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As I went over to the Daring Kitchen, earlier this month, to check out what the challenge would be, I came away doing cartwheels and very excited. See I love puff pastry and homemade puff pastry rocks even more! But the challenge did not end there – no there was more.
We were to make puff pastry using a recipe I have often used. From the book Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan it was Michel Richard's Puff Pastry Dough, so I knew what I was getting myself into this month. With the puff pastry we were to form and create delicious vol-au-vents.
Ever since we made Gâteau Saint-Honoré all the way back in 2007, I've been often making my own homemade puff pastry at home. It is one of the most elegant doughs and while I am not a baker by profession, it was still my own aspiration to add this to my baking repertoire.
Making homemade puff pastry probably brings beads of sweat to many people's foreheads, but the truth is, puff pastry is not very difficult to make, it is however, time-consuming. A flour-water dough encases a block of butter and then rolled into a long rectangle, folded into thirds like a business letter, a quarter turn, and then repeat the roll-fold-turn process several times to leave you with almost a thousand layers of dough and butter. When it is finally baked you will be rewarded with a puffy, light and crispy dough.
Vol-au-vents are hollow cases of puff pastry, where an opening is cut out on the top and once baked they are filled with a multitude of fillings – sweet and savory. It's the perfect canapé for get-togethers and parties or makes a very elegant dessert when filled with pastry creams or mousse.
As I love to entertain vol-au vents are often on my list of things to make. One of my favorite filling is a very facile chicken spinach with ricotta. A hint of garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper it makes a delicious little appetizer for your guests. I sprinkled the vol-au-vents for my savor filling with some black sesame seeds too. On the sweet side I simply infused creamy mascarpone with vanilla seeds to make my creamy filling. Finally I topped it off with an enticing medley of baked figs, maple syrup and pecan nuts. The complementing warm and cold against the crispness of the puff pastry makes this dessert more than a dream.
The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.
Homemade Puff Pastry
Puff pastry belongs to the "laminated dough" family, along with Danish dough and croissant dough. Laminated doughs consist of a large block of butter known as the beurrage, which is enclosed in dough known as détrempe. This dough/butter packet is called a paton, and is rolled and folded repeatedly in a process known as "turning".This procedure creates the crisp, flaky, parallel layers you see when baked. Unlike Danish or croissant however, puff pastry dough contains no yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely on aeration to achieve its high rise. The turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. In the hot oven, water in the dough and the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise.
Michel Richard's Puff Pastry Dough
From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough[Printable version of recipe here.]
2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butterplus extra flour for dusting work surface
Mixing the Dough:
Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.
Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)
Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.
Incorporating the Butter:
Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.
Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.
To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.
Making the Turns:
Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).
With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.
Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.
Chilling the Dough:
If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.
The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.
- Keep things cool by using the refrigerator as your friend! If you see any butter starting to leak through the dough during the turning process, rub a little flour on the exposed dough and chill straight away. Although you should certainly chill the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns, if you feel the dough getting to soft or hard to work with at any point, pop in the fridge for a rest.
- Not to sound contradictory, but if you chill your paton longer than the recommended time between turns, the butter can firm up too much. If this seems to be the case, it is advisable to let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to give it a chance to soften before proceeding to roll. You don't want the hard butter to separate into chunks or break through the dough...you want it to roll evenly, in a continuous layer.
- Roll the puff pastry gently but firmly, and don't roll your pin over the edges, which will prevent them from rising properly. Don't roll your puff thinner than about about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick, or you will not get the rise you are looking for.
- Try to keep "neat" edges and corners during the rolling and turning process, so the layers are properly aligned. To keep the sides straight and at 90-degree corners cut the edges of the paton with a bench scraper to.
- Brush off excess flour before turning dough and after rolling.
- Make clean cuts. Don't drag your knife through the puff or twist your cutters too much, which can inhibit rise.
- When egg washing puff pastry, try not to let extra egg wash drip down the cut edges, which can also inhibit rise.
- Extra puff pastry dough freezes beautifully. It's best to roll it into a sheet about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick (similar to store-bought puff) and freeze firm on a lined baking sheet. Then you can easily wrap the sheet in plastic, then foil (and if you have a sealable plastic bag big enough, place the wrapped dough inside) and return to the freezer for up to a few months. Defrost in the refrigerator when ready to use.
- You can also freeze well-wrapped, unbaked cut and shaped puff pastry (i.e., unbaked vols-au-vent shells). Bake from frozen, without thawing first.
- Homemade puff pastry is precious stuff, so save any clean scraps. Stack or overlap them, rather than balling them up, to help keep the integrity of the layers. Then give them a singe "turn" and gently re-roll. Scrap puff can be used for applications where a super-high rise is not necessary (such as palmiers, cheese straws, napoleons, or even the bottom bases for your vol-au-vents).
Forming and Baking the Vol-au-Vents
Yield: 1/3 of the puff pastry recipe below will yield about 8-10 1.5" vol-au-vent or 4 4" vol-au-vent
You will need:
-well-chilled puff pastry dough (recipe above)
-egg wash (1 egg or yolk beaten with a small amount of water)
-your filling of choiceLine a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled. (If you are looking to make more vol-au-vents than the yield stated above, you can roll and cut the remaining two pieces of dough as well…if not, then leave refrigerated for the time being or prepare it for longer-term freezer storage. See the "Tips" section below for more storage info.)
On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.
(This assumes you will be using round cutters, but if you do not have them, it is possible to cut square vol-au-vents using a sharp chef's knife.) For smaller, hors d'oeuvre sized vol-au-vents, use a 1.5" round cutter to cut out 8-10 circles. For larger sized vol-au-vents, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4" cutter to cut out about 4 circles. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides. (Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough. If you do need to re-roll scrap to get enough disks, be sure to use any rounds cut from it for the bases, not the ring-shaped sides.)
Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vol-au-vents, or a 2- to 2.5-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vol-au-vents, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little "caps" for your vol-au-vents, or put them in the scrap pile.
Dock the solid bottom rounds with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash. Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little "caps," dock and egg wash them as well.
Refrigerate the assembled vol-au-vents on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)
Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vol-au-vents, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center "caps" they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)
Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.
Fill and serve.
- For additional rise on the larger-sized vol-au-vents, you can stack one or two additional ring layers on top of each other (using egg wash to "glue"). This will give higher sides to larger vol-au-vents, but is not advisable for the smaller ones, whose bases may not be large enough to support the extra weight.
- Although they are at their best filled and eaten soon after baking, baked vol-au-vent shells can be stored airtight for a day.
- Shaped, unbaked vol-au-vents can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month (bake from frozen, egg-washing them first).
Baked Maple Figs with Vanilla Mascarpone Vol-Au-Vents
[Printable version of recipe here.]
4-6 vol-au-vents cases using homemade puff pastry recipe above and tips for forming vol-au-vents
4-6 fresh figs
30-40g butter, cut into cubes
40g pecan nuts, dry roasted
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
200g mascarpone
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out (reserve the bean to make vanilla sugar)
1 tablespoon fine sugar
- Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. Butter a baking dish.
- Cut the figs crosswise, making sure not to cut all the way through – about 3/4 way so that they spread out a little. Place a cube of butter into each fig and then line the figs tightly together in the baking dish.
- Scatter the roasted pecan nuts over the figs and then drizzle with the maple syrup. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, glazing with the butter-syrup mixture as it bakes.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together vanilla bean seeds and sugar with the mascarpone until smooth. Cool for 30 minutes.
- Fill each vol-au-vent case with approx. 1 tablespoon of vanilla mascarpone and top with the maple figs. Drizzle some of the fig-maple syrup over the top. Serve immediately.
Ricotta Spinach Chicken Vol-Au-Vents
[Printable version of recipe here.]8-10 vol-au-vents shells using homemade puff pastry recipe above and tips for forming vol-au-vents
200g ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
400g chicken filets, cut into small cubes
250g frozen spinach leaves
50g carrots, cut into juliennes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepperMethod
- In a non-stick pan heat the olive oil and gently sauté the garlic until aromatic.
- Add the chicken cubes and cook until just beginning to brown. You do not want them to color too much.
- Throw in the spinach leaves and cook until thawed and the liquid has evaporated – approx. 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the ricotta cheese, season to taste and cook the mixture for another 1 or two until the ricotta has heated through. Finally add the carrot strips and then turn the heat off. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan.
- Fill vol-au-vent shells with the mixture. This can be served either cold or warm. In both cases fill the vol-au-vents only minutes before serving.
Always a hit with both my men and my guests. I really like the recipe for puff pastry from this cookbook as I've always achieved really great results. It's also probably because Dorie Greenspan simply makes something as intimidating as puff pastry sound so easy – and in the end it is.
Would I make this again?
Yes – over and over. As I said earlier it's not difficult one just needs a good plan and a lot of time to make puff pastry. Once you have made and tasted homemade puff pastry it will be hard to go back to store-bought (unless you have found a super butter tasting store-bought puff pastry brand).
What did I learn from this challenge?
As I have often made this in the past – I will say that puff pastry in general is almost like therapy for me. It always teaches me patience. It's not one of my strong traits I admit. But usually the endless rolling, folding, turning and waiting really helps me strengthen this weak feature of mine.
I really want to thank Steph for choosing this great recipe and going with the vol-au-vent idea. It was a lot of fun and therapeutic!
You might like these laminated dough delights from WFLH:
Chocolate and Raspberry Danish Braid | Strawberry Sin | Gâteau Saint-Honoré |
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2009 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First


