tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54315427182660500032024-03-14T01:29:30.220-05:00Rubber Duckies and Rice Cereal.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-11058149875330956072012-10-09T00:00:00.000-05:002012-10-09T03:13:44.882-05:00Taco Pie (31 Days: Day 9)I got the original recipe for this dish from, I think, the Kraft website. <i>(I'm sorry. I can't find the original version now. If I could, I would link to it.)</i> I changed it so my family would eat it. Here's my version.<br />
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You will need ground beef, flour or corn tortillas, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning and shredded cheese.<br />
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Brown your ground beef.<br />
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And drain it.<br />
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Cut your tortillas to fit inside a 9x13 casserole dish that you have sprayed with non-stick spray. You'll want two layers of tortillas. Just take the extra bits you cut off and fill in the gaps. I usually spread a can of refried beans over my tortillas to add a little fiber and whatnot, but I was out. It made me sad. So just pretend that there's a picture of refried beans spread over flour tortillas in my pretty blue Pyrex dish.<br />
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In the same skillet you browned your ground beef in, mix the tomatoes and taco seasoning into your drained, browned ground beef. If you feel the need to, add a little water. Let this simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated.<br />
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Spread your taco meat over the tortillas.<br />
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Add just a little shredded cheese to help the next layer of tortillas stick.<br />
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Add the second layer of tortillas, cutting them as needed to fit.<br />
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Cover with a good layer of shredded cheese.<br />
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Throw it in the oven just long enough to ensure everything is heated well, and your cheese melts.<br />
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Serve with sour cream, salsa, or anything else you'd like.<br />
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The recap:<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1 pound ground beef<br />
1 package burrito sized tortillas (10 count)<br />
1 can diced tomatoes<br />
1 can refried beans (optional)<br />
1 package taco seasoning<br />
3 cups shredded cheese<br />
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<u>Directions</u><br />
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
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2. Brown ground beef in skillet over medium heat. Drain.<br />
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3. Return ground beef to skillet. Add tomatoes and taco seasoning. Add a little water if needed. Simmer until heated through and most of the liquid evaporates.<br />
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4. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Place half the tortillas in the bottom, cutting to fit. Use scraps to cover gaps.<br />
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5. Spread refried beans over tortillas.<br />
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6. Spread taco meat over beans.<br />
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7. Sprinkle one cup of shredded cheese over meat. Top with remaining tortillas.<br />
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8. Top with remaining shredded cheese.<br />
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9. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through and cheese is melted.<br />
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10. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and any other desired toppings.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-13116885980941161702012-10-08T00:00:00.000-05:002012-10-08T00:00:06.161-05:00Fried Pork Chops (31 Days: Day 8)OK, so this is kinda cheating today, but I'm gonna do it anyway. There is only one way my little sister will eat pork chops. To get her to eat them, you have to fry them. But you can't just dredge them in flour. No way, Jose. You have to cook them Christy Jordan style. To get the recipe from today's post, you'll have to visit <a href="http://southernplate.com/">SouthernPlate.com</a>. Her recipe for <a href="http://www.southernplate.com/2011/10/crispy-breaded-pork-chops-with-milk-gravy-and-memes-mashed-potatoes.html">Crispy Breaded Pork Chops</a> can be found there, along with a lot of other really great recipes.<br />
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I will tell you that I cheat and add about a cup of plain bread crumbs to my breading. I also add a couple of tablespoons of <a href="http://www.mccormick.com/Products/GrillMates/Dry-Rubs/Grill-Mates-Pork-Rub.aspx">McCormick Grill Mates Pork Rub</a>.<br />
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So sorry I cheated (kinda) today. I just can't bring myself to post Christy's recipe here. She's worked hard to build her blog, and she's a North Alabamian like myself.<br />
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<i>***I have no affiliation with McCormick or Christy Jordan (or Southern Plate), other than I love their seasoning blends and her recipes. I can't wait for her new cookbook to hit the shelves. No one paid me or otherwise compensated me to write this post. I just had to share THE BEST fried pork chop recipe EVER with all of you.</i>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-43134833000650868272012-10-07T00:00:00.000-05:002012-10-06T23:44:30.614-05:00Capellini Pomodoro and Garlic Bread (31 Days: Day 7)I love Olive Garden's Capellini Pomodoro. A lot. So much that I got on their website and looked up their recipe. But fresh tomatoes can be expensive certain times of the year, so I modified their recipe to use canned tomatoes. If you want the original Olive Garden Capellini Pomodoro recipe, go <a href="http://www.olivegarden.com/Recipes/Main-Dishes/Capellini-Pomodoro/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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This recipe for Capellini Pomodoro will serve 6-8 people, and twelve pieces of garlic bread <i>should</i> serve six people. It barely served the four of us. We're pigs. We're ok with that.<br />
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For my version of this dish, you will need six cans of petite diced tomatoes, a few cloves of garlic, a box of angel hair pasta, olive oil, dried basil, salt and pepper.<br />
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<i>(I know, the picture has thin spaghetti in it. I was out of angel hair pasta, so I used this instead. It works. Regular spaghetti or fettuccine would be an acceptable substitute, also. Any really thin and long pasta would work.)</i><br />
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Fill a large pot with water and put it on to boil. While you wait on the water, open and drain your tomatoes. You don't want a lot of juice in this dish.</div>
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My bowl was exactly as deep as my colander, so I placed a small bowl, upside down, in my mixing bowl under my colander so it would drain correctly.</div>
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When your pasta water is boiling, add your noodles.<br />
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Throw the tomatoes, a few cloves of minced garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper into a skillet over medium heat.<br />
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Check and stir your pasta. To test your pasta to see if it is cooked correctly, gently throw a few noodles on the wall, ceiling, or fridge when you think it's done. (Yes, I'm serious here. I worked with a man of Italian descent who told me this is the true way to tell if spaghetti-shaped pasta is cooked to the correct firmness. You just have to throw it at a smooth surface. Swear.) If it sticks, it's cooked perfectly. (As the pasta cools, it should fall off of whatever you threw it on.) Drain your pasta. Toss it with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together. While you're at it, stir your tomatoes, too.</div>
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<i>See? Mine is done. I told you I throw pasta across the kitchen when I cook. Well, fettuccini or spaghetti-shaped pasta, anyway.</i><br />
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For the garlic bread, you're gonna need another few cloves of garlic, some butter, basil, and slices of bread. The bread can be French bread, Texas toast, white bread, hamburger buns, whatever. <i>Seriously, hamburger buns make delicious garlic bread. Try it. You'll like it. (Anyone know what movie I just quoted?)</i> Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.<br />
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Mince the garlic and add it to a few heaping spoonfuls of butter. Add in a bit of dried basil. Stir it up.<br />
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I'm using some of my homemade white bread for the garlic bread. I need to use it up so I can bake more to post for you guys. That's twelve slices of bread on my cutting board.<br />
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Slather your bread with the garlic butter.<br />
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Pop it in the oven for a few minutes, until it's all toasty and good. While you're waiting on your bread, taste your tomatoes to see if they need any more of your spices, and adjust if necessary.<br />
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To serve, place noodles on a plate. Top with hot tomatoes. Serve garlic bread alongside. <i>(The Olive Garden recipe says to toss the tomatoes and pasta in a skillet and saute until heated through. You could do that to each serving if you want. I'm too lazy and ready to eat to do all that extra work.)</i><br />
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This is so good. After the four of us ate, I had enough leftovers for three or four more servings of pasta. All the garlic bread got eaten.<br />
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Did you know <i>capellini pomodoro</i> translates to <i>tomato angel hair pasta </i>in English? Yes? Ok. We'll get on with it, then.<br />
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Here's the recipe recap:<br />
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<b><u>Capellini Pomodoro</u></b><br />
<u>Ingredients</u><br />
6 (14 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes<br />
14 ounces angel hair (capellini) pasta<br />
three or four cloves garlic, minced (depending on the size of the cloves)<br />
6 Tablespoons olive oil<br />
1 Tablespoon dried basil<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
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<u>Directions</u><br />
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until <i>al dente</i>. Drain.<br />
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2. Drain tomatoes.<br />
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3. Add tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper to a skillet. Saute over medium heat.<br />
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4. Serve tomatoes over pasta.<br />
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<b><u>Garlic Bread</u></b><br />
<u>Ingredients</u><br />
8-10 slices bread<br />
3-4 cloves garlic, minced (depending on the size of your cloves)<br />
4 Tablespoons butter or margarine<br />
1 teaspoon basil<br />
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<u>Directions</u><br />
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
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2. Add garlic and basil to butter. Mix well.<br />
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3. Spread butter over bread. Place on baking sheet.<br />
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4. Bake at 350 degrees 5-10 minutes, or until bread is toasted.<br />
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That's it, folks. Easy take out made at home.<br />
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Question of the day: What's your favorite pasta dish?Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-75668177738095456112012-10-06T00:00:00.000-05:002012-10-06T00:00:03.449-05:00White Pizza with Garlic-Olive-Basil Pesto (31 Days: Day 6)I love pizza of just about every kind. (I know, I told you that yesterday. I just REALLY LOVE pizza.) Thin crust, thick crust, regular crust. Pepperoni, cheese, supreme, veggie, Hawaiian, Chicken Bacon Artichoke (from Papa Murphy's - seriously delicious). I love this pizza, as well.<br />
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Both the sauce and toppings in today's post were born out of necessity. I have a very dear friend with a delicate stomach. She can't eat pizza with loads of tomato-based sauce on it. Her family was joining us for dinner one night, and I wanted to serve homemade pizza. I searched the internet for inspiration. This sauce is the result of that dilemma. The toppings are the result of needing something that would taste good with the sauce.<br />
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The sauce is a Garlic-Olive-Basil Pesto that is super easy to whip up, but it seems like you took longer to prepare it. I was making a garlic basil pesto to use as my sauce. I had already opened a can of what I thought were sliced black olives to top the pizzas with. What I discovered when I looked into the can was that I had actually opened a can of chopped olives. Have you ever seen canned chopped olives? They're chopped into such tiny pieces they should be classified as minced olives. Now I was stuck with olives that wouldn't work so great for topping pizza with, but I couldn't bear to throw them away. I threw them into my mini food processor with the rest of my pesto ingredients. It turned out great, if you like garlic and black olives. I'm sure if you hate olives (or garlic) you could leave either out and it would be fine, though you may have to use less olive oil if you do. I don't think I would recommend leaving both out, as I don't think this would work quite so well if you do. (Or maybe I'm wrong. If you try it and like it, let me know!)<br />
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Anyway, I'll quit yammering and get to the recipe now.<br />
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For the pesto, you'll need a can of chopped olives, dried basil, some minced garlic (I'm trying to use up this store-bought-in-a-jar minced garlic, so that's what I used for this. I'll be so glad when it's all gone.) and some olive oil. And a food processor or blender would make this a lot easier. (But you could get by without one if you had to. Just throw everything but the oil on a cutting board and mince it all together really well, then put it in a bowl with the oil and stir it up.)<br />
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Put everything into the food processor or blender together. That's right, everybody into the pool.</div>
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Put the lid on it and give it a whirl or ten, until all the garlic and olives are cut up into teeny, tiny pieces and everything is mixed together real well.</div>
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That's it. Your pesto is now ready to spread on a pizza crust.<br />
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This is so good on white pizza, with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and chopped baby spinach. I think it would go great on several other kinds of pizza. It would also be good made with roasted garlic and used as a dipping sauce for breadsticks or pizza crust.<br />
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Now, for the pizza toppings for our white pizza. You'll need some shredded cheese (I used Great Value Fiesta blend; it's my go-to all-purpose shredded cheese), canned sliced mushrooms, fresh diced tomatoes, chopped onions and chopped baby spinach. Plus your garlic-olive-basil pesto and pre-baked pizza crusts. (If you want to try making your own pizza crust, you can find my recipe for <a href="http://rubberduckiesandricecereal.blogspot.com/2012/10/handmade-pizza-dough-31-days-day-5.html">handmade pizza crust here</a>.)<br />
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Spread the pesto onto your crust. Try to get a nice, even coating of olives and garlic over the entire crust.<br />
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Add all your veggies.</div>
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Add the cheese.</div>
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Bake at 425 degrees until your crust is done and cheese is all bubbly and melty and gooey. Like pizza cheese should be.<br />
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That't it. You could swap this up and include any toppings you like. Artichokes and roasted chicken would be delicious with the pesto. So would just cheese, or cheese and tomatoes.<br />
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To recap:<br />
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<b><u>Garlic-Olive-Basil Pesto</u></b><br />
<u>Ingredients</u><br />
3 Tablespoons minced garlic in oil (or enough minced garlic cloves to make three tablespoons)<br />
3 Tablespoons canned chopped olives (which equals out to less than a 4.25 ounce can)<br />
1 Tablespoon dried basil<br />
1 Tablespoon olive oil (you may need a little more than this if you use fresh garlic)<br />
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<u>Directions</u><br />
1. If using fresh garlic, mince into super-fine pieces.<br />
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2. Place all ingredient into food processor or blender and pulse until pesto is well mixed and emulsified.<br />
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<b><u>White Pizza</u></b><br />
<u>Ingredients</u><br />
2 large pizza crusts<br />
Garlic-Olive-Basil Pesto sauce<br />
1-2 tomatoes, diced<br />
1 small onion, diced<br />
1 (13.25 ounce) can mushrooms<br />
1 cup chopped spinach<br />
1 1/2 - 3 cups shredded cheese (depending on how much cheese you like on your pizza)<br />
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<u>Directions</u><br />
1. Spread pesto evenly over pizza crusts.<br />
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2. Add other toppings in even layers.<br />
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3. Top with shredded cheese.<br />
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4. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-20 minutes, or until pizza crusts are done and cheese is melted.<br />
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So easy, yet so good. The pesto is really just one step, unless you count opening cans and jars. The pizza is just four steps after you make the pesto. if you choose to make your own pizza crusts, you can prep everything else while the dough is rising and pre-baking. Since I began making pizza at home, we rarely go out for pizza. It's just that good.<br />
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What toppings do you think would go well with the pesto sauce?Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-80003144156741113962012-10-05T00:00:00.000-05:002012-10-05T00:00:09.373-05:00Handmade Pizza Dough (31 Days: Day 5)I make a lot of homemade pizzas. I usually use my bread machine to knead my pizza dough for me, so I can <strike>be lazy about it</strike> do other things while it's processing. Every once in a while when I haven't <strike>really thought about making</strike> had time to make my dough early enough in the day to use my bread machine, I have to resort to the old-fashioned method. It's a lot quicker than my machine, but a little more labor intensive.<br />
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This recipe makes enough dough for two large thin crust pizzas. If you like a thicker crust, you'll want to make one and a half recipes. For pan crust, I suggest doubling the recipe.<br />
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For this, you will need warm water, fast-acting yeast, salt, sugar, all purpose flour, olive oil (or vegetable oil if you don't have any olive oil), and any seasonings you want to add to your crust. I used Mrs. Dash Garlic<br />
& Herb and onion powder. You'll also need non-stick spray and cornmeal for your pans.<br />
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Pour your water into a bowl and mix a little sugar in. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, but do not mix.</div>
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Let sit for about ten minutes, until it gets all foamy.<br />
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Add the flour, salt, oil, and any seasonings you would like to have baked into your crust.<br />
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Mix everything up well, until your dough forms into a ball. Knead your dough for several minutes, until it gets smooth and elastic. (And let's just pretend in this photo that I remembered to add my seasonings before mixing my dough. I didn't so I kneaded them in after I mixed everything else up.)<br />
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My dough, with seasonings kneaded in. </div>
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Add a few drops of olive oil over your ball of dough and turn it over several times in the bowl to coat the dough evenly. This will keep your dough from sticking to your bowl.</div>
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Place your bowl in a warm spot, cover with a towel, and let it rise for twenty or thirty minutes, or until it's at least doubled. I like to turn my oven on a few seconds, just long enough to start heating it up, but not long enough to melt my bowl. Then I turn my oven off and pop my bowl of dough in there, uncovered.</div>
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After your dough has risen, dump it out on a floured surface. Knead it a few times, to work the extra oil into it, then cut it in half with a sharp knife.</div>
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Spray your pan with non-stick spray and dust it with cornmeal. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.</div>
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Throw your dough on top of your pan and pat or roll it out to be slightly bigger than you want the finished pizza to be. Fold the edges over the pizza. I like to crimp the edges down with a fork, just so it'll be more likely to stay. Poke your dough with a fork.<br />
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My son insisted I make him his very own "little" pizza, so I did.<br />
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Bake your crusts for 10 minutes or so. This will help keep them from getting too soggy. Then you can top your pizza with whatever you'd like and bake it for another 10-20 minutes.</div>
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OK, kiddos, recap time.</div>
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<b><u>Pizza Dough (handmade, enough for two large thin crust pizzas)</u></b></div>
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<u>Ingredients</u></div>
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2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</div>
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1 (0.25 ounce) package yeast</div>
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1 Tablespoon sugar</div>
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1/4 teaspoon salt</div>
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1 cup warn water</div>
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1 Tablespoon olive oil, plus 1/2 teaspoon for coating dough while rising</div>
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1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)</div>
