Google earth takes blogging to a whole new level, showing you just where on the globe the person writing is sitting. Look around here: http://earth.google.com/tour/thanks-win4.html to download the app (very quick install) and the bookmarks for the websites that are already trying it. Aside from the Jane Goodall Institute's blog there are other sites on the Wirefly X PRIZE cup which if you're an aeronautical engineering geek should be exciting. The Discovery Channel has a site, as does the Da Vinci Code guys. Get a look at this cool tool before it becomes overloaded with San Dimas High School Football Rulez!! type live feeds from your local junior high. I suppose unless it becomes something you can link MySpace to maybe that won't happen but for now it is still in its pure geek infancy. Anyone else remember the original Listserv discussion boards before they came up with IM? When people would actually reprimand other users for putting up advertising and correct grammar? No? Maybe it's just me then. I am sort of hoping to find Jane Goodall's official biography under the Christmas Tree this year, or barring that, a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.
Along the lines of purism and childhood memories, I decided to make a simple bread pudding to get rid of some french bread from Saturday. Jamie Oliver has a fantastic one that I will not print verbatim in order to avoid copyright infringement. Much easier than it looks, and totally worth it. I thought I was full after dinner but I've now polished off a second helping (seen in the photo) and am contemplating a third. Plus it's made of eggs, which I normally hate, so it's a good way to get protein, right? Right? Right.
Ingredients: 4 eggs, 2 1/2cups milk, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 3/4 cup + 2 TB sugar, 4 TB fruit jam, 1 tsp vanilla. Preheat oven to 300F. Separate 3 eggs. Combine yolks with remaining whole egg with whisk, then add milk, bread crumbs, vanilla and 1/4 sugar. Spread jam on bottom of baking dish (about pie plate capacity or little larger). I used more than 4 TB because I wanted to cover the bottom evenly. As it turns out this adds more liquid (duh) and so therefore you need to cook for longer but it didn't ruin anything. Pour egg yolk mixture over jam and bake in oven for 1hr or more until set and not wobbly in the middle. Beat egg whites until stiff, then add in remaining sugar. Cover custard with glossy, stiff egg whites and continue baking until meringue is set and lightly browned, 15-20 mins depending on surface area. Let cool before eating or you'll burn your mouth on the jam. Should serve 4 - 6 unless I'm in the house when it will serve 1 1/2 people. I am planning on saving this for breakfast tomorrow. It's eggs, bread and jam so tell me how it's not also good for breakfast? Oh and those two little brown blobs on the baking sheet are some left-over meringue that I made into cookies. After the custard is done, turn the oven up to 350 until it preheats, put blobs in and immediately lower heat to 250. Cook for 45mins or so. Make sure you use parchment paper or Silpat mats otherwise they'll just crack coming off the baking sheet.
Edited for clarity: The BREAD was used to make the BREAD CRUMBS via the Cuisinart, although you could just as easily cut it into cubes and do that instead.