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Belgian police have released CCTV images in a bid to identify three men wanted in connection with the violent robbery of a jewellery store in which the shop owner and her husband were left seriously injured.
At around 10am on Monday 4 June two men walked into the jewellery shop on Vlasmark in Dendermonde where they sold a gold necklace. One of the men identified himself as 'Ivan Stoyshev – Varna', however, he did not provide any supporting documents.
Later the same day, at around 4.30pm, the same two men returned to the store and again offered to sell a gold necklace when one of the men hit the female shop owner, leaving her unconscious on the floor. The second robber then hit her husband and pulled him into the back of the store where he was hit on the head with the butt of a gun.
A third man then entered the shop and the two shop owners and a cleaner who had been in the back of the premises were tied up with tape. A fourth suspect then also entered the shop and stole a large quantity of jewellery, including a unique gold watch set with diamonds and a Napoleon coin.
The first suspect, who was carrying the gun, is described as around 190cm tall, heavily-built, with short dark hair and wearing a light coloured sweater, blue work style trousers and dark shoes. The second man was around 180cm tall, stocky and with a protruding stomach, very short dark hair and was wearing a dark tracksuit with a 'Puma' logo and light coloured sports shoes. The third suspect was around 185cm tall, stocky with very short dark hair, wearing glasses with metallic frames, a dark jacket, blue trousers and light coloured shoes. The fourth suspect had blond curly hair (no image available).All the men are believed to be eastern European.
Anyone with information on these individuals is asked to contact their national police, the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Brussels, or INTERPOL's Fugitive Investigative Support unit.

subset: commoncrawl


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Blog: Bobcat Abroad – Tommy Freeman
< < Back toFormer Ohio University basketball guard Tommy Freeman will write a monthly blog detailing his travels as a professional basketball player in England. Freeman is the all-time leader in three pointers made at Ohio and is in his first season in the British Basketball League (BBL).
As many of you know I am playing in Worcester, England for the Worcester Wolves. We are in the British Basketball League which is a 12-team league. Looking back on my first month in a foreign country, there are many differences in the lifestyle, weather, food, and style of basketball. Over the next few months I hope to share some of my experiences and accounts of being a professional basketball player in England. I hope you enjoy some of the stories and get a little laugh out of these blogs.
I had gotten notice three days prior that my flight would be leaving from Indianapolis. I can recall being in such a rush to pack up the most important necessities to fulfill my 100-pound limit that I could bring onto the flight. Of course I brought t-shirts, socks, shorts, underwear, a razor, my toothbrush, jeans, and lots of sweats, but the objects that took up most of the weight in my bags were my Xbox 360 and my 200+ DVDs. I had in my mind that these objects would be the most important, becuase I'd be so far away from home. The Xbox had always been my escape from the daily grind of school and basketball that I used to slip into my own fantasy world. The DVDs I had compiled over my four years at OU and often got teased because I kept all of them in alphabetical order on my shelves. Through Xbox Live I was able to talk with my friends from home and recently have been able to talk with my youngest brother Zach while playing Call of Duty.
I arrived in England in mid-September, and I did not know what to expect. I had been dropped off by my uncle at the Indianapolis airport, and after switching a few pounds over from one bag to the other, I was on the plane with very minimal hassle. I had a layover in Newark for an hour a half. Once I found my gate and grabbed a few slices of New York-style pizza I sat down to charge my phone for the last time in the US while I made my last second calls. I called my dad, brothers, and a few other family members that I hadn't even had a chance to talk to since I had got the e-mail with my flight information. I boarded the plane with an eight-hour flight ahead of me. Luckily, the flight was late in the evening so I could grab some shut eye on the way. I had lucked out on my flight from Indianapolis to Newark and because there were extra seats on the plane I was able to move up to an exit row where I had plenty of legroom. When I boarded the plane outbound from Newark it looked as if my luck had changed. I was in the row with a husband and wife with a small child. Don't get me wrong, I love kids but an eight-hour flight with an infant usually is a recipe for disaster, or at least minimal sleeping for anyone near them. Once again I lucked out. The husband's seat had something poking him in the hindquarters. It delayed the flight about 20 minutes because we had to wait for the maintenance crew to come and switch the cushion out. I figured that we would be on our way at this point only to find out that the stewardess had moved the couple a few rows forward and moved an elderly woman next to me. Things were looking up. I would be able to grab a nap on the way to Birmingham, England where my coach would meet me to pick me up from the airport.
I arrived in the morning on the first plane into Birmingham. The customs line was non-existent and I walked directly up to the agent. He asked me a few questions about what my business was in the country and how long I would be staying. The entrance paper asked at what address I would be staying. I was not sure at that point so I left it blank. The agent questioned why I had left in blank and I informed him that I would be staying in one of the team apartments. He was familiar with the Worcester Wolves and allowed me to pass through. I could hardly contain my excitement while I was walking through the concourse. I was getting my first taste of England. What would be different? What will coach look like? Will I even recognize him from the pictures on the website that I had seen before leaving? All of these questions ran through my head in anticipation for what was coming next. I waited for about 45 minutes and then, strolling through the airport, I saw a familiar face. I did recognize coach. He had on team gear that I had hopes of getting in the near future. We walked out to his car. I did not know what kind of car to expect and I would have been very wrong if I ventured a guess as to what it would be. It was a four door hatchback, green with two racing stripes painted from one end to the other with team logos on each side. We placed my belongings into the car and were on our way. We drove 30 minutes from Birmingham to Worcester where he showed me the gym, rec center, and finally where I would be living.
The next few days were spent getting acquainted to the town and my teammates. We spent all of our time together and they gave me a taste of what to expect for the next eight months. I arrived on a Thursday and practice did not start until Monday so I had a few days to find my way around and get used to the time difference. I spent most of my time on Skype with various friends and family telling them of my adventures so far and informing them that I had made it safely. I was looking forward to starting practice and seeing where I stacked up against other guys on the team. With this being my first time playing abroad I had no idea how things would work or what my role would be on this team. After all coach had brought in five out of eight new players to get a fresh start with guys that were hungry for success. Practice began with us putting in new sets and practicing the plays five on zero until mostly everyone on the team had them down. We ran and ran the first two weeks and after that we ran some more. The entire team was tired beyond belief but we were all getting our wind back. I was accustomed to this. It seems everywhere that I play the coach wants us to be the best conditioned team in the league. I was growing tired of playing against the same guys over and over in practice. The first exhibition game was quickly approaching and I couldn't sleep because of the anticipation that I was feeling towards stepping out on the court in a Wolves uniform.
The Reading Rockets were our first opponents. They were from a lower division than us, and coach explained that if we played like we were capable of then we would have no trouble. The game started slow as it was a combination of first game jitters and guys trying to find some sort of rhythm while playing with each other. We fell behind but regained the lead by halftime although it was only by a slim margin. Needless to say coach was not too happy with us. We bucked up and held the Rockets to only five second half points. We realized that if we could play defense like this against some of the teams that were in our division, that we would be a tough out for teams that were used to using us as a doormat. We had a week to get ready for our first teal test. It would be against a Guildford team that had a familiar face on their roster.
The Guildford game came around and I drew the task of guarding Martell McLemore. He was a 2010 graduate of Western Michigan and I can remember playing against him when I had my career-high of 30 points in the Convocation Center. I did not know what to expect from the game, but I knew we had a great chance of winning if we played together and battled as a unit. The game was close throughout with many lead changes. To my surprise I was scoring a lot more than I expected to. As the final seconds ran down we found ourselves on top and able to pull out the win in overtime. I was pleased but not satisfied with my performance. I knew I could play much better than I had, even though I finished with a game-high 29 points in my BBL debut. We celebrated the first win of the season and looked to the next team on our schedule, Plymouth.
In preparation we spent time in practice focusing on stopping their inside game. In their game the previous weekend, they had dominated inside and if we had any chance of winning we would need to limit the amount of rebounds and inside points that their bigs scored. We also took time that week to attend netball tryouts. It's a game that is a cross between basketball and ultimate frisbee that is played by girls only. I cannot speak for my teammates but it was a nice distraction from the speed workouts and practices that we were being put through everyday. When game time rolled around on Saturday we started the game playing how we had planned. We attacked their bigs inside and got them into foul trouble. However, once they were out we didn't stick to it and keep attacking inside. We were down by only a few at halftime, although we had not played well in the first half. We began the third quarter with the hopes of starting the season 2-0, but by the end of the 3rd quarter they had pushed their lead to over 20 and we were dead in the water. We were crushed to suffer our first loss and we made it up in our minds that we needed to seek revenge when we played them in a weeks time.
We talked about the same ideas the next week at practice and all stated areas that we needed to improve if we had a chance at going into their place and stealing a win. Coach defined everyone roles so we had no doubts what the team needed each individual to do in order to play our best basketball. When we arrived at Plymouth and I was amazed at the arena that they played in. The amount of seats, although not many compared to the Convo or even the Muncie Central Fieldhouse, was probably about five times the seats of our gym. The lighting shined down on the court to give the players the sense that we were playing on a stage. They also had some beautiful cheerleaders and for the first time since I had been in England my jaw was on the floor. After refocusing myself and reminding myself why I was there, I went out to shoot and get a feel for the gym. I loved the rims, the open background, and the way that the court felt beneath my feet. We got off to a good start and used a second quarter series of stops to build a 13-point lead at halftime, I personally had a slow start but my goal was to look for my shot in the second half. We came out and built upon our lead and now at the end of the third we were up by 23. We were looking like we might blow them out, but basketball is a game of runs and to this point in the game they had not went on one. This was their time. They chipped away as their crowd began to get behind them to try and surge them to victory. Luckily for us we were able to make a few more plays down the stretch and finish the game off while beating them by 11. The mini-bus ride home was bearable after the win although my body was aching from an injury I had suffered earlier in the week after a spill I took during the game.
As my first month comes to an end, I like the direction that the team is headed. Our camaraderie is good and I believe it will be a key to our success as we progress through the season. I recently bought a 22-inch television with my first paycheck, so I am getting comfortable and settled in a little more than when I first arrived. I look forward to being able to travel around the country and see some of the historical sights. I also am looking forward to going to London and seeing how different it is from the small town of Worcester. We travel Friday to play Glasgow. It is a 12-hour round-trip journey. While I'm not looking forward to the drive, I'm looking forward to the game and seeing where we are compared to other teams in the league.
I hope you have enjoyed reading a little bit about my adventures and I appreciate you taking the time to read it. Please do not be afraid to tweet me any questions you have about basketball or life over here in general. Until next month take care of yourselves.
Tommy Freeman will write a monthly blog for WOUB.org about his adventures as a professional basketball player. Contact Tommy on Twitter @tfreefor3


