Things I learned this week- Or rather, things I did not learn this week edition

Wow. I wish I could recall all the answers to the questions at Science Bowl that I could not answer. I learned that my attention span defintiely has limits. After 7 hours of multiple choice and short answer questions, I found it difficult to pay attention any more, especially when I didn't understand the questions anyway. Here is what I did learn:

* There is no recording of any kind allowed during competition. No video, no audio, no paper and pencil-o.

* The Beaverton School district has Summa Academies at two middle schools, Meadow Park and Whitfield. Both these schools had two teams at SB. In order for students to be admitted to Summa, they must provide written essays, recommendations from teachers, and score in the 99th percentile in ALL state tests. It's like two MIT junior highs.

* I learned the difference between center of mass and center of gravity, thanks to the lunchtime entertainment, a juggler/physicist/comedian. Good stuff.

*I learned that the moon has a "waxing gibbous" stage. (But I did not learn what that means, exactly... I suspect the answer may show up later in the comments.)

Science Bowl

Today was the Science Bowl. We began our morning at 4am, so that we could get to Portland for check-in and registration by 6:30.
It was bigger than I expected. 58 teams, with 4 or 5 kids each, plus parents and coaches. A sea of spectacles.
I noticed that the kids were mostly boys- maybe 80 percent. And maybe because I live in the Great Caucasian Valley, I noticed that about half the kids were white, the other half were Asian(That half seemed to be split pretty evenly between far-eastern and middle eastern). There were two black kids. The only black girl in the competition was on Madison's team.
Not that any of that has anything to do with anything. It's just what I noticed first. They all looked smart.
Our first match was against an all-boy, all-eighth grade team from Ashland, and I nearly passed out from anxiety watching it. Imagine watching a basketball game where the teams traded the lead, bucket for bucket, and the game went to 300-302. That's how the first match went. Fortunately, we had 302.
The next three matches were a different story. Madison's team won them handily. We noticed that the questions became increasingly difficult as the day went on. At lunchtime, when her team was undefeated, the possibility of victory became imaginable, for me. The possibility of a less than first-place finish didn't even cross Madison's mind until their first loss in the double-elimination round, when they were trounced by a team of eighth graders with a real-life Rain Man. At this point in the competition, the moderators were asking questions that were incredibly difficult. I couldn't even make good guesses, because I wasn't sure if words they were saying were nouns or verbs. In my defense, I'm sure that the moderators didn't know, either.
After their loss, the kids were a little downtrodden, but they got it together and beat another team of 8th graders in the consolation bracket.
Finally, they lost to a team that went on to win. On our way out, we saw that Rain Man's team had lost, too. I think at that point in the competition, luck had a lot more to do with success than preparation and knowledge.
I am so proud of my daughter. I can't wait for next year!

Photo Friday 1/29/2010

Tonight I checked coats at a square dance festival at the fairgrounds. Our ESA chapter raises about $600 in a weekend, all donated to us by the friendly square dancers of Oregon. The people watching at a square dance festival is second to none.

Thoughtful Thursday: Did I say it was easy?

Being thoughtful is hard. I was going to make a $25 microloan on Kiva.org today, but their site is down. Also I think I should take some more time to figure out how to do it right. Maybe there is a better microlending site.
I am knitting golf club covers for my husband, and he said, "That's very thoughtful.", but it doesn't feel thoughtful enough. Maybe I am being too much of a perfectionist about this. I will think about it.

Ptomaine Wednesday- Stuffed pork chops

I need to be upfront about this: I have a newfound respect for Rachael Ray. Three weeks ago, I thought she was a hack who got by on her charm, not her cooking skills. This was solely based on comments I have read, made by her, about what a hack she is. For instance:
"If you spent one day in a cooking school, you would most definitely see that I do not chop an onion correctly," she says, "but I get my jobs done fast. I'm not a chef. I don't cook like a chef."
I had seen a couple of her shows which led me to believe that she makes a lot of sandwiches for dinner, which honestly, sounds more like lunch to me.
But in the spirit of trying something new, and having something to blog about, I gave her cookbook a fair shot.
And I am glad I did, because I discovered the most delicious stuffed pork chop recipe, ever.
The recipe has been published on-line, here it is.
Like I said, the stuffed pork chops are amazing. I used a Fuji apple instead of whatever she called for, because that is what I had- but that's how Rachael rolls. She's okay with it. She also calls for two store bought corn muffins, but I made my own. (Rachael hits her 30 minute mark by buying things that need to be baked. I've got time to bake.)
She calls for fresh herbs, as usual. Using fresh herbs in January is expensive, ($2 per handful) so it isn't something I will do every night, but it makes a huge difference. I can't wait to get an herb garden growing.
The cream cheese potatoes were a hit with the family as well. 2 and a half pounds is a LOT of potatoes, though. Spencer discovered that they are tasty fried the next morning.
Speaking of enough to feed an army, 2 pounds of peas is enough to feed eight or nine people. I ended up throwing the leftovers away, because they are so delicate they they would be gross reheated.
This meal was so good that I couldn't wait to try the next one I had planned, Minestrone and panzanella.
The soup recipe alone is worth the price of the book. It is that good. It's a green minestrone, there are no tomatoes, but I did not miss them. Again, fresh herbs and prosciutto provide ample flavor. This is a recipe I will make again and again and again.
Now, about the panzanella. Panzanella is bread and tomato salad. It sounded good. It called for day-old crusty bread, which I had... but it was a loaf that I had baked before I realized that I forgot to put salt in the dough. So maybe that was the problem.
The first instruction is to cube the bread, and soak it in water for three or four minutes, then wring it out gently.
It kinda grossed me out, but I did it.
I chopped the tomatoes and dressed the salad as she directed, and it turned out okay. I guess it sorta tasted like bruschetta on wet toast. I probably won't make it again.

