Seasonal egg recipes

Easy over goose egg with caper and lemon crust
Serves 2
The size of a goose egg is slightly daunting maybe but served literally as a main course with a little natural seasoning like capers and lemon it would make the perfect vegetarian or brunch dish.
2 goose eggs olive or rapeseed oil for frying
For the topping 60g fresh white breadcrumbs, lightly toasted 30g butter, melted 2tbls capers, rinsed, dried and chopped the finely grated zest of 1 lemon  1tbls chopped parsley 1tbls chopped chives salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mix all of the ingredients together for the topping and season to taste.Now hopefully you will have a couple of non stick frying pans, if not you will have to cook the eggs individually. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the eggs on a low heat for 3-4 minutes, seasoning the white as they are cooking. Flip the eggs over, season and cook for another minute then slide onto warm serving plates and scatter the crust on top.
Chopped duck livers on toast with a fried pheasant egg
Serves 4
Pheasant eggs are probably the closest thing I have come across to a gulls egg, although boiling and peeling them proves difficult as the shell just sticks to the white. This is such a simple, tasty and inexpensive dish and quick to knock up at home. You can use duck or chicken livers for this and fresh is always preferable to frozen.
2 large shallots, peeled and finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed 100g butter 250g fresh chicken or duck livers, cleaned and cut into even-sized chunks Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 pheasant eggs A little olive or rapeseed oil for frying Thick slices of hot toast to serve
A dash of sherry
Melt half the butter in a saucepan and gently cook the shallots and garlic for 3-4 minutes, stirring every so often until soft, then remove from the heat.
Dry the chicken livers on some kitchen paper. Season them and then melt the rest of the butter in a frying pan until it begins to foam. Add the livers and cook them for a couple of minutes on each side and add a dash of sherry to the pan. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and mix with the shallots and garlic.
With a heavy knife, chop the livers fairly finely on a chopping board, or give them literally a few seconds in a food processor and re season if necessary. Lightly fry the pheasant eggs in the oil then spoon the livers generously on to the toast and place the fried eggs on top.


Soft boiled bantam egg with creamed leeks and Arbroath smokies
Serves 4
Arbroath smokies are making a bit of a comeback and maybe in the past the bones and skin may have been a bit off putting but in this recipe the hard work is done before it goes on the plate. Bantam eggs are about two thirds of the size of a hens egg so make a less filling starter or brunch dish.
1-2 Arbroath smokie, skinned and boned, or about 300-350g smoked haddock fillet, skinned Milk for poaching (if using the smoked haddock) A couple of good knobs of butter 1 leek, halved, finely shredded and washed 250–300ml double cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 bantam eggs 1 tbsp chopped parsley
Check the fish carefully for any pin-bones, removing any you find with tweezers. If using smoked haddock, poach it in gently simmering milk or water to cover for 3-4 minutes, then drain and break up the flesh into fairly large pieces.
Heat the butter in a pan and gently cook the leek for 3-4 minutes until soft, then add the cream and fish.
Season lightly and simmer until the cream has reduced down a little and is just coating the fish. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Meanwhile, soft-boil the bantam eggs by carefully lowering them into a pan of simmering water and cooking gently for3 ½ - 4 minutes. Briefly refresh in cold water until the eggs are cool enough to handle, then remove and carefully peel.
Divide the creamed fish and leek among warmed-up plates and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and place the egg on top. Grind over a little pepper and serve at once.


Scrambled Rhea egg in shell with asparagus soldiers
Serves 2 to 4
The Rhea egg is about half the size of an ostrich egg so a perfect natural dipping pot for two with spears of seasonal green asparagus.
250-350g medium asparagus, woody ends removed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp shopped chives
60g butter
4 tbsp double cream 1Rhea egg
With a heavy knife crack around the egg a third of the way down from the pointed end and empty the egg into a bowl and beat the egg with a whisk. Rinse and dry the main part of the shell and trim the edges with scissors
Melt the butter in a pan with the cream, add the beaten egg, season and cook on a low heat, stirring constantly and ensuring you get in the corners of the pan Keeping the egg nice and soft and creamy and re season if necessary.  Spoon the egg into the shell and serve in a small bowl or dish as an egg cup wont be big enough
Check the asparagus by cutting a little off a thick end to see if they are tender. Drain in a colander, then arrange in bundles next to the eggs. Spoon a little pile of Maldon sea salt and celery salt on to each plate and serve.

