Axis of ÆvilFamiliarity breeding contempt and ennui.Turtles- April 21, 2006 &171; Delicious and chewy chocolate caramel turtle brownies. &187; While trying to come up with something to make for Easter to supplement my annual pitiful attempt at making pashapashka, I found a recipe for some dark chocolate turtle brownies that immediately trumped all the other possibilities if only because I used to eat turtles by the box and haven't had any since I left the US. I don't remember if turtle candies were very popular in New England, but in the Midwest, they are a..http://www.axis-of-aevil.net/archives/2006/04/turtle_brownies.html Fungus- April 18, 2006 &171; A birch tree afflicted by a parasitic fungus that causes massive branching which looks like bird's nests. &187; I would always think that the dense bunches of branches in the birch trees were simply bird's nests whenever I would see a tree dotted with dark balls of branches and it was only recently that I found out that it is actually a fungus, Taphrina Betulina, that stimulates growth of the branches to form these "witches' brooms" or tuulenpes (wind's nest). Overall,...http://www.axis-of-aevil.net/archives/2006/04/fungus.html Microserfs 2.0- April 10, 2006 &171; The noble beast, Otava, watches a ferry push through the sea ice. &187; These days, I think the dead lead more thrilling lives than I do as, other than sleeping, eating and going to work, I've just not had the energy to do much of anything in the past few weeks. The highlight of my day is walking Otava and going to the puppy park where it can get pretty 'exciting' now that it's spring. I think much of the hormonal fervor is due to a very large percentage of both male and female.http://www.axis-of-aevil.net/archives/2006/04/microserfs_20.html Fro Yo- April 6, 2006 &171; Mmmi frozen yogurt. (Those unfamiliar with mmmi might read "Warm Cowpies".) &187; Mmmi is that pre-digested-looking substance that rarely finds friends outside of the native Finnish population. It's a pity, really, as once you get past the way it looks it's delicious. It's like the browner, less chocolatey, more viscous cousin of Whoppers. I've often thought that mmmi is a perfect substance to use as an ingredient in other things given its unappetizing looks and distinctive...http://www.axis-of-aevil.net/archives/2006/04/mammi_frozen_yogurt.html Spring Nausea- April 3, 2006 &171; In the absence of actual spring we have to pretend. &187; In spite of the animals behaving as though it is spring and the return of the retarded turning the clocks forward at a latitude where it does little good in either direction, it's snowing and still cold in Helsinki while it's nearly 80F back home. I don't mind winter, but after more than six months of darkness and cold, I'd like the warm weather to hurry its ass up before the dark and the cold return. It's hard not to...http://www.axis-of-aevil.net/archives/2006/04/spring_nausea.html On a Kick- April 3, 2006 &171; P&x12b;r&x101;gi, tasty pork, onion and caraway filled Latvian dumplings. &187; I've suddenly found myself on a dumpling kick and am going around the Baltic for a variety of tasty examples. When we were in Latvia last year, we had a plate of these p&x12b;r&x101;gi which were peppery and, surprisingly, contained caraway seed. I grew up with caraway since it is a regular feature in German foods like pumpernickel bread. Caraway, in spite of it being common in Latvian and Estonian..http://www.axis-of-aevil.net/archives/2006/04/piragi.html |