This morning it came to our attention that those bastions of female undergarments, Triumph International, create a unique bra every year for the Japanese market. This year’s effort is named the Japanese Marriage Bra and has a countdown clock which can only be stopped by the insertion of an engagement ring which has the added effect of kicking off a rendition of “The Wedding March”.

Apparently the reason behind this creation is the fact that Japan has a high rate of single women. Indeed.

Previous years have seen Triumph – a German company, big in Japan – create unique undergarments with titles such as The Solar Powered Bra, The Chopstick Bra and the Postal Bra. It is not known whether there are ever orders placed for these, or indeed if they are manufactured for sale. If so, who would buy such a garment and why?

Perhaps more importantly, will they or competitors ever turn their hand to male underwear? Images of the (literally) Explosive Torpedo Speedos or Newtons Cradle Boxer-briefs pervade the mind and lead it to almost immediate shutdown.

I found this one when I was on the South Beach diet and I still use it to this day. This is such a simple recipe but looks pretty impressive. Honestly, there’s a bit of cooking, some mixing and then its all about piling things on top of each other and tossing in the oven. When done it looks and tastes fantastic.  Recipe from The South Beach Diet Cook Book.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tsp ground oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 
• 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsps virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped or sliced tomatoes
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese

Method:

1. Combine the ricotta with the oregano, salt, and pepper.
2. Rub the chicken with the garlic powder.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the chicken and cook for 12 minutes per side.
5. Place the chicken breasts, side by side, in a large baking dish and allow to cool.
6. Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C).
7. Spoon 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture and 1/4 cup tomatoes onto each chicken breast. Top each chicken breast with 1 slice mozzarella.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of a breast registers 170° F (75° C) and the juices run clear.
9. Service with steamed vegetables and/or rice

Up Next: Lamb with Green Beans

For those who haven’t heard of the Eurovision Song Contest, it is a showcase and celebration of music that has been running since the 50s (1956 in fact). Member countries from the European Broadcasting Union put forward a candidate and song to represent them in a contest to find the creame of European music, voted on by the television viewers. In the past few years, not all countries automatically qualify and there are heats and semi-finals held before the showpiece event staged at the previous years’ winning country. TV audiences across the world tuned into this year’s event over the past weekend - hosted by Russia - and the calculated audience was around 100 million.

While voting is now open to the full TV audiences from the different countries, there is always some tactical voting for neighbors and political allies. While you would originally scream at the injustice, its all part of the event and doesn’t really affect the final placings. Its all a bit of a laugh at the end of the day, along with the costumes; performances; lyrics and quite unfunny presenters.

Of course, Eurovision may be high kitsch, but like everything else it can be used to tackle serious issues or at least, bring them out into the open. Look at last week; the admittedly camp contest was used by Russian gay activists to help them march against homophobia and rights abuses, something which usually ends up in riots and physical violence against them. In the end it was thwarted, but with such a global audience it did help to highlight a huge problem within the country, where officials call gay protestors “Satanists” or “Weapons of Mass Destruction.”

So now its time to widen the scope and include non-Europrean countries. We’re a global village aren’t we, with television and the Internet breaking international boundaries, and so many countries outside of the EBU do watch avidly; why the hell not include the other continents? There’s already an Asia Pacific contest, why not an Americas equivalent or better, combine them all. Take the best from each continent and run localised contests with finalists representing their territories in a World Song Contest? Can you imagine what would happen if the US actually hosted an event? If Moscow can spend $42 million on this year’s, with writhing women on plastic pools of water lowered from the ceiling like some sort of high class mosh pit, what do you think the likes of Washington or San Francisco or LA could do?

Spectacular wouldn’t even get close to describing it.

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

Today’s Wednesday Why is two fold – why do people allow these sorts of pictures to be taken of their families and why is there a site about it?

The answer to one probably begats the other. It all equals awesome.

This is quite  a simple recipe. You can use fresh crab, but if all you can get is tinned, then thats fine. As a matter of fact, the pics included with this one show that I did indeed use tinned. Anyway, here is what you need and what you have to do:

Ingredients

• 1lb crabmeat (lump)
• 3 slices of bread (crusts removed/chopped)
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley or 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
• Vegetable oil

Method

1. Put crabmeat and bread in a bowl
2. Mix egg, mustard, mayonnaise (and worcestershire sauce if chosen) and pour over meat and bread
3. Gently work all ingredients together (don’t break up the lumps of crabmeat)
4. Form into cakes/balls (an ice-cream scoop or a 1/2 cup measure works here)
5. Put on wax/greaseproof paper covered tray and cover with plastic wrap
6. Store in the fridge for at least 2 hours (6 is better, or overnight works)
7. Fry cakes in vegetable oil (1 1/2 inches) for 4 minutes each side
8. Serve with rice and asparagus (or favourite vegetable)

As you can see, this is more like Crab breaks, but still very tasty.