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1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)</div>
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Cornmeal</div>
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<u>Directions</u></div>
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1. Mix sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast on top and wait 10 minutes.</div>
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2. Add flour, salt, oil and seasonings. Combine.</div>
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3. Knead 6-8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Coat with olive oil. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.</div>
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4. Grease pans. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.</div>
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5. Knead dough a few times to incorporate the oil coating.</div>
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6. Divide your dough and pat or roll it out onto pans, making it a little bigger than the desired size of the finished crust. Fold the edges over and crimp to seal. Prick crust with a fork.</div>
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7. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.</div>
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8. Remove from oven. Add desired pizza sauce and toppings. Return to oven for an additional 10 to 20 minutes, or until crust is cooked through and cheese is melted.</div>
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Today's question : What pizza toppings are your favorites? Do you like plain cheese pizza? Pepperoni? Supreme? Meat lover's? Hawaiian? Margherite? Veggie? White pizza with spinach? (Personally, I love pizza. Period. Just about any toppings, with the exceptions of hot peppers and anchovies. But if you like them, that's OK. Different strokes, and all that.)</div>
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Tomorrow, I'll bring you my recipe for White Pizza, complete with my Garlic-Olive-Basil Pesto recipe that I use as the sauce on this delectable delight.</div>
Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-71439574062684163162012-10-04T00:00:00.000-05:002012-10-04T03:16:40.289-05:00Slow Cooker Chili (31 Days: Day 4)Everyone has their own chili recipe. This is mine. Not too spicy, not completely bland.<br />
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You'll need chili ready diced tomatoes, regular diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chilies, canned kidney beans, three pounds of ground beef, and chili seasoning.<br />
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Brown your ground beef in a skillet. I use a potato masher to help crumble the meat up. It makes it a lot easier.</div>
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Drain your ground beef.<br />
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Drain and rinse your beans. Add beans, tomatoes, chili seasoning and meat to your slow cooker.<br />
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Stir everything together and cook on low for 4-6 hours, to let all the vegetables and meat get permeated with chili flavor. (Or you could cook until it's heated through, since the meat is already cooked.)<br />
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That's it. Serve with saltine crackers, grilled cheese sandwiches, or cornbread. I like to top mine with a little shredded cheese, also.<br />
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Ready? Let's recap all that.<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
3 pounds ground beef<br />
2 cans chili ready diced tomatoes<br />
1 can regular petite diced tomatoes<br />
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (A.K.A. Ro-Tel)<br />
2 cans kidney beans<br />
2 packs chili seasoning<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
1. Brown crumbled ground beef in a skillet. Drain.<br />
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2. Drain and rinse two cans kidney beans.<br />
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3. Throw everything in the slow cooker. Set the temperature on low and walk away for 4-6 hours.<br />
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4. Serve with saltine crackers, grilled cheese sandwiches or cornbread. Top with shredded cheese if desired.<br />
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There. Easy, and delicious. Just what you need to warm you up on a crisp Autumn evening.<br />
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What do you like to put in your chili? Do you use anything different to top yours with?<br />
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<b>***Please note, I have listed the links for days 5 and 6 on my 31 Days of Food lists, but the links will not be active until 12:00 AM on October 5 and 6. We have doctor's appointments for my boyfriend (100 miles away from our home, one-way) and I will not be available to add the links on those days. I want you to have access to the links from both the 31 Days of Food blog post and 31 Days of Food page my blog menu links to, so I'm posting the links early. Think of it as a surprise sneak peak at the next couple of recipes.</b><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">**Disclaimer - I am not affiliated with the companies that own the products pictured in any way. That's just the brands I happened to have in my kitchen when I cooked these. If another brand had been on sale cheaper the day I bought these ingredients, then that's what I would have bought.</i>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-66545495403497876602012-10-03T00:00:00.000-05:002012-10-03T00:00:06.187-05:00Breakfast Tacos (31 Days: Day 3)I've brought you two dinner recipes, now it's time for a breakfast recipe.<br />
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Breakfast in our house is usually some kind of eggs (fried, scrambled, boiled) with some kind of bread (usually toast). Often, I will make a egg sandwich with my fried or scrambled eggs. One day, I wanted something different. I searched the fridge and came up with some tortillas, eggs, shredded cheese, salsa, leftover diced tomatoes and leftover taco meat. I pondered the wisdom of the experiment upon which I was about to embark. I decided leftover taco meat should be a good substitute for crumbled sausage in a breakfast burrito, and began cracking eggs. this is the result.<br />
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You will need flour tortillas, eggs, shredded cheese, salsa, leftover diced tomatoes and leftover taco meat (I know, I've already given out that list above. I just wanted to reiterate.)<br />
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Beat eggs and add to a skillet over medium heat. Add the taco meat and tomatoes. Scramble.<br />
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Divide eggs among flour tortillas.<br />
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Top with shredded cheese and salsa. Roll up and serve.<br />
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These were good! They were also a good way to use up the little bit of taco meat we had left from dinner the night before (it MIGHT have been enough for ONE taco).<br />
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To recap:<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
8 eggs<br />
about 1 cup of leftover taco meat<br />
about 1/2 cup leftover diced tomatoes<br />
4 flour tortillas, burrito size<br />
shredded cheese<br />
salsa<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
1. Beat eggs. Pour into skillet over medium heat. Add taco meat and tomatoes. Cook until eggs are done.<br />
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2. Divide eggs between four tortillas. Top with salsa and shredded cheese. Serve warm.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-4848820610793529382012-10-02T00:01:00.000-05:002012-10-02T00:01:00.705-05:00Japanese Curry and Rice (31 Days: Day 2)My boyfriend was stationed in Japan with the Navy for three years. Do I even need to tell you he LOVES good Asian cuisine? In an attempt to please his palate I have been adding Asian dishes to my list of recipes that I can make for the past several months. Pinterest has helped me quite a bit with this, as there are many recipes pinned for Asian cuisine. I could (and have been known to) spend hours on Pinterest repinning recipes.<br />
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One of my favorite recipes to cook at home is Japanese Curry. It's different from Indian curry, much sweeter and less spicy. I'm not a fan of spicy curry, but this? This stuff holds a special place near my heart.<br />
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I could talk for several more minutes about my love for this dish, and Asian cuisine in general, but then we'd never get to the recipe and pictures. Are you ready? Let's get cooking. (FYI - I modified someone else's recipe to my liking, since my child will NOT EAT ONIONS. He did not get that from me, I swear. Anyway, the original recipe can be found <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/simple-quick-japanese-curry-242597" target="_blank">here</a>, if you're interested. Just wanna give credit where credit is due.)<br />
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For this you'll need some cooked, cubed chicken breast, carrots, potatoes, curry powder mix, and water. I buy Golden Curry at Publix, on the aisle with the other Asian foods. And while we're at it, go ahead and start enough rice cooking to make four or six servings. (I use a rice steamer. The ratio for it is one and a half cups of white rice to three cups of water. This equals out to be a cup of water for every half cup of rice, which is about the same as you use when cooking rice in a pot on the stove.)<br />
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Peel and dice your carrots.<br />
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And potatoes.<br />
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Place them in a large pot with enough water to cover (about 3 or 4 cups). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until vegetables start softening (10-15 minutes).<br />
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Add the chicken. Break the curry mix into pieces (it comes in a brick) and add to the pot.<br />
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Stir everything up well, until the curry mix dissolves.<br />
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The curry mix will thicken everything up in a few minutes, and your dish will turn brown. (It usually gets browner than my pictures show. I didn't use the entire package of curry mix, because I had already used part of my pack making curry previously, and I forgot to buy more when I went shopping. You should use the whole pack. It tastes better that way.)<br />
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Serve over rice.<br />
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A lot of times I serve <a href="http://www.damngoodfoodblog.com/2010/02/make-it-cheap-monday-egg-rolls.html" target="_blank">Egg Rolls</a> with this. (You'll have to visit the link to get the recipe. It's not mine, so I'm not gonna post it here.) In the recipe I linked to, chicken is used. Sometimes I omit that to save money and hassle. If you do, just use a little more cabbage and carrots to make up for the volume of chicken. They're really easy to make, and everyone I've ever served them to says they taste better than restaurant egg rolls.<br />
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You can also serve homemade Sweet and Sour sauce (recipe below) to go along with the egg rolls. I was desperate one night for some to dip my egg rolls in, but I was out of the store-bought variety. I searched the internet for a recipe that I already had all the ingredients to and came up with this one. It has a good flavor, but doesn't taste anything like store bought sweet and sour sauce, or the sauce served at most Asian restaurants.<br />
