Friday, December 23, 2011

Merry Christmas

Well people, it's that time of the year. Or rather, it's been that time of the year for a month now. We have a sort of love/hate relationship with Christmas too. It can actually require some effort to get through your standard Christmas holidays, both for adults and kids. For us grown ups, it's a time when work (or school) is intensified, lots of projects has to be finished. Then there's the expectations others have from us. For many it's the only time they see the extended family, and that's usually a good thing - both to see people you're related to, and that it's an entire year until next time. For kids, it's just a massive surge of emotions - combined with a lack of restraint. If I base my knowledge of how kids behave on Christmas on my nephew, I'd say this is very accurate. But then again he's a very good kid who rarely exhibits unnecessary greed you often assume kids have during the holidays.


In the past, Christmas has always been about two things: Good food, and cool toys. Hey, what did you expect? I doubt I get any toys for Christmas this year, and I haven't treated myself to any either. But I got home my collection of G.I. Joe collection from the museum, toys I haven't really seen for two years. So I guess that's almost filling the "toy" part of my expected Christmas. I also took the liberty of giving nisseluer (santa hats) to Jetfire and Snake Eyes.

Food wise, I can expect something that follows tradition. I will celebrate with my family, and we have usually always had reindeer steak on Christmas eve, with lemon fromage for dessert. Pork ribs on Christmas day, most likely with chocolate mousse for dessert. The picture to the right is from an earlier year.
I've continued to make confect, with varying degree of success. I will post something about this at a later point.

To all who read this, I hope you are able to relax, and be with good people during the holidays. I honestly believe that the most important aspect of the holidays is to recharge for the next year, and the second most important thing is to be with people you like. Anything else like great food and drink, entertaining presents should be considered a bonus.

I will probably not be posting until January 2nd, as I'm going to visit friends, and hopefully find a mountain to descend. I may see if I post some pictures of varying holiday meals, but I'm not sure how interesting it will be without any related recipes.


Have a good holiday, people! Be safe, relax, enjoy your time family and friends.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Bread Rolls

Like with the bread, making bread rolls is very easy. They take less time to make, and come in natural portions. You can for instance freeze them, and thaw 1-2 for breakfast every day for the entire week. Or if you're getting company, they come in handy as a side dish to dinner.


Read on for recipe and pictures!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled eggs are (is?) really easy to make, and takes less time than to boil the eggs... or does it?


Read on for.. well not necessarily a recipe, because I assume you know it already, but read on for a few pictures.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Figure Friday: Lego + Tolkien


Well, it's been all over the net today, and even though I don't feel the need to spread news like this, I'd like to make a few comments. When ever a the big companies make a movie or game they know will be popular, they shop around for companies to make spin-offs. For my part, I instantly think about toys and action figures as the most important spin offs, but it's easy to forget that for ever popular movie there's just a pile of random stuff with the movie name written on it. Anything from napkins and pens to cups and jewelery will be made with the logo of The Hobbit. And everything is to a certain degree collectible.

I say to a certain degree for a reason.

I have a friend, who of course will remain anonymous, who has a complete collection of Lord of the Rings action figures. These figures were examples of toys that for some reason fell between two chairs. They were obviously aimed towards collectors, as they were of the 6" scale, sporting both extreme details and a fairly high price tag in expense of play features and the stuff kids want. But they were produced in such a massive quantity, and all the die-hard collectors bought five of each figure. So, since these weren't exactly kid friendly, there will always be a massive amount of pristine LOTR figures standing around on shelves, or even better, lying around in unopened, mint condition.  
At the time they were released, they were something like $10-30 a piece, depending on where you lived. Today, you can get them for a dollar or two.
Action figures are tricky. In order for them to become really popular and - more importantly in this case - a valuable collectible, the companies making them need to either produce a limited quantity, or make something that the kids want as well.

But that's not the case of Lego. I believed I have mentioned this before, but even Lego based on movies that are bad, tend to be great. I mean, it's Lego after all, you can never go wrong with Lego. If the set is uninteresting, the parts can still be used for anything you can imagine.

When it comes to Lord of the Rings, we know the movies are good, and we can expect some pretty epic stuff from the upcoming Hobbit movie as well. And has there ever been a world that's better suited to be built in bricks than Middle Earth?
I'm more exited for this than Marvel Lego... And that's actually saying a lot.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Fish with spices

Boring title?
Well, dinner can be boring. Dinner is more often than not something you just need to make out of necessity and not because you're feeling creative. Even if you're making your best to keep the mindset to experiment every time you cook, you can still have those days where it's just food. It's just fuel for the engine. And those days, you might just as well just grind all the ingredients into something liquid and gulp it down.



