Hey hey,
Jon asked me to introduce myself here, so here goes. My name is Jamie White and I juggle in and around Pittsburgh, PA. I just started up juggling again after a long break, but am getting back heavily into it and will be tracking my records and hanging out around here.
Yay,
Jamie White
Little Paul - - Parent #
Hi Jamie! Good to have you on board. If you fancy hanging out for some real-time chat, have a look at jugglelounge.com for information on how to get at the ##juggling irc channel on freenode.
Hi Jamie, thanks for joining in. It's great to have a new person to talk to. Have you found the IJDb records import page (I double checked that importing from your IJDb ID number works last night & that I have your old records in the database)? Are you a member of the LITVB jugglers (https://www.jugglingedge.com/club.php?ClubID=27&)? & What's your favourite flavour of muffin?
Oh, I had tried to import them but did not realize I had to use my user ID #. Yay! I am not a member of that club, but have juggled with some of the people from it at festivals. I primarily juggled in Pittsburgh when I was heavily active, as part of "The Campus Fools". My favorite muffin is probably red velvet, if those exist. I am glad there is a juggling chat as well.
You don't have to, it's either/or. However, the IJDb members table was culled periodically so some users were removed but their records remained. You were one of the people who had their username removed so you only have the option to import using your user ID.
I'd not heard of red velvet before, but cream cheese & sour cream in a muffin? That does sound good.
I think that Americans might have a different interpretation of the word muffin to ours, which might account for different flavours.
Little Paul - - Parent #
"Muffin" != "English Muffin" (which as far as I can tell isn't even a thing in England) but I think both sides of the pond would agree that muffins are small cakes, eg:
https://www.thecakecrew.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/muffin.jpg
Red Velvet muffins I assume would be based on "red velvet cake" mixture, which is an odd beast. There are many variations on the idea ranging from "chocolate cake with red food colouring added" which sounds a bit disappointing, to "chocolate and beetroot cake" which sounds more interesting.
I think it probably could work as a muffin mix, although being quite a dense cake you'd probably have to add an extra raising agent to get it to bloom like a muffin does.
Little Paul - - Parent #
And that's the second time in a week I've been talking about muffin recipes with jugglers.
Well, I personally definitely use "muffin" to refer to both the cakes and the bread type:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Tesco_muffins.jpg/800px-Tesco_muffins.jpg
It's probably unambiguous in this context (I'm not sure how many flavours of the "English muffin" you can get), but better safe than sorry, I suppose.
No. Cupcakes have nasty icing on them and are often dry and taste of sawdust. Muffins cannot under any circumstances be iced, and they are on the damp side and taste strongly of something yummy.
This may sound unbelievable, but sometimes cupcakes can actually have nice icing on them! It may sound impossible, but it really does happen!
Muffins are so much better though.
I thought cupcakes were mostly made as table decorations and shop window dressing...
I require scientific evidence before I will believe this. Obviously a large sample size will be needed to achieve experimental validity.
Do you need help with scientific endeavour? I could be available to help judge if they are not chocolatey.
I should think so, my testing equipment is not geared up to test large samples in a very small space of time. With extremely large samples the equipment may even reject some of the test products entirely, which is messy.
Lorri's "cupcakes" at Lestival were delicious, though I might have described them as "mini-muffins decorated with icing" if I had not been authoritatively informed that they were cupcakes. Early results should not necessarily be reason to end testing yet though.
There were also some peppermint flavoured cupcakes, decorated with blue icing and half-polos, sold at the Lestival café which tasted interesting.
#LestivalLeicester
Indeed, provisional tests indicate that small sized carrot cupcakes can be very tasty and not at all too dry. Reducing the amount of icing from the more usual boat loads was definitely an improvement. Props to the lead researcher on this project!
Tomorrow's science experiment involves research into raising agents and baking duration in chocolate-ginger-chilli cake.
I feel I am still unclear on the whole cupcake/muffin dispute - I could never make such an authoritative call. Perhaps more empirical investigation is required.