The Invisible Children: International Missing Children's Day 2012

It is estimated that up to 100,000 children run away from their homes or from care each year in the UK - most with nowhere else to go to, leaving themselves susceptible to further problems and danger.
Yano.co.uk is helping to raise awareness of the charity Railway Children this International Missing Children’s Day. The charity is one of the most effective in supporting children who live on the streets, providing protection and opportunity for children with nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to.        
Journalist and television presenter Esther Rantzen has also written an emotive article highlighting the issue of missing children in the UK.                   
Esther comments, “It is clear that we urgently need to open our eyes and ears. We need to see and hear the children before the moment when their desperation forces them onto the streets. Many of these children know what they are running from but have no idea what perils they are running towards.”
Terina Keene, Chief Executive at children’s charity Railway Children said: "International Missing Children’s Day offers a rare opportunity to bring attention to the growing unease that children at risk of exploitation and violence on the streets are being pushed into society’s darkest corners. Railway Children welcomes the support given by Yano and Esther Rantzen to put a spotlight on this issue at a time when the numbers of children at risk is rising yet the help they need is becoming harder to reach.”
Ann-Marie McKimm, co-founder of Yano.co.uk comments: “When we heard about the number of children living on the streets or who have vanished from home, we wanted to help the Railway Children raise awareness of this year’s International Missing Children’s Day. The article by Esther Rantzen on our website highlights exactly how children on the streets are left with nowhere else or no-one else to go to.”

UFC heavyweight Stipe Miocic is undefeated, but he knows there's a lot to learn / SBTV

Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Plain Dealer MMA beat writer (and general all-around bon vivant) Chuck Yarborough.
Today's guest is Northeast Ohio native Stipe Miocic, who won knockout of the night in last week's UFC on Fuel, KO'ing Phil De Fries in just 43 seconds. The win is Miocic's second in his UFC career, and his eighth without a loss in his time as an MMA fighter.
Miocic tells Chuck that he realizes he's still "green" and has to work on every aspect of his mixed martial arts game. Happily, it seems that UFC President Dana White and his schedule-makers have the same goal: Each fight they've set for Miocic challenges a different skill set, from standup to grappling.
Miocic's UFC debut against brawler Joey Beltran went the distance, and demonstrated the former Cleveland State Viking baseball player's ability to take a punch.
We talked to Miocic about his career, where it's going and how he got to where he is, and we got him to talk us through a typical week of training at Marcus Marinelli's StrongStyle Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness gym in Independence.
And for the record, he's still working with both Oakwood Village and Valley View as a firefighter and EMT. Which means he can knock you out ... AND treat your injuries.
While we're at it, take a minute to answer today's Starting Blocks poll: Would you attend a UFC fight night if it were held in Cleveland.
SBTV returns on Tuesday.

Any day is Memorial Day for area honor guards

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On a cold April morning, the old vets gathered at Holy Cross Cemetery for a final salute.
Snowflakes swirled among their rifles and flags like frozen fragments of the past as the vets bid farewell in a way that veterans do for one of their own.
Once, they served in different military branches. But on this morning, it didn't matter. They had come to answer the call of duty, tradition and camaraderie, while taps drifted in the wind.
Any day is Memorial Day for these and other volunteer honor guard members across Northeast Ohio who provide a proper military send-off to veterans.
All honorably discharged veterans of active duty service or the Reserves are entitled to ceremonial military honors at their funeral, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
This ceremony includes folding and presenting the U.S. burial flag and playing taps. The duty can be performed by current service members or veterans organizations.

