Confession #2

Here's another confession for ya! I have a really strong mind-body connection. I think most people do, but don't pay attention to it. When someone around me isn't feeling well, I tend to take on their illness. Not to an extreme extent, but mildly. Right now my doggie isn't feeling so well. Last night she woke up and was acting a bit strange. We fed her a bit, and she ate, but not as fast as she usually does. She then drank a decent amount of water. We called her up on the bed and spent some quality time with her, then she went to sleep after going out for a potty break. Now it's 6 or 7 hours later and her tummy is gurgling (which probably explains the uncomfortableness of last night). I'm afraid to see what's going to come next, hopefully just some gas, but now my tummy is upset. I don't like to see people, or animals for that matter, in any kind of discomfort. Needless to say, I tend to take on the ailments of those around me. I'm strange, I know!

Tile is 98% finished

So here's the final product. It took us about 2 weeks of working on the tile, on and off, but we finally got it done. We worked on it for 2-4 hours a day, but not consistently. All I have to say about tiling a floor, is that I'll never do it again. Of course Shawn and I started with the largest room in the house that needs to be tiled, the downstairs kitchenette and laundry area. This room is about 250 square feet of wonderfulness. I will post pics of before, during and after pics once we get the kitchen cabinets and granite counter top in. But for now, you will have to settle for these pics.

We tried to grout the floor in a dark color, per my sister's advice. She said that grout will change colors when it gets dirty. So, we started out with a dark color, but apparently once you get the grout in there, it is MUCH lighter than the color on the grout bag, and even the color chart. Now our grout is exactly the same color as the tile, which is slightly disappointing. We wanted darker grout, but such is life - you live and you learn I guess.

Our next step, sealing the grout, getting the washer and dryer back into the room, and installing the lower cabinets. I can't wait until the room is finished.

We eat with our eyes.....

This is what I made today.....

I also made some really good deviled eggs, but I didn't take a picture of those because, well, they are deviled eggs, and who hasn't seen those?

Despite reports.....

I keep hearing and reading reports about education being a 'safe' job in this economy. Every time I hear that I laugh. Being a teacher in primary education, and even an instructor in higher education DOES NOT mean that you are immune to layoffs. In fact, it means quite the opposite. Here's what I read today:

California Asks Feds For Nearly $5B For Education

Posted: 3:49 pm PDT April 9, 2009

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking the federal government for nearly $5 billion in economic stimulus money for California schools.

The governor signed the state's application Thursday.

Schwarzenegger says he hopes the money will avoid further teacher layoffs and help schools that are struggling to absorb $8 billion in budget cuts.

About 26,000 California teachers were handed pink slips this spring after Schwarzenegger signed a state budget that made massive cuts to state programs and raised taxes to boost revenue.

The governor's office estimates schools could get about $3.1 billion after the application is approved, with another $1.8 billion to follow. Most of the money will go to K-12 schools, with about a fifth of the total dedicated for higher education.

Copycat Outback Steakhouse Ranch Dressing

I have been searching for a good homemade ranch dressing recipe but have been unable to find one. I decided to search for copycat recipes and have been making different versions all week. Here is one of the best ones I have found so far:

1 teaspoon Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix (make sure it's the Buttermilk version)
1 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's or Best Food's only)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Throw everything in a blender and blend until everything is well combined.

A LIGHTER VERSION:
1 teaspoon Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix (make sure it's the Buttermilk version)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's or Best Food's only)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix everything together in the blender until well combined.

The only difference between the lighter version and the first recipe posted is the substitution of cottage cheese for some of the mayo. Both versions were good, but it's still not exactly the same as Outback. I have also seen some copycat recipes with 1 Tablespoon of the Ranch Dressing Mix instead of 1 teaspoon. I personally think the dressing needs a bit more flavor, but that's probably only because I'm a ranch snob. Enjoy!

Kitty Burglar

I just read a story on cnn.com about a cat who is stealing clothing and other items from neighbors. The kitty's name is "Jack", if that really is his name though I wouldn't blame the owner for using an alias in this situation. He goes out at night and collects items from his neighbors and brings them home for his owner. You can watch the video HERE.

So far he has collected:
towels
stuffed animals
gloves
a childs hoodie
sandals
and much more.......

Laying Tile

My wonderful husband and I are laying tile in our downstairs kitchen. Yes, our house has two kitchens. A full kitchen exists upstairs, and a kitchenette resides downstairs. Our full kitchen upstairs has everything a kitchen needs. The kitchen downstairs has everything a kitchen needs except for a dishwasher. I keep calling the downstairs kitchen a 'kitchenette' because that's how we are going to use it. We are currently leaving out the refrigerator and stove, though there is space and wiring. But let's get to the point......

We have been laying tile on the floor for the past couple of days. If there is one word of advice for the beginning tiler - DON'T FREAKING DO IT!!!!! Buy the materials and hire a professional to do it. Laying tile has to be the hardest jobs we have done in our house so far - and we've torn down walls, replaced front and back door with re-framing, built walls, remodeled bathrooms, refinished 1150 square feet of hardwood floors, painted the house inside, painted the outside of the house that had been beaten down by the sun for 50 years, laid pergo flooring, replaced windows, built a concrete wall including a slab for the hot tub, and countless other remodel projects around the house. Tiling a floor is by far one of the worst remodeling projects EVER!!!!!!!! (I use multiple exclamation points to emphasize the fact that tiling is horrendous. Don't do it, just don't.)

Here are some pics of the kitchenette and the tile project. I hope you can see the color of the kitchen. If not, it's a gray/blue color. The tile is a ceramic travertine tile, and the counter top is a natural granite color (that was free-$.99 thank you very much to the folks disposing of perfectly good granite slab). The cabinets will be white along with the ceiling, trim and door. The kitchenette theme is "Ocean" or "Beach". I will put up my ocean photography in the room, and make some matching curtains.

Without further ado, here are a couple of pics......

Notice the gray/blue color of the walls, light and breezy. Recessed lighting because our downstairs is not a full 8 feet, and the natural color travertine tiles. This pic is where the cabinets will eventually be. We have the cabinets, they are just waiting to be assembled and installed.

Notice the perfect grout lines. Yeah, 18x18 tiles are really hard to place. Never will we tile a room this big again. Never, nope, no way.

Blogging Workshop at SJSU

I'm a highly insecure person when it comes to teaching new things. This is interesting because of the profession I chose. This Thursday I am presenting a workshop at San Jose State about Blogging. I blog for my online classes, I require my students to blog, I read blogs everyday, I have a personal blog, but this does not make me an expert by an stretch of the imagination.

