Cranberry relish went over swimmingly with co-workers last week, so now forc-, er, making it for family.
We're having cajun turkey this year, too.
Also going to attempt a new recipe for yorkshire pudding with gluten-free flour. I may regret this...
Happy Day to all!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
various and sundry
I went to the nutritionist on Thursday. I've lost 6 pounds! It may not seem like much, but until I get off the Lexapro and my metabolism normalizes again, it's a miracle. Losing weight while taking SSRIs is nearly impossible. I've researched it. It's depressing (no pun intended). Karen-the-acupuncturist's protein and greens suggestion appears to be working.
I'm still chipping away at the novel/thesis. I lost more writing time than I was expecting during the last few weeks of travel, so I'm trying to catch up. I have learned to write wherever I am, though. I wrote in the airports to and from Kentucky, and I wrote in the hotel room in Wadsworth, Ohio (even after six hours of driving). I couldn't hole up and type in either place, though. Workshops to attend, family to gab with, you know.
However, I have a title finally! I'm not revealing it until I poll the beta readers, but I like it. Hints at several aspects of the story, short, easy to remember, and contains a neat-sounding/looking word. Thank you to Joe-the-office roomie for pointing me in the right direction.
I've no craft news to report. I've gotten a few rows knitted and crocheted on various projects. How sad - I consider it an accomplishment if I get a complete row done on a project every day.
I ran across these two images on a flickr site - knitting on TV. How wonderful to see two of my favorite actors with a pair of sticks and some yarn:
I'm still chipping away at the novel/thesis. I lost more writing time than I was expecting during the last few weeks of travel, so I'm trying to catch up. I have learned to write wherever I am, though. I wrote in the airports to and from Kentucky, and I wrote in the hotel room in Wadsworth, Ohio (even after six hours of driving). I couldn't hole up and type in either place, though. Workshops to attend, family to gab with, you know.
However, I have a title finally! I'm not revealing it until I poll the beta readers, but I like it. Hints at several aspects of the story, short, easy to remember, and contains a neat-sounding/looking word. Thank you to Joe-the-office roomie for pointing me in the right direction.
I've no craft news to report. I've gotten a few rows knitted and crocheted on various projects. How sad - I consider it an accomplishment if I get a complete row done on a project every day.
I ran across these two images on a flickr site - knitting on TV. How wonderful to see two of my favorite actors with a pair of sticks and some yarn:
"your grandmother is so young!"
My grandmother was quite surprised at her surprise 80th birthday party. As in, was so stunned she started to cry. Major kudos to David-the-uncle for planning and organizing the whole thing. He told her he was receiving a Boy Scout award (he's a troop leader). When she arrived at the dining hall, he was at the podium thanking everyone for being there. My grandmother walks in, David reproaches her for being late, she counters with "But you said 2:30!" And then all was revealed.
Good turnout of family and friends, and great food, especially the stuffed cabbage and chicken. Joe D-another-uncle had copied a bunch of my grandmother's old '78s to CDs, complete with scratchy, popping sounds, and played them all during dinner. I sat with two elderly women - one has known my grandmother since high school ("We used to run around together with two other girls, both named Margie."); the other met my grandmother through the Red Cross ("Ten years ago this week, your grandmother was driving us through Provence!")
I'd never seen my grandmother's baby pictures until this past weekend. Let alone a lot of the ones from her high school days. She could have been a model. She had it all - height, hair, clothes, and the "certain something." She looked fabulous with the short hair flipped out on the ends and the tea length skirt with blouse and wide belt and heels. She still looks good - still tall, skin as smooth as anything, hair sleekly coiffed. I noticed she looked better and moved more actively than other elderly people there who weren't even as old as she is. I hope I have those genes.
Good turnout of family and friends, and great food, especially the stuffed cabbage and chicken. Joe D-another-uncle had copied a bunch of my grandmother's old '78s to CDs, complete with scratchy, popping sounds, and played them all during dinner. I sat with two elderly women - one has known my grandmother since high school ("We used to run around together with two other girls, both named Margie."); the other met my grandmother through the Red Cross ("Ten years ago this week, your grandmother was driving us through Provence!")
I'd never seen my grandmother's baby pictures until this past weekend. Let alone a lot of the ones from her high school days. She could have been a model. She had it all - height, hair, clothes, and the "certain something." She looked fabulous with the short hair flipped out on the ends and the tea length skirt with blouse and wide belt and heels. She still looks good - still tall, skin as smooth as anything, hair sleekly coiffed. I noticed she looked better and moved more actively than other elderly people there who weren't even as old as she is. I hope I have those genes.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
questions, questions
Amazing crowd at the polls today. I am usually in and out of my polling place in under 20 minutes. Today, I was there for an hour. Making history can be time-consuming.
I actually laughed out loud reading Question 2, and the voting monitor person gave me a "voting is serious" look. I've been hearing about Q2 for awhile, but just seeing it on the ballot really made me giggle; even just the headline:
Question 2 - Constitutional Amendment - Revised 9/11/2008
(Chapter 5, Acts of 2007 Special Session)
Authorizing Video Lottery Terminals (Slot Machines) to Fund Education
Authorizes the State to issue up to five video lottery licenses for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education of children in public schools, prekindergarten through grade 12, public school construction and improvements, and construction of capital projects at community colleges and higher education institutions. No more than a total number of 15,000 video lottery terminals may be authorized in the State, and only one license may be issued for each specified location in Anne Arundel, Cecil, Worcester, and Allegany Counties, and Baltimore City. Any additional forms or expansion of commercial gaming in Maryland is prohibited, unless approved by a voter referendum.