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OK, now on to the recap.<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1 pound chicken, cooked and chopped<br />
3 medium baking potatoes<br />
5 medium carrots<br />
1 (3.5 ounce) package golden curry mix<br />
3-4 cups water<br />
4-5 cups cooked short-grain white rice<br />
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<u>Directions</u><br />
1. Peel and chop carrots and potatoes. Place in pot and add water. Bring to a boil, then reduce hear and simmer 10-15 minutes.<br />
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2. Add chicken and curry mix. Stir until mix is dissolved and curry begins to thicken. Remove from heat once chicken is heated through.<br />
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3. Serve over cooked white rice.<br />
Makes about 4 servings.<br />
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<b><u>Sweet and Sour Sauce</u></b><br />
<u>Ingredients</u><br />
3 Tablespoons white sugar<br />
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon white vinegar<br />
2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water<br />
1 Tablespoon soy sauce<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch<br />
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<u>Directions</u><br />
Mix all ingredients in a small sauce pan, stirring until there are no lumps. Bring to a boil. Stir until thickened.<br />
Makes 1/2 cup (4 servings).<br />
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Once again, these leftovers are delicious the next day. I store the rice and curry in separate bowls in my fridge.<br />
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Do you have a different way to make Japanese Curry? Or a different sweet and sour sauce or egg roll recipe?<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">**Disclaimer - I am not affiliated with the companies that own the products pictured in any way. That's just the brands I happened to have in my kitchen when I cooked these. If another brand had been on sale cheaper the day I bought these ingredients, then that's what I would have bought.</i>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-83707153647791386932012-10-01T00:53:00.002-05:002012-10-01T01:00:25.170-05:00Tortilla Soup (31 Days: Day 1)Oh, my goodness. Fall is here. That means soups, stews and chilis for dinner. I absolutely love that kind of food. And I absolutely LOVE this soup! It's warm and hearty, fills you up, and refreshes your very soul. The spices, chicken and vegetables give it heft, while the cilantro and lime juice lighten the taste. This soup can be made from scratch in thirty minutes, if you have precooked chicken on hand. That's right. Homemade soup on the table in half an hour.<br />
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I may have to go eat another bowl. Right now.<br />
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For this soup, you'll need two chicken breasts (I boiled a bunch of split breasts after I went grocery shopping and froze them, two per bag, until I needed them. For this soup I let them thaw. Then I skinned them, deboned them, and chopped them into nice, bite-sized pieces.) You're also gonna need a can of diced tomatoes, some chicken broth (or water and bouillon), one clove of garlic, a medium onion, fresh cilantro, granulated sugar, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and anything else you want to throw in there. For toppings you'll need shredded cheese, sour cream, more fresh cilantro, avocado, salsa, tortilla chips, and anything else you can think of.<br />
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(I added some basil, chili powder, cumin, a carrot, some zucchini, whole kernel corn and black beans. You could also add bell peppers, jalapenos.... The list is as long as your imagination.)<br />
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Also, be a dear and pretend this bag of grated zucchini from my freezer appears in the picture of the rest of the ingredients. It was in the microwave thawing when I took the other picture. And in case you're wondering, this is a snack sized zipper bag.<br />
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Blend your sugar, undrained tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, dried basil, and other assorted veggies (for me this meant carrots and zucchini) in a blender or food processor until they're chunky. If you use canned corn, black beans, or anything like that, don't blend them. Just drain and rinse them. Put all the veggies and chicken into a large pot.<br />
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Here's a close-up to show you that I pulsed the onions, garlic, carrots and zucchini until they were non-existent, since my son swears he hates onions, and he sometimes eyes carrots and the like suspiciously. I had to add a little water to my mini-food processor to accomplish this easily. I just used part of the 6 cups required to make my chicken broth.<br />
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Add your chicken broth (or in my case, chicken bouillon and water).<br />
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Stir everything up.<br />
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Bring to a boil, then cut the heat down and simmer about 20 minutes. After simmering, taste your soup to see what spices you want to add. I added about four drops of Texas Pete hot sauce, five or six drops of lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon chili powder, and 1/8 teaspoon cumin. Then I took my son's portion out (he detests anything with a lot of spice) before adding several more drops of hot sauce, another 1/8 teaspoon or so of the chili powder and cumin, and a few more drops of lime juice. This part is purely up to your taste buds, so if you like spicy food, then feel free to add more than I did. Just make sure to taste it along the way so you don't over spice your soup.<br />
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To serve, pour hot soup onto a bowl. Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, more lime juice and cilantro, sliced avocado, salsa, or anything else your heart desires. Serve tortilla chips on the side (or make your own using flour or corn tortillas). (Most tortilla soup recipes say to add the tortilla chips to the bottom of the bowl, or float them on top of the soup. I don't like it when my tortilla chips get soggy. To each his own.)<br />
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My three year old loved this soup. I think it was all the cheese on top and the tortilla chips on the side that clinched his verdict. My boyfriend liked this so much he drank the broth from his bowl after he ate his soup.<br />
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Out of that entire pot, there was enough left for <i>maybe</i> three bowls of soup for lunch tomorrow. If I don't go eat all the leftovers now.<br />
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This could also be made in the crock pot. Just throw everything in and let it simmer on warm for four hours or so, and you should be good to go. The chicken is already cooked, so really you're just heating everything up and letting the flavors meld a little. If you don't want soggy corn or beans you could add them the last forty-five minutes to an hour of cooking.<br />
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And now, your re-cap.<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
2 chicken breasts, cooked, deboned and cubed<br />
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained<br />
1 medium onion, diced<br />
1 clove garlic, minced<br />
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro<br />
1/4 teaspoon sugar<br />
5-6 cups chicken broth (or 5-6 teaspoons chicken bouillon and 5-6 cups hot water)<br />
Salt, pepper, hot sauce, lime juice, chili powder, basil and cumin to taste<br />
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Plus any other vegetables you want to add. (I added one medium carrot, chopped, about a half cup of shredded zucchini and one can each black beans and whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed. You could add bell peppers, jalapenos, or anything else that sounds good.)<br />
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You'll also need toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, more fresh cilantro, more lime juice, salsa, sliced avocado, or anything else that sound delicious. Also, don't forget the tortilla chips, either store bought or homemade.<br />
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<u>Directions</u><br />
1. In a blender, pulse caned tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, basil, sugar and other vegetables until chunky. (I didn't do this to my corn or beans, but I did do this to my carrots and zucchini.)<br />
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2. Add vegetables, chicken and broth (or water and bullion) to a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.<br />
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3. Taste your soup, then add spices, hot sauce or lime juice as desired.<br />
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4. Serve soup topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, more fresh cilantro, or anything else you crave. Serve tortilla chips on the side.<br />
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This makes about 5-6 servings of soup. Leftover soup is better the next day, as all the flavors have more time to meld together.<br />
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What would you top this soup with? What other vegetables would you add? Have any questions?<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">**Disclaimer - I am not affiliated with the companies that own the products pictured in any way. That's just the brands I happened to have in my kitchen when I cooked these. If another brand had been on sale cheaper the day I bought these ingredients, then that's what I would have bought.</i>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-3180848407132661542012-09-30T23:44:00.002-05:002012-10-07T21:23:38.148-05:0031 Days of Food - 2012 ChallengeHey y'all. Welcome to 31 Days of Food. (I know, my title is catchy, clever and unique. At least you know for sure what these posts will be about.)<br />
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Here's a list of posts I have done for this series. I'll (try) to update this daily so anyone reading this (Hi Momma! Hi Seester!) will have a table of contents of sorts for the posts I've done for this challenge.</div>
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Also, I needed a page to use as a permalink for the challenge.</div>
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Day 1 - <a href="http://rubberduckiesandricecereal.blogspot.com/2012/10/tortilla-soup-31-days-day-1.html" target="_blank">Tortilla Soup in under 30 minutes</a><br />
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Day 2 - <span style="color: #888888; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://rubberduckiesandricecereal.blogspot.com/2012/10/japanese-curry-and-rice-31-days-day-2.html">Japanese Curry and Rice</a></span><br />
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Day 3 - <a href="http://rubberduckiesandricecereal.blogspot.com/2012/10/breakfast-tacos-31-days-day-3.html">Breakfast Tacos</a><br />
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Day 4 - <a href="http://rubberduckiesandricecereal.blogspot.com/2012/10/slow-cooker-chili-31-days-day-4.html">Slow Cooker Chili</a><br />
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Day 5 - <a href="http://rubberduckiesandricecereal.blogspot.com/2012/10/handmade-pizza-dough-31-days-day-5.html">Handmade Pizza Dough</a><br />
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Day 6 - <a href="http://rubberduckiesandricecereal.blogspot.com/2012/10/white-pizza-with-garlic-olive-basil.html">White Pizza with Garlic-Olive-Basil Pesto</a><br />
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Day 7 - <a href="http://rubberduckiesandricecereal.blogspot.com/2012/10/capellini-pomodoro-and-garlic-bread-31.html" target="">Capellini Pomodoro and Garlic Bread</a><br />