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AUSTIN, Texas – The nation's commuters are adapting to increasing traffic congestion by building delays into their schedules, but at a cost of $121 billion in wasted time and fuel, according to an annual study of national driving patterns released Tuesday.
The new report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute found that Americans wasted an average of $818 each sitting in traffic in 2011. That also meant more carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.
The worst commute in the country? Washington. Commuters in the nation's capital needed almost three hours for a trip that should take 30 minutes without traffic, according to the report. That compares to the least congested city -- Pensacola, Fla. -- where commuters needed only nine extra minutes.
On average, Americans allowed for an hour of driving time for a trip that would take 20 minutes without traffic. The total nationwide added up to 5.5 billion additional hours that Americans spent in their cars during 2011.
The institute, part of Texas A&M University, uses 30 years of traffic data, and its annual reports are one of the key tools used by experts to solve traffic problems. Researchers study how commuters adapt their travel plans when they have urgent appointments in highly congested areas based on data gathered from state transportation agencies, private companies and academic entities that monitor traffic issues.
When all costs are totaled, the cost of traffic congestion to Americans was up $1 billion over 2010 for a total of $121 billion. For commercial truck drivers alone, wasted time and diesel fuel amounted to $27 billion.
The latest study also found that after Washington, the most congested cities in 2011 were Los Angeles, San Francisco-Oakland, New York-Newark, Boston, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle.
New to the report this year is the amount of additional carbon dioxide that gets released into the atmosphere because of clogged roads. In 2011, that total was 56 billion pounds of additional carbon dioxide, or the equivalent of 380 pounds per commuter.
The statistic "points to the importance of implementing transportation improvements to reduce congestion," researcher and co-author David Schrank said.
The study also determined that Americans burned 2.9 billion gallons of gasoline while sitting in congestion, a slight improvement over the peak in 2005 when commuters wasted 3.2 billion gallons.
Researchers said 2005 remains the worst year recording for traffic congestion, but warn that recent improvement may be directly related to the recession. As the economy picks up again, the study's authors warn, so might road congestion.
The institute notes that every community is unique and requires different, multi-faceted approaches to solving congestion.


