A Pinch of This and a Dash of That

Hark Hark ... the new schedule is barking rediculous!

2009-11-06T15:00:00.000-06:00

Okay ... I have a really quick funny about Sookie Bear. The other night, I was getting ready for work, and she was sitting on the edge of my bed. From her location she could see herself in the vanity mirror. She went ballistic on herself ... barking and carrying on, until I took her to the mirror. I'm not quite sure if she's gotten that she was barking at a reflection of herself. It was pretty funny thought.

I'm starting to get used to the two of them barking, I guess I had just gotten used to it being so quiet in my apartment for so long. But it's easy to fall back into ignoring the craziness that small dogs have with the barking.

Sookie is learning how to entertain herself ... and is getting to be a bit less of an attention whore. Although, I still need to pick Kadee up and give her personal snuggles so Sookie isn't always attacking us during our snuggle time.

They're both getting into the feeding and walking schedule, however with my personal schedule change, I'm not diggin on it so much ... heh!

You know ... when I get into the swing of things ... I have my Quote, Question, Word, Poem and Recipe of the day ... I'd love it if my readers (if I still have any) would let me know if they make use of the word of the day or the recipe of the day at all. When I post the WOTD I usually try to use it in a sentence that day or the next ... sometimes it can be a challenge! Anyway ... let me know!

I'm going to be off work the next three days ... so I won't be posting again until early Monday morning ... I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes!
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

If you could change one major thing about your life, whether a relationship, your job, your living situation, your school, etc., what would it be? Are you currently working toward a serious life transition?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Acnestis

PRONUNCIATION:
(AK-nist-uhs)

MEANING:
noun: The part of the body where one cannot reach to scratch.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek aknestis (spine), from Ancient Greek knestis (spine, cheese-grater).

USAGE:
"In what has to be the longest post-election season in living memory, the last five months have felt like an acnestis upon our collective soul; like that little patch of skin on our backs that we just can't reach to scratch ourselves. It's irritating. It's annoying. It's left us reaching and spinning around in circles."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Hark! Hark! The Lark

Hark! hark! the lark at heaven's gate sings,
And Phoebus 'gins arise,
His steeds to water at those springs
On chalic'd flowers that lies;
And winking Mary-buds begin
To ope their golden eyes;
With everything that pretty is,
My lady sweet, arise:
Arise, arise!

William Shakespeare

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Rosemary Chicken and Balsamic Ravioli

Ingredients:
Chicken:
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6 to 8 ounces each
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, eyeball it, just enough to coat chicken lightly
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 stems rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped, about 2 tablespoons
Salt and coarse black pepper
4 cloves garlic, cracked away from skin with a whack against the flat of your knife

Ravioli:
1 package, 12 to 16 ounces, fresh ravioli, any flavor filling
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 handfuls grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls

Spinach Salad:
6 slices pancetta, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
1 bunch, about 10 ounces flat-leaf spinach
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Coat chicken in balsamic vinegar, then olive oil. Season chicken with rosemary, salt and pepper and let stand 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for ravioli. Salt water and drop ravioli in water. Cook 8 minutes or until raviolis expand, float to top of water, and are al dente.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts and cracked garlic to the pan. Cook chicken 12 minutes, or until juices run clear, turning occasionally. The balsamic vinegar will produce a deep brown, sweet finish on the chicken as it cooks.

When the chicken is 2 or 3 minutes away from done, heat a second skillet over medium low to medium heat. To the second skillet, add butter to the pan and let it begin to brown.

Remove chicken from the first skillet and transfer to a warm platter. In a skillet over medium high heat and add the pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits, about 2 or 3 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to drain and return pan to heat, reducing heat to medium. Add oil and shallots to the pan and let the shallots saute 2 minutes.

When the butter for the ravioli has browned, add cooked ravioli to the pan and turn in butter to heat through. Add balsamic vinegar to the ravioli and cook a minute or 2 longer to reduce the vinegar and glaze the ravioli. The vinegar will become thick and syrup like. Add cheese, parsley, salt and pepper to the pasta and remove the pan from the heat.

To the sauteed shallots for the spinach salad, add sugar and cook sugar with shallots 1 minute. Add vinegar to the pan, scraping up pan drippings. Add spinach to the dressing and turn to wilt and coat it evenly in sweet vinaigrette. Add crisp pancetta to the salad.

Serve chicken along side ravioli and spinach salad, all on the same dinner plate.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Ears in the Turrets Hear ... Wonderdog

2009-11-04T01:42:00.006-06:00

Okay ... so you all know what a TV junkie I am ... right? Well I have to say this no TV situation ... is sort of FREAKING me out. I'm heading online to check on my Library card, make sure it isn't expired. I may have to go check out some TV programs. Oh but I'd forgotten, I don't have the remote for my DVD player ... so I can only watch the first episode of each disk. There goes that brilliant idea.

Other than my TV withdrawl symptoms, things have been maddening around my apartment. The complex is laying new carpet in the hallways and on the stairs which has been making my doggy Kadee freak out ... literally she's been Barky McBarksalot ALL day long.

I'm thinking to myself (and if truth be told telling her at every waking moment) ~ Mama's working nights, mama needs to sleep during the day babycakes ... mama needs little miss Barksalot to shaddup already!!!