Here's the result from such a day. Fish (it's really inconsequential what kind, but it's pollock) with three different spices. This is me trying to force myself to do something different. Coriander is a common spice to use for fish, and I guess I'm not taking big risks with the other two either: Oregano and chili.
There's not really a lot more to say about this particular meal, but I can say how I would improve it if I had been in the more creative mind state.
First of all, I should have made a sauce. A mild sauce (bechamel is a good choice here) since the fish is naturally salt, and the spices are on the more tasteful side. Secondly, instead of having them in the frying pan, I could have baked them. And finally, I would have added some nuts or pine cores, either in with the fish or in the salad. Potatoes? Rice? Sure, why not, if I was making food for more than myself, this would have been obvious.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Caramel

I have never made soft caramel, or fudge. In fact, I'm a bit scared to even try. You're dealing with melted sugar, which is extremely hot, and sticks to everything. In addition, the home-made caramel I've tried in the past is just not nearly as good as the one you can buy in any store for cheap. So why make it yourself?
Naturally, my mind set is different these days. I can answer the above question very easily. I'm trying to make things myself, because I honestly believe that nothing is good to the point where it cannot be improved. Even Toffifee.


By accident (or at least that's what she claims), my sister made caramel that she was satisfied with. She brought some over, and I have to agree. Not bad at all. It doesn't have that unnecessarily strong taste that home-made caramel has, and it was soft, yet not too sticky.
She says the recipe was: Brown sugar, butter (or margarine), low fat cream, maple syrup. And I'm probably forgetting something... But I'll try this myself in the near future, because this is excellent to use in confect.

I used to believe this was not possible to improve, but who knows?

Friday, December 9, 2011

Figure Friday: Starman

An excellent comic - in fact, one of the truly great modern comic books, with a fairly unique take on the superhero genre. With a main character that shares characteristics with myself, it's no surprise that I like it.
But again... an action figure that bears the marks of something made in the late 90s.


Read on for Jack Knight, Starman. The protector of Opal City.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Marzipan Confection

As Christmas closes in, you start thinking about cookies, candy, cakes... and confect? The odd one out, it seems. I rarely hear about other people making them. But maybe it's not that strange. Dark chocolate paired with cognac is usually something kids don't like, and Christmas is all about the kids, right?
What follows today is actually not that difficult, but it takes a little while to make properly, and it can get really messy. But the end result is oh so delicious, and will impress most people.


Read on for marzipan confect.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Collecting and cooking

I can attest to having more than one hobby. I can attest to having more hobbies than I write about in this blog. But it never crossed my mind that I approach my hobbies in similar ways. I think I do. And I think most people do. Something a bit different, a bit more meta. Lots of pictures on Wednesday, but today is text only.

This isn't necessarily a comparison of the choice of hobbies, because you can be interested in two completely different things. This is something I expect anyone with more than one hobby to understand. I think it's healthy to be interested in more than one thing.
This article is rather about how two hobbies are being treated in similar fashion.

Those of you who know me personally are fully aware that I like to collect stuff. Not just toys. I don't want to go into all the various things I collect, but I'm susceptible to start collecting pretty much anything I find interesting.  Among other things, I guess that makes me a materialist, but it's not that simple. When ever I get into something new, I usually start by acquiring knowledge, and usually end up with sharing the knowledge. This should be no news to anyone who has read this blog, as something like 30% of the articles are toy history.

But I know I differ from many other collectors in a few ways.
First of all, I love to show off my collections. This is apparent, right? But it goes further than to just show pictures of my stuff. I want to tell the stories about behind the items. Both my own stories and those that follow the item no matter who owns it. I see far too many people who are satisfied boxing up their collections for people to never see them. Or people who are not interested in sharing their passion with anyone. Sure, it doesn't work to constantly talk about it, but to hide it completely from others is to deny people seeing you for who you truly are. What we're interested in is part of what defines us.

Be proud of having a passion. Be proud of having something you're interested in. Be it sports, fishing, baking, listening to music, writing poems, anything.
I very much think that a collection - an affection for anything really - is something that can, and in some cases should be shared. I guess this is the first point where I treat both collecting and cooking in similar fashion, since I write about both these hobbies right here.

