Based on true events. It's currently on Redbox.

FACT: Chris Stapleton has written songs for both Kenney Chesney and Luke Bryan.


Written by Chris Stapleton:

Food and Music...Music and Food

I made:
Cauliflower Stuffing. This one doesn't look like it will become stuffing...and then it does. Taste is AWESOME! It tasted kind of like there were raisins (Husband said I could have added them). Yummy smell...you could tell it was stuffing once the final herbs were added. Cooking time was a lot more. I detest vegetable broth and used chicken.
We will be having this again. :-)



I made:

Greek Yogurt Curry Dip
Greek Yogurt Curry Dip is especially yummy when loaded on the veggie. It was afternoon, so the breakfast tray wake-up was swapped for bring Husband a Veggie Tray in bed. I shared a sampling and this recipe with a friend the next day...tasty recipes should be SHARED and SHARED.




I want to try:
-----30 Second Sangria.






I made:

Saucy Hungarian Potato Goulash

Listening To.....

Interested in Reading!"Who in the west has not heard of Wetzel, the daring borderer, the Boone of North-Western Virginia." Wills de Hass, 1851. Lewis Wetzel came of age near the end of the Revolutionary War and was an important participant in the twenty-year war between the woodland Indian Nations and the settlers of western Pennsylvania, western Virginia, and Kentucky. The novel, although classified as historical fiction, traces Wetzel's life over a period of more than twenty years, featuring events and the rich history that occurred in the upper Ohio River Valley, Kentucky, Ohio, and down the Mississippi to New Orleans. According to de Hass, a historian in the mid-nineteenth century, Wetzel's efforts were without parallel in border warfare."

Thing I like...the character Hope's eye makeup on "Days of Our Lives."
It looks like Hope will be going to prison after shooting a person who had tormented her for decades (she was under the impression he had committed a crime that contributed to her husband's death and this villain was taunting her about that). So, I am predicting that she will go to prison and then change her mind and finally fight to defend herself.
-----The producer has said that anyone who dies on Days from Sept. 2015 onward will stay dead. Stefano "The Pheonix" DiMera will not be rising from the ashes this time.

-----Hmmm. Butter Braised Radishes. I like the color. I have thyroid issues that mean I can no longer eat radishes (big bummer) but Husband loves them. This might be our next great Summer side-dish.

In My Life.....

Thank you to Husband. 5 beautiful roses.
Part of an ongoing love story: Husband's New Year's Resolution was to buy me a flower(s) every month...real, faux, whatever. They make me smile and feel special. I like flowers so much.
Bits and pieces: The vase usually holds an arrangement that I did for my Mother...she loved blue and the vase was a part of her Mother's Day one year.
Of course: Of course, I will take another picture of my flowers tomorrow. :-)

Our dog would so freak out if I got this Andrew Zimmern hoodie!
They come in orange and slate.

-----A recipe for Sesame Orange Shrimp that I found via PBS.org/food/recipes.
~~~Husband's tummy is sensitive but ours will likely have a tiny amount of crushed pepper added to the oil.
~~~I was happy to see that our local Walmart officially carries 3 sesame seed options...standard, white organic and toasted...of course, they will likely actually only have the standard. #SmallTownLaments


-----We are making Hungarian Chicken Goulash soon. The cooking for this recipe is done in an authentic style.
-----Curried Cider-Braised Pork Chops

I am reading this. We are still planning to build grape arbors. :-)

I am on page 35. There don't seem to be any recipes. Right now the book is talking about when healthy and vegetarian options were introduced to ball parks. The last part of the book is a culinary tour of all 30 major league ball parks.

Re-Read: The Art of Social Media

This is a re-read because I have put in a lot of time and had a lot of experiences with social media. I want to make sure my review avoids bias as much as possible (just assuming that a chapter I skimmed is more of what I already heard). I also want to give the chapters that don't apply to me more of a chance...that might be a helpful thing.  Anyway, working on that re-read.

Of course, I am a bio reader and this time the bio was at the beginning of the book. I already knew a lot about Guy Kawasaki but I had only vaguely read in a tweet or blog post somewhere of his fellowship...a fellow at the Haas School of Business (UC Berkley). Everyone has their passions...I am fascinated by academic programs and possibilities. Haas is the second-oldest business school in the United States! So, for me, my fascination leads to me exploring any lecture, opencourseware or MOOC I can get my hands on...stay tuned. (That post will be entitled "Haas at Home.")

15 pages on profiles? I should say that means profiles are important. Indeed looking around on the internet, I see that profiles are really changing for some. I see people "founding" as much as they can (claiming the origins of hashtags for instance...meaning they started a chat). Does your profile stand out and show you are an individual?
So, one of today's task was revamping my profile. I have posted a "Before" photo below (screenshots aren't working).