I have been putting together a workshop that should last at least an hour and a half to two hours, and I'm terrified that I will receive questions I cannot answer, look like an idiot while I am facilitating this workshop or God forbid, the technology in the classroom will fail. My entire workshop is on the computer. I need to breathe.....

Needless to say, I have been doing some reading about blogging for a while, but figure that most students who will be attending will have very little blogging knowledge. Or at least I ASSUME that the participants will have very little blogging knowledge. Here is a schedule of how things will probably go:

1). Lecture/Discussion on what a blog is.
2). Chat about the purpose for blogging. We will chat a bit about some popular blogs here.
3). Anatomy of a basic blog.
4). Blog hosting and what this means.
5). A short chat about the content of blogs.
6). Components of blogging success.
7). Blogsphere - what happens when you post.
8). Blogging and Ethics.
9). Privacy/Reputation/Alienation
10). Choosing a blogging niche. We will chat more about specific blogs during this section.
11). Creating a blog. (This is a hands-on component)
12). Creating an RSS feed to read blogs. (This is also a hands-on component)
13). Individual group discussions about recent articles in the news about blogging. I feel that students should always keep up with current events.

All of this should take about an hour and a half....I hope! I will be testing out this workshop, at least the discussion part, tomorrow on my class at Sierra College. I briefly mentioned that I was doing a workshop on blogging and they seemed highly interested.

Even though I am preparing, I'm still terrified!

Spring Break

This will be short...

Last week was Spring Break for San Jose State, next week is Spring Break for Sierra College. I'm not quite sure why Spring Break's are different for school's, college's, etc..., but I wish they would line up so I actually have time off. I'm not complaining though! As soon as I noticed that next week was Spring Break for Sierra College, I almost cried, I was so happy!

The Square Foot Garden

This year we decided we would do an organized Square Foot Garden. Neither Shawn nor I have done much reading about this type of gardening, but then again, neither of us knew much about soil or gardening when we started planting a number of years back (and still don't), and gardening has worked out pretty well for us so far. This time around I decided I wanted to organize a bit so I added a bit of decoration to my existing veggie boxes. Can you see the square foot sections?


In this box we have: 6 Broccoliflower, 6 Beets, 4 Celery and 6 Brussels Sprouts.










This one contains 2 Tomato Plants, 2 Bell Pepper, 2 Bell Pepper and tons of onions that we separated (hopefully the onions will make it).












Two lonely Zucchini Plants hang out in this box.










Here we have 6 Strawberry Plants, and will soon have at least 10-12.












This is our last Square Foot box. I haven't added the string yet to delineate the square foot sections yet. We will be going back to the nursery this weekend to pick up some more veggies to plant. I'm excited to see just how much we are able to fit into our new square foot garden.






The most exciting part about the planting project this year is my discovery of Blueberry Bushes. The nursery we went to today will be carrying more Blueberry Bushes around Father's Day. I will be back there the first weekend they have them in to purchase at least 6. You can plant 3 bushes in a half wine barrel. Blueberries are filled with anti-oxidants, not to mention the pure yumminess of them. I can't wait! We will also be planting our traditional tomato plants in the front of the house. Hopefully this year they will grow to 8 feet again. I will update once we have more plants in the ground!

Confession #1

On my last blog, before I switched over to blogger, I started a series on my blog called confessions. It was a series of things about me that people might or might now know. I am starting up the 'confessions' series again. So here it goes:

Confession #1
The wedding song for my husband and I was the theme song for Star Trek Enterprise. I chose the song because I loved it, well, we both really loved the song. It was a series my husband and I had watched for a long time before we were married and every time we hear the song it brings back many memories of watching the show. Of course, had the show Farscape had a better theme song, and one that we could have danced to at our wedding, we would have chosen that one instead since Farscape was foundational to our relationship (but that's for another post).

If you want to hear the song, click HERE!

Not sure what to think....

A number of my students ranging in ages from 17-65 have mentioned that I was their favorite instructor.....ever. Of course some mention this while the are in my class, and I take those comments with a grain of salt because, well, they are current students and you never know the motivation. But a few students from past semesters have contacted me to let me know that they in fact did have a wonderful time in my class and that I was their favorite instructor. I'm a flattered and humbled of course, but at the same time, I'm a little worried. Of course I'm worried, worrying is second nature to breathing for me.

My teaching philosophy is simple - have fun while you learn. Gain some great skills, understand some interesting concepts, expand your mind, learn HOW to think, not WHAT to think, but have some fun while doing it. I only had a few instructors like this throughout my education, but remember each one of them and appreciate the experience. I still keep in touch with a couple of these instructors. You probably know who you are. ;) Getting back to the point - what I want to leave my students with is simple.....enjoy life, enjoy your education, learn lots, but have fun while doing it.

When I'm in church, the things I remember most are those things that make me laugh, things that amaze me, things that strike a chord with me - but most of all, things that entertain and engage me. Perhaps this is why I have given up on formal religion, but that's for another post. How do you engage a variety of people? This is the question I have been asking myself. I don't want to be someone's favorite instructor if they aren't learning anything. Most, if not all students in my classes who have complemented me have assured me that they loved my class because they learned a lot and had fun in the process, but part of me is still skeptical. Is it possible to have a great time, build relationships and learn on an intellectual level all at the same time? Am I sacrificing something by trying to be personable? Is the education aspect somehow sacrificed? I have been giving this a lot of thought lately, and probably will continue to do so. Any thoughts out there in blogland?

The Poopie List

***Please be warned, this list is not for the faint of heart.*** About once a year I look up this list when I need a good laugh. Well, last night was one of those times. I looked it up and thought I would share it with you in case you have never read the list. Enjoy!!!

Ghost Poopie

The kind where you feel the poopie come out, but there is no poopie in the toilet.

Clean Poopie

The kind where you poopie it out, see it in the toilet, but there is nothing on the toilet paper.

Wet Poopie

The kind where you wipe your butt 50 times and it still feels unwiped, so you have to put some toilet paper between your butt and underwear so you won't ruin them with a stain.

Second Wave Poopie

This happens when you're done Poopie-ing and you've pulled up your pants to your knees, and you realize that you have to Poopie some more.

Pop-A-Vein-In-Your-Forehead-Poopie

The kind where you strain so much to get it out, you practically have a stroke.

Gassy Poopie

It's so noisy, everyone within earshot is laughing.