So this afternoon ... I finally just shut her out of the bedroom. Not in a mean way, I just shut my bedroom door while she was at the front door barking out her peace. I suppose I could have just left both dogs at home and gone to my mom's house to sleep. Hindsight, 20/20

I'll tell you what happened instead though. Kadee would go bark at the front door, then come scratch on the bedroom door ... then back to the front door; return to the bedroom door. Finally ... she figured out that if she barked she couldn't be in the bedroom ... but if she was in the bedroom, she couldn't bark ... I suspect it was a real conundrum for her. One of those 'things that make you go hmmm' moments. In the end, she decided quiet sleep was the best choice. Ahhh ... thank the gods for small miracles and two hour naps.

In the meantime ... Sookie the wonderdog (this dog can FLY man!) was pouncing on my head at every given opportunity.

Sookie also nearly scared 10 years off my life. I woke up from a stingy 1 1/2 hours of sleep (my last nap of the day) and made my way to the living room. Bear in mind here, Sookie is usually right at my heels whenever I move around. So I was surprised she wasn't following me.

Slightly alarmed -- thinking perhaps I'd left her shut out on the balcony or possibly that I had forgotten I'd duct taped her to the wall somewhere -- I started looking around for her. My apartment is not huge, there aren't that many hiding places. I looked in the pantry (more on that later), in the bathroom, in the bedroom closet, in the laundry room, on the balcony and under the bed. Sookie was NOWHERE to be found. I looked in all those places again ... calling her name. Still NOTHING.

Now I was fully alarmed! Then ... THEN I spotted a suspicious lump under the covers at the end of my bed, and lo and behold ... there's Sookie, so deep in sleep and downy comfort; with one of my socks tucked happily between her teeth, that apparently she couldn't or wouldn't hear me call. Funny dog, trix are for kids! Now, go make the bed!

Sooo ... back to TV ... because really it's my obsession. I've gone through all my Harry Potter movies. I've watched The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon and Deep Impact. I'm thinking that on my three day weekend, I'll do the LOTR trilogy one day. Then I'll do Titanic and Gone with the Wind the second day. And on day three, The Dune Saga! Sounds good n'est pas? Needless to say ... I'm going to have a lot of tv catching up to do once it's all 'back on!'. Yup. I maybe off blogger for a while when that happens ... so you all better bloody well enjoy while you can!

You're all welcome though, bring your own popcorn, beer, soda, whatnot ... I have tea ... and rice puffs!

That's all folks ... beedah beedah beep beep!

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

Ocean: A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills.
Ambrose Bierce

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

Do you tend to forgive and forget or hold grudges? What is the longest you've ever stayed angry with someone? Is there anything the other person could say or do to win back your friendship and trust?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Nihil Obstat

PRONUNCIATION:
(NY-hil OB-stat, NEE-)

MEANING:
noun:
1. Official approval.
2. In the Roman Catholic Church, a statement by a church censor that a book is not offensive to the Church.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin nihil obstat (nothing hinders), from nihil (nothing) + obstare (to hinder), from ob- (against) + stare (to stand). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sta- (to stand) that is also the source of stay, stage, stable, instant, establish, static, and system.

USAGE:
"The Army Corps of Engineers last week gave its nihil obstat to the Hudson River Park, New York City's scheme."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Ears in the Turrets Hear

Ears in the turrets hear
Hands grumble on the door,
Eyes in the gables see
The fingers at the locks.
Shall I unbolt or stay
Alone till the day I die
Unseen by stranger-eyes
In this white house?
Hands, hold you poison or grapes?

Beyond this island bound
By a thin sea of flesh
And a bone coast,
The land lies out of sound
And the hills out of mind.
No birds or flying fish
Disturbs this island’s rest.

Ears in this island hear
The wind pass like a fire,
Eyes in this island see
Ships anchor off the bay.
Shall I run to the ships
With the wind in my hair,
Or stay till the day I die
And welcome no sailor?
Ships, hold you poison or grapes?

Hands grumble on the door,
Ships anchor off the bay,
Rain beats the sand and slates.
Shall I let in the stranger,
Shall I welcome the sailor,
Or stay till the day I die?

Hands of the stranger and holds of the ships,
Hold you poison or grapes?

Dylan Thomas

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Cider-Glazed Turkey

Ingredients:
For turkey:
1 (12-to 14-pounds) turkey at room temperature 1 hour, neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for turkey stock
1 apple, cut into chunks
1 small onion, quartered
1 small bunch thyme
1 cup water

For cider glaze:
1 cup unfiltered apple cider
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

For gravy:
2 cups dry white wine
Melted unsalted butter if necessary
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
About 4 cups hot turkey giblet stock

Equipment: a 17- by 14-inch flameproof roasting pan with a flat rack; kitchen String; a 2-quart measuring cup or a fat separator

Preparation:
Prepare turkey:
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in lower third.

Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Put turkey on rack in roasting pan and season inside and out with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Put apple, onion, and thyme in large cavity. Fold neck skin under body, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with string.

Roast turkey and Make cider glaze: Add water to pan and roast, without basting, 1 hour.

3Meanwhile, boil cider and sugar in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until emulsified. Let glaze stand until ready to use.

After turkey has roasted 1 hour, rotate pan 180 degrees. Roast, without basting, 40 minutes more.