Of couse, it's over there in the sidebar...but this is the text of my latest profile edit:
"Profile Updated: November 20, 2014. I am blessed with being a homemaker and mother. I own about 5.5 thousand books and our family has around 8 thousand! I am the founder of "Project Barbara's Rainbow"...a fledgling book giveaway program. I believe in life-long learning and can often be found glued to the screen in a MOOC course. I am very interested in urban farming and self-sufficiency. Someday, I hope to make advancements in soil science and irrigation in terms of urban farming. One of my favorite books is The Complete Tightwad Gazette. Huge Douglas Adams and Roger Zelazny fan. Avid Armchair Traveler. I like roadtrips and the goal is for our children to see a good part of every state before they turn 18. I am married to the vocalist of "Once Were Serpents." My family is involved with Asylum Ministries and AudioFeed Music Festival. I have started hosting virtual book tours.I have extensive editing and writing experience. I hope that something made you smile today."

Friday's Dinner was Yummy!

Swai Two Ways. Friday's dinner.

Swai is a Vietnamese fish that is light like tilapia. It is also called iridescent shark or striped catfish (but is neither).

Side comment: I want very much to try shark.

---Roasted Swai Fish with Tomatoes, Basil and Chives. The chives were a pleasant addition from our windowsill each time I trim the plant down I smile because it reminds me of giving a Chia Pet a haircut). We also put a little McCormick's Garlic Sea Salt on top.

One of two fish recipes ready to go in the oven.

The cookie sheet is from my childhood.

-----Sweet Dijon Basa Swai Fish.
We used Rock Island, Illinois' legendary Boetje's Dutch stone ground mustard instead of Dijon.
Dill weed was sprinkled on top of the adults' portions.



There was also:
Seasoned Browned rice (leftovers).
Sweet onions sauteed in olive oil, Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and freshly ground black pepper.

There was a marked difference between the two Swai dishes. The tomato dish was heavier and the Dijon was very light.
Husband and I both remarked that we wished we had some wine to go with...he wished for some white wine and I would have loved a Pinot Grigio.

We will definitely be adding Swai to our fish repertoire. :-)

One of the roses that Husband gave me recently.
He brings me all of our long-stemmed roses and it is very romantic. :-)

Things I am looking forward to:
-----Sometime within the next week we are going to see Maleficent.
-----Turning the Star Trek movie back on after I get done typing this. "Into Darkness" is on Netflix.

-----Yesterday,Michelle Obama announced an initiative to end Veteran Homelessness by 2015.
-----In California, voters have approved a plan to spend $600 million building homes for homeless veterans. This money will be raised by the sale of bonds.

Husband photographed the beauty of the nightshade before removing it. :-)

It is the first nightshade for this year.

The first nightshade I have seen at this house.

A to Z Challenge.....

B is for.....

Ballistic Stretching
Yeah, I won't be doing that in my exercise goals...but I do remember it. Ballistic stretching is all that repetitive bouncing that people used to do in the middle of stretches. This pushes beyond endurance and is an easy way to get an injury. I am puzzled that some popular workouts, like P90x, still include this and wonder if they are referring to something else.
Won't be doing this either (below) :-)




Basil
-----Chicken Curry with Basil. A friend is undergoing extreme physical therapy. I hope he is home, walking and cooking lots of curries soon. Please keep my friend in your thoughts and prayers...thank you.
-----A recent interview with Toni Basil. :-)



BLIP.fm
This is my Blip channel I do not use it as much anymore but the playlist feature is really great for parties.


______________________________


B is for Breakfast:-)

I hope your April Fool's Day went well yesterday.

For us, a Breakfast-y lunch was April Drool's Day...yummy. :-)

Note that Husband arranged his like a flower. :-)

CHOW

Today's lunch was leftovers and use-ups.

-----Rainbow Rotini with Greek Kalamata Olive Oil and Italian seasoning. The olive oil was the last of a bottle from Trader Joe's.
-----Kielbasa. We eat a lot of kielbasa at our house.
-----Skin-on Mashed Potatoes. With a 1/2 cup of butter. :-)
-----Gorton's beer-battered cod with British Pub malt vinegar.
-----Cucumber slices with Newman's Own Honey French.

Of course, I made sure to go out and exercise after lunch. :-)


Dinner created a few more leftovers and use-ups.

Spanish Rice and Tropical Fruit Salad with Brown Sugar Vinaigrette.

In My Life.....

-----I have seen it mentioned in various places that Hamburg is considering banning cars at some point. Hmmm.
-----I found a defunct blog titled "Everything Kales in Comparison." Cool name.
-----Something I want to try: Jello Instant Pudding's cheesecake flavor.

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.

__________________________

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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