Drinker Poopie

The kind of Poopie you have the morning after a long night of drinking. Its most noticeable trait is the skid marks on the bottom of the toilet.

Lincoln Log Poopie

The kind of Poopie that is so huge you're afraid to flush without first breaking it into little pieces with the toilet brush.

Corn Poopie

Self-explanatory.

Gee-I-Wish-I-Could-Poopie Poopie

The kind where you want to Poopie but all you do is sit on the toilet and fart a few times.

Spinal Tap Poopie

That's where it hurts so badly coming out, you would swear it was leaving you sideways.

Wet Cheeks Poopie (The Power Dump)

The kind that comes out of your butt so fast, your butt gets splashed with water.

Liquid Poopie

The kind where yellowish-brown liquid shoots out your butt and splashes all over the toilet bowl.

Mexican Poopie

It smells so bad your nose burns.

The Surprise Poopie

You're not even at the toilet because you are sure you're about to fart, but oops.......a Poopie!!!

The Dangling Poopie

This Poopie refuses to drop into the toilet even though you know you are done Poopie-ing it. You just pray that a shake or two will cut it loose.

I apologize if you were offended, but I think this is hilarious.

Student Ratings

Instructors are evaluated every semester by their students. Since last semester was my first semester teaching online, I was highly nervous about my student ratings. In fact, I have lost sleep quite a few times worrying about what my students thought of me (see the last post).

When you teach an in person class, you get to know your instructor's personality. In an online setting, personality is much harder to convey. My f2f classes at Sierra College are so much fun. We get a lot of work done, but have quite a bit of fun in the process. Just yesterday my students were commenting about how wonderful they thought my class was. Quite a few of them commented about how my class has been a unique experience. They also mentioned how they never quite get to know their classmates in other classes, but in my class everyone feels so connected that they never want to leave (their words, not mine).

In an online class, it is quite difficult to create an environment that is connected on that level. I try different things to connect the class, but I suspect the students feel more connected to me than the other students. If I am afforded the opportunity to teach online again next semester, I will need to think about this a bit more and figure out how to encourage the class to get more connected with each other rather than me.

In my Public Speaking class online, the students LOVED the class. I don't think I received one bad rating. In my other class, I received only one bad rating.....but that's a blog for another time. I am ecstatic about my ratings. I have already changed the things my students didn't like. You can glean a lot from phone conversations, online conversations and emails. I'm glad I made the changes I did, and hope that I will have the opportunity to revise the Public Speaking class again next semester. From what my students told me at our last meeting on Friday, they LOVE the class and really like the interaction with each other and me. They really like how accessible I am - phone calls, emails, online chatting, etc... Of course this makes my schedule quite hectic because sometimes students can only chat late at night, or early in the morning - but it's worth it. I love what I do and can't picture myself doing anything else at this point in my life. I'm excited!!! Can you tell?

Dreams

All hours of the day and night my mind is racing with lists of items I need to get done, stresses I am trying to work through and daily life maintenance. This has continued into my 'sleep life', which I try to keep separate, but somehow constantly spills over and mostly just keeps me up at night. When I was a teenager I used to choose my dreams. Sounds strange right? I had practiced so much that I would direct my dreams. This was a useful tool when I had too much on my mind. I was able to check out during the night and enjoy a quick vacation on the beach, go hiking or dream about whatever else I chose that night. Since I haven't been sleeping well again because of the economy, and life, and a handful of other things, I need to start practicing again so my sleep in enjoyable again. *Sigh* I wish it were easier.

Writing

I have fought against writing and researching since I graduated. It's time to start. A colleague and I will be research and writing a couple of papers. I will update once we know which direction we are going. :) And so it begins....

Bistro Shrimp Pasta

Impress your spouse with this copycat recipe from the Cheesecake Factory. About a year ago, Sharon and I were trying to figure out how to make one of the best recipes at the Cheesecake Factory, Bistro Shrimp Pasta. Well, I figured it out, with little help from the internet because I have not found a copycat recipe to date. This recipe is the closest I have found to the original dish. I can't seem to get the shrimp breading right, but everything else is spot on.

'Parts' List
Battered and fried rock shrimp (optional, see note below)
Sauteed mushrooms quarters
Chopped tomatoes, seeded
Arugula
Cooked Spaghettini
Lemon Basil Cream Sauce

Step 1:
Quarter the mushrooms
Chop tomatoes into small cubes
Saute mushrooms in a bit of olive oil. When almost cooked, add tomatoes to heat through.
Set aside and keep warm.

Step 2:
Cook the shrimp

The Shrimp:
Rock Shrimp (as much or as little as you'd like - calculate per person)
Eggs, scrambled
Corn Starch or flour (mix with the bread crumbs)
Bread crumbs, seasoned
Butter for frying
Oil for frying

Take the shrimp and coat with egg mixture, then dip into the bread crumb and corn starch mixture. Fry in a butter/oil mix for just a few minutes until done. Set aside and keep warm with paper towels on a dish (try not to cover completely or they will turn into a soggy mess).

If you will notice, there are no quantities here. That's because I simply can't get the shrimp exactly like the Cheesecake Factory. I am still trying to figure this out.

I have used regular shrimp before and it turns out similar, but not the same. Play around with the shrimp. This part of the recipe is a 'wild card'.

Step 3:
Cook the pasta and make the sauce at the same time. (note: DO NOT add sauce to the pasta until ready to serve. The pasta will soak up all the sauce if it sits and the pasta will be fairly dry).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add salt - this is your only opportunity to season your pasta.
Add 1lb. of spaghettini
Cook until done.

Lemon Basil Cream Sauce (double the sauce recipe if you'd like):
2 TB. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup half and half
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 TB. corn starch
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 TB. chopped fresh basil

*Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic, and saute 1-2 minutes.
*Add half and half and chicken broth.
*Bring to a boil, and cook about 8 minutes or until reduced by half.
*Whisk together lemon juice and cornstarch until smooth in a bowl.
*Whisk lemon juice and 1/2 tsp. pepper into butter mixture and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes or until thickened.
*Remove from heat.
*DO NOT add basil until ready to serve.

Step 4: Put it together
In each bowl/dish add pasta, sauce, some of the mushroom/tomato mixture, some fresh arugula (let the heat of the pasta and sauce wilt the arugula) and toss until combined. Add shrimp and toss lightly. Top will a sprinkling of basil and grate some fresh Parmesan cheese on top of the dish and serve.