Up Next: Chicken Capri

A few weeks ago, some of the more erstwhile Internet investigative reporters found a sketch on the blog of Mr Tony Daniels, writer/artist of the current “Batman: Battle for the Cowl” mini series. Said sketch purported to reveal the true winner of the monumental contest to become the protector of Gotham City. This caused a bit of a hoo-ha, and due to a poorly timed muscle spasm (a knee jerk) Mr Daniels took down the sketch and removed his blog forever. A week or so later he restored the blog, so it all turned out okay. You can tell the kids that everything will be fine again.

Still, the identity of the eventual possessor and heir to the cape, cowl, spandex long sleeved T, tights, Speedos and comedy magician-like utility belt is still very much the talking point. Will it be the first Robin, now Nightwing, Dick Grayson? Or will it be the second… oh, you get the general idea.

However, it has emerged that Mr Daniels may be considering playing the old bait and switch on comics fans, by eventually revealing the new Batman to be a ringer; someone unexpected, or indeed, not mentioned yet in the story. Could Tony “Agatha Christie” Daniels truly be about to pull off a major coup and pull the rug from under our noses? Wait, that doesn’t read right.

Why yes it does, if the evidence we have been provided is even remotely true. For, according to our source, a Mr Q, the new Batman will be … Simon Cowell.

Yes, astonishingly, pop producer and “Mr Nasty” judge of American Idol and Britain’s Got Talent may be the one under the mask come June.

“I’ve seen sketches,” said Mr Q, who obviously wishes to remain anonymous. “You can tell by the jaw, the mobile phone stuck to his hand and the utility belt pulled right up, almost under his armpits.”

However, Mr Q was unable to provide said sketches or any evidence whatsoever. In desperation, and under the misguided assumption that we could and indeed would pay for this “scoop” Mr Q scribbled down his own “interpretation” of Daniel’s sketch which is printed below in all its glory side by side with a picture of the man himself.

Uncanny.

“I hear he watches American Idol,” Mr Q slobbered, clutching at straws. “It makes sense as well. Just think of the rogues gallery re-interpreted to match the other major players in the show. Paul Abdul has to be Catwoman, because she did dance with that hipster cartoon cat in “Opposites Attract”. Its obvious Randy Jackson would make a terrific Mad Hatter, and as for Ryan Seacrest? A better Joker I have never seen or heard, what with his terrific one-liners, wide cheesy grin, and the fact he looks a bit like a homicidal maniac”.

As far fetched as this sounds, could Tony Daniels really be about to pull of the greatest comic book shock since Trouble with his homage to Simon Cowell? Or is he just looking to make a large amount of money at the bookies? Only time will tell when the final issue is released next month.

Tony Daniels or representatives of DC comics were unavailable to comment, possibly because we didn’t contact them, or something.

Before we get to the actual recipe, I have a story. Won’t take long, so please bare with me.

A few years ago, I wanted to make a dessert for Christmas dinner. I loved Banoffee Pie so that seemed like a good choice. Of course, what was required was a good recipe. So I searched the Internet and found a few. One instantly leapt out as the poster had exclaimed it was the “best banoffee pie recipe” they had ever seen and credited it to someone with a name that was familiar to me. Where the recipe had been found was on an old server where this person had worked so I wondered if indeed it was by my college friend. I went ahead and picked the recipe and made it.

It did indeed make a delicious pie that went down extremely well with all the guests, and after a quick exchange of emails where I thanked my friend for the recipe I got 3^rd hand, as I said, “if it was him” and it was confirmed that it was his recipe.

I am sure I have bought him some beers as a better thank you, although it didn’t seem enough on balance. Who knows, if you make this and like it as much as I did, perhaps you’ll send him a beer or two.

Anyway, thanks for indulging me and here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• Tin (~400g) of condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk!)
• Three large bananas
• One packet of McVities Chocolate Hob-Nobs (or similar-digestives will do)
• Half-pint of double cream, or whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons margarine (or butter)

Method

• Crush the biscuits in a freezer bag with a rolling pin until they are reduced to crumbs.
• Gently heat some margarine in a saucepan until liquid (or just leave some out at room temperature to soften).
• Pour crumbs and liquid/soft margarine and mix in with the crumbs until they start to bind together.
• Transfer the biscuit crumbs to a round dish (a large Pyrex dish is good) and pat with a spoon so that they cover the base.
• Place in the fridge to set.
• Put the tin of condensed milk in a pan of boiling water (NB- don’t open the tin first!) and allow to boil for 2 hours . You should put a lid on the pan to prevent all the water boiling off.
• When done, remove the tin and leave to cool a little (you could pour cold water on it to cool the outside).
• When cool enough to handle, open the tin carefully – the condensed milk will have caramelised and may well shoot out the opening.
• Pour/spoon the toffee from the tin onto the biscuit base of the Pyrex dish. Place back in the fridge to cool.
• Slice the bananas and arrange them on top of the toffee.
• Whip the cream until peaking, then fold on top and smooth out.
• Dust with chocolate powder for effect. Keep in the fridge until needed, covered with cling-film.

Tips

You may want to make the biscuit base with a lip (a bit like a flan or Pavlova). Start the condensed milk boiling, and then do the base. Have a rest for a while, then pour out the toffee and start on the cream and bananas. Serve cut into wedges in a bowl.