Candor Chronicles

“The Intouchables” is now at redbox. YOU HAVE TO SEE...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:49:00 -0400

“The Intouchables” is now at redbox. YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE. A little heads up - it is in French, but it is so fabulous that the subtitles suffice.

Making dinners has become something I look forward to. I...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:47:00 -0400

Making dinners has become something I look forward to. I believe the food tastes even better because of the hard work I labored into it. Tuesday we made asparagus, twice baked potatoes, and grilled pork loin. This was the end result. Happy Spring!

After a night on the town, we spent the morning eating...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 13:55:43 -0500

After a night on the town, we spent the morning eating Matt’s homemade breakfast pizza and playing scategories, catch phrase, battleship, and guess who.

And yes, I made homemade bagels for the SECOND time. So good and...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:45:14 -0500

And yes, I made homemade bagels for the SECOND time. So good and the perfect size. I got the recipe from the one and only, Siri, but below is a more printer-friendly version.

Siriously Delicious’ Bagels (makes 10)

¾ tsp Active Dry Yeast

1 2/3 cup warm water (~110 degrees)

3 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp Barley Malt Syrup

4 ¼ cups bread flour

1 ½ Tablespoon salt

Cornmeal

Vegetable Oil

Parchment Paper

Toppings (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc)

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk with electric mixer yeast and water. Use water at ~110 degrees or what feels warms. Let stand until foamy, approximately 5 minutes.

Attach dough hook to mixer. With mixer on low speed, add sugar, 1 Tablespoon of barley malt syrup, bread flour, and salt to the water and yeast mixture. Knead until a dough forms. One recipe suggested kneading for 8 minutes. It should be sticky, but if it’s too wet add more flour.

Dip paper towel in vegetable oil and wipe the inside of a bowl, lightly oiling it. Or use baking spray. Place dough in bowl. Spray or wipe plastic wrap with oil and cover bowl. Let sit for 2 hours.

Next, divide dough into 10 equal balls. Place damp kitchen towel over the dough pieces and let sit for 20 minutes. According to Martha, “this will relax the dough and make it easier to shape.”

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Grab a ball of dough and roll between palms into a 6-inch rope. Wrap dough around your four fingers and then roll your hand against a work surface to smooth the seam. Place formed bagels on baking sheets and cover with more oiled or sprayed plastic wrap. Let sit for another 20 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Position the racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of barley malt syrup to boiling water and stir.

Before you’re ready to boil the bagels, get a few things in place because boiled bagels should go immediately in the oven. Siri sprinkled a generous amount of cornmeal onto baking sheets. This gives the bottom of the bagels a nice crunch. Also make sure you have your toppings ready to pour on top of wet bagels.

Drop bagels into boiling, malty water. Siri boiled three at a time because you do not want bagels to tough. Boil for 30-60 seconds and then remove with a slotted spoon. Let water drip off and then place on baking sheet with parchment/cornmeal. Sprinkle with your toppings.

Bake for 5 minutes at 500 degrees. Turn oven down to 350 and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove bagels and flip over with spatula bake for another 5 minutes.

This Chocolate Stout Cake was fabtabulous!!! You can find the...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:40:17 -0500

This Chocolate Stout Cake was fabtabulous!!! You can find the recipe here. Please don’t mind my “greasy, baking for four hours straight” face.

We spent the afternoon dancing in the kitchen and licking the...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:34:12 -0500

We spent the afternoon dancing in the kitchen and licking the bowl.

“I just wanna dance.”

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:36:54 -0500

“I just wanna dance.”

Friday night with Michael Buble’s Christmas cd and...

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:55:05 -0500

Friday night with Michael Buble’s Christmas cd and Bab’s sugar cookie recipe. Happy Holidays!

Snow Day with Juice! We made waffles this morning and are now...

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 13:31:54 -0500

Snow Day with Juice! We made waffles this morning and are now enjoying a lovely day on the couch.

I am currently worried...

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:38:15 -0500

about my poor ability to make a positive first impression.

that Tom Hardy is engaged.

that it is too warm to wear sweatpants, because it is December and 60 degrees outside.

that I do not give a XXXX about the simply helmholtz resonator.

that I worry too much.

Fills my only qualification: Red hair. In addition, he is an...

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:45:12 -0500

Fills my only qualification: Red hair. In addition, he is an awesome musician. Alex Clare, everyone.

Made my first homemade chicken pot pie. So good, but I had more...

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 19:46:00 -0500

Made my first homemade chicken pot pie. So good, but I had more fun making it! My night was everything I needed and more. I cooked without looking at the clock, listened to the Queen Pandora station, learned that mincing garlic is no fun (take my advice, buy the expensive already minced and packaged stuff at the grocery), and discovered my new favorite scent, thyme. Ended my night with Pride and Prejudice. Note: this movie was suggested to me by Mr. K.S. He has such good taste when it comes to romantic movies.

I had contemplated road trippin’ to Ann Arbor because of a...

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:24:35 -0500

I had contemplated road trippin’ to Ann Arbor because of a little anxiety, but at the last minute Katie convinced me otherwise. A weekend full of laughter, alcohol, farts, and good food.

Juice enjoying lazy sunday.

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 20:03:42 -0500

Juice enjoying lazy sunday.

From 6:30-10:30 I sat on the couch watching the election with J, P, and Chubbs. It was like...

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:38:30 -0500

From 6:30-10:30 I sat on the couch watching the election with J, P, and Chubbs. It was like watching the super bowl half-time show. It was incredibly entertaining. Tonight, Obama was re-elected for his second term. Was this the right choice? What will happen? Who knows? I don’t. I do know that this was the first time I voted for the president and I was immersed in pride. #merica

thedailywhat: Dear Ann Coulter of the Day: After Ann...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 19:43:07 -0500

thedailywhat:

Dear Ann Coulter of the Day: After Ann Coulter referred to President Obama as a retard in a tweet during Monday night’s presidential debate, Special Olympics athlete and global messenger John Franklin Stephens penned her this open letter:

Dear Ann Coulter,

Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?

I’m a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.

I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.

Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey sound bite to the next.

Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.

Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are – and much, much more.

After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.

I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.

Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.

No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.

Come join us someday at Special Olympics. See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.

A friend you haven’t made yet, John Franklin Stephens Global Messenger Special Olympics Virginia

[specialolympicsblog]

I am so thankful, happy, and hopeful.

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 16:12:46 -0500

I am so thankful, happy, and hopeful.

Open road. By that, I mean, spilt finger nail polish, good...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 16:08:20 -0500

Open road. By that, I mean, spilt finger nail polish, good music, cranky phone calls, talking out loud to yourself, making lists, and facing your thoughts.

I like to pretend lyrics mean something; that they have a deep...

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:21:39 -0400

I like to pretend lyrics mean something; that they have a deep meaning. This song makes me want it to mean something special. Ps Vernon, Justin Vernon, is fo real wearing a badgers shirt.

Today I got lunch with S. Laughter was plentiful and so was the...

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:01:23 -0400

Today I got lunch with S. Laughter was plentiful and so was the food :) Happy Wellness Wednesday!