So what's the take-away? Rachael Ray is alright in my book. I think I will use her book a lot more in the summer, when fresh herbs, vegetables and tomatoes are available in the backyard.
Here are my pork chops.
Next week, I'll try a "light" recipe.

Fat Tuesday- Plateau edtion

It would seem I have reached a plateau. I've been using the wiiFit more, but I haven't lost much weight. Maybe a pound. I think it has to do with Rachael Ray, more on that tomorrow.

As for the wiiFit, I have to say that I am still impressed. I have been using it for 30 days now, and I have yet to use all the features. This week, I did 30 minutes of stepping- while watching the AFC Championship. I think it's called "Free Step". My "trainer" talked to me through the wii remote, announcing every 100 steps and 10 minutes.
It really was easy, because, I mean, come on, the wii balance board is like an inch high. So I ordered risers yesterday from Amazon.com, I should have them Thursday.
Another new thing I did was 30 minutes of nothing but strength exercises. I accomplished this by using the "my routines" feature- I made what is basically a playlist for the exercises. I did fine until I got to the "For Advanced Users" exercises at the end.
Let me tell you about the world's most difficult exercise, The one-arm stand.
Stand up, raise your right arm so that your elbow is at your ear. Keep your arm perpendicular to the floor at all times.
Now, lie down on the floor, face up, right arm sticking up.
Now, stand up. You can use your left hand to help.
Repeat, 10 times, quickly. I know, it sounds easy.
This exercise works every single muscle below your neck. I am certain of that, because they all complained at me the next day.

This week I am going to try out some more wiiFit features, like "free run". I'm going to use my big-girl step, and I am going to check out the calorie counter, step tracker, and waist measurement rememberer.

8 things you should buy at the thrift store

I admitted last week that I find it difficult to pay full price for anything. Even if it's something my child needs, right now, I will see if I can find it on sale somewhere.
To that end, I do a fair amount of shopping on Craigslist and eBay, and at thrift stores. There are certain items that I think should almost always be bought used, because the new-to-used cost ratio is more ridiculous than that of automobiles. While compiling my list, I noticed that many of these items share certain qualities: 1. They don't make them like they used to, and 2. Hard, non-porous surfaces that are easy to clean.
Here they are:

1. Umbrellas. Thrift stores are full of lost-and-found bins, and I suspect that umbrellas are one of the most often lost items. They can be had for two or three dollars, as opposed to over twenty brand-new.

2. Staplers, and other office supplies. According the the (pun alert) Staples catalog on my desk, a new Swingline stapler runs $27.99. I can't imagine paying more than three dollars at a thrift store.

3. Knitting needles, crochet hooks: As long as the aluminum needles aren't warped, used knitting needles are an excellent value, at no more than a dollar a pair. New, five or six bucks.

4. lawn sprinklers fall into the #1 category. If you can find a heavy cast iron sprinkler that looks 20 years old or so, grab it, as long as it is free of rust. You may have to replace a gasket, but those cost pennies. Today's sprinklers are pieces of crap.

5. Coleman camp stoves can be had for between 10 and 15 dollars at a thrift store, comparable new models cost upwards of $65. There aren't many moving parts, so there isn't much that can go wrong with these stoves. Look for clean green machines.

6. Small kitchen appliances are often donated when kitchen cupboards are purged. Thrift store shelves are crowded with waffle makers, food processors, blenders, coffee makers, toasters, bread makers, George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Fighting Grilling Machines and Ronco Showtime rotissieres.
Let's face it, your new gadget is likely going to sit in your cabinet until your next purge, you might as well save yourself some cash by buying used. Trust me, you'll find many machines that appear to have never been used.

7. Tupperware- I am kind of a Tupperware snob, in that I prefer the real thing. (Although the snap-lock rectangles at Costco are quite nice) Real Tupperware retains its shape, repels tomato stains, seals every time, and is microwave safe. Unfortunately, it is also really expensive, and you have to order from a Tupperware lady, which means hosting or attending a Tupperware party.
Keep your eyes open at the Salvation Army, where a bowl and lid cost a buck or two. Harvest Gold is making a comeback!

8. Books. Unless they are for gifts, I never buy new books. In deference to independent booksellers, I often give new books as gifts- but the best independent book sellers I know, the Book Bin and Powell's, sell used books alongside new.

Next week- 8 things you should NEVER buy at the thrift store.

Things I learned this week- Late Night edition

This week was Conan O'Brien's last week on The Tonight Show. I'm too old to stay up late enough to watch, but I did catch the highlights at Gawker.tv. Here is what I learned:

* I learned that Brandon Tartikoff offered Rosie O'Donnell a permanent guest-host-on-Friday position on the Tonight Show, similar to Joan Rivers', during the Jay/Dave "Night Shift" shake-up. She was thrilled, and signed on. The deal came undone when Jay refused to take any days off or vacation. I think Rosie would have been great at that.

* I learned that both Jimmy Fallon and Conan can play guitar. I saw Jimmy play two chords in the hilarious "Neil Young does Pants on The Ground" sketch, and I saw Conan keep up with Beck and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons on Freebird on Conan's last show.

* I learned that snowshoes are expensive! My girlfriends and I are talking about a snowshoeing trip in a few weeks. I really thought that snowshoes were made of bent canes and leather. I had no idea until I googled that they are quite advanced now, and cost hundreds of dollars. I will rent.

* I learned about the island nation Maldives, but I am not 100% sure how to pronounce its name. The highest point in Maldives is 7 feet above sea level, and it is the smallest nation in Asia. My daughter's girl scout troop is doing a presentation next month.

