In My Life.....

-----Almost done with alphabetizing my spices. :-)
-----Hooked on the Shrek 3 soundtrack right now. Especially a song at the end about Love at First Sight.
-----Wishlist. Small medicine ball so I can do tricep dips. Basically I should be able to palm the top of it. The ball goes behind you and you push up. That looks physically demanding.




This wasn't particularly funny but I do have an amusing/educational use for this field recording. I am going to just put it on without warning anybody it is coming on or what it is. :-)



A meme that made me laugh on Facebook:
"Can't afford anti-depressants, so I'm just drinking No More Tears Shampoo."

In My Life.....

-----Curried Hash Brown Scramble. I am a fan of curry and I am cautiously excited to try this for breakfast sometime. I sent a link to a friend of ours who is an uber-curry fan. Maybe our friend will try it first and I will have a better idea how the texture of the eggs turns out in this dish. I am excited to figure out what recipes I might dare to try on The Daring Gourmet blog.
-----I have to be on the lookout for large red gumdrops. I want to find a store that sells them or something online that we can order for a reasonable price. We are going to rent Toy Story from the library and make Jessie's Cowgirl Hat Cookies.
-----For some reason, I would like to visit every Harley Davidson store in the United States. I wonder how many stores that is.

In My Life.....

-----I am not sure what is going on with my Mother's cancer treatments but I am worried.
-----No internet or phone for the past several days for the most part. Router woes. I am hoping this is fixed in a few days. I have been happy to have working internet for about three hours now.

As of today, my body mass index and weight are exactly at ideal for my height. This is great news as I have a myriad of thyroid issues.

In My Life.....

-----Still very excited about Husband's Christmas present that arrives this week.
-----The air conditioners are coming out of the windows this week. Pretty sure it is now permanently cold. I detest winter.
-----Had to bring blankets out for Scary Pumpkin Time (lighting the Jack-O-Lantern for a bit). It was cold outside.
-----Working our way through a variety pack of clearanced Halloween candy.
-----I was reading today about chocolate. It has a chemical called phenethylamine (PEA) that is a mild mood enhancer. Apparently Montezuma really thought it was helpful....he supposedly drank 50 cups of chocolate before lovemaking. Sadly for Montezuma, chocolate is not an aphrodiasiac. I wonder what all that chocolate did to his health (unless he didn't drink it often).
__________________