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There was a Google Analytics video making the rounds back in the fall that resonated strongly with many UXers. In the video, a customer in a supermarket attempts to check out and is greeted with all of the standard components that constitute the online checkout process. He's asked for his user name, asked to read a CAPTCHA code, and watches as the cashier "times out" and then proceeds to ask him the same list of questions all over again. This video struck a chord with many in the UX community because it makes explicit something than many UXers have known implicitly for a long time: when users interact with a computer, they are engaging in a conversation. When the computer behaves in a way that no human would, it confuses the whole process. The end result: a bad user experience.
Human–computer interaction as a two-way conversation is not a new idea. George Lakoff famously wrote that we are able to understand complex concepts through metaphor; in this case, the metaphor is "interacting with a computer is having a conversation with a person." Voice recognition software like Siri or customer service IVR systems attempts to bring this metaphor to life by allowing you to actually speak to a computer and have it talk back (even if sometimes we find ourselves screaming "I want to talk to a human!" into the phone). And Luke Wroblewski has written in detail about how forms that phrase questions in natural language tend to work better than forms that speak in computer-ese. This is partly because these types of forms are immediately understandable as a two-way conversation.
There is no doubt that users instinctively act as though computers and other electronic devices are in fact people. How many times have you yelled at your DVR, rolled your eyes at a website, or said something like "I love my phone"? One study demonstrated this beautifully by asking people to perform a task on a computer and then evaluate the computer's performance. Participants who completed the evaluation on the same computer they were assessing gave higher marks than those who used a different computer or pencil and paper to record their evaluation, as though they didn't want to offend the computer.
Thinking about UX design as a two-way conversation can be the key to creating smart sites and apps that meet users expectations, because when you begin to think about all design as a conversation, you are able to apply the rules of basic conversation to your design process. The philosopher Paul Grice has proposed that human interactions follow the cooperative principle: "Make your contribution such as it is required, at the stage at which it normally occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged." The cooperative principle enumerates four key conversational maxims, which work equally well when applied to UX design:
Maxim of Quality: Be Truthful
- Do not say what you believe to be false.
- Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.
Maxim of Quantity: Quantity of Information
- Make your contribution as informative as is required (for the current purposes of the exchange).
- Do not make your contribution more informative than is required.
Maxim of Relevance: Be Relevant
Maxim of Manner: Be Clear
- Avoid obscurity of expression.
- Avoid ambiguity.
- Be brief
- Be orderly.
The overarching principle that governs these maxims is that both parties involved in the conversation agree implicitly to adhere to the maxims. But when we interact with a digital entity these maxims get consistently violated, and the result is that we're forced to interact in a way that is unnatural and confusing. It is worth noting that in human-to-human conversation, these maxims are frequently violated on purpose in order to convey subtext or irony, or to make a joke. But when we interact with a computer, we are not expecting it to make jokes, be ironic, or communicate in a way that necessitates reading between the lines, so those types of purposeful violations aren't really relevant here.
Maxim of Quality
I recently worked on a banking site for which there was a very long enrollment form. We naturally wanted to make the form as short and easy to use as possible, but it also needed to gather a large amount of data. So someone proposed a solutions that I've seen many times in this type of scenario: pretend there are only X number of steps when in reality there are Y. One banking site that does this is Ally Bank's.
When you start to open a bank account you are presented with what appears to be a six-step process. However when you click "next step" in the step-3 pane, a lengthy modal window opens—a sneaky seventh step. Now let's put this in terms of conversation:
User: I'd like to open a bank account.
Computer: Okay. I just need you to fill out these six forms.
User: All right. Here's forms one, two and three. Can I have form four please?
Computer: Not yet. First you need to fill out this other form that I didn't mention earlier.
At this point, the customer might begin to wonder what else the computer hasn't mentioned. What's behind steps four, five, and six? While this may seem like a plausible resolution to a design problem during the design stage (we want to keep the number of steps to a minimum so users won't be scared off, thus we will simply handle extra information via modal windows) when placed into a conversational format it becomes an obvious deception that violates standard conversational norms.
Maxim of Quantity and Maxim of Relevance
Violations of these maxims occur most frequently with sites that use search, where the system can provide too much information and not enough information all at the same time, along with providing completely extraneous pieces of information. Google Shopping provides an excellent example of both violations simultaneously. Let's say, for example, that I am looking for a black sweater. I might go to a large department store in search of one. On the off chance that I'm able to find a sales clerk to help me, the conversation might go like this:
Me: I'm looking for a black sweater.
Sales Clerk: What type of black sweater?
Me: Something dressy that I can wear to work, but not too expensive.
Sales Clerk: Do you have any brands you usually wear?
Me: I like Theory and Three Dots.
Sales Clerk: I'll pull some sweaters for you.
By contrast, here are the Google shopping results for "black sweater."
And here's what that conversation looks like:
User: I am looking for a black sweater.
Computer: Here's the first sweater I've found for you. It's a white men's sweater.
User: I am looking for a black sweater.
Computer: Here are 87 pages of black sweaters. Which one would you like?
User: Uhhh…
At this point, I want to say that I am a woman and am looking for a woman's sweater (a fact that Google likely already knows but hasn't applied to the search results) but there is no place to do that. There is also no place for me to specify brands I like or in what settings I want to wear the sweater. One of my few options is selecting "free shipping," but that isn't relevant to me yet when I haven't seen anything that remotely qualifies as something I might want to purchase.
Maxim of Manner
I recently attempted to book a flight for my oldest child to visit his grandmother. The error message I got on Expedia does an excellent job of illustrating what happens when you violate this maxim:
While the error message is brief, it is also wildly ambiguous. Because Expedia won't let me proceed any further unless I also book a ticket for an adult to accompany the child on this flight, I'm able to draw the conclusion that Expedia does not allow users to purchase unaccompanied minor tickets on the site. The error message makes even less sense when put into the context of a conversation:
User:I'd like to book a flight for an unaccompanied minor from New York to DC.
Expedia: Children must not be allowed to travel without either a senior or an adult.
User: What if my child is ten years old?
Expedia: You must also purchase a ticket for an adult or a senior.
User: But the airlines sell unaccompanied minor tickets for an additional fee. Can I purchase that kind of ticket?
Expedia: We don't think children should travel by themselves.
Is this a philosophical point of view? A corporate philosophy? Why not just say, "Unaccompanied minor tickets must be purchased directly from the airlines?"
As demonstrated above, applying Grice's maxims to UX design by either writing out the actual conversation users and computers engage in, or at least taking note of the conversation, can help guide design decisions.
In addition to being aware of the maxims, it is also important to note that there is a difference between machine-initiated conversations and human-initiated conversations. On a site like Ally Bank's, for example, the machine is initiating the conversation. The user is interested in opening a bank account, but most likely has only a vague idea what the required steps might be. Other machine-driven conversations include social networking sites such as Pinterest, where users essentially show up and see what the computer is saying today. In this case, the Pinterest conversation could look something like the following:
Computer: Here's a bunch of interesting things people have found on the Web.
User: This picture of a living room looks interesting. I'd like to know more about it.
Computer: Let me take you to the site it came from. If you really like it you can also tell your friends about it or comment on it.
In this case the computer is driving the conversation and, therefore, it is up to the computer to offer possible options that a user might rely on to continue the conversation.
On the other hand, a user-driven conversation occurs commonly on sites where users have clearly defined needs and goals, such as an e-commerce site or a web application. FreshBooks, for example, relies primarily on the user to start the conversation. Users may say things like, "I need to create an invoice," "How many hours have been billed against Acme Inc?" or "How much money do I have coming in this month?" This may not sound radically different from looking at a site with a standard needs-and-goals approach, but again clearly articulating the conversation can illuminate how the computer should respond to things the user "says."
In the case of FreshBooks, the statement "I need to create an invoice" isn't really given a clear response. Here's the site's main navigation:
A user looking to create an invoice might think to look under the Invoices section, as that makes sense from a conversational point of view:
User:I'd like to create an invoice.
Computer: Here's everything you can do related to invoices.
Although there is a hard-to-find button for creating invoices in the Invoices section, it unfortunately turns out that the more direct route is in the Time Tracking section. This makes sense from the point of view of the system's structure in that you can only invoice for a project for which you have tracked time, but is confusing within the context of a conversation. Because this is a user-driven conversation, it is up to the site to respond to what the user "says" in a reasonable way that corresponds with Grice's maxims. Instead, the conversation looks something like this:
User: I'd like to create an invoice.
Computer: Would you like to look at a list of clients and staff, view existing invoices you've created …[long list of other unrelated questions]?
If you were talking to a person who did this you would assume they either weren't listening or were slightly unhinged. When a computer does it you're likely to assume that using the site isn't going to be a pleasant experience, or worse, you may leave.
Avoid a bad conversation by using Grice's maxims as a simple checklist as you design a site's user experience. Determine whether your site's conversation is user driven or computer driven, and observe how the conversation flows. Your designs will be better for it.


