Friday, February 13, 2009

Gran's ( Adele Hale Stackhouse ) Plum Jam recipe

Yields: 4 pints

Ingredients:
  • 3 pounds firm plums, cut into eighths and seeds discarded
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 7 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 (3-ounce) package commercial pectin
In large non-aluminum kettle, combine plums, water, and lemon juice. Bring mixture to boiling over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, 10 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Mixture should have reduced to about 4 1/2 cups.

Add sugar and heat mixture to full, rapid boiling over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin; return to full, rapid boiling and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Set aside 1 minute and skim off any foam that has formed.

Meanwhile, sterilize 8 half-pint jars or jelly glasses and the necessary lids, and bands, according to manufacturer's directions. Divide jam among sterilized jars, leaving 1/8-inch space at top of jar. Wipe rims of jars to remove any jam and seal with lids and bands.

Process jars in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove jars, label, and store in cool, dry place.

True Blood gifts from you true love : Happy V day



















































Some more great gift ideas for Valentine's Day gifts ...


I Run With Vampires

Free Chain With Scrabble Tile Pendant True Blood

True Blood Inspired FANGTASIA Key Ring

True Blood Inspired Bill the Vampire Key Ring

TRUE BLOOD TOP Vampire Medium

True blood vampire necklace

TRUE BLOOD RHINESTONE BOOKBAG HANDPURSE BAG TOTE

HBO brings 'True Blood' to Central Europe

Vampire-themed series aims to bite into ratings BUDAPEST -- HBO 's vampires are coming to a region that understands the blood-thirsty creatures well.

HBO Central Europe launched Alan Ball series "True Blood" with a lavish party in Budapest on Feb. 5, and is airing season one in all its markets: Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Macedonia.

According to Ondrej Zach, VP of programming & acquisitions, "Blood's" popularity in the U.S. augurs well for Europe.

"We're confident because we've seen the results in the United States," Zach says. "We are getting a strong reaction from the press. In those territories where we see numbers, (such as) Poland and Hungary, we have a strong and positive audience reaction."

The series may resonate here for more bloodthirsty reasons.

Central Europe, after all, gave the world its first vampires: from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula," set in Transylvania (now part of Romania), to Slavic countries like Serbia and Croatia where vampire myths are folklore.

"I don't think there is anybody (from this region) who doesn't know what vampires are," Zach says.

But will blood-sucking myths translate into viewership? Noemi Kertesz , PR and Communications Coordinator for HBO Hungary, is sure they will.

Per Kertes, the vampire-themed film "Twilight" did exceptionally well in Hungary, which bodes well for "True Blood."

"Twilight" didn't dominate in every territory in HBO Central Europe. (For reasons still unclear, the blockbuster fell short in the Czech Republic.) But there are other precedents, such as the success of Ball's previous HBO offering "Six Feet Under," which was well received across central Europe.

VP Zach is bullish on "True Blood" because of its production values, and because it is homegrown. "It's a great series," he says. "HBO original production is an important part of our programming concept."

From Variety

Here are some of the HBO Europe web pages:

Poland -http://www.czystakrew.hbo.pl/

Hungary- http://www.trueblood.hbo.hu/

Czech -http://www.trueblood.hbo.cz/

Romania- http://www.trueblood.hbo.ro/

Croatia- http://www.trueblood.hbo.hr/

Serbia -http://www.trueblood.hbo.co.yu/

http://www.hbo-centraleurope.com/

( Croatia and hungary True Blood ads above)

The magister character in the books ...

Sookie Stackhouse book readers may still be scratching their heads at the scope and power of 'the magister' as we see him in Episode 10 of True Blood Season one.

This is where Bill is punished for killing Long Shadow by having to turn the young kidnapped woman, Jessica into a vampire.

But ...hey, we are even still scratching our heads at the change to the overall story arc in having Bill instead of Eric kill Long Shadow in Sookie defense.

But there is some vampire jurisdiction mentioned by Charlene in the books in the matter of this kind of killing and debts owed and punishments in the matter of one vampire killing another vampire.

In book 6, we hear Eric describe the decision of "the arbitrator" in the matter..
It's not the same as the magister but there is some basis in the books for this character.

Long Shadow had been the first bartender of Fangtasia. He'd been embezzling from Eric, who had coerced me into interrogating the barmaids and other human employees until I discovered the culprit. About two seconds before Long Shadow would have ripped out my throat, Eric had executed the bartender with the traditional wooden stake. Killing another vampire is a very serious thing, I gathered, and Eric had had to pay a stiff fine-to whom, I hadn't known, though now I was sure the money had gone to Hot Rain. If Eric had killed Long Shadow without any justification, other penalties would have come into play. I was content to let those remain a mystery.

"What did Hot Rain want?" I said.

"To let me know that though I had paid him the price set by the arbitrator, he didn't consider himself satisfied."

"Did he want more money?"
"I don't think so. He seemed to think financial recompense was not all he required." Eric shrugged.


A Special Treat for Lost and True Blood Lovers

Did you know Arlene is married to Benjamin ?