Another way I think I'm different from a few other collectors is that I don't feel the need to complete a collection. I don't feel my collection is less worth to me if it's missing certain pieces.

Case in point 1: I have a collection of Transformers robots. It counts something like 40-50 robots, and is by that number alone a rather small collection. But I'm satisfied with it. It consists of some of my favorites, as well as those I have just liked the look of. I pick up additional pieces if I feel like it (which for some weird reason is during summer), but for the most part, I don't feel like my collection of robots needs to be bigger.

Case in point 2: Since the start of Masters of the Universe Classics, I've subscribed to the toy line from Mattel, and for that reason I have most of the figures. But not all of them. Even though I was there when the line began, and I had the full possibility of having a complete collection, I just don't feel I need to.
This leads me to believe the concept of collecting is of less importance to me than the actual items and the stories behind them.

Make no mistake about it, I absolutely love to see others with dedication and economy to mass up complete collections. I have friends who can boast of having every single G.I. Joe figure ever released. And I honestly find that impressive. But I'm not there myself. I'd rather have a small collection with a certain theme and idea behind it, than everything. Is it an economy thing? Maybe. Is it a space thing? Probably. But even if I had a bottomless wallet and garages to fill, I don't think it would change a thing.
Maybe if I had a museum to fill, but then the point would be to share a collection with others - something I'm obviously interested in doing. 

Can this, the lacking need to have complete collections, in any way be compared to how I approach cooking? Well, some of you have seen how inaccurate my recipes are. And that's how I cook. Following a recipe is good to a certain degree, but I'm more likely to just wing it.
But that's not saying I don't care about what I make. I take great pride in being very precise when I cook. Not with following the recipe, but rather how I treat the meal I prepare, how I treat the ingredients, how I present the meal.

Case in point 1: I barely gave a second thought to the distribution of ingredients when I last made a bread, I just filled the bowl with a suitable amount of various things I know works in a bread. But I used a long time doing it the proper way - with kneading, leavening, and I had a certain focus in every step of the process. I also took a great pride in the finished result.

I also tend to not focus on one specific type of food. You have seen everything from bread, breakfast and tea to soup, bbq, meat and fish. This is probably why I'll never be a great chef - I get too distracted with trying new things for me to learn specifics properly.
And I guess you can say the same about my collections. I'm too distracted with my latest affections to ever assemble one of those truly epic collections.

Is this diversity a bad thing?

I don't mind at least.
Hope you don't mind either. Because on Wednesday it's time for something that I've never written about before: Marzipan confection.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Figure Friday: Spy Monkey Creations

I'm picky when it comes to my toys, but I'm not a purist - I don't need to have things just the way the factory made them, if I feel it can improve a toy, I have no problem taking a paintbrush to it. That goes for the accessories that come with the toys too. I display my toys with what ever accessory looks best on them, even if they come from a completely different toy line.
Last week, I presented you with the first of several topics on bootleg toys. Today I'm not highlighting a bootleg or fake toy, but a small and awesome company that makes completely original accessories for toys.


Read on for more on Spy Monkey Creations!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Bread

Ideally, I should have called this topic "How to bake a bread" or something a bit less pretentious.
I have bragged about my baking skills in the past, with good reasons. I make a damn good bread, like world class good. But that's not to say I still don't have to stop to think of my next move when I'm baking. I'm not sure I could do it blindfolded for instance. And I'm also likely to fail completely if I'm experimenting with different ingredients.
But the fact of the matter is that I know how to bake bread, and I'd like to make a point out of how simple it is, and that anyone can do it. Chances are after a few tries, you quickly realize you can make better bread than most bakeries.
This is not necessarily a recipe for this very specific bread, but more general: How to bake a bread - or as you will call it when you're done: The Bread.


Read on!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Isn't Renault a Car?

I was visiting a friend this weekend, and he presented me with a selection of Cognac. I tried the one I didn't know, a Renault Carte Noir. I'll admit I'm not a connoisseur, but I do like Cognac. And this one was pretty good. Of course, my friend didn't have proper glasses, but I honestly don't mind. Shot glasses did the trick.