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The Meccano Society of Scotland
Menstrie Meeting 2011
In May 2011 we held our annual Menstrie Meeting and Challange.
The Challenge this year was to construct a walking machine powered by a modern french electric motor. See the Challenge Rules page for more details.
Menstrie Challenge - Report
There were five entrants this year. On the general photos below the entries were from lift to right:-
Douglas Carson (6 legs)
Gordon Stewart #1 (2 legs)
Gordon Stewart #2 (4 legs)
Alistair Nicol (6 legs)
Andy Knox (8 legs)
Most of the models suffered from the a lack of ability to walk in a straight line. They tended to go in gentle curves thus making the distance between the start and finish lines greater than it otherwise would be. Indeed some never reached the finishing line as they curved so much.
Douglas Carson's entry won its first race against Alastair Nicholl's entry, but was then got badly infected with direction deficiency. Alastair Nichol's entry was the fastest walker but almost always went astray and did not finish the course. The most elegant walkers around were Gordon Stewart's two entries, but these were rather slow. The winner of all its races was Andy Knox's entry. This had a sinister arachnoid type motion nd, while not very fast, was very reliable and walked in a good straight line. Andy was thus presented with the winners trophy.
Pictures from Menstrie 2011
High resolution versions of the photos are also available for download if desired.
Click here to see higher resolution photo
Tip - You may find it better to view the pictures in 'full screen' mode - For most browsers F11 will toggle this on and off.
© 2024 Meccano Society of Scotland


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We saw stories earlier this week about a man who was lost for two nights in Mount Rainier National Park over the weekend, but survived in part because he burned the money he was carrying to keep warm as a blizzard blew through the area.
But a critical question wasn't answered until today. — how much money went up in flames?
Now, thanks toThe Seattle Times, we know:
A $1 bill and a $5.
That was a little dissapointing. We'd been picturing a bigger blaze. Not a I've-found-D.B. Cooper's-lost-loot-and-now-I-have-to-burn-it story, but maybe a few hundred bucks or something.
Still, 66-year-old Yong Chun Kim's tale is pretty compelling. For instance, according to the Times Kim says he "worried he was breaking the law by burning money and feared he would get in trouble for setting a fire inside the national park." The $6 was all the money he had with him.
Ultimately, the newspaper says, Kim used his "trusty yellow lighter" to burn "anything else he could spare — an extra pair of socks, bandages, a nylon scarf and a toothbrush — before he was rescued Monday at an elevation of about 6,400 feet after spending two nights on the frigid mountain with only what he had packed for a day hike."
And he also rested for only short periods, because he figured moving would keep his body temperature up. Kim had gotten separated from the snowshoeing group he was leading when he slipped and slid about 150 feet. He told them to keep moving and and seek help. Kim had a little food in his pack. It took rescuers a while for rescuers to find him, obviously, but when they did he "was in such good shape that ... he did not have to go to a hospital and instead went home with his family," The Associated Press says.
As for the money, the AP reports that Kim says it burned the best of all the things he seat afire.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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The Most Anticipated Movies of 2013
2013! Hard to believe it's upon us. And with that a completely new crop of movies to get excited about. And with that, we've put together a list of our 20 most anticipated movies of 2013.
These are the 2013 movies to add to your calendar, mark down on your to-do list and absolutely must see in the year ahead. Of course, we can't guarantee any quality with the most anticipated movies of 2013 (one time we were really looking forward to 'Green Lantern' and we all know how that turned out...) but based on what we've seen (and some of these movies we already have seen), these are some of the best bets.
So after you're done reading our list of the top 20 movies of 2012, check our list of the 20 most anticipated movies of 2013 and let us know if you agree or if we missed anything!
'A Good Day to Die Hard'
February 14, 2013Iconoclastic, take-no-prisoners cop John McClane, for the first time, finds himself on foreign soil after traveling to Moscow to help his wayward son Jack--unaware that Jack is really a highly-trained CIA operative out to stop a nuclear weapons heist. With the Russian underworld in pursuit, and battling a countdown to war, the two McClanes discover that their opposing methods make them unstoppable heroes.
'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'
March 29, 2013In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.
'The Evil Dead'
April 12, 2013In the much anticipated remake of the 1981 cult-hit horror film, five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival.
April 26, 2013Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack's mission is nearly complete. Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.
'Iron Man 3'
May 3, 2013Marvel's 'Iron Man 3' pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
'Star Trek Into Darkness'
May 17, 2013In the wake of a shocking act of terror from within their own organization, the crew of The Enterprise is called back home to Earth. In defiance of regulations and with a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads his crew on a manhunt to capture an unstoppable force of destruction and bring those responsible to justice. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.
'Fast Six'
May 24, 2013The sixth installment in the 'Fast and Furious' franchise sees the gang head to London.
'Man of Steel'
June 14, 2013A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
'Monsters University'
June 21, 2013Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn't always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn't stand each other. "Monsters University" unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.
'This is the End'
June 14, 2013The comedy 'This Is The End' follows six friends trapped in a house after a series of strange and catastrophic events devastate Los Angeles. As the world unravels outside, dwindling supplies and cabin fever threaten to tear apart the friendships inside. Eventually, they are forced to leave the house, facing their fate and the true meaning of friendship and redemption.
'Pacific Rim'
July 12, 2013When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity's resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes--a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)--who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind's last hope against the mounting apocalypse.
'300: Rise of an Empire'
August 2, 2013Based on Frank Miller's latest graphic novel Xerxes and told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster "300," this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield--on the sea--as Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. "300: Rise of an Empire" pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemesia (Eva Green), vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
August 9, 2013In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) will stop at nothing to preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium – but that doesn't stop the people of Earth from trying to get in by any means they can. Max (Matt Damon) agrees to take on a life-threatening mission, one that could bring equality to these polarized worlds.
'You're Next'
August, 23, 2013In 'You're Next,' during a family reunion getaway, the Davison family comes under a sadistic attack. When Crispian Davison brings his new girlfriend along to celebrate the wedding anniversary of his parents, the family's evening together is shattered when a gang of mysterious killers begin to hunt the family down with brutal precision. Unfortunately for the killers however, one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.
October 11, 2013'Oldboy' tells the story of a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned on his daughter's birthday. For fifteen years, he is held captive, and, upon his release, must begin his journey to find the reason for his imprisonment. He soon finds out that his kidnapper has plans for him more tortuous than his solitary confinement.
'The World's End'
October 25, 2013In The World's End, 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub – The World's End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind's. Reaching The World's End is the least of their worries.
'Thor: The Dark World'
November 8, 2013Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World" continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel's "Thor" and "Marvel's The Avengers," Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'
December 13, 2013The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.
'Jack Ryan'
December 25, 2013Follows Jack Ryan (Chris Pine), an ex-Marine turned financial analyst living in Moscow, who uncovers a terrorist plot. Financial wiz Viktor Stazov (Kenneth Branagh) and the Russian government masterminds a plot to devalue American currency and thus destroy the U.S. economy. Ryan must race against time to save America and his wife (Keira Knightley).
Release Date TBDDr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone--tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth...and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.