Make gravy while turkey rests:
Strain pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into 2-qt measure and skim off fat (or use a fat separator), reserving fat.

Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Strain through sieve into measuring cup containing pan juices.

Put 1/2 cup reserved fat (if there is less, add melted butter) in a 4-qt heavy saucepan and whisk in flour.

Cook roux over medium heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Add pan juices and stock in a fast stream, whisking constantly, then bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Briskly simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy is thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve turkey with gravy.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Fun Dip and a Lemon

2009-11-01T18:36:00.002-06:00

Hey guys!
(Do ya'll remember this format? It's been a while eh?)
First I wanted to thank you all for voting on the names of my canine kids. Obviously I was only able to use one, and Sookie had been my first choice, and seems to be working well for the kidlet ... as she's a little powerhouse of energy and spunk!

Kadee obviously (I finally looked at her records to see how the original owners had spelled her name) couldn't have her name changed, as she was way way way to used to it. Again, though, thank you all for voting.

CD I loved the way you looked at it ... how they sounded when you yelled them. That cracked me up!!

In the spirit of All Hallow's Eve ... over at the The One-Minute Writer the writing prompt was what was your favorite sugary treat growing up.

I'll tell you, I'm not all that big on sugary treats these days ... but my favorite one growing up was the Fun Dip with the Lick-a-Stick.

Basically (in my time) you got three pouches of kool-aid like dry sugary powdery stuff and a candy stick that you would lick and dunk into the powder ... man that stuff was tart and good!!!

I remember getting that stuff and attending my brother's baseball games. Ho boy was I boy crazy then. All those cute ball players. I would be cheering them on and seductively dunking my stick in the candy goodness on the sidelines. Hmmm yeah ... those boys would come running like a pack o wolves. Stealing kisses behind the bleachers. *sighs* Those were the days.

It also reminds me of those long summer days ... my siblings and our friends; racing our bikes up to Stop-n-Go, getting our favorite candy and racing back home. Playing baseball in the cul-de-sac. Laying in the sun with my girlfriends; reading Seventeen and Teen Beat magazines. Giggling and laughing and running and playing. That's what Fun Dip reminds me of!

(no wonder the candy never landed on the hips back then!)

These days, eating candy is few and far between for me ... I'm not all that into sweets. As a matter of fact ... I find it difficult to get the proper fruit intake in most of the time, but I'm doing much much better on that these days.

In honor of All Hallow's Eve ... last night I had a baby snickers bar!!!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.
Rene Descartes

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

What was your favorite sugary treat as a kid? Do you have a specific memory attached to it?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Bowdlerize

PRONUNCIATION:
(BOAD-luh-ryz)

MEANING:
verb tr.: To remove or change parts (of a book, play, movie, etc.) considered objectionable.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), a British doctor, who edited the Family Shakespeare, an expurgated edition of William Shakespeare's works. Bowdler believed the original wasn't suitable for the delicate sensibilities of women and children. He also edited other books, such as Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and the Old Testament in a similar manner.

USAGE:
"The film [The Birth of a Nation] faced more courtroom challenges than any movie before or since, and many locales did ban or bowdlerize the movie."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

A Lemon

Out of lemon flowers
loosed
on the moonlight, love's
lashed and insatiable
essences,
sodden with fragrance,
the lemon tree's yellow
emerges,
the lemons
move down
from the tree's planetarium

Delicate merchandise!
The harbors are big with it-
bazaars
for the light and the
barbarous gold.
We open
the halves
of a miracle,
and a clotting of acids
brims
into the starry
divisions:
creation's
original juices,
irreducible, changeless,
alive:
so the freshness lives on
in a lemon,
in the sweet-smelling house of the rind,
the proportions, arcane and acerb.

Cutting the lemon
the knife
leaves a little cathedral:
alcoves unguessed by the eye
that open acidulous glass
to the light; topazes
riding the droplets,
altars,
aromatic facades.

So, while the hand
holds the cut of the lemon,
half a world
on a trencher,
the gold of the universe
wells
to your touch:
a cup yellow
with miracles,
a breast and a nipple
perfuming the earth;
a flashing made fruitage,
the diminutive fire of a planet.

Pablo Neruda

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Chicken in Dill Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 whole chicken legs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons whole-grain or coarse-grain mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Preparation:
Whisk together flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a pie plate or shallow bowl. Pat chicken dry, then dredge legs, 1 at a time, in flour, shaking off excess. Transfer to a sheet of wax paper, arranging chicken in 1 layer.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, skin sides down first, turning over once, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a plate, then pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet.

Add shallots to skillet and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and deglaze skillet by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add broth, mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, then return chicken to skillet, skin sides up, along with any juices from plate, and cook over moderate heat, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter and boil sauce until reduced to about 1 cup and slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in dill, then pour sauce over chicken.

Yield: 4 servings

Sidenote: This is actually something I can eat on my program ... less the veggie oil and flour and using chicken breasts. I'm going to give this one a try next pay period!

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Dead Tv's and Super Dogs!

2009-10-30T20:49:00.004-05:00

Well folksies ... my new doggies are getting used to being 'home' with me. As a matter of fact ... Sookie Bear has made several an attempt to literally eat the nose right off my face. It was cute the first 50 times ... it's getting a swat on the bum now.

Katie Belle keeps putting Sookie right in her place ... a well placed growl and a cute little lick. KB has the bad cop/good cop thing down pat!!!