* I learned that Kirkland brand espresso roast beans, roasted by Starbucks, in the red package, make delicious espresso. It is definitely not the same as Starbucks' espresso roast. I have also perfected the espresso tamp and I now make a pretty damn good mocha.

* I learned that if you forget the salt in the artisan bread recipe, the bread tastes like communion wafers.

I love Longview.

When people ask about Albany, I often compare it to Longview, Washington. Both towns are mill towns with cheap gasoline, both towns have failing downtowns and empty malls, and both towns have a lovely historic district. I think the meth problem is worse in Longview, and Albany is more ethnically diverse.
But here is a story about a 62 year old (former) firefighter from Longview who left a bag of poo on the doorstep of City Hall, addressed to the mayor. When he was asked about it, he tried to blame it on another firefighter, with whom he had a beef.
People. They are bananas.

Photo Friday 1/22/2010

I see you, gas prices. I see you climbing towards three dollars a gallon. And I know that for some reason that maybe only has to do with paper mills, gasoline in the Northwest is cheapest in Albany, Oregon and Longview, Washington, which means that in most of the Northwest gas prices have again topped three dollars a gallon.
I just want you to know I noticed.

Thoughtful Thursday. Easy-Squeezy.

Tonight, we took my 19 year old brother-in-law and his girlfriend out to dinner. I made an effort to reach out to Travis* because he had just moved out of his parents' house under less than terrific circumstances. This was the first time we have met his girlfriend. They have been dating for about 6 months, and now they are living under the same roof. She hasn't met his parents. Well, she is delightful and she couldn't be cuter. She's an English major!
Pizza isn't a big deal, but I think it was a small gesture that will go a long way. I hope he feels loved, and I hope she feels accepted by his family.

*not his real name.

Ptomaine Wednesday- E V O O edition

I've been really looking forward to making dinner tonight since I decided to try one of Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals. I have had her coo0kbook, 30 Minute Meals 2, for a couple years, but it has just been sitting in my cupboard with the rest of the cookbooks.

Over the weekend, I chose my meal. I do really like that she plans a whole meal for you. I chose:
Lamb chops with Mint and Mustard Dipping Sauce
Tomatoes stuffed with Tabouleh Salad
White Bean Salad with Thyme
Limoncello dessert

I guess I chose this meal because it would require some significant expansion of my family's dinner horizons. Also, there was a picture. Here is how Rachael's meal looked.Lamb chops seem like a special occasion meal. I knew that Spencer would be returning from a hunting trip tonight, and that seemed like cause for celebration. So I made a grocery list. I had to buy almost every ingredient- lamb chops, mint, grainy mustard, white wine vinegar, bulgur wheat, mint, thyme, ice cream, lemon sherbet, limoncello, wafer cookies, canneloni beans, raddichio and tomatoes. I even had to buy olive oil, which I ran out of a couple weeks ago.

Spencer got home at about 4, and told me straight up that he wasn't really hungry. He ate the other half of this for lunch:His buddies bought it for him as a thank-you gift for driving. Wasn't that thoughtful?
I digress. I made dinner anyway, and here is what I thought about it:

The lamb chops were the best I have ever had. Rachel's recipe called for 12 loin chops, but all that Safeway had was 8 shoulder chops, so that's what I used. I could have used four.
The mint and mustard dipping sauce is delightful. It was painful to buy mint at the store, since in the summer my back yard is teeming with it. Now I have a great recipe I can use it in. I also got to use my friend Erica's honey, which is such a pretty color, and delicious.
My husband really liked the white bean salad. What's not to like, it's just white beans with shredded raddichio and some thyme sprigs cooked in EVOO and garlic.
The tabouleh turned out good, I really like it. I bet it would have been better if the tomatoes I stuffed it with had any sort of flavor. Every tomato I looked at today in the store was pale and firm. They all looked like little hard cameo apples. Again, another dish I can make in the summer with patio tomatoes.
The Limoncello dessert called for a scoop each of vanilla ice cream and lemon sherbet andwafer cookies topped with lemon zest and a shot of limoncello. I was most excited about this recipe, because I have a fantastic zester that I've never used, and because I have never had limoncello.
I bought Caravella brand.
The booze was strong and bitter and it ruined the dessert. I guess I thought it would be a sweeter liqueur. Spencer and I both poured off about half of the limoncello. By the time the ice cream and sherbet had melted a little and mixed with the alcohol, it all tasted better. I'll try this dessert again, but I won't serve it right away.

The whole thing took about 35 minutes. I think if I did it again, I could do it in 30.

Another tuesday.

I've been diligent about using the wii fit, but I haven't lost any weight this week. I'm getting better at all the games and poses and whatnot, and yesterday I even broke a sweat.
This morning, I did something I have only dreamed about: I got out of bed, awake and refreshed, at 5:00 and did yoga for an hour.
I don't feel any better or worse tonight than I did last night, but I think it was a nice way to start my morning. I didn't even plan it in advance, I just woke up and thought, hey, I would like to salute the Sun.

If I haven't lost a pound or two by next fat Tuesday I am going to have to consider drastic measures such as diet and actual exercise.

Eight United States Presidents that have escaped my consciousness

Would you like to see if you are a bigger idiot than the Crazy Blog Lady? Click Here to take Mental Floss' "Name all the Presidents in Eight Minutes" quiz. It's fun, and difficult. Below are eight of the 9 that I could not name. The ninth shall remain a crazy mystery.


* James Monroe, our fifth president.

*William Henry Harrison, our ninth president, who looks like Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle.

* Benjamin Harrison, our 23rd president, who shares a last name with our ninth president.