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CR Men Issue 11 Fall 2020
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ELC 2017 Technical Showcase
Embedded Linux Conference 2017 Technical Showcase
We are happy to be planning a technical showcase again this year at Embedded Linux Conference. This Wiki page will guide you in giving your demonstration. For conference details, please follow this link to the conference website:
The demo session will be on Wednesday, February 22, starting at 5:10 pm and going until 7:00 pm.
The demo area will be available starting at 4:20 pm for demo setup.
"Seeing is believing!" Unlike in Desktop or Server applications of Linux, in embedded systems Linux technology is usually unseen. Although it is a challenge, we want to expose Linux software and techniques so that other developers who are interested in this technology can learn, and become potential contributors themselves. We hope that through opening up technical details and projects (in the way of Open Source development), these demonstrations will provide insights that are helpful to developers.
- No purely commercial demonstrations.
- The Embedded Linux Conference should not be used for a pure sales pitch.
- You can show off a product, if there are features or aspects of the product you are displaying that are open source.
- Demonstrations should be of software that is available under an open source license.
Frank Rowand - Sony
- e-Mail : frowand (dot) list (a) gmail (dot) com
- Please replace (a) to "@" and (dot) to "."
What will be prepared by the Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation will provide the following FREE OF CHARGE :
- A Demonstration desk, which is either half of a table or a full table
If you need special arrangements, please contact the coordinator.
- Power supply: US standard, possibly shared with other demo on table - assume no more than 2 plugs available, which you may split further if needed.
- Assume the power is less than 750W. If your demonstration will exceed that, please consult the coordinator.
- A large-format printed poster, based on the file you submit.
- Please note that a dedicated (wired) Internet connection will NOT be prepared. However, wireless Internet may be available via the hotel wireless network. We cannot, however, guarantee Internet access.
- Logistics support
- Details will be given to the demonstrators
Dimension of the desk
- Please refer to the attached photo.
All demonstrators are requested to prepare a poster to explain the technical outline of the demonstration. You can download the template from this page. The Linux Foundation will print them out on large size paper (18 x 24" format). The document should be sent edited, removing the sample page, and sent IN PDF FORMAT to the coordinator by Tuesday February 7th.
Caution: Do not change the paper size. It is intentionally set to a big size.
To help you know what kind of posters we usually get, see ELCE 2012 showcase posters.
Note that by submitting a poster, you authorize the coordinator and the Linux Foundation to publish a PDF version on eLinux.org.
Some tips
The demo consists of a poster (printed by the Linux Foundation), with a few sentences talking about your project, tool, technology or distribution and a table top where you can place anything from:
- nothing at all, just have a person sitting there to talk to people about what's on the poster, or ...
- something on a laptop - like a program running or a even a static chart showing some result
- something running on a board or a device
- something on an actual CE product
You can also put some flyers there for people to grab, if you'd like.
If you can put charts and graphs on the poster, that's nice but it is NOT required. Neither the poster nor the hardware (if any) needs to be elaborate or require lots of setup. One year I showed up with a camcorder and just talked to people about it's bootup time (which I had worked on).
If you are a presenter, the demo session is a good chance to talk to people one-on-one about your session topic. This gives you more time for interactive Q&A, and a chance to show something hands-on, if that applies to your subject.
How to apply
- Send an e-mail to the coordinator with the following information:
- a) The contact person, b) the company name, c) a project name or title for your demo, and d) a brief outline of the demonstration.
- The coordinator will acknowledge your application by e-mail.
- Please send your application for the demo session no later than Friday February 3rd.
- Prepare the poster and send the data to the demonstration coordinator by Tuesday February 7th. It will be printed out by the conference organizers on big size paper.
- Prepare the demonstration equipment
- You can bring the equipment yourself, or ship it.
- If you do not have a consignee which will be convenient for you, send them to the following address: Address not available yet
- (ask Frank for the address if you are shipping something separately.)
- Q: Is this opportunity limited to CE Workgroup or Linux Foundation members?
- A: No. You do not have to be a forum member to have a demo at the conference. However, each demo should be associated with a paid conference attendee.
- Q: Is the demonstrator required to make a presentation at the conference?
- A: No, this is not required. However, we believe there will be many people who will to be interested in details of the technology, so we hope that you can have a session. Please note that the due date for a session proposal is earlier than the due date for demo sign-up.
- Q: Should I assign some dedicated staff to carry on the demonstration?
- A: No, this is not necessary. There will be a dedicated time slot for the demos that will be separate from the other technical sessions. So there should be no conflict between the demo session and the other technical sessions.
- Q: Is there any fee to demo something in this session?
- A: No, the demo session is completely free.
- Q: Can a non-attendee help present the demo?
- A: If you have someone coming who will ONLY run or assist with your demo, and not attend any sessions, then that person may be admitted for free, for just the demo session (and setup and take down). However, each demo should be associated with at least one registered attendee.


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Warren Buffett To Give Away Staggering $1 Billion For The Perfect March Madness Bracket
A lot more than bragging rights could be on the line when filling out your bracket for the NCAA Tournament.
Quicken Loans has teamed up with Warren Buffett and his company, Berkshire Hathaway, for the 'Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge,' in which they will give away $1 BILLION to any lucky soul who correctly picks the winner of every single game in the upcoming NCAA men's college basketball championship. That'll make you think twice before picking a 12-seed to reach the Final Four, don'cha think?
The lucky winner will get the money divvied up over 40 yearly payments of $25 million or in one $500 million lump sum. Sadly, if more than one person wins, they'll have to split the $1 billion. Don't you hate when that happens?
Buffett says he's excited to join this American tradition:
Millions of people play brackets every March, so why not take a shot at becoming $1 billion richer for doing so? While there is no simple path to success, it sure doesn't get much easier than filling out a bracket online."
As if the chance to become a billionaire isn't incentive enough, the 20 people who have the most accurate, but not perfect, brackets will win $100,000 apiece.
Registration got underway on March 3. All entrants must be at least 21. Only the first 10 million people who sign up can participate. And with $1 billion on the line, 10 million brackets will probably be filled out quicker than the time it takes to tell your boss, "I quit!"


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The Kevin Durant Debate is raging: No. 1 draft prospect over Greg Oden? Best player in college hoops this season? Best freshman ever?
The debate has taken an interesting turn: Henry Abbott over at True Hoop pointed out that the NBA DraftExpress site has officially moved Durant ahead of Oden on their draft board, which might be the first "recognized" site – including the mainstream outlets – to do that.
I'm still wondering how Durant will "redefine" his position in the NBA in the same way that KG or Dirk did, as Durant's many fanboys are arguing.I don't doubt that he could be a perennial All-Star (much like Carmelo), but I still haven't heard a convincing argument of how he actually changes his position.
Why isn't it enough to say: He's the next Dirk? (Which is, by my estimation, Durant's closest NBA comparable and a template he'll be hard-pressed to improve on.)
Then a team with the No. 1 pick has to ask itself: Do they want the next David Robinson (Oden) or the next Dirk Nowitzki (Durant)?
I'm not suggesting which type of player has more value – a case could be made for both. I'm just wondering whether Durant is as transcendent, "game-changing" talent as everyone says... or merely an awesome conventional player.
By the way, I had an interesting exchange with The Big Lead last week about Durant's place in CBB history. Is he the best freshman ever? ("Ever" meaning "the last 20 years?") I'd say "Best" is an overly simplified formula of Individual Talent - Talent around you + Competition x Ultimate Tournmanent Success.
I think it's simple: I cannot rank any freshman over Carmelo Anthony. Not unless Durant carries Texas to a national title.


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The State Department says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who skipped an overseas trip this past week because of a stomach virus, sustained a concussion after fainting.
She's now recovering at home and being monitored by doctors.
An aide, Philippe Reines, says Clinton will work from home next week, at the recommendation of doctors.
Congressional aides do not expect her to testify as scheduled at congressional hearings on Thursday into the Sept. 11 attack against a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador.
The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss Clinton's status.
The department says Clinton was dehydrated because of the virus and that she fainted, causing the concussion. No further details were immediately available.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.


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Tax Depreciation Schedule Werribee, VIC
Tax Depreciation Schedules
Werribee, VIC
A tax depreciation schedule from our award winning team ensures you're maximising the after tax return on your investment property.
About Werribee
Werribee is located within the Wyndham region as part of the Wyndham (C) Local Government Area.
The majority of dwellings in this area are houses. The key benefit of owning a house is the land it's built on, because land continues to appreciate as the population increases. When you own a unit, you only own a partial amount of the land it's built on. Houses have a greater potential because there are opportunities to renovate, rebuild or add an extension which will increase what you can potentially claim in deductions. Yes, you can renovate a unit, but you are unable to add an extension or rebuild, which is where some excellent depreciation deductions can be claimed.
Estimate the total tax depreciation deductions for your property in Werribee using the calculator below!
Why Choose MCG Quantity Surveyors
The maximum effective life of a residential building as prescribed by the ATO is 40 years, therefore our comprehensive reports last for the full 40 years.
Our reports are completed within 7 working days of the inspection and under normal circumstances, most inspections are organised within 4-5 days.
Yes! Unless we can find double our fee worth of depreciation deductions, we'll cancel the report without charge! Our first step starts with an analysis of your potential claims.
The short answer is no. It is correct to say that the newer a property is, the more depreciation deductions you are likely to be able to claim. However, a property will generally always attract some amount of depreciation regardless of age, unless it is a very old property in completely original condition.
We just won the Australian Financial Reviews Client Choice Awards, meaning we have the best service of any Quantity Surveying Company. We're also Australia's fastest growing firm!
Our Net Promoter Score
We're regularly featured by:


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jQuery Meetups
Meetups are a great way to meet other community members, expand your knowledge, socialize, and show off what you've been working on.
Thousands of developers get together every month all over the world to share their knowledge. Check out meetup.com to find a jQuery or JavaScript meetup near you. Can't find a meetup near you? Consider creating your own meetup!
Looking for larger events? We have plenty of trainings and conferences all over the world too!