Now for some other news ... I've had some difficulty with my cable company. I keep asking them what my monthly payment would be with taxes and each time they give me a number I dutifully change it in my billpay in my bank account ... then about 3 months later they cut off my service and say that I'm 300 bucks in arears. Un-freaking-believable. So here, I thought everything was hunky-dory and all my bills are paid and accounted for ... then all of the sudden ... service is cut off!

I'm patting myself on the back ... 'good girl ... you've got your shite together, it's fantastic, let's go get some dogs!!!' But NO NO NO NO NO ... Here I find out ... AGAIN ... that the cable company has effed up my account and they cannot account for it! Shocking? I'm no longer shocked!

Bloody hell ... I can't get it back on until the 10th of November. Which also means that I don't have INTERNET access until the 10th of November as well, AND that I have to pay a reconnection fee. Needless to say ... It may be a while until I comment ... as really ... being able to comment on some blogs from work has been hit or miss forever now. I'm reading you though!!!

So ... I'm going to look into what the charge is to get internet through my cell phone provider. And I'm going to call and have the cable company recalibrate my package to exclude internet and phone service and just cable service.

If the difference isn't that much ... I'm changing.

I don't know what the hell is wrong with my cable company ... that they can't help me get my bloody account balance to zero ... and then give me the exact amount that I should be paying with tax for my package each month. (Which by the way I've asked them time and time and time and time and time again ... yes really that many times and each bleeding time it's a different bloody amount!)

I do believe I'll be writing them a very strongly worded letter as well. It's getting rediculous! I was in 2 months ago ... paid my balance down to zero but for the re-connect fee and sat there in front of the rep and asked her how much my monthly bill was including tax, excluding purchased movies. She said ... 177.34, I tapped the amount into my blackberry. Then I set up my bank billpay for 178 bucks a month ... that's an incredible amount of money. NOW NOW ... the lady I spoke with on the phone yesterday ... says it's 183 a month!!!! #$%# THEM!

Okay ... I'm off now ... to look at Verizon's internet access info.

I'll let you all know how it goes. (#$%#in bloodsucking vampiric cable companies!!!)

Brightest blessings,

Surry

Katee Belle and Sookie Bear

2009-10-27T20:00:00.003-05:00

Introducing the Canine Kids

Sookie Bear

Katie Belle

Stay tuned for hopefully better images ... my camera died ... these are all I have right now.

Blessings,

Surry

Canine Kids

2009-10-23T19:24:00.004-05:00

Well folksies ... I mades my decision. I'm about to adopt 2 new canine kids.

I have a short list of names that I'm thinking of using. Let me know what you think.

1. Nixie
2. Breena
3. Eliska
4. Sookie
5. Myka
6. Alysia
7. Edain

I've put up a poll in the upper right hand corner of my blog. Vote away!

Brightest Blessings,

Surry

Everybody Tells Me Everything

2009-10-17T15:58:00.005-05:00

Well ... I do believe that my annoyance and thus yesterday's rant can be explained away by an excess of femininity this week. That's right folks ... PMS!!!

Excellent ... we all love it ... even you guys out there, you know you secretly do! I mean ... it's like the WWF of relationships week when this happens. It's incredible!

Anyway ... since my good friend Ian got all pissy about my last post ... and just flat out started being a big huge snotty meany-pants, I'm all about saying good riddance. Really, it's for the best ... I never wanted kids ... so his snot-nosed whining won't really be missed. And really 'J' you do deserve much better than that. (My opinion ... take it as you will girl, ya know I think you're the bees knees!)

Moving onward ...

How about that boy in the balloon? That poor kid ... actually all that man's kids ... really could we get a bit of child services intervention going on with that family? Those parents need some serious council and those kids need some serious help. Dad makes the kid lie on national TV? (shakes head in disgust) What a disgrace!

Mayhaps we'll see them all again on yet another episode of Wife Swap or whatever little reality show alien balloon daddy is trying to tout, I'm sure we can all only hope.

Elsewhere in the news ... well really ... there's no real news ... only Obama ... whew ... I guess nothing is really happening anywhere that's newsworthy. Cult of Personality anyone? Did I hire Obama to be on TV? NO I DID NOT ... I hired him to lead this nation, if he wanted to be a TV star ... he really should have changed his resume'. Luckily, I have about 24 hours of non-media television to keep me entertained. WEET!

Speaking of TV ... on Sunday ... I'll be posting at my new Certified TV Junkie Blog my take on the week of shows that I watch. Highly uninteresting, aye. But if you missed watching something, you can pop over there and see if it had been worth your while to miss it. I'm kind and generous that way! (hold your applesauce)

I'm seriously considering getting new doggies. We'll see how I feel about that in a week, I've been dogsitting and my mom's dog, god bless her, is completely neurotic.

That's all folks; here's a little funny ...

GRIT (Girls Raised In Texas)

Someone once noted a Texan can get away with the most awful kind of insult just as long as it's prefaced with the words, "Bless her heart" or "Bless his heart." As in, "Bless his heart, if they put his
brain on the head of a pin, it'd roll around like a BB on a 6-lane highway."