The quantities of the final product are a bit ambiguous for a reason. You can add as much or as little as you'd like. Copy the Cheesecake Factory if you have ordered this dish before. If not, you have nothing to compare it with, so get creative and make it to your specific taste.

Note: You do not have to batter and fry the shrimp - sometimes I don't so I can save some time. Frying the shrimp is the longest step in the process, and a hassle. I simply add some cooked shrimp to the final product. You can also substitute chicken cubes if you'd like.

This recipe looks quite intimidating. As noted above, frying the shrimp is the longest step in this recipe. If you omit this step, the recipe is quite short and easy. The sauce is amazing and can be used in a variety of ways.

Happy Cooking!

Facebook Status Updates

I have been thinking about status updates for a while, and how people express themselves on Facebook. I came across this article and thought it was quite interesting.

Throughout the day I think in first-person wondering if I can honestly come up with an interesting Facebook update. Most of the time I fail, and simply write what I am doing in the update. I find that if I write down the things I am truly thinking, which would be an interesting experiment in itself, people might be offended. Just yesterday I censored myself, not from anything horrible, but because I knew it would offend people. Should we truly say what we mean on Facebook? How literary should we be on a social networking website? Is it acceptable to post song lyrics when most people have no idea what you are talking about? What rules apply when updating Facebook? Am I reading too much into this? Maybe I have too much time on my hands.

And since we are on the subject.....I have no idea what Twitter is or how it would be useful in my life.

In fact, I 'unfriended' someone who was updating their status through Twitter. This person posted every 15 minutes or so, and I just couldn't take it anymore and 'unfriended' the person. Was that bad? Did that go against social networking etiquette?

It has started

My classes have started and I am blogging everyday, on two different blogs.....even on Saturday and Sunday. I think I'm going overboard a little. This totals at least 2 blogs a day, if not more on my class blogs plus tons of emails and live chatting at random times day and night, not just for my office hours. I keep my chat window open at all times when I'm online, which happens to be the majority of the day. I do this so my students can contact me whenever they have questions....again, overboard, but necessary until the class is used to blogging. I never realized how many students have never blogged, or even heard of blogging until they registered for my class. I have neglected this blog quite a bit, but should be a in groove soon and will be back to blogging on a consistent basis shortly. Thanks for your patience.

25 Things About Me

On Facebook, people keep tagging me to write 25 things about me. Well, here it is. Enjoy!

1. I love tomatoes. Sometimes I will eat a whole bowl of tomatoes for breakfast, or lunch. The homegrown varieties are leaps and bounds better than anything you can buy in a store.

2. At some point in my life I want to go back to school for a doctorate. I don’t feel like my education is finished, and I think I would be disappointed in myself if I didn’t earn the highest degree possible. Although, I do not feel like now is the time.

3.Right after high school I spend a month in Kazakhstan (’96), a month in Peru (’97) and two months in Russia (’98). These were all mission trips that I enjoyed immensely. I especially liked Russia because we worked in orphanages.

4. Ever since working in Russia for two months I have had no desire to have kids – rather I have wanted to foster and/or adopt kids who need a loving home.

5. I am addicted to the show Battlestar Galactica. I am sad to see it end. SO SAY WE ALL!!!

6. I listen to talk radio because music tends to irritate me most of the time. I do however, love music – go figure!

7. I don’t agree with the idea of credit cards. If you don’t have the money, don’t spend it. I do have a few, but use them sparingly and pay the total balance off every month.

8. I miss my dad more everyday and wish I could have had just one last conversation with him to tell him that things will get better.

9. I still think about stupid things that I have said and done, even from 10 or 15 years ago. These things haunt me sometimes.

10. I went into teaching thinking it was going to be a temporary thing. I never imagined that I would fall in love with teaching, but now I can’t picture myself doing anything else.

11. My husband and I were married on a cruise ship simply because we both hate weddings and didn’t want to plan one.

12. Even though I hate weddings, and don’t want to have ‘natural’ children, I still cry when the bride walks down the aisle and when a baby is born.

13. I love politics. I would love to be a politician someday, but know I wouldn’t survive in that world because of the corruption involved. I can’t walk the line, I must be well within the area of integrity. Maybe local or small town politics would fit me.

14. I volunteered for a Christian missions organization for a year. That was a foundational year for me, also VERY eye opening. Since that year it has been hard for me to go to church on a consistent basis.

15. My husband is 3 ½ years younger than I am. I hope to God that I die first because I don’t know what I would do without him.

16. I think it’s highly important that people see their parents as human. They are people who make mistakes just like you and I. Enough said!

17. I get really sad when my semesters end. I don’t like to see my students go, but I love getting to know the people in my new classes.

18. I love to cook and to feed people.

19. I believe in ghosts. I had to stop watching “A Haunting” because it freaked me out a bit too much.

20. I hate weather above 80 degrees. I get cranky and lethargic.

21. Every Christmas until 2008 I played the “one for you, one for me game”. I ended up with lots of stuff after every Christmas. I don’t do that anymore though.

22. People constantly misjudge me. I would do just about anything for anyone and need to keep myself in check. Quite a few people have said that they thought I was really mean when we first met, then they realized how different I am.

23. Most perfumes give me a headache…all but the fruity smelling ones or really light smelling scents. Florals make me gag.

24. I think flowers are a waste of money, but don’t mind receiving them once in a while. I would rather someone cook me dinner.

25. I am a gift giver. I love giving people gifts. Even small gifts are huge messages from me – though I never express those messages in words. I have to keep this in check too otherwise I would be bankrupt.

The Housing Market

Let's just say it, the housing market SUCKS!!! When Shawn and I purchased our townhouse in the Bay Area in 2003, we were talked into a variable interest rate. We were assured that refinancing wasn't an issue, and since our plans were to only be in the house 2-3 years, this was our best option. Who, besides Greenspan and a handful of mutli-millionaire executives, knew what was about to hit the United States?

Thankfully we only stayed in the house 18 months, and qualified for a Capital Gains exemption, we made out pretty good. We knew our next house, the one we are currently remodeling, was going to be a house we were going to stay in for 5-7 years. After that time frame, who knows where life is going to lead. We have lots of room in our house, even though we don't like the floor plan so much. We have 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 kitchenette that we are remodeling to be full kitchen ready if we ever needed it, and ahem - no dining rooms. We have converted the front bedroom into a dining room, so it's not too much of an issue right now. Plus, our kitchenette downstairs has room for an eat-in area. That's not the point! The point is, that we are blessed to have more than enough room for the two of us.