*John Tyler, our tenth president. I forgot Tippecanoe, too. He had no vice-president while he served as president.

*Zachary Taylor, president number 12. How could I forget "Old rough and ready"?

*Millard Fillmore, who was Taylor's vice president, and our 13th president upon Taylor's death. He was never elected president.

*Grover Cleveland, who was #22 and #24. A two-fer!

* And his successor, William McKinley, whom I often confuse with Wilford Brimley.

Things I learned this week- Rush Limbaugh is a ratard edition.

This week, I saw The Hangover. (rented it from RedBox.) So this week, I learned what all the man-purse jokes are about. If you haven't seen it, it's defintiely worth your dollar just to fall in love with Alan.

I also learned:
* Do not try to shop at Ikea on "Kids Eat Free" day. The store is all clogged up with people who saved $2.49 per each kid they fed. Or, maybe it is just Portland. I went shopping today with my friends and it sure made me appreciate Albany, "Where a Checkstand is Always Open!"

* I learned that selling on eBay is expensive. I sold my dad's putter for $192.50 plus $20.oo shipping.
I paid eBay $19.50
I paid PayPal $6.50
I paid FedEx $21.50

I could have done the shipping for less, had I had any money in my PayPal account. I was not aware that there was such a thing as a PayPal "Account". I thought PayPal just did debit transactions for everyone. Not so.
When you sell something on eBay, if the buyer pays with PayPal, the funds are credited to your Account, but they are not available for 21 days. This makes sense, in case there is a problem with the merchandise or the payment to PayPal. So, at the end of the sale, the buyer put 212.50 into what amounts to PayPal escrow for me.
PayPal has a really great partnership with UPS, so that sellers can sign up and print UPS shipping labels from home. There is no fee for this service, and sellers get good commercial UPS rates. I tried to print a label, but I could not because there were no available funds in my PayPal Account. I could have transferred money from my bank account to my PayPal account, but PayPal told me that those funds might not be available for three or four days. Since I did not want to wait that long to ship the putter, I sent my husband to the UPS store to ship the club.
Next time I sell something on eBay, I will be sure to transfer a little bit of money into my PayPal account so that I can ship right away.

* I learned that rechargeable batteries just aren't good enough for my camera. It works fine now, the problem was the batteries. I still want a new one.

* Much to my chagrin, after congratulating myself for unlocking the "Advanced" level on many of the wii Fit games, I learned that there is an "Expert" level. So Hurray, more challenges.

A great day, and bargains, to boot!

Yesterday was one of those everything-goes-right days. After I dropped my daughter off at school, I went to get my hair cut, and it turned out nice, just the way she did it last time. So at long last, I have found a stylist I am happy with. She doesn't talk too much, her breath is good, and she can work a pair of scissors.
Since I had good hair, I thought I could go do a little shopping. My first stop was Walgreen's, to buy a box of hair color- I noticed in the salon that the salt is busting free of the pepper.
Then, I went to Old Navy. They were having a huge 50% off clearance sale. I bought 4 shirts and a pair of jeans for $14.
I decided to walk through the mall because I need a lamp and pajamas. I looked at Ross, no luck. So I headed to Target. On my way to Target, I saw that Waldenbooks in the mall is going out of business, and all their books were 65% off, and all their gifts were 80% off. I stocked up for Valentine's Days and Birthdays and Christmases to come.
At Target, no lamp or PJs, but they did have a super cute pair of earrings marked down from $24.99 to $6.49.

I was so pleased with my bargains that I decided to push my luck.

Back in November, I was shopping for boots to wear with jeans and skirts. At one point, after a long day of shopping for something else, I saw this pair of boots at Fred Meyer:
They were Born brand boots, I remember that because Madison has worn the same style of Born shoes since kindergarten. I have a pair of Born clogs, they really are well-made, comfortable shoes. I was surprised to see them at Fred Meyer.
I tried them on. They were so soft and comfortable. I didn't buy them because they weren't on sale, (I have a hard time paying full price for anything) and we still had Christmas shopping to do.
When I got home, I googled the boots to see if they were on sale anywhere else. No luck. But I did find that Born has expanded into three or four lines. One is Born Concept, another is Born Crown. I assume that Born Concept is a lower-end line, since they are at Fred Meyer, but the shoes are leather and they all appear to be well made.
I eventually bought these Born boots at Nordstrom Rack:
They are super comfortable, and they go with everything, but I wish they had a heel. I did see a few Born Crown shoes at Nordstrom, they were obviously higher end. They looked hand-sewn.

Okay, back to yesterday.

I decided to go to Fred Meyer to test my shopping karma. Into the shoe department I walked. I had a feeling that if they still had the boots, they would be on clearance, so I walked back to that section, where an employee was sorting shoes. She asked if she could help me.

"Yeah," I said." Before Christmas, I tried on a pair of Born boots here, they had a small heel, and a buckle... "
"What kind of boots?"
"Born. Born Concept or Born Crown, maybe. I forget. I know they were Born something."
"We don't carry those. Were they Skechers?"
"No, they weren't Skechers." Hell no they weren't Skechers.
"Union Bay?" She rattled off 5 or 6 more crappy shoe brands. LA Gear might have been one. Obviously, we weren't communicating.
"Um, no. I'm just going to look around."
I took about 3 steps and found a box of Born Concept shoes. I pulled the box off the shelf and showed it to her.
"They were Born Concept, just like these shoes."
The logo on the box looked like this:
"Oh!" she said."Bocs!"