What did it taste like? Well, according to the homepage of Renault Cognac, it's sweet flavored vanilla and honey. I'd rather say it was fruity flavored, with a strong presence of citrus. It was slightly short in the taste, but appropriately bitter. A good combination of spices and  fruit made for repeated shots.

Doesn't Renault make cars? My pepper grinder says Peugeot. I can only assume that all big French corporations have a culinarian department. Just like all big German companies have a beer and sausage department. And all big American companies have a fast food chain....

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Toys And Bacon - 4 months summary

Good people, once again, my schedule is making it a bit hard for me to write proper blog entries, and Friday will probably have a really short Figure Friday.
That said, next Wednesday I'll share with you all the bread. Yes, I'll show you how to make the greatest bread... in the world.
Today is a different matter, I'll simply share with you some statistics for this blog. It's been up and running for close to four months, and there are already a few things to take notice of.


Read on!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Kaiserschmarrn

It's always cool to find out about new recipes, even if they may be slightly familiar, and not all that exotic.


Read on for a short one about the Austrian-German dessert Kaiserschmarrn.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Figure Friday: Ninja Comando Budo

Here's a toy with an interesting history: Not actually part of the G.I. Joe - A Real American Hero toy line, but instead an indication of what the toy line could have looked like had it not been canceled in 1994.
Still, what I (and most Joe collectors) choose to call Ninja Commando Budo, instead of the name it was released with is a cool looking, if somewhat simple toy.


Read on for more!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Healthy Snack

It's Wednesday evening and you want something sweet, in between meals. I'm definitely not judging those that go for cake, waffles, chocolate, roasted peanuts and so on..  Waffles are my definition of good things!

In these days, everything is supposed to be healthy, low carb, zero calorie and so on.
But our stores are still filled up with deliciously tempting sweet snacks, and it can be hard to realize there's alternatives.


I usually grab a handful of unprocessed nuts. It can be peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds or my favorite, the para nut - also called Brazil nut. Combine nuts with some fruit, make yourself a cup of tea, and you have a tiny, healthy meal in between meals.

Enjoy!

Monday, November 14, 2011

What do Superheroes Eat?

Most of us are hungry, and some of us even like to eat. Yet, you rarely see superheroes eat. Sure, it happens on occasion in the comics and cartoons. But you rarely get to know anything about the eating-habits, and preferred food of the superheroes (well, apart from Galactus of course).
So I wonder... What do superheroes really eat?


Read on for what should only be considered speculations based on my knowledge of superheroes.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Figure Friday: Starcom

A trip down memory lane with one of the many obscure but totally rad toy lines of the 80s!


Read on for tons of pictures, some anecdotes and weird facts on these tiny, awesome guys.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

5 Toys that Avoided Me

A very personal blog entry. I want to share my thoughts on five toys I really wanted, but for various reasons I missed out on.


Monday, November 7, 2011

Friday, November 4, 2011

Figure Friday: Roxi's Zarana Costume

I'm not entirely finished with Halloween, and neither is the Internet. All though the massive surge of pictures of costumes, carved pumpkins and facebook profile picture changes have slowed down, there's still that lingering feeling that we really love Halloween. We love to dress up, we love watching others who took their time to make great costumes.

I'm definitely in the latter category. All though I like dressing up in costumes, I rarely find time to make a proper one.
My friend Roxi, on the other hand, is in the former category. She's extremely creative and a skilled artist, so I wasn't really surprised to see such a great costume from her. Never the less, worth writing about, worth showing, and worth the praise. Roxi also took the time to write a bit about the process of making - and dressing up in this great costume, as well as sharing a few very relevant thoughts on women who cosplay.

Read on for more!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Breakfast Pancake (and a Teaser!)

From early on, we were being taught that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. This is obviously not correct. It's important to get nutrition to re-start the body after being asleep, but you don't really need an entire meal for this. It all depends how hungry you are, but if you're like me, the hunger doesn't kick in until noon. I know the body needs something, so I usually just throw down an egg or a banana.
Weekends are different. I won't say I wake up at noon, but I usually sleep long enough to actually be hungry. Weekends are different because I also have time to make proper breakfast.


Read on for a very simple recipe for the Breakfast Pancake.. As well as a teaser for some toys!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Figure Friday: MOTUC Galore!

So, guess this should really be meat-related since we're in the middle of the meat week, but I couldn't help it.
My good friend JP sent a massive packaged of toys, and it arrived today.


