Weekend Chocolate

I know it's not Friday but THESE CALLED MY NAME! Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, they look BETTER than Reese's to me. They may also be great to make as holiday gifts, I know I would be excited to get these for Christmas.

Amplify’d from allrecipes.com

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Prep Time: 2 Hrs

Ready In: 2 Hrs

Ingredients 1 (11.5 ounce) package milk chocolate chips, divided 1 cup peanut butter 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions Trim 12 paper muffin cup liners to half of their height. Place 1/2 chocolate chips in a microwave safe container. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spoon melted chocolate into muffin cups, filling halfway. With a spoon, draw the chocolate up the sides of the cups until evenly coated. Cool in the refrigerator until firm. In a small bowl, mix together peanut butter, confectioners' sugar and salt. divide into the chocolate cups. Melt the remaining chocolate, and spoon over peanut butter. Spread chocolate to edges of cups.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 290 | Total Fat: 19.8g | Cholesterol: 9mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database Read more at allrecipes.com

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Professor Implants Camera in his head #FAIL

First #FAIL! Second this was the professors way of making a statement about technology and how our privacy is constantly infringed upon. Umm #FAIL once again or as Ed Lover would say, C'mon Son!

Amplify’d from www.dnainfo.com

NYU Professor Gets Booted from Guest Lists After Implanting Camera in Back of Head

GREENWICH VILLAGE — An NYU professor who had a camera implanted in the back of his head has been uninvited to friends’ dinner parties, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The camera in Wafaa Bilal’s head is programmed to take a photograph once every minute, which will then be streamed live on his website starting Dec. 15 and also at the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar starting Dec. 30.

"As a school of the arts, a school whose mission is to educate artists, we place a high value on his right to free expression in his creative work as an artist ...," NYU said in a statement. "We also take seriously the privacy issues his project raises, its impact on our students, and the importance of preserving trust in the pedagogical relationship between a faculty member and students." Read more at www.dnainfo.com

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Social Media in Education

We all know that the US is losing the battle to other countries in regards to educating our kids in our current school systems. Although we are currently losing the war, do we have to throw our hands up and lose the battle as well? Shouldn’t we be creating out of the box and non traditional techniques to reach our kids and level the playing field. Social Media has changed how we view life, friends and the work place. So, could Social Media Play also be a key factor in revamping the failing education system? Do you think Social Media could be the answer? I would love to know your thoughts?

Amplify’d from chris.pirillo.com

Share16 Social Media in Education

In the age of Web 2.0, why aren’t students using social media in the classroom? We already know that Twitter is the fastest way to find information on breaking news stories. Blogs can be used to encourage creative writing and proper grammar skills. Cramster is a Q&A board much like our new Lockergnome site. However, its sole purpose lies in bringing together pupils of all ages to help each other with homework and research. Sites such as Box and Dropbox allow learners and educators to share files together quickly and easily.

At the very least, sites such as Twitter, Facebook and even (*shudder*) MySpace can be used to create discussion in the classroom. Teachers can pull news stories from any of those sources. Students can ask questions and facilitate deeper discussion after reading something on one of the thousands of SM sites. Professors can institute peer reviews on writing projects. Kids can locate an expert in a field they are interested in, and “shadow” them on the Web. Geotagging can be used to target and find information about places that are being studied.

The possibilities are, quite honestly, endless. I certainly hope that my quick Twitter poll is not indicative of the use (or rather – the lack) of social media in an educational setting. Will someone prove me wrong? I’d love to hear your stories of how your school or college has been incorporating the use of social media into the curriculum. Read more at chris.pirillo.com

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Weekend Recipe: Slow Cooker recipes... something for everyone!

 

I saw the Cranberry Pork Crock Pot dish quite a while ago and although I don't eat pork or beef, I thought some people would really love this dish because it looks so wonderful. Then I didn't want to exclude those that don't indulge in the eating of pork, so I found a few additional recipes to add. 

This week I'm sure everyone is tired of Turkey and Turkey leftovers and it's getting chilly out. This is a perfect time to dust off that Crockpot, throw in some ingredients then either go out shopping or watch a football game. 

I have Cranberry Pork, Corn Chowder and Chicken Creole...can I hear a YUM!

Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can cranberry sauce
• 1/3 cup French salad dressing
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin roast

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the cranberry sauce, salad dressing, and onion. Place pork in a slow cooker, and cover with the sauce mixture.
2. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for 8 hours. Pork is done when the internal temperature has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 375 | Total Fat: 15.1g | Cholesterol: 80mg

What to Drink?
	Riesling
	Seabreeze

 

Slow Cooker Vegan Corn Chowder

Ingredients

• 2 (12 ounce) cans whole kernel corn
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 3 potatoes, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 red chile peppers, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• black pepper to taste
• 1 3/4 cups soy milk
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1 lime, juiced

Directions

1. Place the corn, vegetable broth, potatoes, onion, garlic, red chile peppers, chili powder, salt, parsley, and black pepper in a slow cooker; cover. Cook on Low for 7 hours.
2. Pour the vegetable mixture into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender using a few quick pulses before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the mixture in the cooking pot. Once everything has been pureed, return it to the slow cooker. Stir the soy milk and margarine to the mixture; cook on Low for 1 hour more. Add the lime juice to serve.

