Random Acts of Adventure
Weighing In On The Best Holiday Appetizer
December 22, 2008
Among other things, the holidays bring about rich foods that would normally be banned by the government as a threat to the health and safety of all Americans. But, for some reason, during the jolly holidays, heating up cheese and pouring a mixture of sugar and butter over it, all to be served on bread – makes sense.
I recently had the chance to devour such a treat at a holiday party, and will be the first to admit that left alone with this delight of all delights, would’ve eaten the entire thing in one sitting. I’m told it makes your coat shinny and takes you one step closer to being just as “jolly” as good ol’ St. Nick. Now that’s sexy.
Here’s the recipe for what I like to simply call “Sugar, Butter, Brie.” What more do you need?
Ingredients:
- 1-cup brown sugar
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 wheel of uncut Brie
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- splash of vanilla extract
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- nip of Frangelico liqueur
- sliced baguette
Directions:
- Melt brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in a saucepan and simmer on low until smooth and thickened
- Place brie in backing dish and pour brown sugar mixture over brie
- Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes, until cheese is melted all the way through
- Spoon mixture over brie and top with almonds and bake from another 5 minutes
- Finish with a “nip” of Frangelico liqueur
- Let brie rest for a minute before serving with sliced baguette and thick knife and spoon (yes spoon) for smearing on the bread
Giving Gets Good Graces
December 19, 2008
I find it interesting that it’s the time of year when buying gifts for loved ones that the needs of so many that go without become apparent. We’ve been trying to change that, and not just during the Holidays. Along with our sister brand, Nau, we work hard to make sure that Doing The Right Thing is a part of everyday business. Read up on the efforts of Nau and Horny Toad to give back year ‘round. Plus, there’s something in it for you other than just making you feel so dang good!
www.treehugger.com
www.greenzer.com
Ahhhh SNAP
December 17, 2008
Yup, it’s official, I’ve gone soft. I now wear down jackets in 50-degree weather. In fact, many of the Toads here in the office in Santa Barbara have moved from much colder climates in our great country – Chicago, Tahoe, Maine … burrrr. But, now we are all shivering when the mercury drops below 40. The last week or so has brought unusually cold weather to our little home, which has even resulted in snow in the mountains above Santa Barbara! What I am sure is a nusance to many folks this time of year – that is when it’s not being played in – is a novelty to us. Maybe a little sledding is in order while our "cold snap" lasts.
Big Moon Rising
December 11, 2008
You probably won’t be able to reach out and take a piece of cheese off the moon, but it’s no illusion, the full moon of December 12th is actually the biggest and brightest Moon of the year. Neat, huh?Now for the science geek stuff:
The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other: diagram. In the language of astronomy, the two extremes are called "apogee" (far away) and "perigee" (nearby). On Dec. 12th, the Moon becomes full a scant 4 hours after reaching perigee, making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2008.
The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On Friday, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.
But you still won't be able to see Armstrong's footprint. Not even Hubble can do that. The Moon is 384,400 km away (on average). At that distance, the smallest things Hubble can distinguish are about 60 meters wide. The biggest pieces of left-behind Apollo equipment are only about 9 meters across and smaller than a single pixel in a Hubble image.
What you will see is the world around you. This is both the brightest and (in the northern hemisphere) the highest-riding full Moon of the year. If you go outside around midnight it will be close to overhead and act like a cosmic floodlamp making the landscape absolutely brilliant, especially if there's snow. Full moons are always high during winter and, indeed, the solstice is right around the corner on Dec. 21st.
Get Pasted This Holiday
December 11, 2008
We love Paste! Here at Horny Toad, music and the arts are integral to our culture, and certainly an issue of Paste is always floating around the office. We got this great offer from our friends over there and thought we’d pass it along as a gift idea. It’s a great gift idea if you are still scratching your head about what to get so-and-so.
And now, a word from our friends at Paste:
Looking for the perfect gift? Look no further because for a limited time Paste is offering 2 subscriptions for the price of 1!
Paste will introduce you to music and films that go beyond pop culture. Discover new artists and filmmakers in the pages of Paste, or revisit ones you already love with Paste's in-depth features, interviews and exclusives. You'll also find reviews of the best albums, DVDs, games, book and more—a go-to guide so you can stay ahead of the curve on the newest releases.
Plus, every issue of Paste includes a FREE Paste Sampler, packed with 20+ handpicked tracks of new music from artists like Beck, The Shins, Spoon, Danger Doom, The Decemberists, The Hold Steady, Paul Westerberg and more. Think of it as a glorified mix tape from your friends at Paste. View previous sampler artists.