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Steven Gellman
St. Elmos Coffee Pub
Saturday, October 17 at 8 p.m.
Billboard Magazine describes Steven Gellmans music as intensely sensitive and impressively intelligent at the same time. As another reviewer aptly phrased it, Gellmans songs are Kodak moments from his life. This intensely personal singer-songwriter will be performing in a venue that is a perfect match for his music intimate, inviting and responsive.
Robert Earl Keen, Todd Snider, and Bruce Robison
The Birchmere
Wednesday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m.
They should have called this the Redneck Brothers in Arms tour, pairing three of the best American storytellers with a country-folk bent onto one bill. Now, press releases would highlight that Keen is out promoting a wonderful new album The Rose Hotel, that Snider is still riding his latest offering The Excitement Plan and that Robison is one of the most admired songwriters in country music (having written No. 1 hits for Tim McGraw, George Strait and The Dixie Chicks). But, what should really be highlighted is the fact that youll have a simply fabulous evening of music if you check out this show.
Julia Nixon
The Carlyle Club
Friday, October 23 at 8 p.m.
There has never been a better time than now for the return of the award-winning artist Julia Nixon and the authentic rhythm and blues sound that has been her signature for more than two decades. An international performer as well as beloved local musical fixture in her adopted hometown of Washington, Julia has stepped up to yet another level with the release of her long awaited debut solo album, Keepin On Track. Included on the album is a blockbuster dance version of One Night Only, a ballad she performed as Effie in Dreamgirls on Broadway. Just as Night marked Effies triumphant return to the recording studio, Nixons updated rendition symbolizes the next stage of her remarkable career taking her music to the masses and performing on the world stage.
Keb Mo
The Birchmere
Tuesday and Wednesday, October 27 and 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Its rare to get the opportunity to see the unquestioned top artist in a particular genre of music, but with Keb Mo, that really is the case. This singer-songwriter and guitarists music is a living link to the seminal Delta blues that traveled up the Mississippi River and across the expanse of America informing all of its musical roots. Born Kevin Moore in Los Angeles to parents originally from the deep South, he became inspired by the force of this African American art form and performers like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Taj Mahal. Its Mos authentic take on the blues that makes him the leader in the field today, making this a show true music aficionados should not skip.


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Riethmeyer's Auto Repair's technicians have years of experience and knowledge working on Buick vehicles in the Austin, TX area. They are ready to complete and meet any and all Buick maintenance needs. You don't have to worry about any engine or transmission problems cropping up in your Buick, because our team of highly-trained service technicians understand that your Buick is more than just another vehicle.
Buick is the definition of understated luxury that bridges the gap between the mainstream Chevrolet brand and the much more expensive Cadillac nameplate. The brand has been around for more than a century and has presented car enthusiasts with legendary vehicles that toe the line between affordable luxury and sportiness. At Riethmeyer's Auto Repair in Austin, TX, we can provide the service required to keep your Buick in great shape for years to come.
Buicks are known for their robust reliability, but even the most reliable of these luxury cars can have a few growing pains in their latter years. If you have a Buick, some problems that could arise include problems with the transmission and engine.
Affordable Repairs for Affordable Buick Luxury
We here at Riethmeyer's Auto Repair are ready and waiting to fix your Buick. We want to get you and your car back on the road as quickly as possible. Not having your car can be a bummer, and our staff is trained to fix your Buick promptly and efficiently so you can get on your way worry free. Riethmeyer's Auto Repair prides itself on friendly staff who are not only waiting to fix your car but take the time to answer all your questions and concerns. Be sure to give us a call at 512-836-6615 today to schedule an appointment or stop by our service center. We're waiting to meet your automotive needs.


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Hire Charges
We currently do not have our charges listed online, but we are happy to quote you by phone. Please call us on 01440 709794 and we'll be happy to help.
Minimum Order Charge
We do have a minimum order charge of £50 (excluding delivery) for all hires. This is to cover the time involved in organising and dispatching a single small item. Sorry :-(
New clients are required to pay in advance by BACS or credit card. Repeat customers can open a credit account with us on 30 days terms.
Multiple Items & Job Lots
If you're looking to fit out an entire set and need many items, we are happy to quote a discounted rate based on the quantity of items.
Delivery to You (Delivered by Us)
For larger items and fragile items such as televisions we do not use couriers. We have a tail-lift transit van and will deliver the items to the set or wherever they are required.
Delivery to London is £130, and Collection from London is also £130.
Our £130 rate applies to any single delivery or collection address inside the M25 - which covers destinations such as Pinewood, Elstree and Studios around Ealing/Greenford.
Delivery to Birmingham £225 + VAT
Delivery to Bristol is £250 + VAT
Delivery to Edinburgh or Glasgow - £500 + VAT
Delivery to Leeds or York is £275 + VAT
Delivery to Manchester £275 + VAT
Delivery to S. Wales (Cardiff) is £300 + VAT (Swansea + £50)
Collection charges are the same as our delivery charges.
Next Day or Same Day Delivery
Next Day or Same Day delivery is possible. However, we do sometimes need time to prepare and dispatch the items especially if they need to be set-up in a specific way. Generally speaking we need at least 2 days notice before dispatch. However, when it comes to the crunch, we can react quickly. In this situation we can only delivery using our own transport at the costs quoted above.
We do not normally work weekends. It can be arranged if you give us at least 7 days notice. However, there is a surcharge of 50% for weekend work.
Returning the Items
It is your responsibility to return the items within the agreed hire period. Return delivery is also at your cost. YOU MUST make sure that you pack the items very well with plenty of protective bubble wrap around them. Any damage to the items, whether during use or during return transit will be charged in full. We take photographs of all items immediately before they are dispatched.
Equipment Failure
Due to the electrical nature and age of the equipment we provide, you must be aware that it is possible that the equipment may (although unlikely) fail during the hire period. This is particularly relevant to old televisions and computers. You are hiring the equipment on the understanding that failure is a possibility. We cannot be held responsible for any problems or costs arising from the failure. However, we will always do our absolute best to replace the item with a similar model. Please note that whilst we will not charge for the replacement item or the time involved in getting a replacement working, the transport costs in getting the replacement to you is your responsibility. This is an uncommon occurrence, but it must be understood that it can happen. By hiring equipment from us you are confirming that you understand and agree this.
Damage & Insurance
It is your responsibility to ensure the equipment you hire from us is covered by your own insurance. Please check the items as soon as your receive them. If there is any notable damage that looks like it was sustained in transit, please contact us. Any damage to the items, whether during use or during return transit will be charged in full. We take photographs of all items immediately before they are dispatched.
Late Returns
Items returned after the agreed date will be charged for at the first week rate plus 50% for every full week after the agreed return date. Please ensure that the items are returned within the agreed period as failure to do so may affect another hire and cause problems for us all!
Dry Hire
The term dry hire means to hire an item without having a technician supplied to support it. Most of our small items are available to dry hire, but some of the more complicated equipment that require specialist knowledge are not. In these cases we will deliver the item(s) personally and set them up for you. Please call us for a quotation based on the hire period and location.
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This is what I wore on the day of Christmas Eve (when will I EVER post an outfit on the day I wore it again?) during shopping and wrapping and stuff.
I was expecting stores to be busy but they weren't. I felt like the only idiot that had waited til last minute and it was frustrating. A worker at Borders said to me, "So what, are you like, gothic?"
**Please note, MOST PERFECT SKIRT POUF EVER. This $4 crinoline is an all-time wardrobe favorite. Snookie would be proud.
Anyway, this was one of those outfits that went in a completely different direction than what I wanted to do initially. First I wanted to be a gothic (ding ding ding, Borders person) Circus freak -- crinoline, lace, sheer diamond-patterned button-down -- then I felt like wearing the ribcage Rodarte for Target dress and figured it was circusy enough because of the sequins, then I realized it would be perfect with these freaky reflective eye sunglasses I bought a few weeks ago at a joke shop. So then the outfit got like...sciency. Or something. Go x-rays.
I love these sunglasses, they make me feel like a reptile Madonna.


