remove any crumbs, wipe the pan lightly with a canola oil-moistened paper towel. Repeat the procedure and make the rest of the crepes. If the batter does not adhere to the pan and a skim of cooked batter floats on the batter mix, the pan is too hot. Remove the skim and adjust heat.

Now that your crepes are made, choose a crepe filling. Below are a couple of my favorite fillings, from breakfast to easy dinner crepes, but just about anything will do!

• Banana split crepes: fill crepe with a couple scoops of ice cream, add banana slice, roll, and top with whipping cream and chocolate sauce
• Eggs Benedict crepe: fill with diced smoked ham and cheese, roll and top with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce <<---my fav!
• PJ Crepes: If you’re craving something sweet, fill your crepes with your favorite fruit preserves or jam, add peanut butter (if desired). Roll and top with whipping cream or maple syrup.
• Dinner crepes: There’s nothing better than crepes filled with meats or vegetables and covered with swiss cheese sauce or cheddar cheese sauce mmmmmmmm!!!!

Or, try these fillings:

• Prosciutto, gorgonzola and fruit preserves
• Chicken, artichoke or asparagus, and sun dried tomatoes
• Chicken divan with broccoli and cheddar cheese
• Beef burgundy with red wine sauce

This recipe will make 5 to ten pancakes depending on how much you pour in, or 10 to 15 crepes.

Your birth date and place.

It's no big deal to say what day you were born, but if you provide the year and place you were born too, you’ve just given identity thieves a key to stealing your financial life. Beware! Your birth date and place of birth can be used to track down the numbers in your Social Security number!

Vacation plans.

I was horrified to learn a dear friend was recently robbed when she posted vacation shots while still in Costa Rica. Post the photos on websites when you return, if you like. But don’t invite criminals in by telling them specifically when you’ll be gone or letting them know you may still be away. And never announce when you are leaving - that is an open invite!

Home address.

Do I have to elaborate? You are putting yourself and family at greater risk of home robbery and identity theft because of the information you share. This is the internet! You know your friends online, but that doesn't mean they are 100% safe offline. Be smart and extra careful to reveal your address to only those you really trust.

Confessionals.

You may hate your co worker, cheat on your taxes or spouse, and steal pens & paper from your employer, but the internet is no place to confess. Employers commonly use social networking sites to determine who to hire and, sometimes, who to fire. A study done last year that estimated over 8% of large companies fired someone for “misuse” of social media. Google these words and you will be amazed at the thousands of people having been fired for something they posted online: fired for posting on the internet

Password clues.

Simply by nature of the internet, you have probably answered a dozen different security questions while signing up for various services like email and such; telling your home town, your mothers maiden name, your first pets name, or the name of your favorite song. Got that same stuff on the information of an online profile? If so, you’re giving unscrupulous characters an easy way to guess your passwords. Try using a universal answer to those same questions, only one you know and use.

isky behaviors.

Enjoy street racing your 57 chevy, bungee jumping off skyscrapers, or imbibe more than you should when you shouldn't? Insurers are increasingly turning to the web to figure out whether their customers are putting their lives or property at risk. So far, there’s no efficient way to collect the data, so cancellations and rate hikes are rare. But the technology is fast evolving to track this information!

Conclusion.

Be smart, keep your private offline life private or use ambiguous names to thwart someone from using any information you post against you. And always ponder how anything could or would be used against you before posting it.

This was my entry for GoldToken's "Holiday Baking Traditions" contest; saving it here for the fun of it

My favorite recipe to make with kids, as there is no "exact" amount to measure. A little more or less of anything is part of the recipe. Besides, a little marshmallow fight is part of the fun! I normally make a huge batch, using two boxes of brownie mix, but few people have families as large and likely only need the half recipe version posted below:

Preheat oven to 350ºF

In large bowl, hand mix the following:

1 plain Brownie box mix (I prefer Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate)
1/2 16oz package of bakers semi-sweet chocolate chunks (M&M's or chocolate chips also work good)
1/2 16 oz package of bakers caramel pieces
1 box of chocolate Jello pudding mix (not the cook style)
chopped walnuts to taste (I use approx 12 ounces)
1 large egg
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil

Gently stir in (do not mix completely, you want it swirled) the following:

1 6.5 oz jar of marshmallow creme
1 huge, extra large scoop of peanut butter (about 6 ounces worth)

Pour into greased 13"x9"x2" pan and bake for 35 minutes. Note: The brownies will appear to not be done, especially in the center, but don't worry, this is normal.