Yes, lady, Bocs. You win. Now can you help me find the boc boots? The only pair she had left were size 6. They were, however, on clearance, and Fred Meyer was having a 40% off clearance event, which meant that the boots were marked down to $75.00.
I asked her if she thought another store would have them. I could tell she was getting irritated with me. She told me that she called around to every store in Oregon many times looking for these boots during the Christmas shopping season, and she was pretty sure that no one had them.
I asked her if she could check the Corvallis store. Just for kicks.
She did, and they had two pairs left: One size 11, and one size 8 and a half, which I now own.
My very own Bocs.

Photo Friday is Phucked.

Yesterday, I wanted to take a picture of my daughter's new glasses to post on facebook so that my mom could see them. My daughter is cute, but she does not photograph well. At all. When she is asked to smile for photographs, instead of actually smiling, she concentrates on shaping her mouth into a crescent. The result is a pained look, bordering on terrified. Let me show you some outtakes.
This was the first try, which actually might have been okay, had it been in focus.
Here's another try, after I told her not to pull the corners of her mouth up. She went with "out".
Next, a little number we like to call the "Uncle Rico":
And finally, the best we could do.It's a good thing this one turned out okay, because it seems that it is the last picture my camera is going to take. Because someone who shall remain nameless decided that he could do a better job photographing my daughter so he took the camera and he took the one and only good picture and then the camera broke and now I can't make it turn on.

So. I am in the market for a camera.

Thoughtful Thursday: Mission Accomplished!

Like last Thursday, I spent most of this morning looking, unsuccessfully, for ways to be thoughtful. I found hope on Craigslist with this ad.
This person wants pens! I can help. I work in a physician's office for Heaven's sake. I get about 15 promotional pens a month.
I found 8 pens in my desk drawer, and tested them to make sure they worked. I replied to the ad, indicating that I had 8 pens in good working order and that i would be delighted to provide them.
Well, I guess Mr. Needs-a-pen is too busy to respond to his email, I haven't heard back. Perhaps I should have mentioned that one of the pens is a highly sought after OxyContin pen.

So my first attempt at thoughtfulness was waylayed. But, lucky for me, there was a catastrohic natural disaster this week! The American Red Cross made being thoughtful almost too easy by allowing me to text my $10 donation to the Haitian relief effort. I almost didn't even have to think about it at all.
But I did, so it counts.
And tomorrow I might put my OxyContin pen on eBay.

Ptomaine Wednesday: Spicy Moroccan Chicken

I've been making my way through the packet of recipes I bought from The Pampered Chef- Weekday Dinners-Done!. It's been nice to have some variety for dinner, but I have a couple issues with this collection of recipes.
The first problem is that one of the selling points for this collection is that 2 grocery lists are included. The lists are incomplete. I made all the recipes in week one, which used 16 oz of sliced mushrooms and 6 green peppers. The grocery list calls for three peppers and one 8 oz container of mushrooms. There were errors on the second week list, but I caught those before I went to the store by going through each recipe one-by-one.
Another issue is that the recipes call for much more microwaving than I am used to. Last night, I made Deep Dish Cheeseburger Pie, and the recipe called for microwaved ground beef. I did it, but I don't know why. I have lots of skillets.
Lastly, the recipes call for specialty seasoning mixes made by Pampered Chef. Since they also call for specialty equipment made by TPC, I thought that this was a marketing thing, to get us to buy their spices. But they don't sell the spices anymore, so even if I wanted to buy their specialty blends, I couldn't. Fortunately for me, others have had these problems and posted recipes for spice blends on the internet.
Which brings me to tonight's recipe. Here is a photo of the recipe card:
The recipe called for TPC Morrocan rub, for which I substituted 2 tablespoons of this mixture:

Moroccan Seasoning Mix
Recipe #141053 | 5 min | 5 min prep

This spice blend is used extensively in Moroccan cooking.Use the freshest spices you can find. Recipe found on the net.
SERVES 8 , 8 Tablespoons (change servings and units)

Ingredients
5 teaspoons ground nutmeg
5 teaspoons ground cumin
5 teaspoons ground coriander
2 1/2 teaspoons allspice
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
Directions
1Mix spices together and store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 (5g)

Recipe makes 8 servings

Calories 20

which comes from recipezaar. Here is how it turned out:
You should try it, the rub is amazing. I could smell it for hours.

I cooked the chicken almost as directed. I did not use instant rice, because I can make slow rice. I also used frozen green beans instead of frozen peas.
Here is a picture of my bowl, followed by Spencer's artfully arranged plate. Except he insists the green bean, which sits atop his heap "just so" is a happy accident. Whatever.
Next week, I am going to try a recipe from this book:
and that will be the first time I have tried a Rachel Ray recipe. I've seen her show a couple times, she looks friendly. I hate the word "sammies", though.

Fat Tuesday: The culottes don't lie.

Although I was encouraged by this study that finds that people with ample posteriors are at a lower risk of heart disease than those with big bellies, I kept up my Wii Fit work this week.
I made a lot of progress and unlocked the Advanced Level of many of the exercises. I surprised myself by doing particularly well on the balance games.
I unlocked the Advanced Run, which is running in place for 12 minutes. Holy Moly, is that ever boring. I guess I will have to try the Run Plus, which quizzes you on the sights you saw along your route.
This morning, it seemed that the elastic waistband in my knit culottes wasn't straining as much as usual. This evening, I confirmed that I have lost 3 pounds in a week. I think that is the key to the wii fit- it tells me every day that I am getting something accomplished.
Tonight, I did 13 lunges on each leg, and 6 pushups... but the pushups were from my knees.
baby steps.