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The antiques mall turned out to be more of a multi-dealer junk shop. You know the kind of thing–ugly Venetian glass ashtrays from the 50s, and cartoon lunch boxes from the 70s. I balk at seeing things I owned as a child under the banner of "antiques." It's not quite time for that yet.
We were on the way out, passing the very last stall, when some sort of alarm bell went off in my head. I turned around and, half buried behind country-kitsch tree ornaments and faux-colonial table lamps shaped like Betsy Ross french kissing Benedict Arnold, I spotted...a spinning wheel.
"I need to go look at that," I said.
I fully expected the wheel to be:
- fake;
- transformed into a lamp or planter;
- missing half its vital organs;
- ridiculously overpriced; or
- all of the above.
There had to be a catch. I swung the treadle, which had been tied back, into position and reconnected the footman to the crank. The wheel was unlubricated but still spun with surprising ease. The wheel itself was still perfectly true. I had no string to make a drive band, but the flyer, which had all its hooks but one, spun easily on the leather bearings.
The frame didn't even wobble. No sign of rot, no cracks, no sloppy repairs on the underside with nails or glue.
Was it a fake? If so, it was a very clever fake. The wood was old, fine-grained stock, and the table was rough-hewn on the underside. All the joins were authentic. The turnings were machine-lathed, but original. There were traces of the orignal red ochre paint on several of the turnings. It obviously had not been cobbled together from a random collection of incomplete wheels.
To my eyes, which I grant are not expert, it seemed to be an intact, nicely-preserved, Eastern European wheel from the last quarter of the 19th century. Or a well-nigh perfect reproduction of the same.
Gritting my teeth, I flipped over the red price ticket. Less than 100 dollars. Much less than 100 dollars.
My vision went all blurry. And then suddenly we were back in the car going home, and I owned two spinning wheels. Because having just one spinning wheel in my high-rise Chicago living room wasn't weird enough.
That night, I felt as though I'd taken in a healthy but neglected puppy off the street. The little thing lapped up half a bottle of lemon oil and quite a bit of wheel oil. When I first put on the drive band, it groaned a bit as the works began to rotate for possibly the first time in years. But I coaxed it, and offered more oil, and fiddled with the tension, moving very slowly. Within two hours, it was purring contentedly. The action was almost as smooth as my Ashford's.
I finally understood why my father got so much satisfaction from fixing cars and stereos. Only took me 35 years, Pop, but hats off to you for showing me the way.
It's missing only one vital part: the bobbin. However, I'm confident I can get a set made without much trouble or expense. I've got good, close-up photographs from similar wheels, I've worked through Alden Amos's detailed formulae for computing double-drive ratios, and my folks know people with lathes. I've already started making measured drawings.
Now, like any new parent, may I present a few photographs?
Daddy's so proud. Thank you for indulging me.


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OCEAN CITY — A major flap over the proliferation of an increasingly popular, larger version of the traditional boogie board was at least temporarily resolved today when Ocean City officials lifted the ban on the "beaters" until the issue could be discussed next week.
After receiving numerous complaints about the increased use of the larger body boards, those 42 inches or longer, and their perceived threat on the safety of the general public in the ocean, the Ocean City Beach Patrol recently began enforcing a ban on the "beaters," a particular trade name for one brand of larger boards.
The ban touched off a widespread controversy Wednesday over the use of the larger body boards, prompting city officials late yesterday to lift the ban and stop the enforcement of the section of the town code written in 1972 governing body boards until a rational, logical discussion on the issue could be held.
The Ocean City Beach Patrol just recently began enforcing the arcane section of the code after receiving several complaints about not just the proliferation of the larger body boards, but also the aggressive habits by a handful of their users.
K-Coast Surf Shop co-owner Mark Pugh said today a handful of kids are utilizing the larger body boards in an aggressive manner in the crowded ocean and some are actually making a game of running over tourists.
"The problem isn't the boards themselves, the problem is a handful of kids are causing complaints because of how they are using them," he said. "Unfortunately, tons of people are using the boards in a safe manner and they are being penalized by the actions of a handful of kids that aren't. This isn't a board issue, it's a personal responsibility issue."
The patrol, faced with increasing complaints, had little recourse but to start enforcing the rules and regulations governing body boards in the town code, much the chagrin of the "beater" loving public. The town code defines a body board, or boogie board as a semi-soft, buoyant, semi-curved object of no more than 42 inches long, 24 inches wide and four inches thick that can be used on Ocean City beaches in non-designated surfing areas. The code also includes language that provides the Beach Patrol some discretion in enforcement regardless of the length of the board.
City Manager David Recor said today the town officially lifted the ban on the larger boards until a discussion is held on Monday to better define the accepted lengths, and perhaps more importantly, the use of the larger boards.
"We've tasked [OCBP Captain] Butch [Arbin] with talking to the shop owners and business leaders to come up with a logical solution," he said. "We've seen an evolution of the product since the code was written in 1972 and this needs revisiting. The question is, when does a body board become a surfboard? The primary mission of the Beach Patrol is to protect the safety and well-being of both residents and visitors alike."
According to Pugh, Arbin will likely ask for a change in the code to allow a body board of up to 58 inches and will ask the Council for the continued discretion to enforce the code.
Professional body boarder Brian Stoehr offered his perspective on the matter today.
"The current ordinance was written before body boards came in different sizes and in more recent years body boards are being made in a variety of sizes to accommodate different rider sizes and types of riding," Stoehr said. "More so than the size of the board, I think the issue would be is the behavior on the person. If a person is deliberately running over another body boarder or swimmer, that isn't acceptable behavior regardless of the size of the board. … a simple solution is probably updating that code to give the beach patrol some type of ability to use their discretion based on a given situation."


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When entertaining over the holidays it is a good idea to have some tasty appetizers on hand. Although the holiday cookies are always welcome it is also nice to have something savoury and it is hard to go wrong with a melted cheesy dip! A while ago I made a hot sweet onion dip that was so good! The sweet onion went surprisingly well with the melted cheese! While I was enjoying the hot sweet onion dip I thought, why not caramelize the onions first? I had to try the caramelized onion version of the dip so I filed the idea away for later and now was the time to finally try it. Properly caramelizing onions can take a bit of patience as it takes several hours to slowly cook them down until they have turned a nice golden brown colour but the final result is so worth the effort. After cooking for all of that time the onions that started out pretty pungent mellow out and in fact become quite sweet. These sweet caramelized onions worked amazingly well in the savoury, creamy dip covered in melted cheesy goodness! I enjoyed the hot caramelized onion dip on a sliced fresh whole grain baguette but chips or even vegetables would also make for some great dipping pleasure.
Hot Caramelized Onion Dip
Sweet caramelized onions in a hot cheese dip!
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 large sweet onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
- pepper to taste
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium-low heat, add the onions and water and cook until completely tender and caramelized and golden, about 40-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, adding more water as needed.
- Mix everything and place it in a baking dish.
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until the sides are bubbling and the top is nice and golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.
Hot Sweet Onion Dip
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Hot Cheesy Spinach and Crab Dip
Reuben Dip
Onion Chutney
Artichoke Bread
French Onion Soup
Chipotle Caramelized Onions
Apple French Onion Soup
Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Dip
French Onion Soup Dip
Slow Cooker Chipotle Maple Onion Jam
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup