What-What?! Week of November 29th

Happy weekend-after-Thanksgiving!

We've had our first Thanksgiving at our new house, which was immensely satisfying.  I am so thankful for all the help we've had getting here.

The spread, with waiting children.  They were super excited!

And I did a lot of cooking... actually, I should say that we did a lot of cooking, because the husband and I always cook Thanksgiving dinner together.

Dessert was pumpkin pie (not shown, looked like pumpkin pie), mini apple pies, and lemon tart things.  The pies were delicious!  I really liked being able to just pick up the apple pies and eat them out of hand.  I am going to do that again, for sure.  The lemon tarts were a disaster, because they fell apart and just needed help.  Next time will be different.  I already have a plan.  And a lot more lemon butter, too:

I still feel like I should've made a double batch, though.  The stuff is scrumptious.

Now, something that's not food... not food... Not?  Food?  Hm.

How about Legos?

Osric made all of these robots.  He builds robots all the time.  We had to clean them all off the dining table so there was enough space for Thanksgiving dinner.

In other news, my daughter has an extremely loose tooth, so today I'm sewing her a tooth pillow.  It'll be rabbit-shaped with some pink patchwork bits.  Will post a photo next week, for sure. :3

What-What?! Week of January 11th

Peter had to work this week.  It was lonely (due to a typo, this almost said 'lovely' -- oops!).  But making money and paying bills are good, so I guess that's okay.

Food wise, this week has been excellent.  Thursday, I made chicken and dumplings, based on The Pioneer Woman's recipe.  If anything from that recipe, the addition of corn flour to the biscuits is a unique touch that is worth doing.  I added masa to a recipe Bisquick biscuits, 'cause I don't look down on cheating. :P  If it's cold where you live, make this.  It is so, so good.

After that, on Saturday, the husband and I made a German-themed dinner of spatzle and schnitzel (no recipe for that, sorry).  This time, rather than making it "off the board" as is traditional, I used a flat cheese grater, which I pushed the batter through with a heat-proof spatula.  This made my spatzle much more consistent in size, and was much easier to do.

I started teaching Saffron how to cross stitch early this week, and she completed her first little motif:

She did most of the stitching herself, though I had to pull out sections sometimes for her to re-do (one time, there was a HUGE knot).  This next week, I think she's going to start on a cat one.

A picture of it in progress:

 

My project isn't finished yet.  I have to go to the store and buy supplies, since I've apparently lost stuff during the move.

The stages of making German helmets. (Introduction section)

For a somber read, I suggest looking through the WWI photos over at The Atlantic.  There are a lot of pictures there, including many showing somewhat unusual content, like animal hospitals, horse gas masks, and the soldiers from Middle East theater.  Some of the historical commentary is a bit untrue (like the sheer ridiculousness of Austria-Hungary's demands to Serbia), but for the most part it is very good.  Keep in mind, though, these are photos of war, and can be graphic in nature.

What-What?! Week of November 30th

Warning:  This week's post is all about food.  If you don't want to read about food, then I suggest reading about how to make knots, or maybe just stare at pretty colors.

Edit: It snowed!  And now the snow has partially melted, and turned into ice!  Yay, ice skating!
(Yay, right?  ...Right?)

We survived Thanksgiving, yay!  The husband had a short week at work, which was absolutely marvelous.

The Dinner was pretty simple this year; turkey, cornbread stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, roasted sweet potatoes, and gravy (of course).  Dessert was Kentucky Pegasus pie and pumpkin pie.

We did some minor shopping on Black Friday, mostly online.  I grabbed Saffron an inexpensive winter coat from Goodwill -- it's bright, shiny purple and she loves it.  Also bought two more turkeys from Target, because the price per pound was unbeatable.  No more space in the freezer now, and we'll be eating turkey for a month... oops, I guess? :P

Kentucky Pegasus Pie via Food.com

I've made this pie before, but it's been quite a while.  It's akin to eating a cookie that is also a pie, and it is delicious.  Because it'd been about a year since I last baked it, I followed the recipe closely, only adding a bit of salt.  Next time, I think I'm going to use half brown sugar and half granulated sugar, and add more pecans... a lot more pecans.

(The history of the Pegasus pie is also pretty interesting, if you're into reading about food history).

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Usually, I follow The Pioneer Woman's cranberry sauce recipe, which is good, but a bit too fluid.  Wanting a thicker sauce, I used this recipe from the Food Network, and adjusted it so:

Ingredients:

• 1 - 12oz package cranberries
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• Pinch of salt

Put all ingredients into a large pot (larger than you think you'll need --my cranberry sauce always splatters).  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and let cook for about 10 minutes.  Let cool, and enjoy.

What-What?! Week of February 23rd

I haven't had work this week, which means I've gotten the time to work on other things, like reading, crochet, writing, cooking, and decluttering.  The husband and I have worked pretty hard to get a lot of things listed on eBay, which will hopefully empty out our house a bit over the next few weeks.  Unfortunately, my wrist has slowly started hurting again, which has put a bit of a damper on certain things, like crochet and playing on the computer.

 

News: An Archeologist's Dream:  Exploring Camp Asylum via The State

This is really interesting; a civil war POW camp is set to be developed upon in South Carolina, so a team of archeologists are doing a last-minute excavation to uncover whatever is left behind.  The article linked above tells a pretty good story of how the camp came to be, and on the development of the dig, while this Yahoo! News article talks about what the archeologists are doing right now.  Definitely a good read if you're interested in history.  There are lots of pictures, too, so be sure to take a look.