Eight guests I would like at a dinner party

Take a trip with me into my imaginary life, where I have fancy dinner parties. (Not to mention more than four chairs.) If I were to have the most fantastic dinner party ever, I would invite all my firends and family, and these 8 public figures:

1. Jesus. There is just so much I would like to know. And I just think he's a cooler guy than his followers make him out to be. Plus, I would only need to buy one bottle of wine and a loaf of bread. I am aware that inviting Jesus is a risky move, as he might monopolize the conversation. I'm a risk taker!

2. Annie Liebowitz. She makes everyone look gorgeous, and if I ever get Jesus at my house, you KNOW I want photographs.

3. Oprah. I think Oprah would keep Jesus in check, and she would probably provide some light-hearted humor. And Annie could hit her up for a loan.

4. Willie Nelson. He could compare beards with Jesus, and they could philosophize. And he could lead campfire songs after dinner.

5. Rob Dyrdek. I just really like that guy. He cracks me up and makes me want to learn how to ride a skateboard so I could do ollies and grind rails and whatnot.

6. Johnny Depp, just for eye candy. He could sit outside and smoke the whole time. I might even let him smoke in the house. But then I would have to let Rob smoke in the house, too, and Willie... and it's a pretty small house.... and what if Jesus brought incecnse?

7. A hypnotist. Hypnotist shows are f-u-n. The hypnotist could keep Rob and Willie and Johnny from smoking, and make Oprah cluck like a chicken!

8. Bob Costas. I think he would be good at making conversation.

I think we could have a fantastic game of charades after dinner!

Things I learned this week-We Sell Your Stuff on eBay Edition

This was a slow week, education-wise. I stayed mostly hunkered down in the house and tried not to expose myself to more of the world than necessary. Here's what I learned.

* I learned how easy it is to sell things on eBay. Although the auction for my dad's putter doesn't end until tomorrow, bidding has already reached the "break even" point, so any bids now are pure profit. It's fun. Now that I know how easy it is, I have conversations with my possessions. "Shape up, or I will auction you!"

* I learned that blogging is much easier when I decide in advance what I will blog about. I have saved myself hours of wondering what to blog about by deciding that Wednesdays are for recipes and Firdays are for photos, and so on. I should have maybe used those hours to learn some things.

* I learned that Dottie from Pee Wee's Big Adventure is the prom singer in Better Off Dead! I can't believe I never noticed that before.

A victory for cheeseburgers everywhere.

This month, V Magazine celebrates average size women everywhere by featuring plus size models. Here are some beautiful photos from the issue:
The women are gorgeous. I wish they didn't get an issue all to themselves. Having a Size Issue is sort of like having a Black Friend. I think it's a move in the right direction, though, and someday I hope that fashion magazines, particularly those aimed at young girls, will feature models of all sizes without any hoo-hah or self-congratualtion about how open-minded editors, designers and photographers are becoming.

Interestingly, the magazine has a piece titled "One Size Fits All", which shows one outfit on a skinny model, and the same outfit on plus-size Crystal Renn, who I adore. Here, let me show you.
Here is a link to more of the feature.

I think this series of photos is revealing, in that they show that the real problem with the fashion industry is not that the models are too fat or too thin or wear too much makeup or are too airbrushed. The real problem is that the clothes are hideous.

The house on the corner.

My first photo for Photo Friday is of a house around the corner from mine. You can probably see that it is vacant.

The house was sold about 2 years ago and became a rental. The renters, Paul and Mary, have two teenage kids and two grown sons. One of the grown sons lives on the fringe of society, and the other works with my husband.
Paul and Mary are basically good people, bu they like to smoke dope. Mary got pulled over for a traffic violation, and she had a little dope in the car so she went to jail for a night or two. She also had her teenage daughter in the car. For a while, there was a concern that Mary would be convicted of endangering the welfare of her daughter, but I guess that those charges went away somehow.
Paul lost his job of 15 years recently. Paul and Mary could no longer afford the rent and they were evicted last week.
This family of four faced homelessness, and it happened right in front of me. Fortunately, they have family here in town, the grown son who works with my husband. As of today, Paul, Mary, their teenage son and daughter, Their grown son and his wife and their two small children occupy a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house. I wonder how long that will last.

Thoughtful Thursday: Alliterate? Yes. Effective? Not yet.

On Monday, when my husband read my blog, he giggled like a little girl when he got to the part about me being thoughtful on Thursdays. I guess he thought it would be difficult for me.
I guess I thought it would be difficult, too, or I wouldn't have made it an Area of Focus (not a resolution) for 2010. I had no idea how difficult it would be.

From the get-go this morning, my selfishness was tested. I woke up one hour after the alarm was supposed to go off. Spencer says that he heard my alarm go off and I must have shut it off instead of pressing snooze, but I do not recall that at all. I just woke up, saw that I was running an hour late, and loudly said, "Shit." which is how Spencer woke up. Not thoughtful.

We got the daughter off to school and I headed to work, looking for opportunities to be thoughtful. Not easy, as I do not see another soul until 1:00.
I complimented a patient on her earrings. They were gorgeous, and I was sincere.
But I didn't feel that was thoughtful enough.

I looked on Carigslist's "Wanted" section. I thought maybe I could provide something to a young family in need. Instead, I found myself pissed off at the "Xbox 360 and Halo needed! Can't pay anything!" ads.

After work, I got home and thanked Spencer for making dinner. He was thoughtful.

Then, the last opportunity for thoughtfulness presented itself: The Girl Scout Leader Meeting. I hate these monthly meetings with the intensity of 1000 suns. I have been told that attendance is mandatory, although I notice many leaders do not attend. This makes me resentful. I told myself that the most thoughtful thing I could do would be to go to the meeting and be quiet and get it over with.

