Waves POM-105785.2 Review

I know this doesn't quite fit here, but I just bought this thing (almost wrote thong, tgf spellcheck), and I felt the need to review it. Unfortunately, the netonnet website wouldn't let me do it without publishing my email adress... So I put it here instead.

I'm on a diet at the moment, so air popped popcorn sounded like just the thing for a snack.

By the way, don't worry, just because I don't eat it, doesn't mean I don't bake it, plenty of recipes for cakes and cookies and more to come. You're free to use butter and eggs and whatnot. I was always of the opinion, better a small slice of something special, than a big slice of something average.

Anyway, I have to say I'm very impressed by this machine. It's MUCH faster than using a pot, without using any fat, and without the trans-fats of microwave popcorn. 

A minute or so, and you have a bowl full of popcorn. 

It's a bit noisy, but not too bad, and you won't need to stand it for very long (this thing is FAST). And there is next to nothing in regards to washing up.

TIP: If you want the salt to stick to the popcorn, just spray some water (mist) on the popcorn before salting it.

Netflix in Kodi on Linux

I have a previous post about this, where an addon called NetfliXBMC is used. That works just fine, and fairly seamlessly. The only thing is, I don't really use it for browsing movies. I do that on my tablet or something, add it to my list and then play it from Kodi.

The thing is that Netflix has a pretty nice web-interface (ok, so there are some things I don't like about it, but nevertheless), and we are already using Chrome to play the movie from NetfliXBMC, so why not just open Chrome to Netflix and play it from there?

There is also an added benefit to to this, which is that it is possible to use a VPN-like extension to Chrome, which would allow you to view the US content from another country. Obviously, I'm neither suggesting or encouraging anybody to do that, I'm simply saying that it is possible.

The only downside is that when you click a TV-series, you won't be able to see and select season and episode, it'll simply start the first, or if you've watched the series before, the next, episode.

Unfortunately, it's not quite as easy as just installing chrome, we also need to be able to navigate and select a movie. If you are using a keyboard and mouse to control your HTPC, then that's fine, but I'm using a remote, so some extra effort is needed. Fortunately, others have had the same issues, and have developed some extensions for Chrome which, at least partly, solves the issue.

Anyway, here's how to do it.

First, follow my guide for setting up NetfliXBMC, except for actually installing the NetfliXBMC addon.

Next, start the Chrome Launcher addon, and add Netflix to the websites list. Start it up, press Ctrl+N to open a new window, which is not in fullscreen mode. Install the addons you want/need. There are several ones that can change the look and feel of the Netflix website if you like.

For browsing the website using a remote, install the "Netflix Navigator" extension. This is made to enable you to control it using an XBOX360 controller, but it seems to work pretty well with the default buttons in Kodi. Except for one thing, which is that when you open any page, there is an overlay telling you to press a button on the controller. So in order to get rid of that, we need to modify the addon slightly.

Now, if you modify an installed extension, chrome tends to think that it has been corrupted and disables it, so we need to make a copy of it, and install that copy.

Go to your Kodi users home folder (probably /var/lib/kodi), then further into .config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions/

Find the folder that contains the Netflix Navigator extension. The folders are named as a hash on this level, so you need to look more carefully. Check the version number of Netflix Navigator from the Chrome extensions settings, and look for the same version number one level down in the folder structure here.

Copy the extension to your Kodi user home directory (or some other good place), you need the whole thing, ie the folder with the hash name.

Edit the file driver.js

Find the bit of code that looks like this:

return function() {
            if (_this.controllers.length === 0) {
              overlay = new OverlayMessage();
              return overlay.show("Please press <img src='" + (chrome.extension.getURL("assets/Xbox360_Button_A.png")) + "' /> to begin"$
            }
          };

Replace it with this (just removing a part of it):

return function() {
            if (_this.controllers.length === 0) {
            }
          };

Now go to the Chrome extensions settings page and uninstall the original extension. Then click the "Developer mode" checkbox and then "Load unpacked extension...". Select the extension that you modified by browsing to that folder, and install it.

You should now be able to browse and start movies from the Netflix webpage.
ENJOY!

Tuva

A "Tuva" is made from choux pastry, and filled with whipped cream and lingonberries, but it also has some "pate sucre" on top, to provide a bit of crispiness.

I saw these made on "Hela Sverige bakar", and decided to try it.

Tuvas

Ingredients

Choux pastry
200g Milk
200g Water
160g Butter
8g Salt
250g Flour
400g Eggs

Pate sucre
250g Flour
100g Powdered sugar
100g Butter
1 Egg yolk
A pinch of salt
(Water)

Filling
~5 dl Whipping cream
~200g Lingonberries
~4-5 tbsp sugar

Powdered sugar (for dusting)


Start with the pate sucre, since that needs to rest.
Mix all the ingredients (except the water) together. Mine was extremely dry at this point, I think it may have something to do with the humidity. If needed add just enough cold water to make a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for an hour or so.

Next for the choux pastry, you get quite a workout from all the stirring.
Measure out the flour and eggs into bowls/beakers. Place milk, water, butter and salt in a pot, and bring to the boil while stirring. As soon as it starts to boil, add the flour and stir to mix. While still on the stove, continues stirring the dough, and cooking it, for 3-4 minutes.
Place the dough into a bowl, and add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each one is incorporated completely before adding the next, while stirring.
Allow the mixture to cool before piping.
Pipe onto an oven tray covered with parchment paper. Each one should be about 50g (see picture below for an idea of how much that is). They rise quite a bit, so leave some room.

Take the pate sucre out of the fridge (you won't need even close to all of it). Roll it out to a thickness of about 2 mm, and cut out circles about 5 cm in diameter.
Place a circle on top of each choux bun, and dust with a little powdered sugar.

Bake in the oven, at 200°C, for about 30 minutes.

Once they have cooled completely, it's time to fill them.
The exact amount of sugar and lingonberries depends an taste.
Whip the cream, with the sugar and stir in the lingonberries. Make a small cross cut in the bottom of each tuva, and pipe the whipped cream mixture into each of them (and don't be stingy with it).

Brown Breads

First off, brown breads are not actually anything to do with bread, they're cookies, and delicious ones at that.
My grandmother makes them, and the first time I tried 'em, using a recipe from a standard cookbook, they weren't nearly as tasty. I then got my grandmothers recipe, and it really is a completely different thing.
These cookies are really fragrant and delicious, and, a small tip, I think they're actually even better frozen. The taste is the same, but the texture is better.

Brown Breads

Ingredients
200g Butter
2 dl Sugar
2 tbsp Golden treacle
2 tsp Cinnamon
100g Hazelnuts
2 tsp Bicarbonate
4-5 dl Flour

Grind the hazelnuts, and dissolve the bicarbonate in a small amount of water.

Place all the ingredients, directly onto the table, and mix by hand until it forms a uniform dough. It should not be sticky, if it is, add a little more flour.

Form the dough into 1 or more (I think 3 makes it easy to handle) rectangular "rolls", about 4 cm in height and depth.

Cut the "rolls" into slices, about 1 cm thick, and place on a baking tray covered with grease proof paper. Make sure to leave plenty of room, as they will expand quite a lot.

Bake in the middle of the oven, at 175°C, for about 15 minutes.