Short but promising.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Meat Week: Sister Makes Various Meals

Some festivities today, a family member was celebrated and my sister got creative with tapas.


Read on for just a bit more. Like I said on Monday, my entries this week will be shorter than usual.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Meat Week: Sausages

Sadly, there will be a few days with slightly shorter entries, as I'm in the middle of something that requires my attention. But you can expect both toys and bacon within the next week. Starting off the Meat Week is a really short one about sausages.


Read on for just a tiny bit more...

Friday, October 21, 2011

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Skeletor's Cookies

What is the Evil Lord of Destruction up to? Can we trust him to make decent cookies, or will he try to steal the Power of Grayskull like always?


Really, no recipes to be found here, just an evil plot against He-Man and the other Masters of the Universe.

Monday, October 17, 2011

How to make sauce

The key to a good sauce is to put good things in it, and all the stuff I use in this recipe can easily be switched out with other ingredients, for different tastes. I'll make notes along the way, and I'll let you in on a few not-that-secret secrets when it comes to sauce and gravy, so just step on in for pictures and recipe of a sauce that goes great along with most meat and fish!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Figure Friday: Seaspray

A short one today. An amazing change from a tiny, weak Autobot who got no respect into a mighty force who can take on any ocean traveling Decepticons.


Read more for more...

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Toys Spotted on Fringe

Nothing out of the ordinary really, and certainly something most toy collectors spotted right away, as it was somewhat of a plot element in the episode. Never the less, it's always fun to see toys you know, and in this case, toys you own on a TV-show you follow.

Read on for more

Monday, October 10, 2011

Top Ten Difficulties When Making Sushi

Why I haven't made a top 10 list yet is beyond me. Ideally, I should have saved this topic for a future return of the Ocean Week, but I'll definitely have something interesting in store when we return to the deep blue.


Read on for the top ten difficulties that arrive when you make (and eat) sushi.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Figure Friday: Indiana Jones

Most of you know this, but it's 30 years since Raiders premiered. Some time early in the summer of 81, fans ran to the theaters. They were fans of the deliciously cheesy pulp adventures. They were fans of ridiculously inaccurate science and history. They were fans of hilarious and unapologetic action. Quite the handful was probably also fans of Harrison Ford, or even Steven Spielberg. They got to witness the birth of one of pop cultures most recognized heroes.


For such a monumental franchise, there hasn't really been toys to match. But read on for a few of them.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Monday, October 3, 2011

The Anatomy of Bacon, part 3: Toys and Bacon

Good things in life are meant to be combined, enjoyed together for the synergy effect. Breakfast while playing with your favorite toys. Rest assured, no toys were eaten, and no bacon was left uneaten...


Click here for part 1 and here for part 2 of The Anatomy of Bacon. Click Read more to see pictures of toys and bacon. Literally. That's all it is.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Figure Friday: Medieval Spawn

Not at all relevant in current superhero comics, actually far more outdated than the characters it opposed at the time in the mid- to late 90s. But it's easy to forget that at one point, Spawn was extremely popular, rightfully so. It was something a bit different than what the big two was producing. And for me personally, it was the character that kept me into comics during those difficult years as a teenager.


This is of course first and foremost a Figure Friday, featuring the toy version of Medieval Spawn, but I'd also like to share a few anecdotes on Spawn as a comic character too.
Read on!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

What is a bread? Baking the Impossible Bread

One of the most fun things you can do in a kitchen is to challenge yourself. I've mentioned it before, it doesn't have to be a big change, or a mighty challenge... but it can be.
I'm known for asking the following questions when I cook:
How hard can it be? and What's the worst thing that can happen? 
Remember that people have made bigger mistakes in the kitchen than you will ever make, and that if you're lucky, you may just stumble upon new tastes, new recipes, new dishes. If you haven't tasted it yet, it may potentially be your next favorite meal. Think about that.

Today I'm trying something entirely new. I'll take what is a tailor made, and very specific recipe, and I'm going to make something completely different with those exact ingredients. In the text that follows, you'll see me making a bread that shouldn't exist. In fact, even though it looks kind of cute, it's the worst bread I've tasted - and I've tasted some really awful stuff.


Read on if you want to find out what a bread really is, and how to make the impossible bread! 

Monday, September 26, 2011

Discoloration Part 1: The Rise of the Sun Gods

I can't really be mad at the sun. Mainly because I rarely get to see it. It's always clouded here and usually it's raining. So any sunlight is of course more than welcome.