Save money and give a gift that your friends and family will enjoy
every month!
www.pastemagazine.com/hornytoad
Cupcake Cell Pad
December 8, 2008
Found a new use for the sticky cell phone pad this weekend. I'm food obsessed right now. It's the holidays. Don't worry, I parked before snapping this photo - safety first! I have to say, this cupcake didn't budge even while taking a winding road home.
Attack of the Giant Baked Brie
December 3, 2008
The holidays bring excess in all kinds of forms. I recently went to a party where this giant baked brie was served. It was truly a sight to behold. And, yes, that is a cookie sheet. Just thought I'd share that you too can serve 20 pounds of melted cheese to your guests and they will love you for it!
Note: Don't stare at this picture too long, it will make you gain weight.
United WE Stand
November 19, 2008
We constantly try to think of ways to align doing the right thing and business – which as the national news has been showing, isn’t always the easiest path to take. As far as we’re concerned, there is no other way to do business except with one eye on the ball and one eye on the big blue ball Earth!
We recently partnered up with Simple Shoes – a great company that makes eco shoes for those that literally want to keep their foot print light – to donate a portion of our sales to the WE Campaign, a non-profit dedicated to solving the global climate crisis.
Here’s the scoop, 10% of any purchase made at Horny Toad or Simple Shoes using promo code SIMPLETOAD will go to the WE Campaign. Not to mention you will be lookin' and feelin' good head to toe - literally.
Here’s the word on the street about this great deal – for everyone and everything involved.
www.greenzer.com
www.thegearjunkie.com
www.whiteapricot.com
www.womensadventuremagazine.com
www.trailspace.com
After The Fire Storm - Tea Fire Update
November 18, 2008
Needless to say, it was a long weekend here in Santa Barbara. The Tea Fire that started on Thursday evening and blazed though hundreds of acres and homes continued to rear its ugly head. Luckily, the wind died down on Saturday, which helped the firefighters get control of a very disastrous situation. We are lucky as an office to have all retained our homes, one merely missing the blaze by one house! This morning in the office we all checked in with one another to make sure that everyone was okay. Stories of friends and family that were affected were told as we collectively mourned for those that have lost everything. Even though no Toads had a house destroyed in this fire, we are all part of this community and feel a loss.
For now, we hope to help ease the pain of the 200+ families that lost homes by donating clothing from the Toad – ‘cuz that’s one thing we know we are good at. Beyond that, we hope to help out with food and help cleaning up the wreckage left behind by the flames.
If you would like to help, please donate to the Red Cross. As we get information on more locally driven fundraisers, I will publish them ASAP for anyone that wants to help.
Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts.
The Toads
The Tea Fire - Up In Smoke
November 14, 2008
It was 6:00 p.m. when I strolled out of the office to a strangely warm night. This time of year in Santa Barbara, it’s not entirely unusual to get warm winds from the southern desert, so I didn’t think twice about it. Around 6:30 while I walked my dog I saw the smoke – a large apocalyptic cloud of black smoke rising from the hills of Santa Barbara.
This entry is not so much a fun hunting entry, but more an information hunting entry to let all that are concerned about out little Toad home here in Santa Barbara what is going on. The office is safe downtown by the water, but that can’t be said for some of the folks that live up in the mountains above downtown. Here are some of the stats as of this morning: more than 100 homes destroyed, 2500 acres burned, approximately 500 firefighters are on the job along with helicopters, engines and fixed wing planes. About 5,400 homes have been evacuated – mandatory and voluntarily.
For more information and updates go to:
https://www.countyofsb.org/ceo/oes0.aspx?id=2332#Maps
If you are in the area and want to help there are a few things to consider first. Don’t go near the road closures. Don’t overwhelm first responders when they are trying to focus on the job at hand – this means going to relief organizations (without checking on what they need), hospitals, shelters, etc. Please always call or go online to find out how you can help. That said, they welcome the help where needed and donations are always welcome. Visit the Red Cross web site for more information on how to donate and where to volunteer http://www.sbredcross.org/.
Also, Direct Relief International, a disaster relief organization in our home town is offering up face masks for the public to help with health concerns from the smoke. Get details here www.directrelief.org.
We hope that the wind doesn’t kick up again today causing an already disastrous situation to get worse. I will update this as I get information on how the Toad family is doing. At this point we have people that have been evacuated from their homes, but I do not have any further information. I will let you know how we fair. Keep us in your thoughts.
Crusade Against the Mundane