Cooking:  Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies

I wanted cookies.  But not just any cookies.  What I really wanted was some of my mom's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but there was no way I was going to call her and beg, so I had to make some myself.  I actually hate making regular cookies, because there's switching pans in and out of the oven, cooling racks, and just a lot more dishes to wash than I can be bothered with.  That's why these are bar cookies.  One bowl, one pan, forever and ever, amen.  These are fantastically delicious.  The slight banana taste goes well with the oats and chocolate chips, like a really mild banana bread.

Ingredients
1 stick Butter
1 large ripe Banana
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Sugar
Egg

1 heaping tablespoon Baking Powder
1 cup Oats (rolled or instant)
1 cup Flour
1/4 cup Wheat Germ
1 cup Chocolate Chips
Pinch of Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper (or wax paper).  Cream the butter and sugars together, then mix in the banana and egg.  Add dry ingredients, and mix until just incorporated.  Spread onto the prepared pan, and bake for 15-17 minutes.  Let cool, then try not to eat it all while cutting.  Makes about 24.

Don't forget to check out my husband's blog; we got a big box set of miniatures this week, which I'm looking forward to painting.

(img via thestate.com)

What-What?! Week of February 16th

This week, I don't know what happened.  Mostly, I think the household was in survival mode.  We received a box of packing peanuts and toilet paper.  It also had ork miniatures, so you know, there's that, too.  I posted a new article about children's board games, because we've accrued a collection of them.

I haven't felt much like writing lately.  I don't get a lot of time to cook, either.  When I do cook, it's mostly just quick and easy stuff, and because it's the end of the week, the cupboards are a little bare.  Yesterday, I made a quiche using leftover pork, frozen vegetables, onion, cheese, and Worchester sauce.  Basically, dinner from the freezer, without being a frozen dinner (ha!).

Food Review:  Ecopia Farms Salad Kit -- Farmhouse Citrus Salad

My husband came home with this for our dinner yesterday.  The photograph above really does not do this salad justice; it's not just a salad, but an experience.  The kit comes with the salad greens, fresh herb mix, glass canisters of quinoa, blood oranges, and feta cheese, cotton baggies of toasted sunflower seeds and sea salt, as well as a small glass bottle of dressing.  You open the bag and start pulling more and more ingredients out, each beautifully packaged.  Assembling the salad is easy, and because you are the one mixing it up, you can choose how much of each ingredient to include.

This salad truly made the meal.  The blood oranges had a great citrus flavor, and dark, deep red color.  The dressing was suitably light, and combined well with the other ingredients.  I enjoyed it greatly.  Once the salad is gone, you are also left with these nifty glass containers, which are perfectly reusable.  I see homemade spice mixes in my future, or perhaps I'll use one to hold miniature bits.

The kits are on the expensive side, but for a special occasion or as a treat, I can totally see buying one again.  Ecopia sells at the Los Gatos and the Saratoga farmers markets, and delivers throughout the Bay Area.  If it's near you, I highly recommend you try it.

Movie Review:  Disney Cars Movie

A few weeks ago, I got a special offer from Disney Movie Rewards, to get this film for the cost of shipping.  My kids love the Mater's Tall Tales shorts that are on Netflix, so I decided that it'd definitely be something to pick up.  We'd never seen the original film or any of the sequels, but I know that it'd largely received good reviews.

My kids loved it.  I, however, was sadly disappointed.  The story was predictable and pretty unimaginative, which I can forgive to a certain extent; Monsters, Inc. and Ice Age are basically the same story, as well as Rango and Flushed Away, and so on.  The worst problem in this film was that the main character, Lightening McQueen, was just too unlikable.  In some of the behind the scenes features on the first Toy Story film, Sheriff Woody was originally a very unlikable character, which was changed, because no one was going to root for someone that despicable.  I suspect that this same thing happened with Lightening, but the creators didn't go far enough in making him likable.  Even after he's been reformed, I still had a lot of trouble liking him.  Alternatively, the problem might be that Mater is too funny, and it's just too much for the rest of the cast to absorb.  Either way, I can't get past Lightening being a jerk.  I'll keep watching Mater's Tall Tales, but not so much Cars.

(images via Ecopia and Pixar.wikia.com)

What-What?! Week of February 9th

Crafts:  Painting a 'Mech in Five Minutes via YouTube

This is a great quick tutorial on how to paint battlemechs quickly, while still looking pretty good.  I plan on using this method on some of our cheapie plastic miniatures, because why not?  I do particularly like how the man in the video refers to washes as "instant skill".  Too true!

News:  Why Walmart is Getting Too Expensive for the Middle Class via Yahoo! Finance

This article makes kind of a funny point: Walmart is now becoming too expensive for its main clientele.  Even though the economy is growing, jobs are being created, and unemployment down, the recovery has been pretty hollow.  Disposable income keeps ticking downward, and this is especially apparent in the dropping incomes of the middle and lower class.  This article seems to infer that most of the bump in retail spending has been by those in the upper class  While it's old news that dollar stores have become fierce competitors for discount retailers, it'll be interesting to see how Walmart reacts to all these factors.  I don't really expect it to turn into a more premium store, because that would take a lot of infrastructure improvements, like making the stores look nicer, hiring more employees, and so on.  No, I expect that Walmart will just become more hardcore in its low cost strategy.  I can't say I envy Walmart's suppliers, because you know those are the ones that will feel the pinch first.  Time will tell, I suppose.

Cooking:  Hot Cocoa Oatmeal

We ran out of other things to eat, so I made this.  I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it is, while still somewhat healthy (there are oats, so...).  Simply make however many servings of oatmeal you'd like, then add the same number of hot cocoa packets (or scoops from a tin).  I added a little bit more sugar to mine, but otherwise it was plenty delicious.  Some cinnamon and nutmeg would make a lovely spiced cocoa oatmeal.  I suggest topping with marshmallows, sliced banana, and a splash of half-n-half or milk.

Don't forget to check out my husband's blog, A Wizard's Rambles.

(img via Wikipedia)

What-What?! Week of January 26th

Friday, my husband decided to start a blog, The Wizard's Rambles.  You'll find the picture of Saffron's finished Battlemech, which I posted the in-process shot of on Art Thursday.  He just started it, so it's pretty basic right now.

Food and Cooking:  Silicone Muffin Cups Review

For Christmas, I was given two different sets of silicone muffin cups, and having had used them for about a month now, I thought a review was in order.

I have to say, these are so great!  I like that I can pick up each cup individually and fill it, bringing the cup to the batter, rather than the other way around (I always make a mess getting the batter into the cups).  The muffins bake up well in the cups, and the cups themselves store easily in one of my kitchen drawers.  And while Ruffles should have ridges, silicone muffin cups should not; the little ridges on the side of each cup do make them difficult to clean.  I use paper cups when I make muffins or cupcakes in these, which is somewhat annoying, but I was using them with the conventional muffin pan anyway.

To avoid the cleaning issue, I suggest either using paper cups like I do, or buying ones that have fewer or no ridges.  The best I could find on Amazon were these ones made by Freshware, as seen above.

Cooking:  Oven French Toast with Creamy Peach Filling

This is a great breakfast or dinner.  Make it the night before for breakfast, or the morning of for dinner.  The filling and cutting up the bread can be made a day or two ahead of time, to make assembly quick.

Ingredients

Filling:

• 2 small cans Peaches
• 8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons Sugar (granulated or brown)

French toast:

• 1 loaf French Bread, cut into cubes
• 8 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla
• Dash of Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Butter or cooking spray

Drain the canned peaches, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid.  Mix peaches, cream cheese, sugar together, mashing the peaches as you go.  If it seems too thick, add some of the reserved peach syrup.  Set aside.

Grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Do NOT forget this step.  It doesn't matter what you grease it with, be it butter, cooking spray, or the tears of your enemies, but grease it.  If you forget, you will be stuck at the kitchen sink for hours, wondering where your life went so wrong.

Anyway.

Beat eggs, milk, vanilla, and spices until well mixed.
Put half the French bread cubes into the pan, top with the filling, then the other half of the bread cubes.  Pour the egg mixture evenly over the pan.  Cover with plastic wrap, then put in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, pull the pan out of the fridge and set the oven to 350 degrees.  Cover with foil, bake 45 minutes, uncovering for the last 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

What-What?! Week of January 12th

This week is mostly a collection of random bits and bobs that I've collected over the past month or so.  I did get a great list of steampunk children's books put together, which you can also see using the links above.

News:  Paramount Citrus replaces Cuties brand with Wonderful Halos via The Packer

This past week, my coworkers and I were talking about food, and we wound up talking about clementines, and the new Wonderful Halos brand.  While locally all I've seen are these, I know that the Cuties brand is also available in the next town over.  Interested to see what on Earth happened with the sudden disappearance of Cuties and the immergence of Halos, I turned to the internet.  Apparently what happened is that the companies Paramount Citrus and Sun Pacific had been partners, but this partnership ended, and as part of the deal, Sun Pacific bought the Cuties brand and logo.  Paramount Citrus then introduced the Wonderful Halos as a replacement for Cuties, and the company has spent about $20 million dollars in advertising the new brand in 2013.  There's been a lot of pushback from some of the Halos commercials ("ungrateful brats" was one description of the commercial), and after seeing the commercials myself, I understand why.  I think I'd rather buy Cuties.  I don't need my fruit to be angelic, you know?  I'd rather it be cute.

Nightingale Floors via Wikipedia and Youtube

On account of a Mythbusters episode, I was reading about ninjas, and came across these nifty floors.  They are made in such a way as to squeak when someone steps on it, thus becoming a ninja deterrent.

Wizard Quest, via Vice.com

Wizard Quest in Wisconsin Dells, WI, is described as a "13000-square-foot fantasy-themed labyrinth".  Attendees solve geeky riddles and puzzles to "free" 4 trapped wizards, and if they manage to complete the quest within the time limit, they get a prize.


From the looks of it, this is cheesy in a pretty awesome way.  Some of the creatures and setting look cheap, but other portions, like the puzzle chest room, are quite well done.  The tunnel/ball pit thing makes me a little concerned about safety.

Apparently, there's also a little kids version called MagiQuest as well, which also seems really cool.  It actually might be cooler than Wizard Quest.  Unfortunately, the nearest one is in Centralia, Washington.  I want to go. >.>

What-What?! Week of December 29th

Our Christmas was pretty nice.  Unfortunately, the baby was sick and fussy for that part of the week, so that the husband and I got little sleep.  Other than that, we had a pretty good holiday; the big kids enjoyed seeing my extended family, as well as opening presents and leaving out cookies and milk for Santa (a first for this year).

Cooking:  Colcannon via Simply Recipes

This year, my husband made a simple, classic Christmas dinner of roast turkey, Colcannon, and cranberry sauce.  The unusual element in this meal was the Colcannon, an Irish variation of mashed potatoes involving kale, cabbage or other vegetables.  I like this side in particular because it's a non-offensive way to get dark green veggies into the children (and the adults, for that matter).