Volunteer honor guards offer final salute Volunteer honor guards across Northeast Ohio make sure every veteran gets a formal military funeral service. Watch video

During the April 28 ceremony at Holy Cross, members of the Joint Veterans Honor Guard gathered for the funeral of Timothy Stem, a former member of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 15 in Cleveland. The honor guard's day at the cemetery started with a review of assigned duties, including who would fire the rifles, hold the flags and say the prayers.
The group also selected two buglers who would "play" the ceremony's closing taps through use of an electronic device inserted in the bugle's bell, providing an amplified recording of the song -- a necessity for many honor guards because of a shortage of people who can blow a bugle.
Then, a final precaution as an order rippled through the ranks: "Cellphones off!"
Honor guard formed in 2001
This honor guard was formed in 2001 by Paul Gavin and Tim "Doc" Anderson after they discovered that some veterans groups would not provide funeral honors if the deceased vet was not a member of their organization.
"That sort of ticked me off," said Gavin, 70, of Parma. "So we said we don't care what organization they belonged to. As long as they're an honorably discharged veteran, we would start performing final honors, and that's how it grew."
Today the Joint Veterans Honor Guard -- composed of 30 mostly Vietnam-era veterans -- offers final honors at more than three dozen veteran funerals a year in Cuyahoga County. The group also appears at veteran-related civic events and several Memorial Day ceremonies.
Their services are provided at no charge. Gavin's wife, Patt, also prepares a "Battlefield Cross" framed document detailing a deceased veteran's service record and awards, for presentation to the family.
"We all really feel that it's an honor and a privilege to do this," Paul Gavin said. "After all these years, I still cry when I hear taps."
Age, weather pose challenges

Age and weather extremes of cold and heat can be their worst enemies. "The old guys, if they lock their knees, they're down," said bugler Richard Mullins, 57, of Berea.
Their duty gets a little tougher if they knew the deceased, another Guard member said.
And "KIAs [killed in action], that's really where it gets to you," said Harold Steinhauser, 76, who supervises the group.
In Lorain County, Clark Bruner, 71, commander of the Amherst Veterans Military Honor Guard, said funerals for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan hit particularly hard.

Thomas Ondrey, The Plain DealerMarine veteran Phil Toomey, 65, of Strongsville plays taps, with his notes following those of another bugler by six seconds for an echo effect.