Sprinkle 1/2 16oz package of Heath Bar toffee pieces on top of the half baked brownies and cover the pan tightly with foil and let set on the counter for 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve hot with the very best vanilla ice cream you can find and prepare for heaven. Brownies don't get any better than this!

{ Image: img4.myrecipes.com/i/recipes/ck/00/06/berry-brownies-ck-223465-l.jpg }

Variations:

• Espresso Brownies - add 1/4 instant coffee and 1 TB cinnamon
• Cake Like Brownies - add an extra egg
• Macadamia Brownies - use white chocolate pieces and macadamia nuts instead of walnuts and chocolate chunks
• Pumpkin Brownies - drop the peanut butter and toffee bits; layer several layers of brownie batter with pumpkin puree (1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with large can of pumpkin) with final layer of pumpkin on top, gently make swirls through the layers with knife on top before baking
• Low Cal Brownies - Sorry, there is no low cal version of this recipe hahaha...take a diet day off and enjoy it anyhow!

As I slowly get older, I have found my memory just isn't what it used to be. Lucky all of us, we have GoldToken, because brain games are the answer!

What are brain games? Any game that requires you think, remember and utilize cognitive thinking. By playing brain games for at least 15 minutes every day, you can keep your mind sharp. In addition to being a fun way to give your brain a workout, it is a great way and terrific excuse to take a break from other "normal" work.

A study funded by the National Institute of Health found that cognitive training can counteract seven to fourteen years of age related cognitive decline.

With all the advances in technology today, scientist purport that your memory is like a muscle. We all know that when you exercise your muscles, they get stronger. The same goes with your memory, exercise it and it too will get stronger. And the opposite can be true when it comes to any part of our brain that requires logic and problem-solving ability, if you don’t use it, you can become very unskilled when it comes time to use it.

The trouble is, who wants to do memory exercises, which is exactly what they are, exercises. You get done working all day, the last thing that you want to do is go home and exercise. Most people just want to relax, turn their brains off when they get home. This is where playing GoldToken games can come into play. When brain games are fun, you will enjoy them and start improving your brain power.

The Alzheimer's Association of Northern California suggests playing brain games like Whist or Cribbage to keep the brain healthy.

We have all heard that Alzheimer's is incurable, however, using memory exercises like brain games has been proven to delay its debilitating effect. Alzheimer's causes memory lapses and consequently, odd behavior. This can occur over a sustained period of time, therefore, it is imperative that those with Alzheimer's exercise their brain too. It has been proven time and time again that brain exercise helps to fight the disease and preserve the brain as a functioning organ.

The reason that we can use brain games to fight Alzheimer's and other memory troubles is that the brain can be molded. It is not a rigid concrete like object. Again, if your brain is exercised it will become stronger, but if it is left alone, its power will decrease. By playing brain games, you help your brain retain its cognitive abilities and associations.

Many doctors believe that by playing brain games like Backgammon and Checkers, Alzheimer's can be delayed by ten years or more. This adds to the importance of keeping our brain active. While brain games are not the only way and many other activities should be used, it is nonetheless integral to the brain fitness program.

According to John Hopfield of Princeton University, '...card games require us to use a unique set of our neural pathways known as "association memory". This adds to the legitimacy of playing card games in the fight against Alzheimer's.'

If you are thinking that improving your memory is going to be something that just happens, it is not. It is going to take some time to improve it. Start by joining a few tournaments of your favorite game types and learning new and challenging games to exercise your brain to it's fullest ability. As I said at the beginning, your memory can get stronger. But it is up to you to train it, just like you exercise and train your muscles. You go to the gym to work out your muscles, you need to do the same thing to improve your memory. If you don’t use use your memory or work it out, it is going to go through the atrophy process and deteriorate over time. Like the old saying goes “use it or lose it”.

This was my entry for GoldToken's "Summer Recipe" contest, saving here for the fun of it

I have been making my own shakes, smoothies and "icecreams" for years in an effort to cut calories and eat healthier. The trick that turns this everyday smoothie into a low cost/low cal "ice-cream" is in the yogurt. This is one of my favs:

Almost Ice Cream

Three ripe bananas
6 ounces Strawberry Yogurt (or your favorite fruity flavor)
Sweetener to taste - honey, sugar, Splenda etc (I use a splash of Torani's sugar free Raspberry Syrup)
Tray of ice cubes
About 1 cup of half & half or milk


Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth - pouring the half n half or milk into blender slowly as it blends until it achieves an ice-creamy consistency

• Makes four 1 1/2 cup servings
• Approx 29 carbs 132 calories per serving if using a sugar free sweetener

Variations

• Toss in 1/2 cup fresh berries, peaches or apples for variety. Each one gives it's own unique flavor.
• Use plain vanilla yogurt instead of a fruity yogurt, use caramel syrup for the sweetener, and add 1/4 cup powdered coco for a lovely chocolate flavor
• Add a handful of walnuts/peanuts or almonds while blending - delectable!
• Replace the yogurt with sour cream if you want the consistency to be more of a dessert smoothie
• Chop fruits into 1/2 inch chunks and add after blending
• Top with coolwhip and fresh fruit
• No fruit or bananas? Try frozen orange juice concentrate or other juice concentrate
• Add peanutbutter to the chocolate smoothie for a silky nutty flavor

{ Image: 2.bp.blogspot.com/_jnfrhbKW8zk/TBEf7NfeP2I/AAAAAAAAAjM/_k3HtIlTvQU/s1600/1.png }

Saturday, I picked up a handful of nectarines from the local farmers market. Amazing how quickly fresh fruit can go from ripe to over ripe; this time, almost forcing me to blend the last two into this summers most delightful smoothy. But so worth it! If you try this, please let me know how incredible yours turned out.

California Summer Smoothy

Two ripe nectarines with the skin on (can be substituted with mango, papaya, peaches, apples, etc)
Two ripe bananas,
1 tray of ice cubes
1/2 cup of half n half/milk/ice tea
a dollop (two table spoons or so) of sour cream
sweetener to taste (I prefer a dash of raspberry syrup, but sugar or Splenda work fine)

Blend in blender until creamy and serve. Delectable! Makes 2 to 4 large servings, depending on how hungry you are. :-D

Someone asked why we write game rules in a masculine form. I understand and empathize with anyones concern regarding GoldToken's rules being written in the masculine form. But there is a logical explanation. Here is the question and my answer:

>>How come all of the rules are written in the masculine? For example "He makes a move" or "His turn is over". This is very upsetting, as I am female, and enjoy playing on your site. They should be written to be gender neutral, so males and females can play, and not feel like the rules are targeting a certain sex.

For starters, it may be noted that the site is owned by me, a woman. The rules are not so much written in the masculine as they are vernacular English. The verbiage used on GoldToken stems from old English and as yet, is not politically incorrect. It has been written to appeal to all nationalities regardless of gender.

One of the most fundamental principles in the philosophy of language is the necessity to understand the concept of intention, between what is really meant and the way of meaning it. Because I have chosen to use the form of "he" in place of "he/she" in the rules does not make it wrong or inferior.

I feel the use of he/she, he or she, s/he, or some other phrase offends just about everybody, including most likely the reader, self, because it is a kind of kludge. It's polysyllabic and syntactically complex, and it draws attention to its political correctness at the expense of its sense and reference. "Political correctness" is distracting, and it's a poor informational strategy because of that, just as misspelling is a poor informational strategy in writing. What one normally wants in a pronoun is something monosyllabic and unstressed that won't draw any attention to itself. After all, we already know who we're talking about, or we wouldn't be using a pronoun in the first place. To go through and change every "he" to he/she is a lose-lose situation in my opinion.

Blogging. It is a fairly newish term given to journaling online. Newish, because 20 years ago blogging was unknown. Mecir suggested we add a GoldToken blog ability besides offering classic games, because GoldToken is very much a social site. If players enjoy it, we will add more features to what he has set up now. I would be most interested in following this up by setting up a club blog ability. Clubs could use it to track club history, games...any number of things really. But we have to see if players are even interested in utilizing it first.

According to Wikipedia, a blog (a contraction of the term "weblog" or web log) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. One of the features we were sure to include here.

Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Micro-blogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts. GoldToken has a test DB set up to see if it is anything players might use here. If so and it is well used, we will add something like it here too. Would you enjoy the ability to post a mini line that everyone could read? A "what are doing doing now" box that could be shared on your subscribers game sheet? Maybe under your message box or in the right hand column? What are your thoughts on this idea? It would be simple to code and easy to implement. But a waste of time if nobody cares for the idea.

Are you going to utilize your blog ability here? If so, what kind of blog are you going to write? Once you decide, you are by no means restricted to stay in one category. It can be humorous one day and serious the next. Or a journal of the days events and a comment on the latest political scandal.

Blogs, as a whole, provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries or journals. Make it anything you want; a place to save your poetry or short stories, political commentary, research, travel tales or news articles, etc. A typical blog combines text, images, and often links to other blogs. To link to another players blog on GoldToken, use this format: { Blog: badger }. Do be extra careful to ensure any blog or outside source is family safe. Re: no cusswords, flaming or derogatory material. GoldToken is unable to allow blogs that link to un-family friendly sites, including MySpace, YouTube and Twitter. Yes, even Twitter. I have an account there, but like every one here on GoldToken, am unable to link to it here because, Twitter is so big, the site administrators are simply unable to ensure it remains family safe.

Do be careful what you blog about. GoldToken’s moderators will diligently hold all players to the site rules in their blogs just like they do the discussion boards. Why is this? Blogs can bring serious legal and social consequences. Several cases have been brought before the national courts against bloggers concerning issues of defamation or liability. We must protect GoldToken from any outcome that might close our beloved site, and our aim to keep GoldToken family safe and kid friendly has never changed. In order to uphold these values, GoldToken needs to curb abuses that threaten our ability to provide this service and the freedom of expression it encourages. As a result, there are some boundaries on the type of content that can be hosted on GoldToken blogs. The boundaries our rules define are those that both comply with legal requirements and that serve to enhance the service as a whole.

Sure, it can be a bear if your post/blog has been moderated, but that’s life. It’s not like our words are so much more valuable than everyone else’s that it won’t ever happen if we misbehave when posting. lol...even I have been moddied! If you genuinely care about the other players and the well being of GoldToken as a whole, you will understand. It comes down to this basic rule: if you use your blog to defame another player, post copyrighted material without prior permission or anything slanderous, your blog can be shut down or moderated. We are currently working on GoldToken’s “Blogger Terms of Service” and will post them soon for everyone

I have blogged for a few years, starting around 2004 on 360, the site yahoo closed recently. They allowed members to transfer their blogs to their personal yahoo profiles, but with limited abilities. It’s not like I was regularly posting there, but it did provide a lovely outlet for my feelings and life’s experiences. Now I can continue that here.

Google has an advisory on some blogs that says:

Content Warning
Some readers of this blog have contacted Google because they believe this blog's content is objectionable. In general, Google does not review nor do we endorse the content of this or any blog. For more information about our content policies, please visit the Blogger Terms of Service.

Google posts this warning for the same reason Yahoo shut theirs down, objectionable material. They tried to manage naughty and potentially illegal material by closing accounts of those that abused it, but found it impossible due to the number of bloggers world wide that used their services. Here on GoldToken, we are attempting to provide a safe place for players to blog where we don’t have to worry about being shut down. Lets all work together, respecting the basic rules, so that we can keep our new feature and enjoy sharing our blogs with each other.

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