(Enacts new Article XIX of the Maryland Constitution)
Yes, it will bring revenue into the state. However, gambling money and education strike me as the oddest of bedfellows, let alone words in the same sentence. Just hopping onto the soapbox for a sec, isn't it the responsibility of citizens to fund education anyway? Do you really want to tell people "oh yes, we fund our schools with slot machines?" Okay, down from the box now. And this article points out the interesting proximities. Even funnier.
Karen-the-acupuncturist sent me this:
I actually laughed out loud reading Question 2, and the voting monitor person gave me a "voting is serious" look. I've been hearing about Q2 for awhile, but just seeing it on the ballot really made me giggle; even just the headline:
Question 2 - Constitutional Amendment - Revised 9/11/2008
(Chapter 5, Acts of 2007 Special Session)
Authorizing Video Lottery Terminals (Slot Machines) to Fund Education
Authorizes the State to issue up to five video lottery licenses for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education of children in public schools, prekindergarten through grade 12, public school construction and improvements, and construction of capital projects at community colleges and higher education institutions. No more than a total number of 15,000 video lottery terminals may be authorized in the State, and only one license may be issued for each specified location in Anne Arundel, Cecil, Worcester, and Allegany Counties, and Baltimore City. Any additional forms or expansion of commercial gaming in Maryland is prohibited, unless approved by a voter referendum.
(Enacts new Article XIX of the Maryland Constitution)
Yes, it will bring revenue into the state. However, gambling money and education strike me as the oddest of bedfellows, let alone words in the same sentence. Just hopping onto the soapbox for a sec, isn't it the responsibility of citizens to fund education anyway? Do you really want to tell people "oh yes, we fund our schools with slot machines?" Okay, down from the box now. And this article points out the interesting proximities. Even funnier.
Karen-the-acupuncturist sent me this:
Sunday, November 2, 2008
food report
Yesterday, I made a chicken/potato/asparagus casserole in the crock pot. (I'd provide the link to the recipe, but the cooking Web site is being fussy.) It actually looked more like a stew than a casserole.
Anyway, it smelled good. It tasted good. However, it didn't look at all appetizing. I blame it on the cream of mushroom soup. I found one that uses soy milk instead of regular milk. It's a smooth milky brown color, which on its own, looks lovely. Unfortunately, mixed with all the other ingredients, it looked awful. I don't think a regular-milk version of the soup would have done any better. They tend to look horribly gloopy even on their own.
At least the carrots and sweet potatoes and asparagus brightened it up. The recipe called for white potatoes, which I don't particularly care for, so I substituted.
Should I decide to make this recipe again, I'll use a different soup - maybe butternut squash or something? And I'd just use onion powder, rather than bothering with chopped onions, as they didn't really add anything to the dish.
In happier news, I got a fresh bag of Kinnell's Mackintosh's Fancy tea in the mail. This is my absolute favorite tea ever. It has the most divine smell just in the bag. The blue and yellow you see in the picture are cornflower and marigold petals, which apparently make more of a difference to the flavor than you'd think they should. It's also incredibly strong. One tea bag can easily make two sizeable cups of tea. I generally get the loose tea version of this.
The Silver Plume Tea Room is the only place in the country that sells it, as far as I know - meaning I have to order it and have it mailed to me. I came across it at the tea shop at Montpelier Mansion in Laurel several years ago, but they don't carry it anymore. Sixteen bucks for 4 ounces! So worth it, though.
Anyway, it smelled good. It tasted good. However, it didn't look at all appetizing. I blame it on the cream of mushroom soup. I found one that uses soy milk instead of regular milk. It's a smooth milky brown color, which on its own, looks lovely. Unfortunately, mixed with all the other ingredients, it looked awful. I don't think a regular-milk version of the soup would have done any better. They tend to look horribly gloopy even on their own.
At least the carrots and sweet potatoes and asparagus brightened it up. The recipe called for white potatoes, which I don't particularly care for, so I substituted.
Should I decide to make this recipe again, I'll use a different soup - maybe butternut squash or something? And I'd just use onion powder, rather than bothering with chopped onions, as they didn't really add anything to the dish.
In happier news, I got a fresh bag of Kinnell's Mackintosh's Fancy tea in the mail. This is my absolute favorite tea ever. It has the most divine smell just in the bag. The blue and yellow you see in the picture are cornflower and marigold petals, which apparently make more of a difference to the flavor than you'd think they should. It's also incredibly strong. One tea bag can easily make two sizeable cups of tea. I generally get the loose tea version of this.
The Silver Plume Tea Room is the only place in the country that sells it, as far as I know - meaning I have to order it and have it mailed to me. I came across it at the tea shop at Montpelier Mansion in Laurel several years ago, but they don't carry it anymore. Sixteen bucks for 4 ounces! So worth it, though.
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