"These were kids who had their whole lives ahead of them," he said. "It doesn't bother me as much with the older guys. They had a good, full life."
Bruner said the Amherst group started in the early 1950s and is supported by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion. He noted community and local business donations recently provided $17,000 for new uniforms for the 26 members.
"It's good therapy for me, and a heck of an honor," said Bruner, a Vietnam-era vet. "That's why most of the guys are here -- to pay your last respects to your comrades, because at one time we were brothers."
Honors performed at 5 cemeteries
On a typical Memorial Day, the Amherst Guard will perform honors at five cemeteries, Bruner said.
The unit handled 96 veterans' funerals last year. About a third of those were at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Seville, south of Medina.
Mark Polen, who handles program support at the cemetery, said he relies on 37 volunteer honor guard teams from surrounding counties to provide military honors for nearly 2,000 veterans' funerals a year.
The teams serve on a rotating schedule, averaging about eight funerals a day, Polen said.
"We have a relatively small staff here and there is no way we'd be able to accomplish what we do" without the honor guards, he noted. "It's pretty phenomenal. Not too many national cemeteries have this kind of volunteerism."
In comparing the local honor guards to those at Arlington National Cemetery, Polen said the Ohio vets "may not be all that spry, but I'd put them up against any of those folks. You can tell by the looks on their faces and the way they conduct themselves. They care."
Polen has some concern about whether the newest veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan will fill the ranks of future honor guards. "We're going to get to the point where all the older folks are going to be gone," he said.
Finding new recruits already a problem
Jeffrey Lynn, co-organizer of the Madison Community Funeral Team, said finding new recruits is already a problem because of the decreasing number of retired veterans who have the time and ability to participate.
Lynn, 54, did not serve in the military, but his father was a World War II veteran.
About 12 years ago, Lynn was a member of the Sons of the American Legion when he was asked to help out on an honor guard that turned out to be just two guys. One came with a cassette tape player for taps.
"I asked, 'Where is everybody?' They said, 'This is it.' I thought, what a disgrace to that veteran," Lynn recalled.
So he and a few veterans created the Madison Community Funeral Team, which now has 40 members, including a ladies auxiliary, who serve at more than 60 funerals a year in Lake and Ashtabula counties. The old cassette tape-player has long since been replaced by a bugler and bagpiper.
Lynn said some of the most memorable funerals have involved battling the elements.
He recalled one bitter winter funeral when the temperature dipped below 10 degrees. "When we got there I told the preacher, 'Reverend, you've got to make this as quick as possible,' " Lynn said. "We were only out there a few minutes. I never heard anybody say the Lord's Prayer any faster.
"I later asked the preacher about it, and he said, 'My son, that was the CliffsNotes version of the Lord's Prayer.' "
Lynn said he has been to more than 778 funeral but never tires of offering this final salute. "It's just such an honor, and the families really appreciate it," he said.
To some honor guard members, the duty gets personal.
Roger Davis, 65, of Parma, said he joined the Joint Veterans Honor Guard as a tribute to two friends who served with him in Vietnam and were killed in combat.
"They're the real heroes. Those two guys, they gave it all," he said.
"We can't ever forget that," Davis added. "Isn't that kind of important?"
The question didn't need an answer as the honor guard members furled their flags and collected spent brass shells scattered on the grass from the rifle salute.
Old vets just saying goodbye, as veterans do. This day, Memorial Day, any day.

The Electric Eye

MIT researchers are developing a microchip that could help blind people regain partial eyesight. Though it won't completely restore normal vision, it will enable a blind person to recognize faces and navigate a room without assistance. The chip, which is encased in titanium to prevent water damage, will be implanted onto a patient's eyeball. The patient will then wear a pair of eyeglasses equipped with a tiny camera that transmits images directly to the chip, which in turn sends them to the brain. With any luck, human trials are only a few years away.

Did Obama Cheat on Michelle with Vera Baker?

Barack Obama is cheating on Michelle with a woman named Vera Baker. Is this true? The National Enquirer says it is. If Barack Obama is cheating with Vera Baker and it takes the National Enquirer to report it while the other news agencies stay silent, this country has no independent media. By the way, who is Vera Baker? Keep reading and you’ll find out.
The recent edition of this story has been around since April 27th and only tonight after the Drudge Report put a link to the National Enquirer story, did the news story gain some legs. I’m not sure when the original story was published on the N.E. website, but on April 27th at 8:18 p.m., @nlinton wrote the following tweet:
Obama needs to work on this…In Hong Kong, a wife is legally allowed to kill her cheating husband but only use bare hands (via @brentinusa)
The next tweet that explicitly speaks about Obama cheating was the next afternoon. So this story has been around for 3 days before it started gaining traction. Thank you Matt Drudge. I should say, “Thank you National Enquirer.” After all, it’s nice to know some news organization will still do investigative reporting. Maybe they’ll get to ask a question at the next presidential press conference.
Here’s the beginning of the National Enquirer’s article:


PRESIDENT OBAMA has been caught in a shocking cheating scandal after being caught in a Washington, DC Hotel with a former campaign aide, sources say.And now, a hush-hush security video that shows everything could topple both Obama’s presidency and marriage to Michelle!