I was thinking about this the other day when a friend was telling about her new transplanted northern friend who was upset because her toddler is just beginning to talk and he has a Texas accent. My friend, who is very kind and, bless her heart, cannot do a thing about those thighs of hers, was justifiably miffed about this. After all, this woman had CHOSEN to move to Texas a couple of years ago.

"Can you believe it?" said her friend, "A child of mine is going to be "taaaallllkkin liiiike thiiiissss."

Now, don't get me wrong. Some of my dearest friends are from the North, bless their hearts. I welcome their perspective, their friendships, and their recipes for authentic Northern Italian food. I've even gotten past their endless complaints that you can't find good bread down here. And the heathens, bless their hearts, don't like cornbread!

I have a friend from Bawston, bless her heart, who thinks it's hilarious when I say I've got to "carry" my daughter to the doctor or "cut off" the light. She also gets a giggle every time I am "fixin" to do something. And, bless their hearts, they don't even know where "over yonder" is, or what "I reckon" means!

My personal favorite was my aunt, saying, "Bless her heart, she cain't help being ugly, but she could'uh stayed home.."

Texas girls know bad manners when they see them:

1. Drinking straight out of a can.
2. Not sending thank you notes.
3. Velvet after February.
4. White shoes before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.

Texas girls always say:
1. "Yes Maam."
2. "Yessir."

Texas girls have a distinct way with fond expressions:
1. "Yawl come back."
2. "Well, bless yer harrt."
3. "Drop by when ya can."
4. "How's yer mama?"
5. "Love yer hair."

Texas girls know their three R's:
1. Rich
2. Richer
3. Richest

Texas girls know everybody's first name:
1. Hunny
2. Darlin'
3. Shuger

Texas girls know the movies that speak to their hearts:
1. "Gone With the Wind"
2. "Fried Green Tomatoes"
3. "Driving Miss Daisy"
4. "Steel Magnolias"

Texas girls know the three deadly sins:
1. Bad hair
2. Bad manners
3. Bad blind dates

G.R.I.T. = Girls Raised in Texas !

Now you run along, shuger, and tell this to ANY females aspiring to be GRITS--Even the northern ones, “Bless Their Hearts", and tell it to men who think Texas women are precious.

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ
One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain't nothin' can beat teamwork.
Edward Abbey

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ
What's the best pick-up line you ever heard (or tried)? What's the worst? If you're instantly attracted to someone, will a stupid pick-up line dampen your interest?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ
Mausoleum

PRONUNCIATION:
(maw-suh-LEE-uhm, -zuh-)

MEANING:
A large tomb, usually an ornate stone building.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Mausolus, a Persian governor in 4th century BCE. His monumental tomb was considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, after which any grand tomb is now called a mausoleum.
Also see columbarium.

USAGE:
"Wu is leading a delegation to attend the 80th anniversary of the burial of Sun Yat-sen at a mausoleum in Nanjing."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ
Everybody Tells Me Everything

I find it very difficult to enthuse
Over the current news.
Just when you think that at least the outlook is so black that it can grow no blacker, it worsens,
And that is why I do not like the news, because there has never been an era when so many things were going so right for so many of the wrong persons.

Ogden Nash

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Spicy Thai Soup w/ Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Mashed Sweet Potatoes
1 cup Onion and Garlic Mix
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon green curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup Lime Shrimp
1 cup frozen peas
Juice of 2 limes, divided
Slices from 1/2 lime

Preparation:
Blend Mashed Sweet Potatoes , and broth in a blender until smooth; pour into a medium pot over low heat. Whisk in curry paste and ginger. Cook 10 minutes.

Quick tip:
While cooking, arrange the enchilada bake and prepare the topping for the shepherd's pie.

Turn heat to medium. Add Lime Shrimp and peas; stir frequently until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add lime juice (from 1 1/2 limes). If not eating immediately, pour into an airtight container and freeze. Otherwise, serve, garnished with lime slices.

To reheat:
Microwave on high 4 to 5 minutes, stirring halfway through. Stir in juice of 1/2 lime.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Screaming at an Old Chat Love ... I'm that retarded!

2009-10-16T21:08:00.004-05:00

Oh dear ... I've been chatting with an old online friend of mine. A love actually, in my naivety. I started chatting with him about 10 years ago, and at the time we would phone eachother often. Nearly every night. At the time, he claimed to be in love with me. Yay ... I found chat love 10 years ago!!!

Moving on.

He and I started chatting again about a month ago. It was normal at first ... talking about old times, what's going on these days. Yadda yaddda mudda fadda!

The situation is that he's now fascinated with this girl. He claims to be in love with her. This girl happens to live in Canada. Ian lives in Oregon. Obviously it's a long-distance type relationship, yay and good for them! He does nothing but talk about it non-stop ... asking what he should do ... should he stay with her, should he dump her? I understand ... he's frustrated by the failed (and seemingly false) attempts by her to visit.

Their problem is ... she's been trying to get down to visit him and each time, something has come up that prevents her trip. She hasn't been able to make it. All he talks about is whether he should continue the relationship or not because she hasn't dropped every damned thing in her life to go and visit him. I'm tired of it. I'd like to continue our friendship (and I'm striking up a pretty good friendship with her too) but I'm sick to death of talking constantly about this one and only issue. I'm sick of being in the middle of them both. It's bloody annoying!

So last night I was forced to work a double ... 16 hours. Ian gets online today and starts in about himself and Jen. No hi ... no how are ya ... no whatcha been up to ... no how's work? NOTHING!!! Just ... what should I do, stay or break up?