Cooking:  Butterscotch Pie via Food.com

A Southern pantry pie (that is, made from things you have in your pantry), butterscotch pie is a simple brown sugar pudding pie.  This recipe makes a thick, mildly sweet filling, perfect with a dollop of whipping cream atop it.  I was really surprised and pleased at the level of sweetness; rather than being almost sickly sweet like many other Southern pies, it was sweet enough to be dessert, but not so sweet as to leave your teeth aching.  This pie was easy to put together, though the 30-45 minutes spent stirring it is pretty mind numbing.  I passed the time by bugging my husband every two minutes or so ("Whatcha doin'?  Whatcha doin' now?").  I do think that I overcooked this recipe a bit --- I stirred it for about 35 minutes, and next time I'm only going to try 30 minutes.  It's difficult to tell what the final consistency will be when it's hot, so keep that in mind while you're cooking it.

News:  Do We Want an Erasable Internet? via WSJ.com

And now, something not about food. ;)
I understand what's attractive about an ephemeral internet -- that picture you took (post you wrote, flame wars participated in, etc.) while a foolish teenager won't come back to haunt you when you're an adult trying to get a job.  But would it really give you more privacy?  Rarely is anything ever truly deleted.  It's not like a paper journal, which you can throw away, set alight, or drop in a puddle, and have it be well and truly gone.  On the internet, and frequently on your computer, this is not so.  I think an ephemeral, erasable internet would give the impression of privacy, without actually being more private.  I'm not sure that's what we really need.

(imgs via simplyrecipes.com, food.com)

What-What?! Week of December 1st

It's already December!  When on Earth did that happen?  I had this past week off from work (school's out on holiday), which was quite a nice break.

If you haven't noticed, I am now posting on Thursdays with one piece of my daughter's artwork.  I thought this would be great to both preserve memories and to encourage Saffron's creativity.

Food:  German Spaetzle via AllRecipes.com

On Monday, the husband and I made a German dinner, with schnitzel and spaetzle.  Spaetzle is a German noodle/dumpling hybrid, made out of a simple egg dough.  The spaetzle I made was "vom brett", which translates roughly as "off the board"; made without a spaetzle maker, just a wooden cutting board and a knife.  Here's a great (and impressive) video showing the technique for spaetzle vom brett, and while I didn't do nearly as well as that lady, it still came out well enough:

Rather than making plain spaetzle, I actually made kassespaetzle, which is a bit like the German version of macaroni and cheese; I layered my spaetzle with butter and shredded cheese, which melted and became absolutely delicious.  The spaetzle itself has a rustic, egg-y taste, and a soft, slightly-doughy texture.  If you haven't had it yet, then you need to try it; my children loved it, and it was a quick and easy side to make, taking no longer than regular noodles.

(A word from the wise on cleaning up after making spaetzle:  Whatever touches the dough needs to get rinsed off immediately.  I didn't do this, and had to spend a while scrubbing the bowl, board, knife, pot, and so on.)

Film:  Disney's Frozen Review and a Discussion of the PG Rating via Forbes

I read one article about Frozen before we went to see the movie, and while it didn't discuss the content of the film specifically, it did discuss the PG rating it had received... along with nearly every other children's movie in recent history.  In the films I grew up watching, characters were thrown off buildings, trampled to death, and so on.  These films were rating G.  Recent films have been rated PG for mild action and peril, which would obviously be in a movie, because what else is going to happen?  Beyond the ridiculousness of this, it makes it difficult for parents to decide which films to allow children to watch.  Some PG films are perfectly okay for my children, but many are not appropriate for young children at all.  At that point, why bother having ratings?

***MILD SPOILERS***

 

 

My daughter really enjoyed Frozen, which I guess is what counts in the end.  However, I have to admit to liking things as a child that, now as an adult, I can see are just terrible.  This wasn't terrible, but it had the potential to be a lot better than it was.  I went to this movie hoping for something similar to Sleeping Beauty, or Beauty and the Beast.  Instead, Frozen was more like Tangled, where the original story has been somewhat bungled in the effort to make it funny ("entertaining"?).  The comic relief character in this film, the snowman, did have some jokes that were genuinely clever, but it still didn't save him from being annoying.  Even my daughter didn't really care for him much (!!!).  There were two mild villains in the film, which confused the storyline a bit, and really they were all secondary to the main plot, the sisters' relationship struggles and the fallout from that.  While Hans was needed to move the story, the Duke of Weselton was completely superfluous; I think he was there only because someone became attached to the gags that could be played at his expense.  If they had removed those bits, then there could have been more time spent filling out the real villain -- maybe even make him actually frightening.

The other thing that bothered me about this film, is that when Elsa becomes the snow queen, she magically gains a slit on her skirt, high heels, and a hip-swaying gait.  While watching the film, I was honestly surprised.  Why does this character gaining her freedom have to be translated into looking sexy?  The point would still have been well made without those elements.  I think the best single indicator of the change was in her hair style.  Just that would have been fine.

Beyond that, I did very much like the scene in the lodge, because it was an actual dose of Scandinavian cultures -- a lutefisk joke(Norway), and the sauna (Finland).  But overall, I was disappointed.

What-What?! Week of November 24th

My 18-month old has started lining up trucks.  And cars.  And trains.  On every available surface.  I'll get up from my desk to get something to drink and come back to find trucks lined up on my chair.  I remove those trucks, and sit down to find trains lined up on my desk.  I turn around and see cars and trucks lined up on the dining table.  And on the floor, the play table, and the TV stand.  All day long.

The middle child has decided that he wants a Lego dump truck for his birthday next month... and chose the most expensive truck set they offer, which he saw on the back of a Lego instruction booklet.  I did find a less expensive set that is about the same, so that'll be what we're getting him.

My behavioral economics class is chugging along.  This week marks the end of the class proper, and we've now moved on into exams, and the final projects.  I've come up with some great ideas, and in another week or two, I'll post some more information about them (with images!).

Cooking:  Meatloaf with Brown Sugar Topping via AllRecipes.com

We tried meatloaf this week, using our new Zaycon ground beef that we special ordered, with a ketchup and brown sugar topping.  Everyone liked it, except for my daughter, who was most put off by the topping.  My husband already reduced the amount of sugar in the topping, but we still thought the topping was too sweet; next time, I think we’ll omit it entirely.  Oh!  One great addition he made to the recipe was cubed cheddar cheese, which we’ll definitely be doing next time.

Fashion: One Scarf, Five Ways via Yahoo!  Fashion

The weather here has started to get quite cold, but still not cold enough to remain inside, which makes it perfect weather for scarves.  Now, normally I just wrap my scarf around my neck, and call it a day.  However, I came across this article from Yahoo!, which details five ways to tie a scarf, and so I've been trying new looks; I've had such a good time doing this, that I've decided that I need more silk scarves, because I currently only have one.

News: Winning a Job at Lego via The Wall Street Journal

How does Lego choose designers to build its sets?  This great article examines the process, which is really fascinating; the company invites its most promising candidates to a two-day recruiting workshop, where candidates are challenged to brainstorm, design, and build sets, all in front of senior designers, who evaluate their potential.  Before candidates even arrive, they are mailed a box of Legos, and are challenged to create a set to bring with them, which acts as part of their introduction.  The unusual set of skills and talent that the company requires really begs this kind of interview process; a standard formal interview would be little help in determining which candidate is the best suited for the job.  I'm sure that the candidates who aren't chosen for the position also enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime process as well.

What-What?! Week of November 17th

I am finally ahead of my behavioral economics class!  This is fantastic, because it means that I now have some time to work on the extra written assignments, and I can start planning my final project, which involves developing two nudges and accompanying experiments.  I forgot how intense six-week classes can be, especially when you spend two of those weeks with sick children.

Black Friday 2013

If I didn't live in a podunk little town, I wouldn't do any Black Friday (BF) shopping.  The crowds are scary, people get trampled, and a good deal just isn't worth that amount of aggravation.  But since I can fairly leisurely stroll in, get my things, and check out, I've started shopping on Black Friday.  With that in mind, I started looking for early releases of the BF ads, specifically Target and K-Mart, since those are my options.

If you plan on BF shopping, here are some suggestions to help you prepare:

Make a List
If you do nothing else before you go, make sure you have a list in hand.  Even a general one will help, though the more specific, the better.  Before I go, I make sure that I have a list and a budget.  I try to figure out exactly how much I'll spend, then add a buffer, so that way if there's something there we just have to have, it's already accounted for.

Is That Really the Best Deal?

With all the BF ads out so early, it's pretty easy to do comparison shopping in order to get the best deals.  With big ticket purchases, though, it is important to examine the deals closely; many times, better deals can be had at other times of the year (I got my an excellent deal on my current TV in March of last year), or even just waiting a bit closer to Christmas.  It's also important to look up reviews of the big ticket items as well; Target will put Westinghouse brand TV's on sale for great prices on BF, but the reviews on them are really mixed.

Be Choosey
When I'm making my list, I try to ask myself if I want to buy something because it's a good deal, or because it's a good deal for me.  No matter how cheap something is, if it goes unused, then it's a waste of money.  Stores always have good deals on toys, but then, how many toys do my kids really need?  With this in mind, the husband and I are probably going to buy a new printer, and little else.

Bacon and Cabbage Salad

This recipe was inspired by an episode of Kitchen Nightmares (U.K.), where it was part of a meal.  It sounded so delicious that I just had to make it.  Since then, the husband has cooked it once, and I've cooked it once, and both times we enjoyed it greatly.  It has an almost sauerkraut-ish, all without actually being sauerkraut, which is brilliant for those who, like me, dislike the taste of sauerkraut.

When I last cooked this, I added another half-pound of sausage, as well as some farfalle noodles, and made a whole meal out of it.  The children don't dig this dish that much, probably because it has so many strong flavors.  That's okay, though, because there's more for me!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small Cabbage, chopped in thin slices
• 1/2 medium Onion, chopped in thin slices
• 8 ounces, Bacon (sausage would also be a good substitute)
• Pepper, to taste

Saute the bacon in a medium skillet (a saucepan would work, too); cook for 3-5 minutes, until the edges are browned.  Add the cabbage, onion, and pepper, then cook until the onions are translucent and the cabbage is soft.  Enjoy!

(img via nymag.com)

What-What?! Week of November 10th

Finally this week, the children and I are getting better.  After getting over Fifth Disease, the kids managed to catch a cold, and now they’re still coughing from that.

Edited to add:  I did do some writing this week!  See the above tab, "Farm Books for Children", which has a collection of my favorite children's books involving farms and farm animals.