To celebrate, we're spending a little heart-to-heart time with a couple you might not even know are married in real life: Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus on Lost) and Carrie Preston (redheaded waitress and serial killer bride Arlene on True Blood). They had me over to their brand-new L.A. house for chocolate and cookies and scoop...my three favorite things!

read on at eonline


Have a Very Vampy Valentine's Day





Here are some more great gifts to give and to get for Valentine's Day

Remember you can buy Vampire and Dracula wines, vodka and chocolate HERE







Vampires Welcome






Deadly bears





Vampire Bats Mother of Pearl Cuff links






Count Dracula's Vampire Greeting Poster






3 Pack Too Bad You Are Not a Vampire Valentine Cards Hand Printed

Sookie Stackhouse book's dedications, acknowledgments and prologues ( bk 3 & 4)

Dedications, acknowledgments and prologues from Club Dead (Bk 3) and Dead to the World ( Bk 4 )

Book 3

Timothy Schulz, who told me flatly he wanted a book all to himself.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to Lisa Weissenbuehler, Kerie L. Nickel, Marie La Salle, and the incomparable Doris Ann Noms for their input on car trunks, great and small. My further thanks to Janet Davis, Irene, and Sonya Stocklin, also cybercitizens of DorothyL, for their information on bars, bourrée (a card game), and the parish governments of Louisiana. Joan Coffey was most gracious with supplying information about Jackson. The wonderful and obliging Jane Lee drove me patiently around Jackson for many hours, entering thoroughly into the spirit of finding the perfect location for a vampire bar.

Charlaine Harris has produced two mystery series in addition to her Sookie Stackhouse books. She lives in southern Arkansas with her husband, three children, two dogs, two ferrets, and a duck. An avid reader, mild cinemaphile, and occasional weightlifter, her favorite activity is cheering her children on in various sports while sitting on uncomfortable bleachers. Her website is www.charlaineharris.com.

Book 4

Though they'll probably never read it, this book is dedicated to all the coaches—baseball, football, volleyball, soccer—who've worked through so many years, often for no monetary reward, to coax athletic performances out of my children and to instill in them an understanding of The Game. God bless you all, and thanks from one of the moms who crowds the stands through rain, cold, heat, and mosquitoes.
However, this mom always wonders who else might be watching the night games.

My thanks to Wiccans who answered my call for knowledge with more information than I could use—Maria Lima, Sandilee Lloyd, Holly Nelson, Jean Hontz, and M. R. "Murv" Sellars. I owe further thanks to other experts in d ifferent fields: Kevin Ryer, who knows more about feral hogs than most people do about their own pets; Dr. D. P. Lyle, who is so gracious about answering medical questions; and, of course, Doris Ann Norris, reference librarian to the stars.
If I have made mistakes in the use of the knowledge these kind people imparted, I'll do my best to somehow blame it on them.

Afterword

Dear Reader,

In case you haven't met me before, my name is Sookie Stackhouse. I've been working at Merlotte's Bar for four years now. For the first three, things were quiet. Then, one night, Bill the Vampire walked in, and my life changed forever. While we've followed the familiar pattern (vampire meets girl, vampire gets girl, vampire loses girl), I have a feeling our association has more twists and turns yet to come.
In the first month I knew Bill, there was a serial killer in the area hunting down barmaids with vampire boyfriends—and the main suspect was my brother Jason(Dead Until Dark).
Then, at the beginning of fall, the vampires of Dallas asked the vampires of Shreveport if they could borrow me for a little investigation into a missing nestmate of theirs(Living Dead in Dallas). At the same time, the short-order cook at Merlotte's was murdered, and since I counted myself his friend, I felt I should do everything I could to solve the mystery of his death. Bill's boss, Eric, had a lot to do with my trip to Big D, and he developed an interest in me that hasn't flagged.
Right before Christmas, I began to think Bill was engaged in some hanky-panky. He left town, and vanished in Mississippi. Eric talked me into going to Jackson to search for him. As my cover, I was escorted by the Werewolf Alcide Herveaux. While searching for Bill, I met some of the state's less reputable citizens at the supernatural hangout in Jackson, called Club Dead.
That brings me up to the start of Dead to the World.
And now that I'm pretty much mad at everyone, and Jason might be a Shifter at the next full moon, what's going to happen next?
The way my life's been going since Bill Compton came into Merlotte's, there just no telling.

USA Network has filed for divorce from The Starter Wife

Good thing Stephen is now on True Blood - I have some Sam ( the love interest that Stepehn Moyer played) heavy full episodes of Starter Wife HERE and HERE

USA Network has filed for divorce from The Starter Wife, citing irreconcilable ratings.

When the Debra Messing-fronted Wife debuted in 2007 as a six-hour miniseries, it attracted more than 5 million viewers and went on to earn 10 Emmy nominations. However, ratings for its 10-episode first season averaged just 2.4 million viewers -- a decent number by most cable standards, but not for USA, where its top shows (Burn Notice, Monk) regularly pull in around 6 million.

In an exclusive statement, USA called Starter Wife a "critical and creative success," and added that the Dec. 12 season finale served as a "satisfying conclusion" to the franchise.

Best TV Couples That Aren't Together - But Should Be

Sookie and Sam - True Blood

Okay, so maybe Sookie (Anna Paquin) is head over heels in love with her vampire darling Bill (Stephen Moyer), but that didn't stop shapeshifter Sam (Sam Trammell) from worshipping her the entire season of "True Blood." He found comfort in the arms of Tara (Rutina Wesley), yet the second Sookie needed his help, he was there with a wag of his tail and those big sad eyes. Unrequited love is awful, but Sookie may just have a spark for her boss, because she did kiss him. And she seemed a little weirded out by him sleeping with Tara. These two have a really sweet vibe, and they've shared some pretty serious secrets (his shapeshifting, her telepathy). He's the boy next door that you never notice until it is too late, and right now Sookie is going through her bad boy phase. Just stay true a little longer Sam, your day will come!

Other couples here :http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php?p=110562&more=1&page=3

True Blood Music Video of the Day



Spoofy True Blood mix