Recipes:
~~~Montezuma Cake
~~~Montezuma. Drink recipe. This is not another drink by the same name that calls for a raw egg yolk. Adapted from Patricia Lousada's "The Ultimate Choocolate Cookbook."
~~~Cafe Ole Montezuma Pie
~~~Montezuma's Hot Chocolate. Includes a recipe that serves 25.
~~~Montezuma Beans
~~~Montezuma's Hot Chocolate Sheet Cake
~~~Montezuma's Revenge. A guacamole recipe.
~~~Montezuma's Revenge.  Drink. Beer and tequila.
~~~Montezuma Stout. This is for homebrewing.

In My Life.....

-----Had lots of porch time and went for a walk. Did weeding in the side yards.
-----We are making a Rhubarb Steak Sauce this evening. We made Steaks With Shallot Sauce recently but it wasn't something that would photograph well (received 10 out of 10 from Husband on taste, though).

Coffee.....

---Barista Exchange. "The world's premiere online community for the specialty coffee industry." I have been a member since around the start of Barista Exchange. :-)
---Barnabas Christian Coffeehouse. Random fact about me...Barnabas is my favorite saint (he is "The Encourager").
---Bean Town. Coffeehouse and bakery. Sierra Madre, CA.

---Fairly Grounded Coffee and Tea. There is a Vegetarian Breakfast Panini on their menu. The Vegan Meatloaf Sandwich might be interesting to try.
---Kona Lisa Coffee
---Sweet Maria's. Excellent source of info for a home barista setup.

---The Scale of Starbucks

T is for Turnip.

Turnips can look so beautiful (the color) or so dried/dirty looking.

-----Bacon Clapshot. A potato dish (with turnips in it) from North/Northeast Scotland. If we like this, I may serve it for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year. Clapshot is sometimes served as an accompaniment to haggis.
-----Cider Pork Chop Dinner. The cider referred to is apple cider.
-----Finnish Turnips
-----Crispy Turnip Fries. We have made turnip chips before and I am excited to try this recipe.
-----Harvest Beef Stew. We have a bottle of rice vinegar to use that hasn't been opened yet. :-)
-----Beef Stew With Ale
-----Irish Canadian Beef Stew
-----Vegetable Whip. An old French Canadian recipe.
-----Pirate Stew. Uses rum. A slow cooker recipe. Hopefully, it is not too sweet.
-----Corned Beef and Cabbage :-)
-----Newfoundland Jigg's Dinner. Similar to corned beef and cabbage. Includes dumplings.
-----Sausage Steamed Dinner. Uses rutabaga.....which I have never tasted. Contains hamhocks-I really like hamhocks but Husband does not.
-----Country Pot Roast. The recipe uses a product I have never heard of before.....Crisco Baking Sticks All-Vegetable Shortening.
-----Red Wine Braised Short Ribs With Smashed Fall Vegetables. We may try this recipe with beef broth instead of wine first.
-----Roasted Root Vegetables With Apple Juice
-----Turnip Salad. An unusual mix of ingredients.
-----Beer Braised Turnips. I have not been able to find savory here and we need to look into growing it ourselves.
-----Bacon Turnip Mash. I have never heard of orange turnip and I doubt we would be able to get them at our grocery stores. Hopefully, not too much bacon grease.
-----Sweet and Buttery Turnips
-----Mashed Turnips With Caraway. The description says that children will enjoy this dish.
-----Thanksgiving Day Creamed Turnips
-----Cheesy Turnips and Carrots
-----Creamy Turnip With Paprika Soup
-----Five-Vegetable Medley. I have not tried cooking with parsnips yet.
-----Chinese Chicken and Potato Soup
-----Bangalore Cornish Hens
-----Big Bear Stew. Bear meat.
-----Turnips and Onions.  A relish.
-----Sweet Potato Soup
-----Veggies in Vinaigrette
-----Yam and Turnip Stew With Mini-Biscuits

Pretty car...if they ever decide to make it.

-----Pinto Bean Pie...contains coconut and pecans. Makes several pies.
-----Black Bean Vinaigrette. I love to make my own salad dressings and really enjoy beans. This keeps in the fridge for about a week.
-----Cuban Black Bean and Ham Pilaf
-----Great Northern Bean Stew
-----Black Bean Tamale Pie
-----Old Settler's Bean Pot
-----Real Texas Beans
-----Bean Chalupa
-----Black Bean and Pasta Bowl
-----Bean Pot Chicken
-----Don Rickles Beans
-----Beefy Baked Beans
-----Savory Tomatoes, Beans and Squash
-----Green Bean Moussaka
-----Minted Green Beans in Honey Butter Sauce
-----Lentil and Sausage Casserole
-----Baked Lentils with Cheese
-----Curried Lentils

Thursday Thirteen.... :-)

1. Zookoda....a service for making a newsletter of what is happening on your blog. It's free and someday, when I have the time, I will start doing this. :-)

2. More and more uninsured people are having to turn to getting care at the ER.

3. We continue to remodel:
-----I mainly like antique furniture....but I am going to have husband make me a bookcase(s) somewhat like this Blu Dot Totem Bookcase. Obviously, my bookcase will not be made out of steel. :-) We have a closet that is often open where we would like to redo one wall-I am going to run the idea of Isabella wallpaper past my husband for this.
-----For some reason I like this white contemporary counter stool. I don't know what I would do with it/them though.
-----LATER: Well....I guess I am glad that I was contemplating new bookcases. The shelf on one of mine decided to have a almost devastating accident and is now on the temporary mend. I had a lot of very sentimental items on the shelf. Now I have to have a new bookcase. Life is odd.

4. Absolute Corsets has a 30-dollar-off-plus-free-shipping Holiday offer.

5.
Blue Diamond Cross Pendant, 0.90 Carats, 14K White Gold
Posted using ShareThis


6.
Reading an article about how olives have been used throughout most of history. The picture above is a salad with martini vinaigrette dressing that we made as a part of dinner one evening. I am going to research how to grow olives/make olive oil.