 

 

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 282 | Total Fat: 9.2g | Cholesterol: 0mg

What to Drink?
	Types of Wine: Chardonnay

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Creole

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• Creole-style seasoning to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Season with salt, pepper, and Creole-style seasoning to taste. Stir in tomatoes with liquid, celery, bell pepper, garlic, onion, mushrooms, and jalapeno pepper.
2. Cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 5 to 6 hours.

 

 

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 189 | Total Fat: 1.9g | Cholesterol: 68mg

What to Drink?
	Riesling
	Beer

 

 

More Recipes on AllRecipes.Com

Google getting into the eBook Game

Google is a PLAYER in every Game. They are looking to quickly tap up to 20% of the very lucrative eBook Marketing.

Amplify’d from itsjustweb.posterous.com

Google Set to Launch E-Book Venture

Google Inc. is in the final stages of launching its long-awaited e-book retailing venture, Google Editions, a move that could shake up the way digital books are sold.

Google Editions hopes to upend the existing e-book market by offering an open, "read anywhere" model that is different from many competitors. Users will be able to buy books directly from Google or from multiple online retailers—including independent bookstores—and add them to an online library tied to a Google account. They will be able to access their Google accounts on most devices with a Web browser, including personal computers, smartphones and tablets.

Because of Google's reach—its search engine attracts 190 million U.S. Internet users per month, according to comScore Inc.— many believe Google Editions has the potential to transform the burgeoning e-book market. Digital book sales are expected to more than triple to $966 million this year, according to Forrester Research, from $301 million in 2009.

"Google is going to turn every Internet space that talks about a book into a place where you can buy that book," says Dominique Raccah, publisher and owner of Sourcebooks Inc., an independent publisher based in Naperville, Ill. "The Google model is going to drive a lot of sales. We think they could get 20% of the e-book market very fast." Read more at itsjustweb.posterous.com

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Get Social or Get Off the Social Potty

People spend 700 billion minutes on Facebook per month, Why are you NOT allowing them to view your content within those 700 billion minutes

Amplify’d from socialmediatoday.com

Dear Social Media Doubters – Get Social or Get Off the Social Potty

There are still business leaders who think the internet is a fad. It’s true, I know some of them.  There’s even more who think social media is a fad. Yes, social media will obviously evolve, change and possibly even become the leg warmer of the future.  However, it’s not a leg warmer folks.  It’s a platform to communicate, build community, share knowledge, find new business partners and of course grow your business.

Well fad or no fad, here are a few stats for ya’

-500 million people on Facebook -People spend 700 billion minutes on Facebook per month -30+ billion pieces of content are shared each month on Facebook -24 of the 25 largest newspapers are experiencing declines in circulations -There are over 200 million blogs -180+ unique users access Twitter per month -More than 600 million searches on Twitter each month

People are not:

…using the phone book to look for businesses to call.

…searching the web for a website.  They are searching Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter for information to solve life and business problems.  They are looking for information to enhance their life as a human being.

…a coin operated advertising machine where you can turn them on and blast noise and expect them to take action.

People are:

…looking for information, people and businesses who can enhance their life.

…seeking community and personal connection.

…seeking to better relate to and trust the brands they buy from.

…share experiences positive or negative with their friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Amplify and the list goes on!

…using Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to search for information.  Yes, they still use Google but it is not the only search engine my friends!  Personally, when I want real-time information the first place I stop is Twitter.

So will 2011 be the year you quit wining and get off the social potty?  Or are you going to throw on your leg warmers, member jacket and roller skates and randomly skate your way to the post office to blast out stand alone direct mail advertisements, waste money on yellow page ads and blast noise to your audience? Read more at socialmediatoday.com

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Interested in becoming a part of the Worlds Largest Facebook Wall? #LargestFBwall

I thought this would be a great time to add a little fun to our Hump Day! How much fun would it be to be a part of the World Largest Facebook Wall? All of those that are a part of the Mashable Community by way of the Facebook Fanpage are already included. However if you are not, why not be a part of it?

Amplify’d from mashable.com

Help Us Spread the Word About the World’s Largest Real-Life Facebook Wall

How to Participate

If you’re not already connected to our Facebook Page, you’ll be able to connect with the Mashable community and more easily keep up with the latest social media and tech news and resources on Facebook.

Help Us Spread the Word

1. Invite your friends and colleagues to join our Facebook Page. 2. Share this post on Facebook with your friends, letting them know you’ll be on the World’s Largest Facebook Wall. 3. Tweet this post with the hashtag #LargestFBwall.

Read more at mashable.com

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