But I didn't. I made a horribly bitchy smartass remark. Immediately following it, the woman who it was intended to offend got up and left. Her departure was so quick that part of me thinks that she was intending to leasve the meeting early anyway... but what if she wasn't? What if my smart mouth hurt her feelings and she couldn't take it?
That was not very thoughtful of me.
It would be thoughtful if I sent her an email apology.
But not tonight. She really pissed me off.

It's Ptomaine Wednesday!

I can't think of a catchy name for my try-a -new recipe Wednesdays. My husband suggested Ptomaine Wednesday and I can't really think of anything better.

Here it is, my very first Wednesday new recipe review. Before Christmas, I ordered a Pampered Chef Weekday Dinners- Done! Recipe card collection, which is an envelope with 10 recipes and 2 grocery lists in it. According to the catalog, the recipes take less than 30 minutes to prepare and cost less than $2.00 per serving. I ordered it because I need weeknight dinner inspiration. We eat the same things over and over, and none of it is very good. Quick is important to me, because I hate cooking when I get home from work. I couldn't wait until tonight to try a new recipe- on Monday we had penne with italian sausage (good) and yesterday we had Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Creamy Risotto (delicious.)
Tonight, we had Tasty Turkey Tetrazzini. Here is the recipe, which I googled, copied and pasted.

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti noodles
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 oz parmesan cheese grated (1/3 cup)
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 8oz slice oven-roasted deli turkey (1/2 inch thick), diced
1 pkg (8 oz) sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen cut green beans, thawed

1. Break noodles in half. Combine noodles and broth in DEEP COVERED BAKER. Microwave, covered, on high 10-13 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring hafway through cooking.

2. Meanwhile, combine soup, sour cream 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, onion, garlic, and black pepper in Classic Batter Bowl; Mix well. (You can use the reduced fat versions of these items as well)

3. Add soup mixture, turkey, mushrooms and beans to the baker and mix well. Microwave covered on high 6-8 minutes or until heated through, stirring halfway through cooking to avoid the noodles clumping. Top with remaining cheese.
Here is the photo that accomapnies the recipe:

I should let you know that I do not own any of the suggested Pampered Chef products.

The first step calls for two things that I would not normally do: breaking noodles in half, and cooking them in the microwave. I seriously considered cooking them on the stove, but in the spirit of trying something new, I broke them and microwaved them in a covered Tupperware microwave steamer without the steamer basket. I stirred the noodles halfway through as directed. Stirred maybe isn't the right word. I used two forks to separate them. At the end of the 11 minutes, the broth was absorbed, but the noodles did not appear to be cooked.

I mixed together the rest of the ingredients as directed, except the turkey. I have been to three grocery stores looking for a 1/2" slice of turkey, and I just can't find it. I considered cooking a turkey breast and slicing it myself, but then the recipe would take much longer than 30 minutes, wouldn't it? So I bought thick-sliced turkey lunchmeat. Now, it isn't sliced anywhere near a half inch thick. I bought a pound of it, took half out of the package and treated it as if it were one giant slice and diced it. For a second I thought maybe the cubes would stay stuck together, but as soon as I stirred them into the mix, they all separated. Oh well.

After I mixed everything together in a deep, square corning ware covered casserole, I returned it to the microwave and began making a plan b. The spaghetti was not tender, and the whole thing looked rather yucky.

8 minutes later, I opened the microwave door and my casserole was transformed. The noodles had softened up and the mushrooms had cooked up nicely. I topped it with the remaining cheese. Here is how my version looked:

The recipe promised TASTY Turkey Tetrazzini, and it delivered. It is pretty good. I don't know what Tetrazzini means, but I think it might be Italian for Tuna-noodle casserole. I usually don't use salt or pepper on my food, but I added a little to my serving after my first few bites seemed to be lacking. Once I added the salt and pepper, my dinner was very tasty. Spencer gave it a "5" and I gave it a "6". I think if I make it again, I will put it in the oven to bake. I like the crusty top and sides of an oven-baked casserole.

Fat Tuesday- week one

Well, here it is, the first week of 2010, the week I told myself I would start taking my rear end seriously. My plan is to lose 2 pants sizes by exercising. I can't bring myself to do a strict diet. I just like to eat delicious food. I will keep my caboose in mind when I grocery shop, but that is as far as I am willing to go at this point.

I will be using Wii Fit plus, which I find somewhat enjoyable- or at least I did until last night when I did "strength" exercises for the first time. I did 6 lunges on each leg, and today I found that going up and down the stairs at work nearly made me cry. This may be an indicator that I am not in top condition.

The Wii Fit plus measures my BMI, and currently I am at the high end of the "normal" range. It also told me that according to my center of gravity, I have great posture. That sounds fishy to me. I'm a slumper.

So by next Tuesday, I want to have come up with three good workouts and have them saved in the wii. I'm thinking yoga/strength/cardio. I'd like to be able to do 6 lunges on each leg without my trainer encouraging me to make sure my leg is bent at the proper angle. And, I would like to be able to do 5 push-ups.

Wish me luck!

8 things I am going to try in 2010.

I'm not against resolutions. In fact, I am pretty good at keeping them, once I decide to use my Powers of Stubborn for good. Last year I quit smoking, so if I had to choose one resolution for this year, it would be to lose the weight that I gained after I quit. Knowing how difficult it can be to lose weight, I have decided not to make it a resolution, but rather, an... I don't know... strong suggestion to myself. Here are 8 things I am going to focus on this year.

1. Fridays will be Photo Fridays. I will take one photograph on each Friday of the 2010, except the first one, which I missed. (Actually, the photos from Oak Harbor that I posted yesterday were taken on a Friday.) I will post that photo here and write about it.