7.

I enjoyed the second episode of "Secret Millionaire." Though I tried to remember the message, the first episode was pretty boring for me. Regarding this episode, I am not sure how someone can spend 4 or 5 thousand dollars on dinner....multiple people involved?

8. Win Sammy Hagar's new album

9. I am having Coffee 2.0 today....a coffee designed inspired by bloggers.

10. Stash Tea recipe: Black Currant Escape

11. Was Captain Bligh as cruel as he was depicted to be in Mutiny on the Bounty?


12. Stocking Stuffers:
-----Toast-shaped bandages
-----Jewels ice cube tray
-----Bacon and egg bandages

13. Blunder of the week:
I spilled a mug of tea in my purse. The tea had honey so I had to clean everything out very thoroughly. Sort of glad this happened...found a key that was missing (long story). Sometimes, a blunder is good.

__________________________

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners
is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in
others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen
with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who
participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.



LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY 13's!

1. (Leave a comment & I will link to you here.)


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Non-Thirteeners are welcome to comment. :-)

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Thursday Thirteen

A post full of fools..... :-)

-----The April Fool's Day Hoax Defense Kit
-----Picturing Mr. T saying "I pity the fool" and this Mr. T photo makes me think of an angry genie.
-----Culinary Fool
-----Pepper Fool's Chile Pepper Recipes...I am currently considering this chalupa recipe which looks fairly mild.
-----CoffeeFool
-----Kite-Flying Fool
-----Blithering Fool
-----Reading Fool
-----Fool Circle
-----Henry Fool...a 1997 movie about a garbage man and a novelist.
-----The origin of April Fool's Day. Do you play pranks on this day? I don't play pranks though I do try to do something especially fun. I detest trying to read the news on this day....I am a news junkie and it makes that part of my day miserable.
-----Fiber Fool...a blogger who enjoys any craft with fibers.




Me playing with Cuba singing his hit song "Everybody Plays The Fool" with Russ, Dave and I as his horn section. Listen for when he says "More Strings" the crowd thinks he says "More Screams".
-YouTuber, Nick Reider





This post is my contribution to Heads or Tails Meme....this week's theme is "fool." :-)

It's Me Again...with stuff in my life.

-----Earlier this month, a racoon made the mistake of attacking and re-attacking the spunkiest cat in our neighborhood. The racoon was much bigger but the cat won every single round. Both parties managed to survive. I kept thinking "Thunder, Thunder,Thunder Cat" when my husband came in & told me about seeing this. The racoon was huge in comparison to the cat.
------Today I was flipping through channels & saw this horribly acted horse movie. The young girl, who was riding a horse, said, "Steady, girl." I thought that she said "City Girl"...wouldn't that be a great name for a race horse?
-----My Hunka Hunka Burning Love Salsa arrived. I have put it on top of the entertainment center for decoration until I start using it.
-----Dinner Tonight: Turkey Drumsticks in Budweiser Hot Wing Sauce (yes, there is such a thing) with rice. We also have Jim Beam Pancake Syrup. :-)

Made me smile this week: We made an awesome goulash with vermouth. My favorite pasta dish: Penne with Asparagus and White Sauce

In My Life....

-----Well...I get the menu updates for Rick's City Cafe in Frankfort, Kentucky in my e-mails. I have yet to find a website for them. Anyway...they have an oyster Po'Boy...I can't imagine what that tastes like. It is described as not being bland. Sounds interesting.
-----Listening to "If Everyone Cared" by Nickelback.
-----Today is Ron Howard's 53rd birthday.
-----Watching an old episode of MADTV. Shakira performed "Underneath Your Clothes."
-----Saw a Century 21 commercial on TV...so, Century 21 agents really wear a gold jacket???
-----If there were an adult Big Wheel, I would definetly buy it.

Chicago Bears Fight song (which was written by Al Hoffman in 1941)...& BlogHer 2007

Bear down, Chicago Bears! Make every play clear the way to victory!
Bear down, Chicago Bears! Put up a fight with a might so fearlessly!
We'll never forget the way you thrilled the nation with your T formation.
Bear down, Chicago Bears, and let them know why you're wearing the crown
You're the pride and joy of Illinois. Chicago Bears, bear down!

Well...if I get to go to BlogHer 2007 (and at this point I don't see any reason why I wouldn't), I want to have a bunch of songs about Chicago to entertain myself. I am going to make it a big Chicago/blogged experience. :-)

There are only 180 days to go until BlogHer 2007....which is July 27-28 in Chicago, Illinois. Yes, I am looking foward to this. I wish that it were a longer confererence but I am very excited about it. I am waiting anxiously for registration to open up.
________________

-----A video that the Daily Herald did of fans singing the Chicago Bears Fight Song

Happenings

-----I am making a lemon liquer called limoncello. It will be ready for the next step on December 22nd. Right now I am fermenting the lemon zest in vodka....it has been eight of the forty days to ferment....I don't see any changes yet. Correct that: I opened the bottle today and sniffed....it smells abolutely wonderful and not at all like vodka....so, there has been a big change. (Recipe I am using)
