Normal ?

O M G !

Burger King is set to launch the Pizza Burger next month.

A two-in-one dish that contains more than 2,500 calories and is four times the size of the chain's Whoppers !

Like thats what America really needs right now ?

The meal will delight fast-food fans when it is exclusively introduced at Burger King's Whopper Bar in Times Square, New York, in mid september

Besides the beef and a 9.5-inch sesame bun, the Pizza Burger is topped with pepperoni, mozzarella, Tuscan pesto and marinara sauce.

It also comes in six slices, just like a pizza.

According to blogger Me So Hungry, it is the perfect mix between a pizza and a burger.

"The visual highlight was the New York Pizza Burger... it's not bad. Tastes kinda like pizza, but also like a burger," Mr blogger said.

It has been dubbed the "fat bomb" because, for $13 (£8.40), customers can bite into 2,520 calories - the recommended daily intake is 2,500 calories for men and 2,000 for women.

One Pizza Burger contains 144g of fat - 59g of which is saturated. It also has 3,780mg of salt, which is more than double the daily limit for adults.

John Schaufelberger, Burger King's vice president of global marketing, insisted the Pizza Burger is "intended to be shared".

But he also admitted that it "demonstrates the type of menu offerings our guests can expect".

According to Mr Schaufelberger, the Pizza Burger is a homage to New York, the home of Burger King.

Luv your Garden !

If you a beginner gardener on a small budget,

Here are a few money saving tips for all green-fingered wannabees

Since we only have a small garden, my gardening exploits are limited to whatever fits onto it, which is a bit of a shame as I love trees, so i've still managed to cram in a small apple tree and a little pear tree to.If your careful you can make any space work as a garden you will like.

I'm really a total amateur and working with a tight budget, but I really enjoy pottering about planting seeds and generally getting covered in compost.

If you don't have much space - or money - or gardening know-how - the whole idea might sound a bit daunting. But it really doesn't have to be.

Here, I'm going to have a look at how beginner gardeners can get the ball rolling as cheaply and easily as possible.

I'm also going to highlight lots of flowers, fruit, vegetables and herbs that are relatively cheap and very easy to grow.

Preparation

Equipment: You can pick up second-hand gardening equipment (like pots and tools) quite cheaply - and sometimes even for free. Many people are usually keen to get shot of these bulky, heavy items just to make a bit more space.

So - before you buy anything new, ask for what you're looking for on Freecycle. Everything on this website is free, donated by Freecycle community members in your area. And don't forget to check out local charity shops and car boot sales.

And try and think ‘outside the box' (or pot). For example, dustbins and compost bags with holes are great for growing potatoes.

A friend has an old Belfast sink which looks fantastic filled with flowers - and other gardeners I know also use tyres, apple crates and wellington boots!

If you do want to buy equipment new, high street stores are likely to be cheaper than your local garden centre. Lidl, Aldi, Woolworths, Wilkinsons, Robert Dyas, Netto and your local pound shop are all worth a look.

Compost: The cheapest compost is the stuff you make yourself. Have a look at this DIY guide.

Seeds, bulbs and plants: Read this excellent article for lots of good advice on how to get hold of the cheapest seeds, cuttings and plants.

We also find eBay is a good place to look for specific seeds, because there are loads on offer and you won't have to pay much for postage.

And check out Garden Swap Shop, where you can swap your excess seeds and plants with other website members for just 20p.

Easy, cheap plants for beginners

If you'd like to have a go at growing something - but you don't know where begin - just start small.

Choose cheap plants that need the minimum of care and equipment - and are very hard to kill!

This way, if you decide gardening really isn't for you, you won't have spent all your savings on high-tech bits and bobs.

Do you fancy a little herb garden? What about having a go at home-grown food? Or perhaps you'd like some nice bright flowers and shrubs? Here are some ideas to get you started.

Herbs

Mint and lemon balm are both good for beginners because they work well in pots, grow quickly and are difficult to kill.

If you don't have much money or space, thyme is also worth a try. It grows to fill small spaces (like paving stone cracks) and spreads well on its own - so you don't have to by lots of plants.

And rosemary and sage are good ‘two in one' options, because they also produce pretty flowers which attract bees.

Visit The Herb Society for lots of good advice on how to grow and use herbs.

Fruit and veg

If you fancy yourself as a future Tom or Barbara:

Potatoes, kale, radishes and garlic are quite hardy and you don't need to buy much special equipment (like greenhouses or climbing frames).

If it's fruit you're after, currant and gooseberry bushes grow happily in (big) containers and produce year after year.

This sort of soft fruit is really expensive in the shops - so after your initial outlay, you could end up saving quite a lot of money on posh desserts!