Here's the real point to this post: I feel terribly bad for all those folks who were talked into a variable interest rate a few years back, Shawn and I included because our current home is under a variable interest rate. Thankfully ours is fixed for 10 years, but still, that puts a bit of pressure on us to refinance. With the way the current market is going, we need to refinance soon before we too, like many other Americans, are upside down in our mortgage. This is not the case yet.

Now comes the ranting part: Every time I think about the hundreds and thousands of people who are taking advantage of the system I feel sick. I personally know a few people who 'short sold' their house just because they didn't want it anymore (then turned around and bought an even bigger house in one case I know of). My question to them would be this: "Who do you think is paying for your lack of responsibility?" You want to know who? Me! And all of the other taxpayers in the world, and all of the people trying to scrape by because their mortgage amount has doubled in the last year, that's who. It is quite understandable if someone has fallen on hard times, but to blatantly take advantage makes me physically sick.

I'm done ranting. Please resume your normal daily activities now.

What's For Dinner?

This was dinner last night, lunch today and dinner the night before. I am trying to get more fresh fruits and veggies into our diet, and one way I thought I would do that is have a fresh fruits and veggies meal. There is not fruit here because I am trying to stay away from the sweet stuff at first, and simply add in fruit as a snack here and there. A headache is looming, so I will cut this short. But doesn't this photo make you want some fresh cut veggies and a bit of dip?

The Wonderment of Dogs

Meet my doggie Tess. Her official name is Tess-Monster. I would like to tell you a little tale of Tess' mischievous behavior.

Today while we were working downstairs on the plumbing, our little Monster decided she wanted to be a bit mischievous. A few years back we learned that our loving little doggie is quite the little houdini when she wants to be. She has learned how to open screw top pill bottles with ease, with virtually no teeth marks. When we lived in our apartment in the Bay Area she ate an entire bottle of dog glucosamine and subsequently threw up all over the place. But first she had to screw off the top of the bottle which she accomplished, not biting it off, she actually screwed the top off. Well, today she struck again. Shawn left a 4lb. jar of peanut butter on the couch from when he was snacking last night at 2am. Now, Tess WILL NOT get into things while we are around. We can leave plates of food right next to her and she won't touch it if she knows we are close. Since we were working downstairs today with Shawn's step-dad who was helping with the plumbing, we decided to leave her upstairs to save her little paws from getting poked with nails and other sharp objects that were thrown on the floor.

She proceeded to pull the 4lb. jar of peanut butter off the couch, gently open the screw top and calmly lick out some of the contents. She had only a few minutes to accomplish this, but she managed to burglarize the peanut butter and get what she could. Tess didn't get much out of the jar, but as it stands now, she has an entire 4lb. jar of peanut butter all to herself. Oh yeah - it was a NEW 4lb. jar, so it will probably take to the end of her life and beyond for us to give her all that peanut butter since we rarely, if ever, give her any people food - save her slight addiction to carrots which we allow her one everyday. What a little Monster!!!

And yes, those are MY pillows she is laying on in the picture.

Vegetable Spectrum

This morning I have been compiliing a list of fruits and vegetables that are contained within the 7 color categories. Some say there are only 5, others say there are 7. I have listed 7 here because I will trying to eat something from all 7 categories on a pretty consistent basis. You will notice that there are some things in two categories. This is because a certain website will list it in one category, while another will place it in a different one. Here is the list in case you are interested:

Red/Purple
Beets
Eggplant
Purple Asparagus
Purple Bell Pepper
Purple Cabbage
Purple Carrots
Red Wine
Blackberries
Black Cherries
Blueberries
Dried Plums
Edlerberries
Grape Juice
Prunes
Purple Figs
Purple Grapes
Quetch Plums
Raisins

Red
Fresh Rhubarb
Raddicchio
Red Leaf Salad
Red Onions
Red Peppers
Red Radishes
Red Skinned Potatoes
Blood Oranges
Cherries
Cranberries
Pink/Red Grapefruit
Pomegranates
Raspberries
Red Apples
Red Grapes
Red Pears
Strawberries
Watermelon

Orange
Acorn Squash
Butternut Squash
Carrots
Orange Peppers
Pumpkin
Sweet Potatoes
Winter Squash
Yellow Beets
Yellow Skinned Potatoes
Apples
Apricots
Cantaloupes
Cape Gooseberries
Golden Kiwifruit
Mangos
Pears
Persimmons
Yellow Figs
Yellow Watermelon

Orange/Yellow
Lemon
Nectarines
Oranges
Papaya
Peaches
Pineapple
Tangerines
Yellow Grapefruit

Yellow/Green
Arugula
Avacado
Broccoli Rabe
Collard Greens
Cucumber
Green Beans
Green Cabbage
Green Peas
Mustard Greens
Spinach Greens
Romaine Lettuce
Turnip Greens
Yellow Corn
Yellow Pepper
Zucchini
Green Apples
Green Grapes
Green Limes
Green Pears
Honeydew Melon
Kiwifruit
Muskmelon

Green
Alfalfa
Bok Choi
Broccoli
Brussle Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chinese Cabbage
Kale
Wheat Grass

White/Green
Artichoke
Asparagus
Celery
Chives
Endive
Garlic
Ginger
Jicama
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsnips
Raddish
Scallions
Bananas
Brown Pears
Dates
White Nectarines
White Peaches
White Wine

Well, there you have it. I have printed out a copy of this and out it on my refrigerator so I can see exactly which categories I am eating everyday. I can't say that I will eat all 7 everyday, but that is my goal. Enjoy!

Pluggin' Away

After my blog rant the other day, I started revising my classes. Of course it is not quite the crisis situation I made it out to be. The process has been good. I am looking forward to a new and improved semester. New speeches (thanks to a couple wonderful professors far more experienced than I), new discussion questions, and revised course processes. This is going to be a wonderful semester and I am quite excited about it. Thanks for putting up with that last post.

Stress and Insecurity

Every semester I start to feel a bit panicked. For some reason, this semester is a bit harder. I am starting a new semester in a few weeks and need to revise my courses to make them better, more productive, get rid of the dead weight of the classes and generally improve the classes overall. This process is bitter sweet. I get the wonderful opportunity to revise my classes, but at the same time face the failures. **Get ready for some blog therapy here** I have a really hard time facing failures. In this statement alone you can probably read quite a bit into my psyche. I could have said, "I have the wonderful opportunity to improve my classes and omit those things that didn't quite work as well as I would have liked". But no, I went right to the word failure! This last semester was successful, but it was quite a struggle. I have not had such a hard semester since I first started teaching, which makes sense because I started teaching in a completely different way (online versus in person). While this medium is awesome and I FREAKING LOVE IT, it works well because of my back problems, but it has also created quite a bit of stress for me. It is now time for me to go back and look at every assignment, emails, class processes, etc... and find those things that did not work. I have a list of things I need to accomplish, but for some reason my mind turns that into failure.