Um ... hullo? What am I, chopped liver?

Finally I told him (quite flippantly) that in the end ... his selfishness will drive her and me both away ... and he'll not have to make any decision at all. So he probably shouldn't worry over it so. What does he say?

Ian: "So ... should I break up with her? Maybe she doesn't deserve me!" (literally this is what he said right after I said the above)
Me: "I don't think you deserve her, you're a selfish crybaby!"

Ian: "So ... what should I do ... leave her alone, break it off?"
Me: (mouth agape, really? he's asking yet ANOTHER EFFIN TIME?) "Do what you wanna do"

about an hour later ...

Ian: "So ... should I tell her I don't want to talk to her anymore?"
Me: "Tell her your going to the gorram moon for all I care, I don't really care what you choose to or not to do"

Ian: "crybaby yahoo smiley"
Me: "You know what Ian? I worked 16 straight hours yesterday. I got about 2 hours of sleep, and it's likely I'll have to work another 16 hours tonight ... you messaged me ... no Hi how do you do ... you just went into your selfish egotistical diatribe and questioning about what you should do with or about 'J'. Some friend you are."

and finally ...

Ian: "How am I selfish?"
Me: "I worked a 16 hour shift last night ... and lucky for you ... I'm tired and pissy enough to repeat , as I've literally JUST told you this. I was forced to work a double shift last night -- 16 straight hours, I got about 2 hours of sleep. I'm charged with dogsitting my mother's dog, and really can't be gone 18 hours a day while I'm doing that. I am being forced to do another 16 hour shift tonight. BUT ... when you first messaged me today ... you said Hi. You never asked me how I was, what I was up to, how things were going, if I'd grown horns or halos, or perhaps sprouted a tail since the last we'd chatted? No no ... can't do any of that ... don't really care what's happening with anyone else or in anyone else's life ... as long as you can talk about 'J' ... and repeat over and over and over and over the same stupid bloody questions, that I told you before only you can answer as I don't live inside your rock hard head, that you've been asking me for the last sodding month!!!! So thanks so much for your friendship ... but I'm tired of it ... tired of you being a big inconsiderate whiny little baby brat. And I'm tired of talking to you today, see ya!"

What a doofus!

End Rant.

I feel much better.

The Odyssey

2009-10-15T17:36:00.002-05:00

I have some good news. I know I told you all about the 6 Week Body Make-Over that I've been trying to get into. Over the summer months with the scheduling of my Safety Culture classes, and then moving out of my perma-desk and into a vacation relief job, I haven't been very diligent with the plan.

However, two weeks ago I started it up again. I'm taking it slow and I've veared off plan a time or two. (I had the worst craving for cheese EVER!!!) However, in the two weeks that I've been working on the plan, I've lost 10lbs. YAY me! And I'm back to it again. (weekends are tough)

I'm not overly concerned about losing a specific amount in a specific timeframe. I just want to be back to my normal size by June or July (notice how that coincides with bikini season, jeez I miss having a tan!!!). So that gives me ... 8 months to lose around 35-40lbs ... I think that's a doable goal. That puts me back to about 115lbs and into a size 5/6. This is good, and like I said ... I have no fear of not being 'Perfectly on Plan' throughout this process.

I do however fear that my clothing will soon be falling off of me, and I'll be paying a fortune in alterations. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

What I am doing though, is really concentrating on making this a permanent change in my lifestyle. I feel really good when I have six small meals/snacks a day. I don't feel sleepy after my meals like you would if you had a big bowl of pasta or a couple slices of pizza. I never feel overly stuffed or unbelievably famished. It's fantastic!!! (and they say I will in fact be able to re-introduce cheese into my life at some point *sighs*)

So ... that's where I am with that. I know you all have been chomping at the bit for an update on that situation ... and there you have it.

I have another little bit of news. I've actually launched a second blog strictly for my TV watching endeavors. I figured if any of my followers/lurkers were interested, they could pop on over there. I'll put it in a link on the sidebar, at some point. I don't have anything in it quite yet, as I haven't decided if I'm going to post each week or each day. It's a horrible ordeal for me to make decisions like that 'fo sho'!

I think the bi-monthly book stroll is going pretty well, so I'll keep that up for a while. I hope you are all enjoying it!

On a final note, I think it would be kind of fun to see what other people answer on the question of the day, perhaps ya'll could make a blog post out of it, it's a pretty fun one!!!
ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ
A waist is a terrible thing to mind.
Jane Caminos

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ
If you had your own radio or television station, what would it be called and what kind of programming would it play?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ
Imprimatur

PRONUNCIATION:
(im-pri-MAH-tuhr, -MAY-)

MEANING:
noun:
1. Approval or authority; imprint.
2. A license to print or publish, especially one issued by a censor of the Roman Catholic Church.

ETYMOLOGY:
From New Latin imprimatur (let it be printed), from imprimere (to imprint), from in- (in) + premere (to press). Ultimately from the Indo-European root per- (to strike) that also gave us print, press, pressure, compress, impress, express, and espresso.