But it's destroying my toys, slowly but surely.
Not a long read today, but a very ambitious promise.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Figure Friday: G.I.Joe Tomahawk

My first Figure Friday featured a G.I.Joe jet, and today, I'll take a look at another aircraft, namely the Tomhawk.
Released during the height of A Real American Hero in 1986, the Tomahawk is considered one of the greatest toys from the 80s.


Read on to find out exactly why...

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Fractal Soup

I stumble upon this vegetable from time to time on the web. It's a fascinating thing, for many reasons. You have all seen it before, but what some may not realize is that it's a great vegetable. It tastes good, it's very healthy and it can be used in many different ways.


Read on for a very simple recipe for soup that probably will impress most people.

Monday, September 19, 2011

The Color of Evil

Art studies tells us that the colors have certain attributes. It's called symbolism... There are traits, emotions, connotations associated with each color. For instance, green is youth, health, luck. Blue is harmony, peace, truth. White is purity, innocence. Purple is nobility, mystery. Red strength, passion, love. If there was a color of good it would have to be white or green. The symbolism is vague about this. But on the topic of what's evil, there's usually a consensus. Evil is black.


If you have heard something similar to this, someone has lied to you. Good thing you are here, to read the truth. To be shown the truth. Obviously, at this point you kinda have to read on for more...

Friday, September 16, 2011

Ocean Week: Playmobil Fishing Boat "Susanne"

For some reason, I feel Playmobil doesn't get the respect it deserves. Their models are incredibly detailed, and even though the figures are rather featureless and borderline creepy, the quality and play features of some Playmobil sets are fantastic.
Chance had me digging out an old Playmobil boat for this Figure Friday instead of the intended Lego set I promised.


Read on for a little write up on the Playmobil Fishing Boat named Susanne!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Ocean Week: The Monsters of the Sea

When you're in the ocean (and you have a fairly active imagination), even the smallest fish seems a bit scary. But when you think of it, we treat the ocean with far less respect than they did before.
Ever since man began creating tools, the ocean has been a place that gives life - and takes it.
Now, we just eat fish, make the occasional boat trip, and it's no big deal. If we do swim in the ocean, stuff like jellyfish and seaweed are a minor annoyance.
It's not like it used to be, when you had to make sacrifice to the gods so the Kraken wouldn't sink your ship. Or that you go through intense rituals to have good catch.
The ocean still inspires us, it still gives us great food. I guess we just take it for granted.


Read on for.. I'm not really sure what this, but read on anyway!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Ocean Week: Lego Photoshopping

First of all, I promised toys all week, and I'll definitely keep that promise. Secondly, I got inspired by the Eurobricks forum that currently has a "underwater month" - to do my own themed week. So it's Ocean Week here at Toys & Bacon, and I'll start off with some Lego.


Read on for a few anecdotes and enhanced pictures of Lego!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Figure Friday: The Black Knight

Plush dolls are weird. They are basically walking the border between the playable toy and the decorative stuffed toy. Not sure what I'm trying to point out, but I guess I mean that the intention of stuffed toys is that infants should have something soft to squeeze. While a doll/figure/toy is intended for kids with slightly more advanced motor skills.
But the last years, the original idea of the plush dolls have been turned around. Definitely still suitable for the youngest kids, but now collectors have also started to appreciate these simple toys. We've seen anything from plush superheroes and video game characters to plush literary and movie figures.
What's also interesting is that there seems to be a good amount of people making their own plush versions of known characters.
This is not a home-made toy. It's actually surprisingly well made, has some cool features and an amazing packaging. Pics, anecdotes and everything inside.
Yesterday was Thursday. Today is Figure Friday. And  the subject is Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail's Black Knight!  Read on for more!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Chocolate Omelet

I know, I know. Very little toys lately in Toys & Bacon. I'll make it up big time, starting Friday. All next week will be about toys or at least have something toy related.
Now you may have read my Monday topic on the cheese omelet. I claimed that omelet was a great place to start experimenting for two reasons: Omelet is extremely simple to make, and the egg is versatile and can take on the role of both dinner and dessert.
I also gave some unusual suggestions, among them was making a chocolate omelet. While not extremely creative, it can be an alternative to some that want to do something slightly different. And for you low-carb nuts out there, this is a viable option for dessert.

Read on for what is basically a pancake without flour!