Themes That Rocked - An Animal and a Recipe From Jo

Today we have foodie expert, Jo Wake, from Jo on Food, My Travels, and a Scent of Chocolate

You always feature recipes – what made you pair an animal with a recipe for the Challenge?

First of all, thank you for asking me to do this Alex.

As you say, I always feature recipes. However, the whole idea of pairing animals and birds came from my poem Albatross which I wrote many years ago plus the fact that I had read something about the albatross earlier in the year stating it’s endangerment. Had to show off my poetic talent as well of course!

What animal-recipe combination was your favorite?

I don’t think I have a favourite combination. I have been looking back at the posts. There are certain members of the wildlife world I featured which I prefer to others, but they were not necessarily paired with recipes which were favourites. I especially like the fox one which showed a video clip of a fox diving into snow which I found fascinating but I’m not that enamoured of Fettucine and Feta. Maybe the best combination would be the Ibis and Portuguese Iscas which is a liver dish which I love and I don’t like liver. The Ibis is a favourite bird too so this makes a good pairing.

Did you consider picking an animal then a recipe featuring that animal?

Not until you mentioned it, no. I think it would be difficult to do all 26 that way. I will give it some thought though for the future. There were a couple such as octopus and quail – oh and albatross – I could have done recipes for.

Where did you find some of the recipes, like the Indonesian Daging Bumbu Bali?

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of recipes on the internet and I just went hunting for recipes beginning with the letter I needed. I generally try and choose something other people can make. I also generally try and choose different recipes. With very few exceptions, I always post recipes for things I would eat or have eaten.

About how many different countries were represented by your recipes? Which is your favorite?

Gawd, I don’t know Alex. I will have to go back and check it out. OK I found out I used recipes from 20 different countries with repeats from both the UK and the US. I also discovered in my Blog2Print books which I do for all my blogs, I don’t have the first week of April included. Serves me right for not checking them before I downloaded I guess. By the way, Japanese Pizza wasn’t from Japan. As I have already said, I love the Iscas, I am also fond of Baklava although I stay away from it these days. Diets and Diabetes.

How many of those recipes have you made? (I still want to try the Japanese Pizza.)

Prior to the A to Z I had made Iscas, Kedgeree, Sauerbraten, Gazpacho, Quinoa Pilaf and Tourtière. Unfortunately I find I cannot stand for long periods of time which does put paid to some recipes these days. The one you mention, Daging Bumbu Bali shouldn’t be too difficult though. Now you’ve reminded me ……

Which letter was the most challenging?

Actually I don’t remember finding any letter particularly challenging. Thanks to the wonderful services of search engines, it is pretty easy to find animals, birds and recipes beginning with the letter I need that day. Most of the animals and birds I was familiar with but I did come across one or two I had never heard about before. If anything I suppose X and Y, I had never heard of a Xenops or a Yaffle although Yaffle turned out to be a Green Woodpecker. Maybe our dragon friend would be familiar with the Xenops.

What theme are you considering for next year’s Challenge?

Maybe something similar but possibly featuring extinction which is a subject I feel strongly about. At the moment I am particularly concerned about the slaughter of elephants and rhinos for the tusks and horns. Elephants in particular are being slaughtered in large numbers every day, over 22,000 in 2012 for instance, I have recently seen horrific figures of the totals each day but can’t find my source. Wildlife smuggling too is a big concern of mine.

Of course I have to include a recipe. I used to make Yakisoba a lot at one time and here is a recipe for Yakisoba chicken. This is much more Japanese than the pizza recipe.

Yakisoba Chicken

½ tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs canola oil
2 tbs chile paste
2 cloves garlic chopped
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves chopped into 1“ cubes
½ cup soy sauce
1 onion sliced lengthwise into eighths
½ medium head of cabbage, coarsely chopped
2 carrots coarsely chopped
8 oz soba noodles cooked and drained

Add garlic and stir fry an additional 30 seconds. Add chicken and 1/4 cup of the soy sauce and stir fry until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove mixture from pan, set aside, and keep warm.
In the emptied pan combine the onion, cabbage, and carrots. Stir-fry until cabbage begins to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining soy sauce, cooked noodles, and the chicken mixture to pan and mix to blend. Serve and enjoy!

Sounds tasty, Jo! Thanks.


Co-host Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh is the author of Amazon Best-sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm, and his blog can be found HERE

We are honoring Tina with sunflowers today– we hope everyone can join us and splash the Internet with yellow !
Sign up here - Sunflowers for Tina.