And if you become really keen, you might want to think about getting your own allotment for a relatively small fee.

Grow Your Own is a great website with lots of advice on what to grow fruit and veg to grow, and when.

Flowers and shrubs

Growing flowers can be a great way to keep children cheaply entertained too- especially if they're really colourful and can withstand some prodding and poking from little fingers.

Sunflowers, sweetpeas, crocuses and daffodils are all good in this respect.

If you don't have much space, lobelia and marigolds are quite cheap to buy and perfect for pots and window boxes.

Also geraniums and fuchsia are particularly good for hanging baskets.

If you have bare ground, fences and walls - but don't want to spend much on ‘covering' plants -Ivy and campanula are good because they're resilient and spread like wild fire.

Finally, lavender is also affordable and a great way to introduce scent and colour. You could even save money on gifts for family and friends, by using it to make pot-pourri.

Still sound too ambitious?

You can even try some cheap and easy gardening indoors. Basil, coriander, parsley and chilli peppers can all be grown on a warm windowsill, from seeds costing a few pence.

I hope I've given you a few ideas. Now do excuse me - I'm off to tend to me parsnips...

For more helpful info try: Get Gardening!

Also you can visit The Fool's Gardening discussion board for chat, help and advice on all things green-fingered.

Sesame Noodles with Chicken

This Yummy Chinese Dish has become a favorite main dish for us with the addition of browned chicken tenders and some thinly sliced red pepper or grated carrots, for more color and flavor

Serves Us 3.

Sea salt

1/2 lb. dried plain, whole-grain spaghetti, or rice Noodles

3 Tbs. Asian sesame oil

3 medium cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup ginger-flavored soy sauce

3 Tbs. rice vinegar

1 tbls light or dark brown sugar

1/2 lb. chicken tenders

1 tsp. peanut oil

Freshly ground black pepper

3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until the pasta or noodles are al dente.Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water until cool. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl, and toss with 1 Tbs. of the sesame oil.

Either in a pestle & mortar or food processor, grind the garlic until roughly chopped. Add the remaining 5 Tbs. sesame oil, and the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and 1-1/2 tsp. salt. blend until smooth, scrape down the bowl, about 30 seconds. Set aside.

Trim off any exposed tendon ends from the wide tips of the tenders, if necessary. Season the tenders with 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Heat the peanut oil in a in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook the tenders until well browned on both sides and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the chicken to the spaghetti or noodles along with half of the scallions.

Pour about 1-1/4 cups of the dressing over the pasta and chicken and toss to coat. Add more dressing to taste—you may not need to use it all. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with the remaining scallions, and serve.

More delicious Asian recipes here at FineCooking.com

RIP Two Tone

A mirror carp thought to be one of the UK’s biggest freshwater fish has been found dead in the lake where it lived in Kent. Two Tone, weighing in at 67lb 14oz, became Britain’s biggest native freshwater fish in 2001 when he tipped the scales at 59lbs and 12ozs.

The mirror carp, who gained his name from his skin color, is believed to have been at least 40-years-old and is thought to have died from old age.

Two Tone will be buried next to the lake on Sunday morning with a plaque marking his grave.

"I think there may be 20 or 30 people there,"a keen local angler Mr Logsdon said.

"Some of these guys have spent every minute of their time at this lake trying to catch this beast, a lot of friendships have been made by people on the banks - it's been an extraordinary, exceptional beast."

Any carp angler worth their salt wanted to catch him and a lot tried and failed. It’s part of fishing history.

Full story: BBCNews.com

To Love

“To love what you do and feel that it matters–how could anything be more fun?”

~Katherine Graham

The Surprise by William Barnes

As there I left the road in May,

And took my way along a ground,
I found a glade with girls at play,
By leafy boughs close-hemmed around,
And there, with stores of harmless joys,
They plied their tongues, in merry noise:
Though little did they seem to fear
So queer a stranger might be near;
Teeh-hee! Look here! Hah! ha! Look there!
And oh! so playsome, oh! so fair.

And one would dance as one would spring,
Or bob or bow with leering smiles,
And one would swing, or sit and sing,
Or sew a stitch or two at whiles,
And one skipped on with downcast face,
All heedless, to my very place,
And there, in fright, with one foot out,
Made one dead step and turned about.
Heeh, hee, oh! oh! ooh! oo!—Look there!
And oh! so playsome, oh! so fair.

Away they scampered all, full speed,
By boughs that swung along their track,
As rabbits out of wood at feed,
At sight of men all scamper back.
And one pulled on behind her heel,
A thread of cotton, off her reel,
And oh! to follow that white clue,
I felt I fain could scamper too.
Teeh, hee, run here. Eeh! ee! Look there!
And oh! so playsome, oh! so fair.