They go onto list the details of a limo driver dropping off Vera Baker and President Obama at the Hotel George in Washington, DC at 10:30 p.m. one evening and the limo driver then went home. His night was through.
As for the identity of Vera Baker, it seems as if she helped Barack Obama raise millions of dollars for his 2004 senate campaign. She helped him get elected. She knew him when he was a nobody.
Vera Baker is thirty-six years old, born in San Fransisco in 1974 and raised there. At the age of 26, she and Muthoni Wambu began a fundraising firm named Baker Wambu & Associates. Baker’s firm became the largest fundraiser for the Congressional Black Caucus. The firm operated until 2005. Wambu went on to be Sen. Biden’s deputy political director for his presidential campaign.
Baker, after leaving political fundraising, went on to work on Wall Street with Alta Capital Group. She later began Cape Caribbean, LLC which has offices in the Caribbean island of Martinique.
Click here to see a photo of Vera Baker and to read more information about the Vera Baker scandal. The Zipline Conservative blog says the Hillary Clinton campaign did the background research on this scandal and were prepared to run with it before the Democratic convention. However, they didn’t have enough proof.
This is an almost six year old affair, if it did happen. The date was May 18, 2004. That’s a lot of water under the bridge. Even if it did happen, President Obama will say the two have reconciled. The national news media, which has had information about a possible affair, will say, leave him alone and America will. They’ll tell us we must forgive him just as Michelle has forgiven him.
Maybe they’d be right, but still, if he’s going to act like John F. Kennedy, could Obama at least cut our taxes across the board, like Kennedy did?
Let’s see what else turns up in the next few days. It will be interesting to hear what Rush Limbaugh has to say about this on Monday.

Michelle Obama Caught Cheating

Michelle Obama Caught Cheating

The Globe magazine just released a bombshell and is reporting that Michelle Obama is having a “steamy secret affair” with a Secret Service Agent. According to The Globe, rumors started to circulate that Obama may be having an affair after her recent admission to NBC’s Al Roker that she frequently “sneaks out” of the White House; and the ever increasing time she is spending away from the White House may be a cover to hide “a sizzling affair she’s carrying on with a Secret Service agent.”

Michelle’s vacations began in August 2010 with a two day weekend trip to Panama City, Fla., where the Obamas stayed overnight at a Gulf of Mexico hotel in a symbolic effort to show that the Gulf area was safe for travel in the wake of the disastrous BP oil spill.

In December 2010, with President Obama delayed because Congress was still in town, Mrs. Obama decided to leave without him for their annual Hawaiian vacation, racking up at least $63,000 in additional costs because she travelled alone. Since the president arrived late, he decided to leave Hawaii in January two days later than scheduled – resulting in a 17 day vacation for the first lady.

In March, Mrs. Obama travelled to Latin America for a five day trip. I’m counting two days of this as vacation, though, because she took her children and her mother along, performed some sightseeing, and went to the beach.

Michelle went to southern Africa in June for six days in what was partially an official visit. Since Mrs. Obama took her mother, her children and their cousins along, since the trip was billed in advance as having personal significance for her, and since the travel included several tourist destinations and a safari, I’m counting half of the journey as vacation, or three days.

Michelle is believed to have taken 42 days of holiday in the past year, including a $375,000 break in Spain and a four-day ski trip to Vail, Colorado, where she spent $2,000 a night on a suite at the Sebastian hotel.

And the first family’s nine-day stay in Martha’s Vineyard is also proving costly, with rental of the Blue Heron Farm property alone costing an estimated $50,000 a week.

The source continued: ‘Michelle also enjoys drinking expensive booze during her trips. She favours martinis with top-shelf vodka and has a taste for rich sparking wines

According to The Globe’s anonymous source: “The rumors are that she’s getting it on with a Secret Service agent who is not part of her detail. … Her frequent outings away from the White House give her and him an opportunity to get together.” The source adds: “Something has been going on for a couple of months and there’s no question Barack is embarrassed about her increasingly frequent excursions away from him at the White House.”

The allegations are, of course, unsubstantiated and only time will tell if the allegations will fizzle or blow up into a major issuing in the upcoming presidential campaign. Typically, the media will not report unsubstantiated claims from anonymous sources, but the recent media feeding frenzy over unsubstantiated allegation against businessman Herman Cain, which literally sank his candidacy, leave the question open: will the media pursue, or even bother to investigate this story?