Behavioral economics moved somewhat away from experiments, and on to the discussion of examining how people make intuitive decisions.  The professors actually discussed one thing that I’d discovered on my own—that people, when given the vocabulary to describe something, will take the time to examine more closely their own likes and dislikes.  When my sister took art classes, the class would look at a piece of art, and each student had to explain why they liked or disliked it; they were not allowed to say “just because”.  They learned the vocabulary to describe art (compositions, techniques, color theories), then applied that to the pieces they viewed.  A few years ago, I became much more interested in food, tasting food, and trying new things.  I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why I like or dislike a food, and through this, I’ve learned new words, and I’ve learned a lot about myself.  I’ve gotten a lot of practice asking myself why, and examining the answers.  I think this has helped me understand other people, too, because now I can ask more detailed questions when I want to know, “how do you like this dish?”

Creamy Ham and Rice Bake

Want something creamy, a little salty, and a little cheesy?  Then this is the casserole for you!  I liked how the veggies in this complemented the rich sauce very nicely, helping the dish from becoming too rich.  This is based on the Veggie, Ham & Cheese Rice Bake from Tasty Kitchen, I simplified the recipe and subbed out the cream of chicken soup for a simple white sauce.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons Butter
• 1/4 to 1/2 Onion, diced
• 1-1/2 cups Ham Steak, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Flour
• 2 cups Milk
• 1 cup Fresh or Frozen Broccoli
• 1 cup Fresh or Frozen Cauliflower
• 1 cup White Rice (long or short grain)
• 1 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.

Saute onion and ham in butter on medium heat, until onions are translucent and ham is browned.  Add flour and let cook 1-2 minutes, then stir in milk.  Bring mixture up to a simmer to thicken, stirring as needed.  Add broccoli and cauliflower, then simmer another 2-3 minutes, or as long as needed to heat them all the way through.  Add rice, water and cheese, mixing thoroughly.  Add salt and pepper as needed.  Pour into prepared baking dish, and bake for 40 minutes, until rice is cooked.  Enjoy!

Film:  My Little Pony:  Equestria Girls via Netflix

Netflix just added this to the video library, and because my kids are pony fanatics, we had to watch it.  Consequently, we have watched it every day since.  I was pretty pleased with it, though make no mistake:  I would not watch this if I didn’t have children.  The story was good, though the ending is weak, and the romance feels like it was inserted in order to pander to the desired demographic of tweens (or tweens’ younger siblings?).  At first, I actually thought that the love interest was Twilight’s brother, and my mistake didn’t actually become clear for quite a while (storytelling oops!).  I enjoyed that the alternate world that Twilight Sparkle steps into is nothing like home, except in every single detail.  I worry that the dependence of the story on technological elements will mean that it will become dated quickly; one of the things that I enjoy about the old My Little Pony show is that it really isn’t that dated, other than the clothes that the children are wearing, and a few other things like that.  The next season of the regular My Little Pony show is due out on November 23rd, so be prepared for more pony talk in a few weeks. ;D

(img via mlp.wikia.com)

What-What?! Week of October 27th

I spent a lot of this week just trying to get everything done.  Between my behavioral economics class, my CPR/first aid class (this week only – I am now certified!), my daughter’s birthday, putting together Halloween costumes, and having quite a stressful week at work, I have just been run ragged.  Oh!  I did have an article published on Yahoo! Voices, in response to the book Homeschooling: The Bigger Picture; this book legitimately made me angry, which is pretty unusual.  Since reading that book, the author has since published more, though thankfully it is fiction, not non-fiction or advice.

Week 2 of my behavioral economics class covered mental accounting and “unmoney”; that is, paying with anything other than cash, and the affects it has on behavior.  Very interesting, though mostly information that I’d read elsewhere before.  Every week, there’s a debate topic where experts discuss their opinions, and then us students discuss their reactions and the topic.  This week’s topic was asking if credit is a boon or a curse, and one of the experts said the most insane thing:  “Credit card companies are there to provide free debt to consumers”.  Uh… what?  I heartily disagree with that; they are in it to make money.

Art:  Kuitsuku’s Disney / Pokemon Mash-Ups via Deviantart

Earlier this week, I followed a link here and a link there, and came across these adorable Disney / Pokemon mash-ups; while most are of princess and Pokemon, I think the best ones are the non-princess characters, like those above.  Hit the link for more.

Books:  Racecar: Searching for the Limit in Formula SAE via Amazon.com

This is one of the few Kindle books I’ve read that I would give five stars.  It follows the experiences of an engineer through his last year of college, and his last year competing in the Formula SEA student design competition as the main manager of the project.  He and his fellow engineers work, struggle, and grow in their effort to produce a winning car.  The management and interpersonal growth the group experiences are really the stars of the tale, with all the engineers transitioning to from bickering and spite, to a cohesive, effective team.  It really is a good read, whether you’re interested in motorsports or not.

Food:  Healthy Halloween Snacks Roundup via Kelly’s Healthy Kitchen

Now that I’m not in school, I spend a lot more time doing things with my kids related to the holidays.  While looking for activities to do, I came across this great list of healthy Halloween-themed snacks.  I haven’t done a lot of them, but the one that I have done (over and over!) is the ghost bananas.  These are simple as can be, and the kids have been enthralled with them.  Just press chocolate chips into the banana for eyes and a mouth, and BAM, you’ve got a ghost banana!

(img via deviantart.com, kellytoups.com)

What-What?! Week of October 13th

This week went well -- had some bumps at work, but thankfully nothing huge.  The husband has this weekend off, which he's using to spend some one-on-one time with the older kids.  It can be difficult to find time for that, so I'm glad he has the opportunity.

Cooking: Simple Candy Apples


One of the highlights of this week was making candy apples with the kids. It was a simple project, and nice because it could be scaled down to just four apples, enough for each child to have two.

Materials

• Apples
• Candy melts
• Popsicle sticks (we used plastic knives)
• Toppings like sprinkles, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.