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Day 8 - <a href="http://rubberduckiesandricecereal.blogspot.com/2012/10/fried-pork-chops-31-days-day-8.html">Fried Pork Chops</a><br />
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Be sure to head over to <a href="http://www.thenester.com/2012/09/31-dayers-2012.html" target="_blank">the homepage for the 31 Day Challenge</a> to see what everyone else is writing about. As of 1 AM on October 1, there are already nearly 500 blogs linked to the challenge. Last year there were over 700 bloggers who linked up.</div>
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Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-60632434452639177862012-09-30T23:36:00.000-05:002012-09-30T23:36:30.662-05:00Here I go again.....Hey. So. Some blog news. In spite of my failed attempt at a blog challenge in April, I've decided to do another one. I'll be participating in the <a href="http://www.thenester.com/2012/06/31-days-in-2012.html" target="_blank">31 Day Challenge</a> hosted by The Nester over at her home, <a href="http://www.thenester.com/" target="_blank">The Nesting Place.</a> I've been prepping the whole month of September, and already have some posts scheduled, so maybe I'll make it through this one.<br />
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My topic will be (of course) 31 Days of Food. (Original, I know. I pat myself on the back every day for thinking up that topic.) I even made a cute little button to use when I'm linking up to the challenge.<br />
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Come on back through October 31 to see if I made it through this challenge.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-88961520193141174942012-09-04T22:48:00.000-05:002012-09-30T23:37:11.167-05:00I suck.......at blogging regularly. <i>{sigh}</i><br />
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Maybe one day I will actually be at a point where I can blog at least a few times a week. And have all my crochet projects completed. And have all my scrapbooking caught up. And have a clean house. And...........<br />
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Every one of you knows what I mean.<br />
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24 hours in a day just isn't enough to get all 40 hours of stuff I need to do each day done.<br />
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At least I fed my kid a few times today. And kept him safe. That's always a win.<br />
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I promise, an actual blog post is coming soon. One day. The good news is I have been keeping up with my list of apps/books/stuff to review and blog about. Whenever I can find the time to do it. Right now I'm concentrating on organizing my home (including office/hobby room, cell phone, computer, things in storage, etc.) so that maybe, just maybe, when I start blogging again I can actually schedule in time to blog on a regular basis, like I began doing about this time last year. You know, before the whirlwind that was my last year.<br />
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Now, off to make my to-do list for the rest of the week.<br />
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<i>(How in the world do those "super moms" do it all??? For the life of me, I can't figure out where they get all the time to do everything they do. I'm lucky if we're fed and the house is decent looking....)</i>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-56028614864203833392012-04-12T19:18:00.002-05:002012-04-12T19:18:34.761-05:00A to Z Blog Challenge Day 8 - Happy FeetMy son just ran up to me in the kitchen and proclaimed, "Mommy, I got happy feet!" while dancing up a storm that would put Michael Flatley to shame.<br />
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Now, this isn't new for him. He has said that ever since we got him to sit down and watch the entire Happy Feet DVD several months ago. And he "tap dances" as he says it, just to add that extra emphasis, just in case his two-year-old-toddler-exclamation didn't quite get his point across. </div>
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It's just that today, I was in the middle of rolling out and cutting the homemade buns I'm making for tonight's dinner of homemade BBQ sandwiches. I started thinking, and I realized that my child is always happy, barring the inevitable hissy fit he throws upon being told he can't do or have something he really, <i>really </i>wants to have/do. Or when he falls down <strike>for the fifty-ninth time today</strike> and bangs his knee/head/elbow/bootie <strike>(again)</strike>. Seriously, that child wakes up happy. Rainbows are shooting from his eyes and sparkles and glitter are coming out of his bootie the moment he opens his eyes in the morning.</div>
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How often are adults that happy, just to be alive? Or just because someone made them a glass of chocolate or strawberry (or chocolate and strawberry) milk? Or because you made a pee-pee in your Lightening McQueen potty and now you get one Lifesaver candy as your reward?</div>
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My child finds the simplest things to be happy about, and becomes overjoyed because he lets those simple things make him so happy.</div>
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I think I could learn something from him about happiness. Even on the good days when I'm happy to have my home and family and all those other wonderful things I enjoy in my life.</div>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-87567455459014515792012-04-10T19:17:00.001-05:002012-04-10T19:18:39.806-05:00A to Z Blog Challenge Day 7 - Grown-up Time<div><p>Having a toddler can be a challenge most days. They are beginning to figure out that they are individuals with their own thoughts and opinions and wants. They throw tantrums and say "No" when you ask them to pick up their collection of 578 million Lightening McQueen-related Matchbox cars. They ask to watch the same Cars DVD 67 times after nap time.</p>
<p>After the bedtime routine is complete, I usually need a little while to just relax. Maybe drink a glass of wine. So just what do I like to do during my grown-up time? I'm glad you asked.</p>
<p>Depending on our mood each night, grown-up time may or may not involve my boyfriend. </p>
<p>Some nights we curl up on the couch together and watch anime episodes or a movie. We might also play a board game or card game together. We might just sit and talk.</p>
<p>Some nights we each want a little solo me time. On those nights, while he plays video games or watches some anime series I haven't started watching yet, I blog, read, spend way too much time on Pinterest, or just surf the web. I hope to have the "hobby room" set up soon so I could also crochet or work on my scrapbook projects during my solo me time, also.</p>
<p>What do you like to do with your "grown-up time"?</p>
</div>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-55724920210221272732012-04-06T00:01:00.000-05:002012-04-06T00:01:00.518-05:00A to Z Challenge Day 6 - Family Fun TimeI love having fun with my son. Now that spring is here, we can have more fun outside. (My son LOVES being outdoors.)<br />
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During the colder months, or rainy days, we enjoy coloring, putting together puzzles, playing with his cars, playing with his Red Light, green Light game, watching the occasional DVD, cooking and playing with Play-Doh. It's a way to spend time together without being outside in the cold and rain. Cause Mommy hates cold weather, and sometimes I just don't want to be out in it. (Don't get me wrong. We do go outside on the warmer days. Just not the really cold ones. Cause this Alabama girl HATES winter weather with a purple and pink polka dotted passion. Unless it snows, and then only cause I can't bring myself to deprive my child of the experience of playing in the snow, since we only get decent snowfalls every five or ten years.)<br />
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We have a number of activities we enjoy doing together outside. There is a campground my boyfriend's parents and several of our friends go to each weekend to camp. Occasionally, we tag along for the day. We walk along the bank of the river looking for fish and other wildlife, and look for shells to pick up.<br />
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We throw leaves at each other and ride golf carts and play at the playground and go on boat rides and go fishing.</div>
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We ride bicycles and big wheels and Power Wheels trucks.</div>
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We practice our golf swing with Colt's Pappy.</div>
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We throw balls to each other.</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">(And yes, I know a couple of these pictures aren't that great. I'm working with a camera phone right now for all my picture-taking since someone stole my digital camera last summer. Sorry for the quality. You love me anyway, right? Right.)</span><br />
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And every day we read at least two of his books. I don't care if I'm in bed sick, we still make time to read. It's one of his favorite quiet time activities, and I'm very happy he adores books as much as I do. Cause I'm trying to raise a reader here, you know?<br />
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Soon it will be time to open up the pool next door at Pappy and Nana's house. That gives us another reason to get outside and play.<br />
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What does your family like to do, inside or out, to have fun together?Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-16904507840691174522012-04-05T18:21:00.001-05:002012-04-05T18:24:43.381-05:00From Lulu's Kitchen - My Granny's Salmon PattiesIt's been a while since I posted a recipe on my blog. How about we fix that right now? I cooked these last week for our dinner, and just happened to remember to whip out the phone and take pictures to share with everyone.<br />
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My family loves good southern cooking. (I know, big surprise since we were born and raised in Alabama, right?) My sister and I are very fond of our Granny's cooking. I don't remember EVER putting a bite of anything she cooked in my mouth and not loving it. (Except greens and beans. I just don't like them. I don't care what type of greens or what kind of beans you cook, I have never tasted any I liked.)<br />
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I love my Granny's salmon patties. I remember eating these all the time as a child when I went to her house (which was usually every weekend, and a good portion of every school break.) When I grew up and moved out on my own, I had to get the recipe from her. I wanted to make salmon patties just like hers. While my recipe tastes a little different from hers, it's close enough to satisfy my sister and me.<br />
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Are you ready? This is gonna be a little messy, but trust me, it's worth it.<br />
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You're gonna need some cornmeal, two cans of salmon, some milk, and a couple of eggs.<br />
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Open up your cans of salmon, drain them, and dump them in a big bowl. Canned salmon is usually packed with the bones still in the fish. Just crumble them up into the meat since they crumble really easily. You can use a fork, but I just use my fingers. That way I can feel around and make sure I've gotten to all the bones. (I know, this can sound really gross, but it won't hurt you. It is even said to add calcium to the fish. At least, that's what my Granny always told us.)</div>
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Now beat your eggs and add them to the bowl. I usually just move the salmon over to the side of my mixing bowl and use the empty space to beat the eggs. Saves a dirty bowl. Cause I hate doing dishes.