However, thanks to Cosmo/Bryn I do now have a grasp on the tiffin issue.
Little Paul - - Parent #
true experimental validity requires the experimental results to be reproducable by a third party.
I have some suitable test equipment available if it's required...
Cedric Lackpot - - Parent #
My missus is helping to start a boutique muffin business, made by a friend of ours. They are truly astonishing confections, all glitter and piped creme patissiere, and £1.50 a go!! I have a sneaking suspicion that they will be topped with either a) the finest icing ever known to humankind; or b) the cheaper option, 100% Columbian cocaine. Either way yer gonna get hooked.
Little Paul - - Parent #
Almost, but there is a distinction - muffins are fat loud disappointing fairycakes, cupcakes are ugly fairycakes wearing loads of slap in an attempt to disguise their uglieness.
In short, muffins are from birmingham and cupcakes are from essex.
Little Paul - - Parent #
*adds Topper to the list of jugglers not to accept cake from*
It's quite an exclusive club, currently it's just Topper and miarke
Little Paul - - Parent #
I've seen him spell his name so many ways over the years, I lose track of how he's currently spelling it.
As a former Chocfest (Chocolate) Cake Challenge Winner, I am not sure I like to hear my cake making abilities being maligned.
Miarke (or Mïark for short)
Little Paul - - Parent #
At least two spring to mind - the "chocolate block cake" - which was a brick coated in chocolate icing, and his "belgian surprise truffles"
Which were sprouts dipped in chocolate.
mike.armstrong - - Parent #
He didn't even cook the sprouts!
Little Paul - - Parent #
I seem to remember some discussion about whether or not the surprise was the sprout, or the fact it wasn't cooked.
The sprouts were cooked, they had been gently steamed in the microwave till they were tender (it is very important not to overcook sprouts, overcooked sprouts are probably why so many people don't like sprouts). I don't know why there is so much prejudice against chocolat legumerie they were very nice (if I say so myself). I can share the recipe if anyone wants it. Much better than Helen's chocolate covered balls of haggis.
From memory:
Recipe for Belgian Surprises
ingredients:
Sprouts - fresh (not frozen) and preferably small, (smaller ones are sweeter)
Chocolate - good quality darker chocolate compliments the sprout flavour better than a sweet milky chocolate
cocoa powder
chocolate sprinkles (optional)
method:
With a sharp knife remove and stalks or tired leaves from the sprouts.
Briefly steam the sprouts (either in microwave or in a steamer) taking care not to overcook (as this will spoil the flavour and texture of the the sprouts and make them soggy and sulphurous).
Pat the sprouts dry with clean cloth or kitchen paper.
Melt the chocolate either on a low setting in microwave or in a bowl sitting in another bowl of very-hot (not boiling) water, do not let the chocolate get over 32 deg.
Once the chocolate has melted carefully dip the sprouts in the chocolate, allow to cool a little and redip to ensure a consistently thick coating of chocolate.
Before the chocolate coating totally cools, roll the (now ensconced in chocolate) sprouts in the cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles to give pleasing finish and prevent them from sticking together in transit to the Cake contest.
Sorry for any details inadvertently missed out, but it is over five years since I last made any Belgian Surprises
MasterKatra42 - - Parent #
I also was asked to say hello. Hello. My name is Joe Showers, and I juggle. I'm from Rochester, NY, so I make most of the Northeast circuit. I think the first thing I'm going to do is get a HLGCBS up for the RIT Spring Juggle-in. Psyched to see what the juggling edge is all about.
As a way to say hello, here's a video that just got done rendering.
http://juggling.tv/13050
I promise I'm not a shameless self-promoter, I just wanted to bring a gift to the party.
Little Paul - - Parent #
Yay! Joes here! :)
Little Paul - - Parent #
and now, having watched the video - part of it made me snort tea down my nose, but to say which bit would spoil the surprise :)
pumpkineater23 - - Parent #
Hello Jamie and hello Joe. Joe thanks for the link to the video, very nice I enjoyed it.