First, wash and dry the apples thoroughly, then insert the stick into one end.  Prepare a pan for the apples to dry on by placing some wax paper on it (butcher paper would also work well here).  Put toppings into bowls for easy dipping. Put the candy melts in a deep bowl, and melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.

Dip the apples in the candy melts, covering completely, then dip or sprinkle toppings onto apples.  Place on prepared pan and wait for the candy melts to harden.  Enjoy.
 
We did!

Food Review: Starbucks Chocolate Chai Latte

The husband and I tried this chocolate chai lattes, and were really disappointed. My husband and I agreed that they were just too sweet, which is pretty common with Starbucks, unfortunately. I liked the spiced chocolate taste, but my husband thought that it there was too much ginger. Normally I abhor ginger, but in this instance, I thought the chocolate offset the spices nicely. However, the whole thing was ruined by the sheer sweetness of the drink. Needless to say, we won't be buying them again.

(img via polyvore.com)

What-What?! Week of October 6th

After much talking and thinking, the husband and I have decided that we will be relocating to Washington state, specifically the Seattle area, sometime in the next year.  Because I continue to be unable to find fulltime work, we think it would be prudent to move on to greener pastures, as it were.  There are actually many reasons to choose that area, enough that I actually wrote an article discussing them.  Funnily enough, since writing the article, I keep stumbling into more and more information that goads us towards the Seattle area.

On another note, I am now registered for the BehavioralEconomics class at EdX; it’s being offered by the University of Toronto Extension, and will start in just over a week.

Film:  Mean Girls via Amazon.com

This week, I watched Mean Girls.  Yeah, it stars Lindsay Lohan.  No, I’m not a Lohan fan.  However, the film is entertaining, and well written.  Rachel McAdams is delightfully evil, and I appreciate the awkwardness that Lohan brings to the role of a homeschooled student thrust into conventional high school.

Books:  Super Hero Philosophy via Amazon.com

This is a pretty cool book that I’ve been reading; it’s a collection of essays that look at philosophical elements that exist in super hero media.  The first essay, which discusses the concepts of justice and mercy in the Thor comics, was a particularly interesting read, considering that I am now responsible for a class of 19 children, and I frequently find myself having to decide how much mercy to give a rule-breaker.  I tend to be on the lawful side when it comes to alignment, which in my experience tends to favor the justice side of the justice/mercy balance.  Some essays are definitely more interesting than others, both because of writing style, and because some of these topics are ones I’ve considered before.  Overall, I think it is a worthwhile read, especially since the book is currently free.  If you don't currently have a Kindle or other reader, I suggest downloading the PC or smartphone (Android?) app from Amazon, which is also free (yay for free things!)

Food:  Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole via The Pioneer Woman
Now that’s getting colder here, I’m looking forward to eating comfort foods, hot dishes, soups and stews. Thursday, my husband made a really great sausage, potato and broccoli chowder; it would have been good anyway, but what really kicked it up a notch was some Worchester sauce. It added just the right amount of umami.

Friday, we took the family to Costco for our monthly shopping trip there, and bought a rotisserie chicken for an easy dinner that night.  We had enough leftover chicken that I made this delicious tetrazzini casserole yesterday, and we’ll be eating the leftovers for dinner tonight (if you’re not cooking for a crowd, I suggest halving the recipe).  This is good, basic, comfort food.  Yum!

I’m also looking forward to more baking, as well.  I bought a 4-pound sack of chocolate chips while we were at Costco, and I’m looking forward to making chocolate chip cookies and muffins with them.

What-What?! Week of September 22nd

Unfortunately, since I am now gone for dinner five days a week, I haven’t had much time to cook anything interesting.  My husband, on the other hand, has done a great job in my absence.  He has made the most delicious mushroom and onion sauce, cooked in a red wine reduction, served over breaded pork chops and baked potatoes.  Somewhat an odd mix of flavors, but delicious nonetheless.

Talk Like a Pirate Day
This past Thursday, the 19th, was Talk Like a Pirate Day, which is a brilliant holiday celebrating all things piratical.  In honor of it, before I went to work, the husband and I did some fun games and crafts with the children.

First up, we played Ship Captain, a game that worked out far better with my kids at home than my class at work.  The kids particularly enjoyed running around when there was a shark, or an island with treasure (my middle son pretended to carry a giant treasure chest back on the boat).

 

Then, we did a pirate character craft; at first, my son wasn’t interested in it, and instead made a ship with pirates on it.  My daughter, though, was all for it, and quickly put together a face.  We used q-tips for the crossed bones on the hat, and simple construction paper for everything else. (Saffron's is left, Corey's is right).

The last thing we did was have “sailboat sammies” for lunch, which were simple turkey sandwiches with cheese “sails”.  This is one of the few times recently that my son has eaten a turkey sandwich without complaint, and may lead to this entering the regular rotation.  Next year, I hope to be a bit more extravagant with the activities, maybe even being a bit factual and teaching the kids some history.

News: 3 Ethical Ways to Boost Positive Online Reviews via Entrepreneur
This article features three vignettes showing strategies that companies have taken to increase online reviews, and the benefits of increased consumer trust, notoriety, and success.  The only thing that I dislike about this article, that the comments section points out well, is that one of the companies recommends not responding to negative comments in public.  In my opinion, that is just backwards.  When I see a review on Amazon (or Yelp, or wherever), if someone from the company has taken the time to reply to a negative review, even if it’s just a “I’m so sorry, please contact me at…”, it tells me that the company actually cares.  That someone has a job monitoring comments, and that feedback is appreciated and important enough to garner a public response.

