My Word with Douglas E. Welch

Jun’s Kitchen is a great cooking show out of Japan, the food is amazing and his – oh, so well behaved kitties — are a joy to watch. I have been subscribed for a few months and love seeing his shows pop up in my daily viewing list.

This udon noodle recipe caught my eye as we love udon here and I think it would be great to have a supply of fresh noodles for soup whenever we want. It’s not exactly easy, but seems doable.

Tempura Udon Noodles via Jun’s Kitchen

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【Ingredients serves 3】
－Udon Noodles－
300g flour
140ml water
15g salt

－Tempura (batter)－
110g flour
200ml (1 egg + water combined)
+ Any ingredients you want
I used shredded carrots, eggplants, okra, and shrimp.

－Soup－
900ml water
10g kombu
20g dried Sardines
20g thick bonito flakes
5g thin bonito flakes

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Fun festival last Friday night here in Van Nuys. They had a Silent Rave happening and I caught this LED Hula Hoop in both time-lapse and slow motion.

I have posted many photos of this exhibit from our recent trip to New Zealand and we found this “making of” video from when the exhibit originally opened in 2015. It gives some great insight into the creation of both the story and the exhibit itself and provides some sense of scale for the sculptures I have posted here.

To mark the World War I centenary, Te Papa has joined forces with Weta Workshop to take you back to Gallipoli. Experience the triumphs and countless tragedies of this 8-month campaign through the eyes and words of the ordinary New Zealanders who were there.

Te Papa Museum Web Site

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On our recent (August 2017) trip to New Zealand, we made a special point of visiting Stansborough LTD, maker of fine woolen fabrics used in the costumes for The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

This is slow motion video of one of their turn-of-the-century looms at work. What you can’t hear and feel is the vibration of the floor and the slamming of the shuttles from one side of the machine to the other. This is truly a beast of another age.

If you are in Wellington, New Zealand, I highly recommend you visit and take their tour. It is like stepping back into an earlier age.

Stansborough LTD Web Site

Creating artisan woollen treasures

Introducing the Stansborough collection of sustainable designer woollen textiles.

​100% New Zealand, pure, natural and chemical free.
Cocoon yourself in timeless, environmentally friendly heirloom treasures.

Breathable textiles that warm and protect, made with passion and integrity

Luxurious blankets, throws, rugs, babywear, accessories and Licensed Movie Costuming, traditionally created by artisan craftsmen, on historic 1890’s looms.

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!

Watch Binging with Babish: Master of None Carbonara via YouTube

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!

A recent addition on of our favorite online animated cartoons via YouTube. Especially funny for cat owners! — Douglas

Subscribe to Simon’s Cat on YouTube

It’s finally time for Simon to serve dinner to his date but Simon’s Cat seems to have other plans! In his cheekiest move yet the cat brings a special guest to join the couple at the table…WATCH NOW to discover who.

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
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Rosanne loves rice passing, but I am not the biggest fan. Still, this recipe looks delicious and easy so it might just push me over the edge into making our own batch at home. The addition of the jam makes it even better. — Douglas

This is the best rice pudding recipe ever thanks to the homemade blackberry jam you make to go alongside it. You’ll achieve a rich, creamy rice pudding in no time at all!

Rice Pudding Recipe

How To Make Jam

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
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Here’s how to make homemade hot chocolate—it’s super-convenient to make a cup whenever you have a craving. Made with real chocolate, our homemade version of gourmet hot chocolate is just as easy to make as the pre-packaged stuff and tastes infinitely better. 
Think of it as a go-to hot chocolate concentrate—and all you need is a microwave. No fancy equipment required.

Learn a bit more about the English language with another of these great linguistics videos. — Douglas

Negative Words That Turned Into Positive Words via Arika Okrent