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Now we need to add some cornmeal and milk to the bowl and mix it up real good.</div>
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Grab a handful of the salmon and shape it into patties.</div>
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Place the patties into a skillet with about 1/8" of oil that has been heated over medium heat. Make sure the oil is hot before you add the patties so they'll start to cook right away. Otherwise they just might fall apart on you.<br />
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Let them cook a couple of minutes on the first side, then flip them over to finish cooking.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQP3D62qvbw/T34hPb-DtrI/AAAAAAAAG6g/vi4NvDq40nM/s1600/2012-03-29+19.02.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQP3D62qvbw/T34hPb-DtrI/AAAAAAAAG6g/vi4NvDq40nM/s320/2012-03-29+19.02.44.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Take them out of the skillet after another four or five minutes or so, and place them on a paper-towel lined plate to take care of the extra oil on them.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U3h9PfzLsKc/T34hPTl4nOI/AAAAAAAAG6g/PBqWHC2_en8/s1600/2012-03-29+19.08.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U3h9PfzLsKc/T34hPTl4nOI/AAAAAAAAG6g/PBqWHC2_en8/s320/2012-03-29+19.08.23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These should turn out nice and crunchy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FJa4wNRZM-M/T34hPeu9BaI/AAAAAAAAG6g/RChoKNYSVy8/s1600/2012-03-29+19.15.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FJa4wNRZM-M/T34hPeu9BaI/AAAAAAAAG6g/RChoKNYSVy8/s320/2012-03-29+19.15.21.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Serve these with whatever sides you choose. On this day, Colt wanted macaroni with his dinner, and I chose some whole kernel corn cooked with some Garlic and herb Mrs. Dash seasoning and a little butter to give it extra flavor. And my family always, ALWAYS, dips their salmon patties in ketchup. My boyfriend prefers Ranch dressing, since he says he doesn't like ketchup. (Who in the world doesn't like ketchup? I thought EVERYONE liked ketchup???)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RgkXGAb3OI0/T34hPajkHnI/AAAAAAAAG6g/amOxYRBbQso/s1600/2012-03-29+19.23.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RgkXGAb3OI0/T34hPajkHnI/AAAAAAAAG6g/amOxYRBbQso/s320/2012-03-29+19.23.15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ready for a re-cap of the recipe? Here we go.</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u></div>
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2 cans of salmon (I use Double Q brand salmon, cause that's what my Granny always used)</div>
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3 eggs, beaten</div>
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1/2 to 3/4 cup of cornmeal</div>
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1/3 to 1/4 cup milk</div>
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<u>Directions</u></div>
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1. Heat 1/8" oil in a skillet over medium heat.</div>
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2. Open and drain the cans of salmon, and pour into a bowl. Crush up all the little bones into the meat.</div>
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3. Add the eggs, milk and cornmeal. It's best to start out with less cornmeal and milk, and add more if you need it. If you put too much cornmeal, your patties will be dry and gritty. If you put too much milk they won't stick together. Either way equals your patties falling apart. They should stick together and form patties easily, like a hamburger.</div>
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4. Shape into patties and place in the hot skillet. Cook two or three minutes on the first side,then flip. Cook another four or five minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.</div>
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With the ingredients above, I only got about twelve patties, but as you can tell from the pictures above, they were huge. That's a ten inch skillet I used to cook them in. You could make them a little smaller and thinner, if you prefer.</div>
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And if you have some left over? No worries.We eat them cold later if we get hungry again. Or heat them up the next day for lunch. They're still good, although maybe not quite as crunchy.</div>
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Anyone have anything else to add? A different take on making salmon patties? A question? A low-fat method that will still get them crunchy on the outside?</div>
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<i>**Disclaimer - I am not affiliated with the companies that own the products pictured in any way. That's just the brands I happened to have in my kitchen when I cooked these. If another brand had been on sale cheaper the day I bought these ingredients, then that's what I would have bought.</i></div>
<br />Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-35765232577408459992012-04-05T00:26:00.002-05:002012-04-05T00:26:54.427-05:00A to Z Challenge Day 5 - Energy and ExerciseThese days I'm finding myself low on energy. I also need more sleep than normal to feel like I can function through the day. I don't know if it's the last three years catching up to me or what. I'm hoping exercise, a healthier diet, and an earlier bedtime will help.<br />
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Also, my boyfriend's ten year high school reunion is May 19th. We went to the same (tiny) school, so I know everyone from his graduating class. (Seriously. Each of our graduating classes had 60-65 students. That's it. The entire school, K-12, might have had 1000-1200 students. Everybody knows everybody where I'm from. It's a joy, as well as curse, of small town life.) My ten year reunion should have been last summer, but my class didn't have a reunion. On top of that, my cousin, who was always popular, and more than a little snobby to me in school, is organizing this great event. I don't think she is aware that I will be his date for this event. I don't even think she knows I am dating him. This should be fun. :)<br />
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To me, all those reasons means looking good for his reunion is even more important. (And, unless a better article of clothing comes my way, I already have my dress picked out for the adult portion of the reunion, which will be held at a local sports bar that evening. There is a two-hour get together at lunch time at a local park for everyone to bring their children if they wish. We will be attending both events.)<br />
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Yes, I know my boyfriend's high school reunion is a really vain and shallow reason for wanting to lose weight and firm up my body. I'm OK with that. At least I'm being honest about all the reasons I want to <strike>torture myself</strike> start exercising.<br />
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I'm not talking about major weight loss here. My weight falls in the range of what is considered "normal" for my height and build. I'm talking about toning my body, while getting some good exercise to keep myself healthy, relieve stress, increase my energy levels and stamina, and all that other positive stuff exercise does for you, other than weight loss. I want more energy so I can go out in the yard and run around with Colt more without having to take a break. I want to be healthy so I can be around until he's sixty or seventy years old (at which point I'll be pushing 90 or 100, so....).<br />
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Research also shows that women with a waist measurement above certain numbers are at increased risk when it comes to all sorts of health issues, such as diabetes and heart conditions. I have enough of that in my family medical history already. Every one of my grandparents has some sort of cardiovascular problem. I don't want my son to have to deal with that when it comes to me if I can do something to prevent it. My goal is to weigh in somewhere near the middle of my "normal range". I don't want to be super skinny. I've always had a somewhat athletic build and I don't want that to change. I like my curves (except for the small tummy bulge) and I want to keep almost every one of them.<br />
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To that end, I will soon bring my <i>30 Day Shred</i> DVD out of exile. And begin sunning myself a little each day. Cause pool season is fast approaching, and my dress for the reunion's adult portion is black. And I'm as white as it gets without being albino. Our next door neighbors (my boyfriend's parents) have an in-ground swimming pool. His parents and his sister's boyfriend also have boats. I plan on spending a lot of time in the pool and on boats this summer. It's good exercise, and Colt loves to swim with Mommy. I really don't want to look like a boiled lobster at the end of a day of swimming. Even after frequent liberal coats of SPF 50. (Yes, I'm that white. I burn even with sunscreen.) I don't want a tan that rivals the Hawaiian Tropic girls. I just don't want a really bad second or third degree sunburn at any point this summer. And I don't want to look like I belong in <i>Twilight </i>while wearing my little black dress (that my boyfriend hasn't even seen yet!).<br />
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Look for updates soon. I plan on using body measurements, not weight, as my indicator of results with my workouts. I'm not concerned with my weight as long as the tape measure shows I have lost inches in the key areas (mainly my tummy).<br />
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Let's just hope Jillian Michaels doesn't kill me. And that I don't blister the first day I soak up a little sun.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-41340559697320344712012-04-04T00:01:00.001-05:002012-04-04T00:01:00.742-05:00Blogging A to Z April Challenge Day 4 - DivorceI recently went through a bitter divorce. After many, many months of fighting and walking around on eggshells, hoping that telling Sawyer his dinner was ready (after I worked a twelve and a half hour shift, drove home, spent a few precious minutes with Colt, and cooked for all of us) wouldn't set him off on a screaming rampage, and just generally being miserable, Sawyer moved out at the end of last July. I took Colt over to visit him on my days off, sometimes staying and sometimes dropping him off to stay the day. I was not at a point where I felt I could trust Sawyer to keep our son over night safely.<br />
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Finally, I saw a lawyer and had divorce papers drawn up. After a little negotiation, Sawyer signed them and my lawyer filed them. Our divorce was final January 2, 2012.<br />
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After he first moved out, Colt cried every day that he wanted to see his Daddy. Then he slowly got used to seeing him once or twice a week. My very anxious child started to return to his happy self. It seems the constant fighting kept him on edge when Sawyer still lived with us. Gradually, Colt realized that people can get a little loud when they're happy, and not just when they're angry. My child had gotten to the point of trembling and crying any time anyone got a little too loud, even if it was obvious that they were having a good time and weren't fighting. No one could so much as hug me without him screaming, even though my ex didn't hit me or otherwise physically hurt me, especially in front of him.<br />
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Now, if it has been a while since he's seen his Daddy (especially if he has had to work all weekend and couldn't take him for an overnight visit) he'll cry that he misses him. Otherwise, he's fine. We try to call his Daddy and older brother each night before bedtime so he can talk to them for a few minutes and tell them he loves them.<br />