Music: Captain Bogg and Salty’s Waltz of the Waves via Youtube.com

I was re-listening to the Emphatical Piratical album and think that it’s probably the most grownup song on there.  I read one review of the album that described this song as “wistful”, which is very apt for this romantic view of the pirate life.

'Til next week!

What-What?! Week of September 15th

This week I officially started my position as an after school leader with the local YMCA.  It is somewhat of a bumpy ride; the location for my class is poor.  The situation is temporary, but at the same time makes working with the kids difficult.  I’ve been coming home quite spent.  As it is, I am waiting to see if the situation remedies itself, or if I need to apply some pressure to get things put right.  Thursday, I came home from work very sunburned.  I hope not to repeat that in the future.

I haven’t written an article in a while – or actually, I should say, I haven’t published an article in a while.  Two are just sitting about, waiting for me to decide where to put them; I’m unhappy with Yahoo! Voices, but at the same time, there aren’t a lot of other notable options.  Now that I’m working, I’m not sure how much I’ll be writing other than this blog; because I’m missing the baby’s naptime, it makes it hard to find uninterrupted time.

News: Carmel Dinosaur via The Monterey Herald

This is one of those special local issues; Carmel is an upscale town in the Monterey that is particular about preserving property values.  The town hosts few (or no?) chain stores, and many people vacation there.  So, having a giant dinosaur in your front yard is not well looked upon.  I think it’s awesome (though I’m not sure I’d want it in my neighborhood, along with this family's display).

News: Chinese Chicken Processors Are Cleared to Ship to U.S. via The New York Times

Companies will soon be able to export slaughtered chickens to China for processing, which will then be imported back to the United States – and will not be required to be labeled as such.  This is honestly pretty off-putting.  In recent memory, Chinese companies have poisoned infant formula, dog and cat treats, sold rat meat as mutton, and had cases of bird flu in live poultry.  No way do I want to eat poultry processed in China, and for that matter, I’m not excited about raw meat being shipped that far before it even gets anywhere near my dinner table (risk of spoilage, anyone?).

To add insult to injury, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has brought up serious doubts about the legitimacy of domestic inspections, since the USDA is expanding a pilot program that would allow companies to use their own employees as inspectors.  The GAO claims that the USDA didn’t accurately examine the effectiveness of this program before deciding to expand it.  This would most likely reduce the USDA’s overhead, but the question remains if this is furthering their goal of protecting the American people.

Music:  Lyle Lovett – In My Own Mind via Youtube.com

After writing last week’s post, I had to go look up this, which is far and away my favorite Lyle Lovett song.  Sometimes, to me, this song is about The Secret Life of Walter Mitty:  The secret fantasies and other lives that we live when no one is looking.  Other times, the song is about perspective: What happens in your life is colored greatly by how you view it in your own mind.

I love that he pronounces foyer properly.

(images via The Monterey Herald and Simply Fresh Cooking)

 

What-What?! Week of September 8th

Had to get fingerprinted on Friday; this was another one of those things where I ran around trying to find a place, only to wind up waiting over a week to get them done.  Also, the scan area for fingerprints is tiny; my fingers barely fit, and I don’t have large hands at all.  How do they fingerprint people with large hands?  Do they just do one finger at a time, and that’s it?

News:  Chobani’s Mold Woes via BusinessWeek and ABC News

Chobani has apparently had quality control issues with about 5 percent of their greek yogurt products, causing the product to have mold.  Chobani’s handling of the situation has caused the FDA to open an investigation to see if they acted too slowly, putting consumers’ health in jepordy.  When I read about this incident, it was like a lightbulb went off; we had bought some Chobani brand yogurt tubes from Costco, and numerous tubes were inedible long before the expiry, possibly before we even took the box home.  While scientists have said that the mold isn't harmful to "most consumers", I’m not sure I’ll be buying Chobani again.

More on The Gamers: Hands of Fate via watchthegamers.com
*MORE SPOILERS*

The husband and I were able to watch the rest of the film earlier this week, and I’ve had more time to think about it.  Watching the film, I couldn’t help but think of an interview that Joss Whedon gave recently, where he discussed the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and it’s moment of self-reference where Indy tries to repeat the swordfighter versus gun scene in Indiana Jones and THAT ONE.  Hands of Fate has all these scenes that emulate or make inside jokes about Dead Gentlemen’s other projects, that, while funny, sort of devalue the originality of the film.  The last hour of Hands of Fate has a lot of self-referencing “look at this *wink-wink*” scenes; from a scene that’s basically the opening of Journey Quest, to Cass being pushed over by two guys, as he was in The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, and on.  While I think that some of it would be okay, this film kicks it up to 11, which is just too much.  It is enjoyable nonetheless, but I’ll probably stick with watching Dorkness Rising.

Disney Dream Portraits via insidethemagic.net

These would be awesome if they weren’t so creepy.   It’s surreal, which is fine because it’s fantasy, but there’s something else just a bit creepy about them.  The other problem is that some of these roles are so linked to their actor/actress that anyone else portraying them is odd.  For example, Whoopi Goldberg as the Genie, what?  Robin Williams will always be the Genie to me.

I guess the other thing that bothers me about the people they chose is that I look at them and think about their personalities – Taylor Swift doesn’t seem like a good match for Rapunzel, even if she’s got the blonde hair.  I could see Amy Adams; she was a fantastic princess in Enchanted, but of course, she’s a brunette.

I do very much like Lyle Lovett as the March Hare, though; it seems like it'd be a great fit.

'Til next week!