2. Thursdays shall be Thoughtful Thursdays. I want to be a nicer person, so every Thursday, I shall endeavor to do something extra-nice for someone, and I will blog about it.

3. On Wednesdays, I will try new and exciting recipes and feed them to my family, and I will blog about it.

4. Every Tuesday is Fat Tuesday in 2010 for the Crazy Blog Lady! On Tuesdays, I will blog about the state of my ass. No photos.

5. As part of an ongoing failure mission, I will also attempt to bring organization and order to my life and home. Last week, I had an epiphany about this as I was watching the most fascinating show on television, Hoarders. I was thinking about doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, but then I noticed that Hoarders was on, so I decided to watch it instead, thinking that my kitchen would just look so much cleaner in comparison to the ones on the show. Pretty smart, huh? Well, it turns out that watching the show motivated me to do the dishes during the commercial breaks so that I did not allow my kitchen mess to deteriorate into a moldy sea of sludge worthy of TV. Note to self: Maybe I should start watching the 600 pound man shows....

6. I would like to get rid of many things, and take on less things. In the past, I have tried to practice "mindful consumption," which is to say that I have tried to carefully consider the impact of the things I buy. It is difficult and time-consuming to give such consideration to every item, and therefore it really is not a practical way to tackle a grocery list. This year, I just want to make good choices about what I buy.

7. I'd like to make more friends. I need to work on liking more people, I guess.

8. I want to play more. I want to play active, sports-type games- which will help on Fat Tuesdays- and board games and wii games.

Happy New Year to all my Crazy Blog Friends. Do you have resolutions?

Things I learned this week- Road Trip Edition

A good way to learn lots of things in a short period of time is to go on a road trip. We were on the road for 4 days, 3 nights- about 800 miles, 14 driving hours. Here's what I learned.

* I learned that it isn't all about ME anymore. At my mom's house, my mom was suffering with a back injury, and her pain took most of her attention. She wasn't able to properly dote. Any doting she could muster was reserved for her granddaughter. I guess it is all part of growing up.
Mom and Madison tried to make sandwich buns for french dip sandwiches, using the Five Minutes a Day bread recipe. They divided the dough mom had in the fridge into 6, and hoped the loaves would rise a little in the oven. They didn't, so grandpa went to the grocery store for hoagie rolls and we had delicious breadsticks that evening with our homemade ravioli, which was delicious.
above, the raviloi as it (they?) dried.

On New Year's Eve, Spencer and I met my friend Jeremy at one of the two taverns in Naselle. It had been about 20 years since I laid eyes on Jeremy, but we fell into conversation easily and naturally. I learned that
*Facebook eases the awkward "So, what have you been up to?" "Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that" familiarity/formality of reunions.
We had a couple beers and caught up, then karaoke started. I couldn't help but notice the overwhelming lack of talent in the room.

The next day, we headed north to Oak Harbor where Spencer's dad lives. We saw hundreds of elk during the first hour of our trip. Here are a few of them. I didn't learn anything I didn't know about elk.

On our way to Oak Harbor, I texted back and forth with my cousin Megan, who was using her computer to help me with my search for an I am Not a Paper Cup. We decided to get together on the 2nd and conduct a grid search of Lakewood Mall.

We arrived in Oak Harbor in time for the Rose Bowl kickoff. Spencer's dad and stepmother had two tasty pizzas from Papa Murphy's waiting for us. I didn't think I could learn anything from take and bake pizza, but I did.
* I learned that there are things on menus that may taste better than the things I normally order. This surprised me. For as long as I can remember, I have ordered Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza. If Hawaiian was not an option, I would order salad. These pizzas, one a stuffed five meat affair, and the other a savory Italian pie with bruschetta, opened my eyes to variety, which I hear is the spice of life.

Spencer's dad has the two most wonderful dogs on Earth, Max and Scout. They are cute, affectionate, and better behaved than I am. Here they are, Max is the elder gentleman.Here is the view from the couch at my in-laws.Breathtaking, isn't it?

We played Pictionary Man, which Madison received as a gift. It's another game we can play when we have company.
Spencer's parents' house is in a constant state of remodel. Currrently, the master bedroom is under construction, so they have moved their things to the guest bedroom, which is where they insisted we sleep. They slept on couches. I slept like a rock, because my mother-in-law has done what I have often only dreamed of: pushed two twin beds together and pretended, kind of, that they are one king bed.
* I learned the secret of a good night's sleep. I say "kind of" because the beds were made up with separate twin sized sheets and blankets, but were covered with one bedspread. I was able to toss and turn without disturbing Spencer. I could hog all the sheets I wanted, and he couldn't give me a dutch oven. Even though we both slept well, we both agreed that the arrangement would have been better with one king-size top sheet and blanket.

We left Oak Harbor early Saturday morning, headed for my dad's house in Tacoma. He and Spencer had tenatively planned a golf game, during which I was hoping to meet Megan to search for coffee cups. The weather cooperated, so Spencer and dad headed to the golf course and Megan and I met at the mall.
Our first stop was Bed, Bath and Beyond. No IANAPC, But they did have knock-offs for $8, so we each got one. The knock-offs may end up being better cups, they appear to hold twice as much coffee as the original. Here is my I am Not an I am not a Paper Cup:
We also both got As Seen On TV Twin Draft Guards. I am fairly sure that this is the first As Seen on TV product I have ever bought. (Although I really wanted some of those awesome K-tel records)
* I learned the Twin Draft Guards, As Seen on TV, really work as advertised. After we removed the carpet (yes) from our kitchen and installed a slate floor, we were left with a 1/2 inch gap under the door to the garage. I was amazed this morning when the floor in front of the door wasn't even cold. I checked with Megan and hers works just as well. Ten dollars well spent.