USAGE:
"The fact that the answer has the imprimatur of Cabinet does not necessarily mean that the information is correct or relevant."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ
Lines 1-20 in The Odyssey

Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
the hallowed heights of Troy.
Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds,
many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea,
fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home.
But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove--
the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all,
the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun
and the Sungod blotted out the day of their return.
Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus,
start from where you will--sing for our time too.
By now,
all the survivors, all who avoided headlong death
were safe at home, escaped the wars and waves.
But one man alone . . .
his heart set on his wife and his return--Calypso,
the bewitching nymph, the lustrous goddess, held him back,
deep in her arching caverns, craving him for a husband.

Homer

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ
Lime and Honey-Glazed Salmon w/ Basmati and Broccolini

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons finely grated lime peel
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro plus additional for sprinkling
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup sliced shallots (about 3 large)
1 1/2 cups basmati rice (9 to 10 ounces)
3 1/4 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
4 5-to 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
1 bunch broccolini, bottom inch trimmed, stalks separated if necessary

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk lime juice, lime peel, honey, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and soy sauce in small bowl; set aside. Heat oil in large deep ovenproof skillet or casserole (with lid) over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until beginning to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, then 3 1/4 cups broth; bring to boil. Cover skillet tightly with lid; place in oven and bake 10 minutes (rice will be almost cooked through and most of broth will be absorbed; mix in more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if dry).

Remove skillet from oven. Sprinkle rice lightly with salt. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper and arrange on rice, pressing in lightly. Tuck broccolini in around fish, with stems anchored in rice. Spoon 1 tablespoon lime mixture over each salmon fillet. Cover skillet tightly and return to oven; bake until salmon is just opaque in center and broccolini is crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drizzle remaining lime mixture over fish and rice; sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro and serve from skillet.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Sunday Book Stroll: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

2009-10-11T15:06:00.006-05:00

Sofie's World by Jostein Gaarder

Sophie's World is a novel about the history of philosophy entwined with an interesting story. What I loved about this book is that it allowed you to learn about some of the great philosophers while trying to figure out a mystery.

Sophie is a 14 year old girl, and up to her fourteenth year her life has been pretty uneventful. Sophie's enlightenment begins with an anonymous note in her mailbox, which asks questions that set her mind in motion and prepare her for what follows. The questions challenge Sophie's outlook on nearly everything.

Throughout the story and as Sophie takes on the challenging questions she learns about the history of philosophy from the earliest mythological philosophers to the most modern thinkers of our time. Unbeknownst to her, the information she is garnering could be crucial to her very existence ... I won't give away the ending.

One of the things I adored about this book is the basic knowledge that is derived from the dialoge between Sophie and her 'philosophy' teacher. (Who happens to be an old hermit that lives in the woods near her home.) The wonderful thing is that you're learning about philosophy whithout even meaning to, and the story that wraps up the information is intriguing if not intricate. It's a textbook with hutzpah! The downside is that there's very little plot or character development, so if you're into reading novels for those purposes alone, I'd stay away from this one, however, if you're interested in learning about philosophy on a rudimentary level ... this would be better than your average dry textbook. I really enjoyed learning about the different philosophies involved, and then after reading the book, learning more about those that interested me.

The philosophers that are included in this novel are as follows:
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Spinoza and Locke; Hume, and Bjerkely; Kant; Hegel, Kierkegaard and Marx; Darwin and Freud. (All of you teachers out there, don't mock my lack of ability to produce a good list here, it's been ages since I've been in an english class, and I just don't write often enough to warrant going back. Don't even get me started on mathematics, I couldn't long divide my way out of a paper bag! Also I may have missed one or two philosophers.)

I was given this book by a boy that I had met online when I was about 25. (yet another love of my life I'm sure) He apparently thought I was philosophically stupid and gave this to me to enlighten me. Little did he know he was about to set off a FIRESTORM of informational and classical reading frenzy in me. He he! I believe he's married to a Vegan, which is fine by me as ... if nobody minds ... I do enjoy myself some clovenhooved meaty goodness, thankyouverymuch!!!

In two weeks ... Brazil by John Updike
In addition to that ... I should be back to my regular postings. So yummy winter recipes to come. Winter is all about the comfort foods!! Yumm-O!!!
Blessings,

Surry

Sunday Book Stroll ~ The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera

2009-10-04T19:24:00.002-05:00

AND it's the next installment of Sunday Book Stroll!!!

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

It's been quite a long while since I'd read this book, just shortly after I'd graduated from college actually. I was going through an intellectual reading phase. We'll skip over the history on that though.

The novel itself delves into what makes us need companionship in life so badly!!! What I found fascinating about this book was the depth to which the characters picked apart and agonized over their relationship, or relationships. A man torn between thought and emotion, between love and lust. A woman who lives for rebellion. Another whose body is simply an amplifier for her emotions. Tomas, the male protagonist, falls in love with Teresa and marries her, while still having many one-night stands in an attempt to give weight (meaning) to his life. Moreover, he maintains a love-affair with Sabina. I was of the opinion that every one of these people, due to their intellectual dives into the meaning of companionship, suffered, for all of the self-knowledge made them both stilted and uncertain.

What I loved about this book though was that it really brings into focus how much we tend to overthink things in our own lives. Especially in this day and age ... with more open and less intimate relationships. With the internet and the rampant sexuality that lies therein. (Funnily enough, the person who gave me this book to read was a female online friend that I'd started hanging out with.)