I thought long and hard about this past semester, and even put in 60-80 hours of work prior to the semester. I expected that the classes were going to be perfect, and since my expectations were not met, this translates into failure in my head. I know, I know, I should think positively right? I will try to do so, but with uncertain economic times, budgets at schools getting cut left and right, this leads me to be even harder on myself than normal. I have to be perfect....the process of creating a class, fulfilling objectives then ultimately revising a class seems to have been rolled all up into one process - - - - class perfection from the start. Somehow in my head I have linked the perfect class, perfect grading, and great student reviews with job security and ultimately my only opportunity for health insurance (because only one school I work at offers health insurance to part time instructors, but I don't want to get into that right now).

So here I sit, procrastinating once again, avoiding the fact that I must face my fear and actually submerge myself into the revision process of my classes. I hope and pray that this process becomes easier overtime, and it might once I no longer have to work. It is my dream for my DH to be the sole provider of the family. I can handle the budget, the cooking, most of the cleaning, making dentist appointments, taking on the role of home secretary, foster kids and truck them around from school to after school activities, but I am certain I was not made to be a person who is depended on for monetary support. It is far too much pressure for me. I do not have the ability to segment my life, which quite a few men I have talked to possess, including my husband. Don't get me wrong, I WOULD absolutely continue to work even if it was not necessary because I LOVE TEACHING, it's in my blood. Now it's time to face the revision! Wish me luck. :)

Public Blogging

Blog Ambiguous is public again. The students from last semester are not longer my students....nor do I think they would keep a blog address for a month or two, in hopes that it would go public again. So, without further ado, Blog Ambiguous is now public. :) More posts to come after the new year.

Christmas Lights

My beautiful sister-in-law Julie just sent me the BEST email. Here it is:

To whom it may concern...

We do ardently request that you put up the Christmas lights on your house!!! And We also request refreshments after we are done viewing the lights.

Thank you and best regards,
The Chandler Family

Last year we purchased a Christmas light music system that blinks lights to Christmas music. Apparently my husband's family loved it so much that they have been requesting Christmas lights for weeks. I keep trying to explain to them that we have a lot going on right now with ripping out walls and replacing drywall, rerouting plumbing and having to run new electrical wires for our second kitchen. The excuses have fallen on deaf ears. Today I received the above email from Julie, my sister-in-law, and it was quite enough to motivate us to put up the lights. So, if you are in the area after Saturday, we will have tons of lights on the house blinking to music (from 5pm to about 9pm). Once you have taken in the sights and sounds, we offer refreshments afterward consisting of hot chocolate, hot apple cider and assorted goodies.

Left Over Turkey

About now is the time people are pretty darn sick of that leftover turkey, and for good reason. While I should have been grading papers yesterday I decided it was a good time to make enchiladas. I tried only once before to make them and it was slightly disastrous. This recipe however, is AWESOME!!!!! Here it is:

Leftover Turkey Enchiladas
2-3 cups cooked turkey, diced or shredded
1/2 onion, small dice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jar of Trader Joe's Enchilada Sauce (if TJ's is not local, use a can of sauce from the store if you don't want to make your own, but TJ's is the best!)
12 or so corn tortillas
1 Tb. Olive Oil (better for the heart)
1 small can of olives (or not if you hate olives)
2-3 cups of cheese, Mexican blend

In a saute pan, add olive oil and onions and soften. Add garlic when the onions are almost soft and continue to saute for a bit to cook the garlic. Add the turkey and about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, mix. This is the filling!

In another pan, heat the remaining enchilada sauce, but do not boil.

In a glass pan, or corning wear pan, cover the bottom with enchilada sauce.

Toast the corn tortillas with a cast iron tortilla plate or in a dry frying pan. Some people fry the tortillas in oil rather than doing it dry. I prefer no oil on the tortillas because frying them makes the enchiladas oily. After toasting them until a bit bubbly, dip them into the enchilada sauce. Here's where your hands get messy. Once you dip them, place them into the pan with the enchilada sauce and fill with a few tablespoons of turkey mixture. Add a couple slices of olive to the inside and sprinkle with as much cheese as you'd like (try not to overfill the enchiladas - it may take a try or two to get it right). Line the pan with enchiladas touching. Once you have filled the pan, you can add more enchilada sauce if you like saucy enchiladas, or not if you don't (I did not). Sprinkle cheese on the top and line them with olives (see pic above) to delineate where the individual enchiladas are located. Serve with sour cream, avocados, rice and beans for a complete dinner. Shawn and I don't do rice and beans at home, so we ate them ala carte. They are awesome!

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

I tried, but I can't do it! We are deep frying a turkey on Thanksgiving.....and I'm making all the fixin's. I canceled the Safeway order. Ugghhh!!! Preparations start today, and will continue until Thanksgiving Day. This year should be fun. :)

I cried

There is a video on cnn.com that has touched my heart. If you want to check it out, please click HERE.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have been craving Chicken Tortilla Soup for weeks. I finally went to the supermarket today to gather all of the ingredients needed. If you are interested, here's the recipe:

1 Whole Chicken
3 Carrots, small dice
3 Stalks of Celery, small dice
1 Large Onion, small dice
6 Cloves Garlic, finely minced
1 15oz. can Petite Diced Tomatoes (not drained)
1 15oz. can Chili Beans (not drained)
1 15oz. can Pinto Beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups corn, more if you'd like
1 cup salsa (use your favorite type)
10-12 cups of water
3 Tablespoons "Better than Bullion"
2 Tablespoons Chili Powder (I use Grandma's Chili Powder)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Limes to squeeze on top for that fresh citrus flavor

Optional Toppings:
Sour Cream
Cheese
Cilantro
Avocado
Jalapenos
Black Olives
Tortilla Chips

Saute onion, celery and carrots in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add water and Better than Bullion (make sure the bullion dissolves). Meanwhile, skin the chicken, make sure to remove as much visible fat as possible, and drop it into the pot. Cook the chicken until it reaches 180 degrees. Remove the chicken and cool until you can handle it. Shred the chicken or cut into little pieces and add it back to the pot. Add everything else listed: beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa & chili powder. Simmer until all flavors meld together, approximately 30 minutes or so. The flavors get better as it sits.