The family has also set up the Downey Education Fund, which will go toward a college fund for Tina’s two boys. You can donate via this link:

#atozchallenge #roadtrip #LifeisGood - Stormy brings in some Star Power!

Stormy the Weather Gnome and I are going to try to hit at least 20 new blogs a week from the Challenge list and tell you about a few of them in each of my posts.

When you go visit these awesome blogs, please make sure you tell them that you're visiting on the Post A to Z Road Trip!

Stormy the Weather Gnome with Woody & Buzz

Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post

Nicole is all about spreading the joy and craftsmanship of indie films and she rocks this blog all year long.

During April....she's a champion! 

From fame, fortune and awards to the work, the why, and the how, you get an in-depth look at what the film industry is all about.

Its not all glamorous? It is for Stormy!

Nicole is also one of the amazing hosts of the Post A-to-Z Road Trip! I don't know when she finds the time!

Stormy the Weather Gnome with a Minion

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Today's post is a little short because I wanted to remind you about the Sunflowers for Tina.

We are honoring Tina with sunflowers on Monday, September 8 – I hope everyone can join us and splash the Internet with yellow that day.
Sign up here - Sunflowers for Tina.

The family has also set up the Downey Education Fund, which will go toward a college fund for Tina’s two boys. You can donate via this link:

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Thanks for visiting with us today!

Are you finding any great blogs on your trip?

Our Amazing Moon

Our Moon. Something that has captured our imaginations and fascinated the minds of mankind for millennia. The moon and its regular cycle of phases have made it a vital cultural influence on language, calendars, art and mythology since ancient times. The moon has inspired stories of werewolves have frightened us and poems of love. Books, movies, and songs have centered around the moon. I Googled the list and it is far too long for me to elaborate here.

Our moon, which does not have a name like other moons, is Earth's only known natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in our solar system. It has a diameter one fourth that of Earth’s, making it the largest satellite relative to its host size. Our moon is in a syncrhonized rotation with Earth. That is why we only see one side of it. Hence, the term The Dark Side of the Moon. Its gravitational pull produces the ocean tides and the minute lengthening of the day.

The Soviets actually reached the moon before us with an unmanned spacecraft in 1959. Since then, NASA’s Apollo program has sent an orbiting mission in 1968, followed by six actual manned landings from 1969-1972. Twelve men have walked on its surface. We brought back lots of rock that helped scientists determine its age: 4.5 billion years old.

The prevailing hypothesis is that the Earth–Moon system formed as a result of a giant impact: a Mars-sized body hit the nearly formed proto-Earth, blasting material into orbit around the proto-Earth, which accreted to form the Moon. It is believed most of the Moon came from the impactor, not from the proto-Earth. Like the earth, the moon has a crust, mantle, and core.

Water cannot exist on the moon as exposure to solar radiation causes water to decompose, a process known as photodissociation. However, comets and hydrogen from solar winds combined with oxygen in lunar rocks could have deposited water ice in permanently shadowed craters. This is of vital importance if we want to set up a permanent base on the moon, a possible stepping stone for reaching Mars.

Although we have recently found proof of frozen ice on the polar regions, the moon does not have wind or erosion. That is why we see crater impacts large and small that pocket its surface over its life. Volcanoes in the past have spewed out basaltic lava. With a decent set of binoculars or a small telescope, you can see fascinating features on its surface on a clear night.

There is no legal ownership of the moon, although the U.S. has planted flags there. There is an Outer Space Treaty (1967) that defines the Moon and all outer space as the "province of all mankind. The moon cannot be used for military purposes and bans weapons of mass destruction.
You can view the moon using Google Earth.
Grail Moon Mission – September11, 2011 (Very Cool Stuff Here)On NASA's third attempt, the dual-spacecraft mission finally lifts off from Cape Canaveral. The twin craft separate and begin their journey to the moon, where they will study its gravitational field. Scientists predict that the mission will provide a map of the lunar gravitational field, data that will allow for the first comprehensive assessment of the moon's crust, mantle and core.

Some scientists say GRAIL is the beginning of a revolution in planetary science. Precision formation flying could allow for numerous spacecraft to create singular technology "platforms" that could see deeper into space and in far greater detail than ever before. Scientists envision a day when they will send swarms of iPod-sized spacecraft into space, a technology that could replace satellites and offer other advances in communications.

Well, how about it? How has our most awesome neighbor inspired you? If you think this post is worthy of Twitter or Facebook, please select the appropriate icon below. Thanks!!!

Stephen Tremp, author of the BREAKTHROUGH series, is finishing his fourth book titled Murcat Manor.

You can visit Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs for the synopsis for Murcat Manor.