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I have been very careful to never talk about his Daddy in a negative way in front of him, and I don't allow anyone else to, either. Even though I don't love him anymore, he is still my child's father. I want them to have a good relationship, and I am not allowing anyone to undermine that. Thankfully, for now, he has kept his promise to act like a grown-up when he has our son.<br />
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I have full physical and legal custody of our son. According to our divorce papers, he only gets visitation as agreed upon between the two of us. Meaning, if I say he can't have him, there's nothing he can do about it. I didn't do this to keep my son away from his father. Any time Sawyer has asked to keep Colt, I have let him as long as there are no previous plans that involve him. I sometimes take the initiative and offer to let him keep him if I know Colt really wants to see him and he hasn't already asked.<br />
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I did this because my ex-husband has had alcohol abuse problems in the recent past. It was a major reason for our divorce. He drank every day. Sawyer knows that in order to keep our son for visits, he must remain absolutely, completely sober. If I ever truly suspect he has been intoxicated to any degree while he has Colt, the visits will stop. As long as he is a responsible father when he is caring for our child I will not keep them apart. I don't care how responsible (or not) he is when he is not taking care of Colt. It's none of my business, as long as our son is not with him. I have never used that clause of our divorce just to be vindictive or mean. It wouldn't be fair to my son. As a matter of fact, I haven't ever used this against my ex. He hasn't given me good reason to. I hope that trend continues. Colt loves his Daddy, and I would hate to have to keep them apart just to protect him and know he is safe.<br />
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Overall, the divorce has been a good thing for Colt. Truly, the only downside has been not having both his parents under the same roof. however, since we are both happier now, he generally is happier, too.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-39712952446678834372012-04-03T18:04:00.000-05:002012-04-03T18:04:56.232-05:00Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Day 2 : Bedtime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S5Ye2na7kfA/T3t6v6hwSwI/AAAAAAAAG0Y/KjnoMTIDtDk/s1600/az-JMH-2012-006b-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S5Ye2na7kfA/T3t6v6hwSwI/AAAAAAAAG0Y/KjnoMTIDtDk/s200/az-JMH-2012-006b-web.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html">Blogging From A to Z April Challenge<br />
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With a two year old in the house, some days I dread bedtime. I'm playing with my son, doing puzzles or playing with Play-Doh or some other super fun activity, and I don't want to have to end our fun together for him to go to bed.<br />
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Then, there are days where I can't wait for time to get ready for bed to roll around. He wouldn't take a nap that day, and he's tired and super cranky and he won't listen and he isn't being a very good boy and......<br />
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I try to keep our bedtime routine roughly the same each night. We pick up the toys and books scattered through the house and return them to his book table and toy boxes. (Yes, plural. My son has two toy boxes, plus a wagon we keep all his cars in, plus space in his closet for large toys like his sit-and-spin, lawnmowers, and ride-on toys.) We tell my boyfriend and anyone else in the house at the time goodnight. (My sister is currently renting our spare bedroom, and occasionally one of our friends is visiting at bedtime.) We pick the toys and books up in his bedroom floor and return them to their designated location. We go potty. We get pajamas and a diaper on (he is mostly potty trained, except for getting up in the middle of the night to go potty. He'll catch on soon enough.) We call his father and his big brother so he can tell them good night. We read two books. I arrange his bear, sock monkey (which wears a miniture miniature University of Alabama sweatshirt,'cause ROLL TIDE Y'ALL!), glow worm, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-10314-Leapfrog-Learning-Baby/dp/B00134O9VS">Tad</a>, and Spider Man in his bed. I tuck everyone under the covers (his Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger blanket, and Lightening McQueen sleeping bag), give him a hug, kiss, Eskimo kiss, and tell him I love him. I check his closet for monsters one last time, turn out the light and shut his door.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2sAdZfAchwU/T3Z_FXJZ9EI/AAAAAAAAGUo/y_0lbKk0f3s/s635/2012-02-29+21.19.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2sAdZfAchwU/T3Z_FXJZ9EI/AAAAAAAAGUo/y_0lbKk0f3s/s635/2012-02-29+21.19.06.jpg" width="635" /></a></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>See that pile of toys on his bed? Now add a stuffed Spider-Man (the super hero monster killer) that is almost as tall as him. In a Little Tikes crib-mattress-sized race car bed. It's a full house in there every night.</i></span><br />
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Then for the next hour or two, I constantly run him back to bed and tuck him back in every ten minutes.<br />
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What gives? He was going to bed fine, then all of a sudden he decided to act like a two-year-old when it comes to bedtime.<br />
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Like last night. Bed time routine? Check. Even let him keep his TV on (Cars 2 in the DVD player) while he went to sleep. An hour and a half later? Huge crash in his room, followed by Help-Me-I'm-REALLY-Hurt screams. I jump up off the couch and run to his room. He had hit his nose pretty badly, and it was swelled and scraped across the bridge. I thought he had fallen out of bed. I kissed it and put him back to bed after some snuggling and rocking to calm him down. Ten minutes later, when he started crying again, i went back. He said his head still hurt. I checked him for proper pupil dilation, gave him a dose of Tylenol, and put him back to bed. I checked on him twice before I went to sleep, just to make sure he was breathing OK and all that. This morning my boyfriend asked him what happened to his nose.his answer? "I 'bout fall down on toy box". He had gotten out of bed at eleven o'clock to get his guitar out of his toy box and play with it. And then promptly busted himself when he told us how he hurt himself. We laughed about him spilling the beans and let it go. I figured the bump on his nose was punishment enough for that one.<br />
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Sigh. At least I know where he is at ten o'clock every night. In another fourteen years I won't even know that much for sure some nights.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-92115477957524798372012-04-01T23:06:00.001-05:002012-04-02T23:34:22.021-05:00Blogging From A to Z April Challenge, Day 1 - Anger<center><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjf5NZeB17AlO-sUFpTcTp3yGvYDoyWxrc1alYBSD1JDzHln_fPV964volqLLjXtLvrOnJNnHqqgHhlxtnV5frgAbh9ZsIg-kVlszXSMOpjj6v7hdacGzmdHPkj6auJTKr6zragS0KnU/s220/A+to+Z+Badge+2012+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></center><br />
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Today is the first day of April. I promised myself I would use the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge as a way to challenge myself to regularly update my blog. My writing for this challenge will focus on, you guessed it, parenting and other domestic things. The parenting side will generally pertain to life with a toddler, since that is my life's focus as of now (at least on the parenting end of things).<br />
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Today I choose the word ANGER. Not that I'm angry. You see, anyone who has raised a toddler will tell you that they have a way of knowing when you're already frustrated (trying to do too much at one time, almost burning dinner, have a lot on your to-do list, don't feel well.... the list of possible reasons goes on and on and on). It always seems my son will pick one of these times to throw a tantrum when I ask him to do (or not do) something. Or maybe this time he's asking me the same question thirty-seven times in a row, even though he already knew the answer before he asked the <b>first</b> time. (Side note: he <i>does</i> have a way of doing this that would be <i>adorable</i> if I wasn't already annoyed at something else. As he is asking his question his voice gets higher-pitched, making him sound like a pubescent boy. Sometimes I find it funny. Sometimes.) Or maybe he's just generally doing anything and everything he can to get attention, because he has to have my undivided attention and love at that very second or he'll spontaneously combust. (Not complaining about that one. I know all too well he'll be a "big boy" sooner than I'll ever be ready for him to decide that he is. I take all the snuggles and kisses I can get for now. It will end. And i will cry.)<br />
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So how do parents of toddlers keep from losing their cool, especially when it comes to their children? <br />
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I close my eyes, block out as much noise as I can, and take a few deep (sometimes <i>really deeeeeeep</i>) breaths. <br />
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Or I walk away for a moment, until I can regain my composure. <br />
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Or, if the tantrum is getting out of hand, I send my son to his room and make him remain there with his door closed until he gets himself under control. I stay just outside his door, in case he actually <i>needs</i> me, but I let him cry or scream or whatever he feels like doing. When he calms down, I pick him up and hug and kiss him, and tell him I love him. If I'm not in the middle of cooking dinner or something equally important, I sit down and spend some extra one-on-one time with him (usually reading. I'm trying to raise a reader, and he loves reading books together). If I can't stop what I'm doing, I try to find a way he can "help", so he feels we are doing something constructive together.<br />
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I don't always remember to do these things. Sometimes my temper does get the best of me. But I'm trying to remember to do these things when I get frustrated, especially with my son.<br />
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What do you do to cope when you feel your frustration rising?Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-79034873027964654062012-03-28T21:54:00.000-05:002012-03-28T21:54:45.276-05:00Back AgainI <b><i>FINALLY</i></b>have my laptop set up. (Can anyone hear the chorus of <i>Hallelujah </i>in my head? Just me? Oh, well....)<br />
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I have set up a mini-office for the time being in our craft/hobby/work room. Just a table with laptop and monitor, but it's a start. This is just in time, as the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/">Blogging from A to Z April Challenge</a> is just a few days away.<br />
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I've spent most of the evening installing Google Chrome, updating virus software and installing all 72 Windows updates my computer needed (yup - you read that right - 72!). Granted my laptop hasn't been connected to the internet since May of last year.... I know, shocking, isn't it? For the most part since May 2011, I have used the internet at work, on my phone, or on my boyfriend's laptop since then, so it's not like I was <strike>in danger of dying from lack of connectivity</strike> completely cut off from the interwebs.<br />