Tips:
*Better than Bullion is indeed much better than bullion cubes or chicken broth. In a pinch, use anything you have, but Better than Bullion is the way to go if possible.

*Use boneless skinless chicken breasts if you don't want to deal with the whole chicken. Sometimes whole chickens are ridiculously cheap, so that's why I used the whole thing today.

*Add more/less veggies to taste. Next time I will probably use a bit more onion.

*Use marinated jalapenos if you want a bit of a kick. I love vinegar, so sometimes I just spoon out some of the marinade to use on top of the soup instead, or in addition to the jalapenos themselves. Using a teaspoon or more of the marinade gives the flavor without the kick of the jalapeno itself.

*The squeeze of lime finishes the soup off nicely. Squeeze the fresh lime into the soup right before serving.

*Use whatever beans you'd like. If you do use other beans besides Chili Beans, rinse and drain before adding to the pot. The Chili Beans are in a marinade that goes well with the recipe. Black, Chili, Pinto, Kidney, etc... work well in this soup too. Use whatever you have on hand.

*This list looks like quite a bit of stuff, but it really is an easy soup to make.

The verdict: I will be keeping this recipe for quite a long time. It is awesome!!! It's kind of an amalgam of a bunch of different recipes I have seen, but of course had to put my own twist on it. Try it, you'll like it. :)

Baby Letters

For the past few months I have started painting letters for my friends who have babies. At my age, that means everyone around us is either planning on getting pregnant, already pregnant, or has a baby. So, instead of getting a little outfit, or sending a gift card, which is my standard, I hand paint letters to match the nursery. The letter start out as plain wood letters, I have to sand , prime, paint, and then detail paint the letters. I believe that if you click on the individual pics, the picture will be huge, that is, in case you want to see the detail. :) I'm not too creative, which is why the designs of the two are fairly similar. Plus, both mommies wanted something not too girly, thus neither of them are pink. My sister-in-law (Julie - not listed in the cast of characters) wants letters for her kids, but I have no idea what I am going to create for them. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Lauren is 5 and Olivia just turned 2.




Here's a close up so you can see the detail.













Next is a pic of the whole name:













And finally a pic of one of the other names I have done:

French Baguettes

I found this recipe on my favorite website, allrecipes.com. Click on the link and it will take you to the original recipe. This recipe was so spectacular that I did not change a thing, and will more than likely never change it, save adding half wheat flour instead of all white bread flour. I did, however, change the way I prepared the recipe.







Here is the recipe:

• 1 cup water
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon water

1. Place 1 cup water (100 degrees), sugar, and yeast into a stand mixer and allow the yeast to bloom for a few minutes.
2. Add the flour and salt, mix for 5 minutes. The dough will be sticky.
   
3. Place dough in a greased bowl (NOT plastic), turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
4. Punch down dough making sure to punch down all bubbles. Cut dough in half, creating two long thin loaves. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

The verdict: O-H....M-Y....G-O-S-H....the best bread I have ever eaten. Some people who reviewed the recipe said that it was the closest thing to real french baguettes they have eaten since they were in France. I have never been to France, but my gosh, I may just go for the bread......wait a minute.....if I can make bread like that, why go to France? Really though - this is amazing bread. It has just the right amount of sweetness, and the taste and texture are awesome! I can't recommend this recipe enough.

Spicy Meatballs

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that was for "The Best Meatballs You'll Ever Have". Well, I changed the recipe a bit to suit what we had in the house. Here it is:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 4 slices of bread, toasted and crumbled
  
• 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

I threw everything together and mixed it. I then rolled the mixture into small meatballs and baked it at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes, then broiled for a few minutes.

The verdict: The meatballs are very spicy. Next time I will use less than half of the red pepper flakes. I also used quite a spicy Cajun mix. I will use half of that too, and possibly add some cheese. So far we have tried them alone, they may be better once we put them in some pasta sauce. Of course Shawn likes them, me, not so much! They are decent, but far too spicy for me.

This year I'm cheating

Here's my plan for this year....to cook as little as possible. I absolutely love cooking, coming up with recipes, and generally making people happy with food, but Thanksgiving this year is not going to encompass too much cooking on my part. Shawn and I have decided not to travel this year for the Holiday's. Really, the only place we would travel is to my mom's house near Reno, but with us getting into a car accident a couple of years ago on Thanksgiving trying to get up to her house in time for dinner (ahem, a 3 hour drive each way), we have decided not to go anywhere this year. I think we may stop by Debi and Steve's house, simply because we were invited, and Mamaw and Papaw are going to be there, along with the rest of his family, but we should only be there for a few hours at best. Plus, they live 10 minutes from our house.

You can ask Mel, the best part about Thanksgiving is leftovers, and of course getting together with family, but I shall focus on the leftovers. :) Our family LOVES leftovers, and I can't stress this enough. We will eat turkey after Thanksgiving until we can't even look at another piece of poultry. Literally, we eat turkey for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it's gone, only to turn around and have another one at Christmas. By the time we are done with our Christmas bird, we don't even want to look at another turkey for another 11 months, just in time for Thanksgiving the following year.

Because we will be at a house other than our own, I have decided to order a Thanksgiving day dinner from a local grocery store. That's right, I'm cheating! I want the leftovers but I don't want to cook. I will cook every other day of the year, but those high profile days turn me off. I can delve deep into my psyche for an explanation, but I won't. I will simply say two things: 1). When I'm forced to do something required like cooking for a holiday, I have a strong resistance to it. This is perhaps why I have continued my habit of procrastination from when I was a student. I simply hate being forced to do things. 2). I have cooked a number of Thanksgiving day dinners before and it's a booty load of work. My dinners totally rock, but the amount of time I would have to put into it for just Shawn and I simply isn't worth it if I can buy a turkey dinner.

Thanksgiving this year will be quiet, and filled with tons of leftovers. And for that, I am truly thankful!

Ahhh Crap!

I accidentally posted a comment on a students blog with this blog address. I have no idea how it happened because I am always careful to be signed into the school blog the students are associated with. I guess I have too many blog accounts right now. Anyway, I had to set my blog to private. Please let me know if you prefer to read my blog in private mode, or if I should just delete this blog and make another? I can see this problem happening again because I have online classes next semester again too. Ugggghhhhh! I have no idea what to do.