-----If you ever photograph a kale flower....and most people don't....but anyway, it sure doesn't last long. Time to do some creative trimming so maybe I can take a few more photos. The kale starts going bad by the leaves turning a funny orange color & the white/green stem getting black bits. It has been totally indoors for the 2 or 3 days that I have had it....maybe if I cleaned it up & gave it a little sun. Lately, I try to keep everything "alive" long enough to root. :-)
-----I am making pasta tonight....fiori and penne mixed together.

Thursday 13.....Edition Number 5 for me....13 Things in My Fridge

Well....I liked a Thirteen a while back about the contents of ones fridge. So here is mine.

• 1. A bottle of Gallo Extra Dry Vermouth. It costs about $5.00 and is essentially wine if you didn't know. We used it to make a martini vinegarette dressing & I have used it in other salad dressing since. I have sipped a small portion of it and liked it...not bitter or sour. This can be kept for up to six months.

• 2. My husbands' portion of the leftovers. I combined Lipton New Orleans Style rice & their Sesame Chicken rice. It is a bit of an unusual taste but interesting to eat. My husband likes it with soy sauce & I like it with lemon juice.

• 3. "Teresa's Select Recipes Wild Berry Vinegarette Dressing." It is a small bottle but very inexpensive & very good. Guests often comment on it. It is made by a company called Marzetti that has been around since 1896. I am into salad dressings.

• 4. A pitcher of Brita water. I prefer this to tap water & we often cook with it instead of tap water even though it takes a little bit of extra effort. I am starting to save milk jugs, rinse them out really well & make extra bottles of Brita water. We also buy jugs of water at the grocery store at times. What do you do for your water?
  

• 5. A jar of chicken broth....just got too old...okay, that's going. Must buy/make more chicken broth.

• 6. Cream cheese but we just ate the last bagel. Normally, we keep some bagels on reserve in the freezer. It always has to be Philadelphia cream cheese....occasionally flavored. The last bagel was an onion bagel.

• 7. Currant jam.

• 8. A pumpkin pie...it was dessert after we drove back from doing our "Pumpkin of Sorrows Toss."

• 9. Ten lemons....to make homemade lemonade. It was very hard to buy a lemonade pitcher in the Fall by the way. We went several places in the quest for the lemonade pitcher & didn't find any except for some that were small, unattractive and overpriced at Walmart. Finally, the lemonade pitcher was found with the help of an associate at a kitchen store.

• 10. Eggs. We do them over easy with pancakes....and they are used for baking (I like cakes that are moist & that I can add orange peel or lemon zest into).....and we love omelettes with cheese. Sometimes we buy brown eggs & at some point we are going to start taking roadtrips to farms for eggs & such (just have to figure out how to keep purchases at the correct temperature).

• 11. Oscar Mayer Bacon Bits...for salads & cheesy potatoes.

• 12. Some Seltzer water....for Italian Creme Soda but the recipe didn't taste very good. I will have to find a recipe that tastes right.

• 13. Processed cheese slices....for grilled cheese sandwiches with sauteed onions. My husband will make these for me as I love grilled cheese sandwiches. One of the few uses I have for processed cheese & it was a romantic thing for my husband to pick out when we went shopping.

____________________________

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.

LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY 13's!
1. Bubba (13 Key Beliefs he Holds)
2. Mom's Secret Life (13 Family Nicknames)
3. The Median Sib (13 November Goals)
4. Kasey (13 Bad Things About Allergy Attacks)
5. Christine (13 Things on Life List)
6. Bernie (13 Annoying Things)
7. Janeen (13 of Favorite Books)
8. Chelle (Thirteen I Never's)
9. T (13 Ways she Eats)
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Oh....and if you have read this far...you get a bonus item. I have a jar of limburger cheese spread in my fridge. It is said to be one of the world's smelliest cheeses & I have been told that it smells "like vomit." A lot of people say that they like the taste though. I am trying to get up the courage to try it. This version is made by Kraft so it can't be that bad...right???

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Thursday Thirteen

More fun with the art of shaken not stirred....

I made martini vinegarette dressing!

Husband did the salad part. We shopped together and divided up the making of the other courses as well....soup (Campbell's potato garlic), salad and fresh-cut roast beef sandwiches. We love cooking together....romantic and good quality time. My husband surprises me in that he actually enjoys that I photograph our pretty meals (he even helps me set the table/photo)....I am lucky in this.

We striped the cucumbers because I like the look of them that way. We bought one good sweet yellow onion and chose the cheapest head of lettuce. We also used vine-ripe tomatoes (that was nice as we hardly ever buy good tomatoes any more...they have grown so expensive everywhere).

We started by cheating in a way. A suggestion forum called for a vinaigrette as a base. We bought Ken's Steakhouse Lite Olive Oil Vingarette and plan to use remainder of the bottle for another salad. This blended all the flavors perfectly.

I chopped up manzilla olives....that was sort of labor intensive. For the juice in the dressing, we used concentrated lemon and I have a large bottle left for cooking....I read that most any citrus juice works good with vinaigrette. We used "Three Olives", a vodka imported from England (instead of gin)....a nice vodka, by the way, that I have a rebate offer for.
We had plenty of leftovers of every ingredient. :-)