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All this to say, I still have my lists of topics I had thought of back last September or so, when I stopped blogging (again). I have thought of a few new ones, also. I also have a new (to me, even though I've lived here since December 1) house to organize and decorate. I also have a TON of personal-life updating to do. So MAYBE I'll be here a little more often. I'm thinking maybe every morning between my son's breakfast and lunch, or maybe each afternoon during nap time, I'll sit down and write a few posts and schedule them. I set up a little area for the boy to watch DVDs and color and stuff while I work, since the boyfriend was napping on the couch today while I set my "office" up, and I wanted the little tyke to stay relatively quiet for a little while so Mommy could get all this set up.<br />
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Now if that child would just cooperate and STAY IN THE %$#@#$^%$ bed.... (He's currently behind me making faces in the mirror propped against the wall. I've already tucked him in twice.....)Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-90958601435088801382012-02-07T16:02:00.000-06:002012-02-07T16:02:09.178-06:00Thinking of doing a blog challenge for AprilI was moderating a spam comment on my Blogger dashboard today, and happened to click on the "Blogs of Note" tab to see who was listed. Author <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/">Alex J. Cavanaugh</a> was listed a few days ago, so I jumped over to check out his blog. Through his blog I found a link for the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/">Blogging from A to Z April Challenge</a>. <br />
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It looks really cool, something good to flex underused writing muscles. The premise is you blog on any topic you want every day in April except most Sundays, as long as the topics are in alphabetical order. Or post pictures, or video, or whatever. As long as the subject is in alphabetical order each day. Since April starts on a Sunday this year, you do have to blog that day, but all the other Sundays you get off the hook.<br />
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I'm seriously considering doing this. As long as I don't get too lazy or forget. I'm currently trying to come up with a list of topics for each day. <br />
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Who wants to join me? There is a list on the A to Z page where you can link up, as well as banners you can put on your blog. You know, for accountability.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-44148456475992761852012-01-17T23:19:00.001-06:002012-01-17T23:22:49.880-06:00Going Dark January 18, 2012 to protest SOPAI am setting my blog to go dark to show my support in the anti-SOPA and anti-PIPA movement.<br />
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I will also be contacting my legislative representatives to have my opinion heard regarding these issues.<br />
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My blog will be back up Thursday, January 19,2012.<br />
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I'm sure both my readers (Hi Mommy! Hi Sissy!) will live without my un-updated blog until then.<br />
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Should anyone happen to stumble upon my blog and wonder how I did this easily, see this site ---> http://torbit.com/blog/2012/01/15/stop-sopa-js/.<br />
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They have a javascript plugin that you just copy and paste. They even provide simple instructions for its use. It is set to automatically activate and deactivate, so it will only appear on your blog for one day.<br />
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Some websites to refer to:<br />
<a href="http://mashable.com/2012/01/17/sopa-companies-dark-list/">Sites Going Dark to Protest SOPA/PIPA</a><br />
<a href="http://sopastrike.com/">SOPAStrike.com</a><br />
<a href="http://mashable.com/2012/01/17/sopa-dangerous-opinion/">Why SOPA is Dangerous (Opinion Piece)</a><br />
<a href="http://operationsopa.blogspot.com/2012/01/list-of-companiesorganizations-that-are.html">A Different List of Companies and Sites Going Black</a><br />
<a href="http://mattersofgrey.com/going-dark-to-protest-sopa-the-internet-blacklist-bill/">Another Site Explaining Why So Many Are Going Dark</a><br />
<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2012/01/16/obama-says-so-long-sopa-killing-controversial-internet-piracy-legislation/">Just Because Obama Says He Won't Support SOPA Does NOT Mean it Won't Go Forward in Legislature - and PIPA Will, Too.</a><br />
<a href="http://thenewsofthepeople.com/names-of-websites-going-black-as-a-sign-of-protest-against-sopa/">Yet Another List of Those Going Dark</a><br />
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I have included so many different lists of companies and sites who have said they are going dark simply because each one is a little different, in terms of the sites listed. It is important to remember Google, Facebook, Twitter, and several others havm said they will not go completely dark, or will only run some type of banner or graphic on their pages displaying their support of the anti-SOPA/PIPA movement (referred to by some as Occupy SOPA).<br />
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One more thing. I am doing a simple copy-and-paste of this post to put on my other blog, which has the same readers as this one (Hi, again, Mommy and Sissy!). <br />
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It's not much, but if every blogger opposed to these bills would do this, the impact would be heard across the nation. If you DO NOT want SOPA and PIPA to pass through legislature, please consider tweeting with the hashtag #SOPA, making all your sites (blogs, webpages, etc) dark for 24 hours, and letting your Congressmen and Senators know you will not support this bill, and they will lose your vote if they support it.<br />
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If we don't all take a stand together on this, we will only gain more government censorship. That is never a good thing.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-76836201950705963312011-09-11T00:01:00.003-05:002011-09-11T01:13:10.757-05:00The heart of America is heavy today. My heart is bleeding today.Today is a somber day in America. Today is the tenth anniversary of the attack on September 11, 2001. Today, our nation reflects. Today, almost 3,000 families are still trying to heal. More than 70 countries lost citizens. 1,122 victims remain unidentified. This means 1,122 families have not been able to bury their loved one's body.<br />
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I remember that day clearly, as every person in America who was old enough then to process what was going on. I was a freshman in college, thoroughly enjoying my first semester at a local community college. A classmate came into our first class and told us she had heard on the radio that a plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center. We soon found out that another plane had struck, and our beloved country was under attack from some unknown foe. That's was the longest class I believe I have ever sat through. I kept praying the 50 minutes would pass quickly. All I wanted was to go home. As soon as that class, my first of the day, was over I got in my car and drove straight home. <br />
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Sawyer was there, watching the live coverage on one of the national 24-hour news stations. His aunt had called him with the news. We sat and watched, speechless as the horrors of the morning filled our television screen and our minds. We watched the Pentagon get hit. We watched footage of the plane downed in the field in Pennsylvania, a large tragedy averted by the heroics of the passengers, but still no less a tragedy. <br />
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And we wondered, when will it stop? How many more planes are out there, aimed at our beautiful America? What if they (whoever THEY are) aren't using just planes? How will the people stranded by the grounding of all air traffic get home? Why us? Why our country? What could make a person harbor so much hate in their heart that they would plot to destroy an entire country?<br />
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And I cried. I cried for the innocent. For the children who lost a parent. For the parent who lost a child. For the ones who lost a spouse. For anyone who lost a sister, brother, cousin, grandparent, friend. I cried for our country. I cried at the absolute injustice of the cowardly attack. I cried in rage that someone would do this in OUR country. I cried for the emergency workers, who ran into those buildings to save as many as they could. It seemed I cried all day. It was too much for me to process. My mind, finally numb from the images and terror and outrage and crying, finally shut down. I could take no more that night.<br />
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I watched over the next days and weeks and months. I watched the memorials and vigils. I watched as the smoke finally cleared. I watched as people began to pick up the pieces. I watched as, slowly, the names of the victims were released.<br />
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And I watched as people did anything they could to help. They donated blood. I watched as people helped those stranded find their way home. I watched as people donated time and money. I watched as American pride and patriotism swelled in each of my neighbors, both local and 3,000 miles away. I watched as each of my fellow Americans did anything and everything they could to help.<br />
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Ten years later, a lot has changed. Travel is more difficult. Security tightens every time the government hears an increase in what they call "international terrorist chatter." We will never go back to the days before September 11, 2001. We will never feel truly, completely safe in our home.<br />
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Every year, as we mark another unwanted anniversary, I still feel the terror of that day fight to close in on my mind. Every time I see images from that day fear stabs me in the heart, for just a few moments. Every year, I cry for those who lost so much that day. This year, I think, it's worse.<br />
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The news anchors and so-called experts all said this would be my generation's "Pearl Harbor." I don't doubt that. I know I will always remember exactly where I was and who I was with when I got the news of the attacks. I will always remember how horrified and helpless I felt. I will always remember the anger and sorrow. I will always remember the ocean of tears I cried that day. I will always remember my pride in my fellow Americans in the aftermath of those events. I will never again take my freedom for granted.<br />
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I will never forget.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431542718266050003.post-49343188388791126092011-09-10T00:41:00.000-05:002011-09-10T00:41:00.452-05:00The post in which I willingly submit myself to the worst torture known to manI may have lost my ever-loving mind. I am going to regret my decision in the next week.<br />
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I am going to let Jillian Michaels be my drill sargent. I'm going to do her 30 Day Shred program. Not to lose weight, but to tone up the flabby parts left after my 30 pound weight loss. And to keep from gaining any back, now that I'm not climbing 30+ flights of stairs every day. (Seriously. One night at work I refused to take the elevator. I lost count at 70. In a twelve hour period.)<br />
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Wish me luck. I'll probably regret this decision tomorrow. I'll post an update next Saturday.<br />
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Prayers. Please. For me (that Jillian doesn't kill me or cause me serious bodily harm) and my TV (that I don't throw my hand weights at Jillian mid-workout.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07180163956599141747noreply@blogger.com0