Posts from — November 2007

When I go into a market or read a menu from an Asian restaurant I sometimes wonder what all those sauces are made of and what they are used for.  Here is a list of them:

• Duck (Plum) sauce:  Made from plums, garlic, sweet potatoes, ginger, chili pepper, vinegar and sugar.  It is used for dipping dumplings, bread, shrimp, chicken and spring rolls
• Hoisin:  Made from fermented soybeans, chili peppers, flour, garlic and spices.  Used in Peking duck, barbecuing, meats and poultry
• Goma:  Made from sesame and soy sauce.  Used in fondues and dipping sauces for raw vegetables, beef and chicken.
• Satay:  Made from coconut, shrimp paste, ground peanuts, tamarind and chili’s.  Great for cooking chicken and pork kabobs or as a dipping sauce.

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I don’t write about political or religious stories much but I have to chime into this one.  What kind of country would prosecute a teacher for her students voting on naming a teddy bear Muhammad?  What kind of country would give a human 40 lashes because her students voted on naming a teddy bear Muhammad?  What kind of religion would give a teacher 6 months in jail for letting her students name a child’s teddy bear Muhammad?  Maybe these top religious clerics and government should ask her to have her students change the teddy bears name? [Read more →]

I am not going to try and say I am any kind of expert at selling things on E-bay.  I am an expert however,  at getting screwed over!

I would like to say to anyone who sells anything on E-bay to definitely accept payment only through Pay Pal.  This way you won’t have problems like the one I am going through right now.

I sold an item to someone.  He asked me if I would take a money order even though my listing stated that I took Pay Pal only for auction payments.  I said I would accept a money order because I try and help people out and never figured what I major pain in the rear this would become.

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We moved into our 170 year old house six years ago and I have been fairly positive that it is haunted.  It shouldn’t surprise anyone that there would be a chance of our house being haunted.  After all it is 170 years old and in a small town in New Hampshire that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. 

My husband rolls his eyes when I say this-but he’s a Virgo so no big shock there.

We have gotten a few weird pictures and we have all heard and seen things that can only be described as odd.  I have smelled cigar or cigarette smoke and at times perfume and there are times that you are in certain parts of the house and it just feels “creepy.”  [Read more →]

Why does it seem that there are so many bullies now?  Weren’t we supposed to be the generation of parents who knew better?  Parents who studied Dr. Spock raised us and we grew up watching shows like Sesame Street, which taught friendship and showed people of all races and abilities interacting and playing together.

My child has a form of Autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome is bullied daily.  Asperger’s is an invisible disability because it is not outwardly discernable.  She is a sweet loving and outwardly appearing happy child with a heart of gold.  As I am sure, anyone who knows her would agree my child is the living embodiment of the spirit of Rachel Scott-the first victim of the Columbine Massacre and the inspiration behind Rachel’s Challenge. 

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With Christmas coming how about trying something different then the same old turkey or ham.  Here are a list of different kinds of poultry available to create something different for your holiday feast.  If anyone needs a recipe for any of them just let me know:

Chickens:

1. Cornish Hen:  These cute little birds are about 6 weeks old. They only weight about 1 to 2 lbs.  Make one for everyone at the table.  They make a great plate presentation.
2. Chicken Broiler or Fryer:  These birds are about 10 weeks old.  They are very tender and weight about 3 lbs.
3. Roaster:  About 4 to 5 months old and weight  4 to 5 lbs.  I buy this one at the market when I make a whole chicken.
4. Capon:  These are male chickens that have been castrated (ouch).  They are very tender, weight about 7 lbs or so and are about 8 months old.
5. Hen:  Mature female about 10 months old.  They weight about 5 to 6 lbs.  They have tough flesh.
6. Rooster:  Tough flesh  and are mature males about 10 months old.  They weight about 5 to 6 lbs.

Duck:

• Broiler or Fryer:  They are [Read more →]

You hear a song, and there’s always one line from it that gets stuck in your head, as you can’t really have the entire song playing (it would take too long). Aside from guitar riffs and intense drum clips, the lyrics of a song define and sometimes create an epiphany within us. “What were they thinking about when they wrote that? “I know how they feel!” Wow, I never thought of it that way!” are just a few of the common phrases that cross our minds when we sit down and really listen to the words.

With that in mind, I have gathered 17 of my absolute favorite lines from songs of many musical genres and created my list. See what you agree with, leave me a comment or two, and hopefully stir up some memories or thoughts of your own.

#17- ”I Drove All Night”written by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg

“What in this world keeps us from falling apart?
No matter where I go
I hear the beating of our one heart
No one can move me the way that you do
Nothing erases this feeling between me and you
I drove all night to get to you
Is that all right?”

When Tom and Bill wrote this song, they had no idea that Roy Orbison would be the one to sing it. Since then, it has been covered by several international recording artists, including Cyndi Lauper (my favorite) and Celine Dion (my least favorite). This dynamic duo of pop have written quite a few top-notch lyrics, including “True Colors” which was also performed and popularized by my favorite freak of the 80’s, Cyndi Lauper. This line is just, well, awesome. [Read more →]

My initial intent was, for the sake of controversy, to state plainly that Christmas derives only from a holiday where men would give eachother gifts, drink, fornicate, sodomize eachother, etc. – Why? Because the ensuing reaction would not only be filled with various tidbits of enlightening information, but would be hilarious, at that. (I have my moments)But! Upon much more research, said holiday involving said things only influences said modern-Christmas to a certain extent. Mainly, said traditional gift giving. Said Roman holiday, though, is actually preceeded by many other winter-solstice festivities, spreading about a wide array of cultures; none of which actually have anything to do with Jesus, as many of them were in place before he was born.Now, I’m not going to go into many specifics (because I don’t quite know them yet), but, you see, the winter solstice was celebrated (around the date of December 25th) for years upon years before [Read more →]