It brought me to tears

I had quite and interesting experience driving to work yesterday. At a busy intersection in Roseville I noticed demonstrators for Prop 8 standing on all four corners of the intersection holding signs. (For those of you that read this blog and are unaware of Prop 8, click HERE to read up on Prop 8). There were about 25 people standing on each corner holding signs for each side, for a total of about 100 people in this one particular intersection. Signs reading No on Prop 8, and of course the vote Yes on Prop 8 signs. As I drove through the intersection I felt a bit scared. Having not been alive in the 60's (and barely during the 70's), and having never been involved in a protest, I have never experienced anything quite like this before. It was exhilarating! I have stood in the midst of a large group of people before, but never like this. I felt excited and frightened at the same time. I was excited that people are getting out there and taking a stand for what they believe, on both sides.

It literally brought me to tears. I was on the phone when I passed by the intersection and literally had to stop talking because I was so moved by what was happening. I understand that people as a whole can sometimes be quite complacent with what's going on, and on the flip side, can be quite involved at times. But I have never experienced anything like this before. When I drove home later last night after work I passed by the same intersection. It was raining pretty hard, the wind was blowing, but to my amazement, about 400 more people had joined the demonstration in this intersection. I thought, and even commented to one of my students that the demonstrators were probably gone because it was dark by the time I let them out of class and the storm had gotten a bit more intense. I was wrong! (I love when I'm wrong by the way....to me it means that I am learning, and that excites me quite a bit). Getting back to my point, the sidewalks were lined with people, even down the streets on all sides holding up signs for both positions. I can't stress this enough, it moves me like nothing else, when people take a stand for what they believe. It's not who your supporting or what your supporting, it's the fact that the apathy and complacency has drifted away, even if for only a moment, that moves me to tears.

For those in California, have you experienced demonstrators in intersections? I have asked a few people, but have not heard back yet.

I have put this next section in small print on purpose. It is mildly related to the post, but has little to do with it and since I don't want this blog to be a political one, I will probably never mention this again. When I was in college, both undergraduate and graduate degrees, I was this [ ] close to switching majors over to Political Science. I have a deep love for Politics, and that love has never faded. Sometimes I think about going back to school just to learn more about Poli Sci. Perhaps this is why I try not to get into political conversations, and perhaps why I get slightly irritated at people that try to be political 'shockers' rather than sharing their genuine perspective. (To understand the political 'shocker' comment, you would need to understand a bit about my past...and I would be willing to share that, but not on this blog). In short, my love for politics runs deep in my veins, so much so that I can certainly see myself getting emotionally involved in conversations, and to save myself from saying something I will regret later, I completely shy away from these types of conversations. That's it, nothing more to say. Happy voting today!

Just so I didn't have to....

I came home on Wednesday night to find Shawn in the kitchen cooking dinner. Is this blog-worthy? Yeah! I do about 99% of the cooking in our small family. I love to cook and come up with new recipes, duplicate recipes from restaurants, and of course use allrecipes.com to find ideas and recipes. Most of the time I find something that looks interesting and adapt it to my taste (see the Black Olive Hummus Recipe below). I personally came up with this recipe after reviewing many recipes and techniques. And yes, I can certainly call it my own. I have found no other recipe like it. But, back to my point. Shawn was cooking Asparagus Spears with a touch of Olive Oil, salt and pepper; Snow Peas with a touch of Sesame Oil and a sprinkling of Toasted Sesame Seeds (my idea since I have an odd love for all things sesame), and of course HIS VERY own creation, a wonderful Salmon recipe. I don't remember everything he put on it, but I know the marinade had brown sugar and a pinch of cayenne pepper along with some other things.

He was so sweet! He knows I'm exhausted when I get home from lecturing for four and a half hours.....yeah, you read that correctly, 4 1/2 hours of lecture twice a week. It goes by fairly quickly, but it does exhaust me. When I get home I barely want to talk because I have just talked for hours, and answered about a thousand questions. Kudos to my man for being so darn cool!

Slow Cooker Stew

I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning to cook Shawn and Jonathan breakfast (see the cast of players on the right side of my blog to understand who these people are). I wanted it done by the time Jonathan got here because they needed to get on the road ASAP. They are heading up to Donner Lake to help Mamaw and Papaw with their lake house. Every year around this time they need to weather the boat and prepare the deck for the winter. Shawn and Jonathan help them every year prepare the house for winter, then in Spring, the prepare the house for the Summer. What nice grandsons!!!! Back to my point....I got up early to shop for all the stuff I needed to make them breakfast and for the ingredients to make dinner tonight. What's for dinner??? Thanks for asking!

Crockpot Stew!!!! The picture above is partially cooked. I had sauteed the meat and onions, but those are the only two ingredients cooked. Hopefully it will cook down without spilling out, I quite overfilled the crockpot. Here's my recipe:

2-3 lbs. Stew Meat
3 Yukon Gold Potatoes - cut into 1 inch or so pieces
3 Red Potatoes - same as above
3 Celery Stalks cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1-1 1/2 cups baby carrots
2 Onions cut into hearty chunks
5 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup mix
1 beef bullion - large
1 Bay Leaf
2 cups of boiling water
1 Tb. parsley
1/4 - 1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 Tb. butter
4 Tb. olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 Tb. flour or cornstarch to thicken

1). Rinse meat, drain and coat with flour and seasoned salt. Brown on all sides in a pan with 3Tb. olive oil. Once browned, add to crockpot.
3). Add butter and remaining Tb. of olive oil and soften onions and garlic.
3). Deglaze pan with wine and add to crockpot.
4). Combine 2 cups of boiling water with Bullion Cube and Lipton Onion Packet, mix well and add to crockpot.
5). Add parsley to crockpot and mix.
6). Add bay leaf, carrots, celery, and potatoes to crockpot and stir.
7). Turn the crockpot on high for 30 minutes, then lower to low setting and leave for 6-8 hours.
8). Once done, you can add the slurry (water and cornstarch or flour) to thicken.

Tips: Here's one of my most important tips to cooking.....are you ready??? Are you sure??? Try to make all of your veggies and meat the same size. This should be self-explanatory, but for some it is not. When people speak of "love" in cooking, this is what comes to mind (for me anyway). Why would people say "It's cooked with love"? I personally think it's because of the amount of time someone takes to cook something, and for a dish like this, that means taking the extra time to cut everything 'right'. Why take the time too cook unless it's extraordinary. :)

The verdict: Well, as is my nature, I didn't like it. Shawn liked it quite a bit, but me, uh no! There was a flavor in it that was a bit off. Jonathan said that it needed salt. I guess I'm still on the hunt for the perfect stew recipe. :)