Since I started reading this book in the midst of my 'classics' phase. (I'll explain that in detail at a later date.) It didn't really impact me in a profound way, except to perhaps stop myself from overthinking everything. What I mean by that is that I was a bit more open to different 'adventures' in the relationship department. I'd like to fall in love, someday ... but like Tomas, I feel that there's no reason for that to be the only thing in life. (at least until I find 'the one') However, I don't know that I could knowingly hurt someone as he did. Not that I don't think Tereza should be free of some serious fault-finding though. For her, love and sex were intertwined, whereas for Tomas they were separate. Tomas was within that unbearable lightness while Tereza was plagued with the heavy weight of life. The whole aspect of love and happiness simply shows us how vulnerable we are. AHA ... look how profound I am already!!! Oh Freud ... where art thou?

Excellent read though. I mean ... life might be a cabaret old chum ... but really ... there's only the one. No repeats, no take-backsies, no dress-rehearsals. So in short kids ... try not to mess it all up by over thinking it!
Light and Love,
Surry!

Cure JM!!! And happy Bday Mrs Uncool!

2009-10-02T22:55:00.003-05:00

Kevin of Always Home and Uncool has asked me to post this as part of his effort to raise awareness in the blogosphere of juvenile myositis, a rare autoimmune disease his daughter was diagnosed with on this day seven years ago. The day also happens to be his wife's birthday.

*

Our pediatrician admitted it early on.

The rash on our 2-year-old daughter's cheeks, joints and legs was something he'd never seen before.

The next doctor wouldn't admit to not knowing.

He rattled off the names of several skins conditions -- none of them seemingly worth his time or bedside manner -- then quickly prescribed antibiotics and showed us the door.

The third doctor admitted she didn't know much.

The biopsy of the chunk of skin she had removed from our daughter's knee showed signs of an "allergic reaction" even though we had ruled out every allergy source -- obvious and otherwise -- that we could.

The fourth doctor had barely closed the door behind her when, looking at the limp blonde cherub in my lap, she admitted she had seen this before. At least one too many times before.

She brought in a gaggle of med students. She pointed out each of the physical symptoms in our daughter:

The rash across her face and temples resembling the silhouette of a butterfly.

The purple-brown spots and smears, called heliotrope, on her eyelids.

The reddish alligator-like skin, known as Gottron papules, covering the knuckles of her hands.

The onset of crippling muscle weakness in her legs and upper body.

She then had an assistant bring in a handful of pages photocopied from an old medical textbook. She handed them to my wife, whose birthday it happened to be that day.

This was her gift -- a diagnosis for her little girl.

That was seven years ago -- Oct. 2, 2002 -- the day our daughter was found to have juvenile dermatomyositis, one of a family of rare autoimmune diseases that can have debilitating and even fatal consequences when not treated quickly and effectively.

Our daughter's first year with the disease consisted of surgical procedures, intravenous infusions, staph infections, pulmonary treatments and worry. Her muscles were too weak for her to walk or swallow solid food for several months. When not in the hospital, she sat on our living room couch, propped up by pillows so she wouldn't tip over, as medicine or nourishment dripped from a bag into her body.

Our daughter, Thing 1, Megan, now age 9, remembers little of that today when she dances or sings or plays soccer. All that remain with her are scars, six to be exact, and the array of pills she takes twice a day to help keep the disease at bay.

What would have happened if it took us more than two months and four doctors before we lucked into someone who could piece all the symptoms together? I don't know.

I do know that the fourth doctor, the one who brought in others to see our daughter's condition so they could easily recognize it if they ever had the misfortune to be presented with it again, was a step toward making sure other parents also never have to find out.

That, too, is my purpose today.

It is also my birthday gift to my wife, My Love, Rhonda, for all you have done these past seven years to make others aware of juvenile myositis diseases and help find a cure for them once and for all.

To read more about children and families affected by juvenile myositis diseases, visit Cure JM Foundation at www.curejm.org.

To make a tax-deductible donation toward JM research,

go: HERE

or HERE

Friends Departed & Fall Television

2009-10-01T15:10:00.003-05:00

I'm often talking about Television and the programs I watch ... so I thought I'd give you all a bit of a list of what my weekly TV intake is. I believe you'll find it pretty full.
Keep in mind that a lot of the programs I watch during the day while I'm doing housework and stuff on my 'Rest Days' so I'm really not watching 4 or more hours of TV a night. On my rest days, the tv would be on for company or the noise anyway.

Here's 'The List'
Sunday:
Family Guy
Mad Men
Three Rivers

Monday:
How I Met Your Mother
Two and a Half Men
The Big Bang Theory
Heroes
Castle
CSI: Miami

Tuesday:
NCIS
NCIS: LA
Hell's Kitchen
So You Think You Can Dance
The Forgotten
The Good Wife

Wednesday:
So You Think You Can Dance
Criminal Minds
Glee
Eastwick

Thursday:
Flash Forward
The Vampire Diaries
Supernatural
Fringe
(Grey's Anatomy is being relegated to watching On Demand)
The Mentalist
Private Practice

Friday:
Ghost Whisperer
Smallville
Dollhouse
Ugly Betty
Numb3rs
Sanctuary

Saturday:
Robin Hood
I know ... I know ... I'm rotting my brain. Although not nearly as bad as if I were watching everything on Hulu, according to the ever beloved Seth McFarlane!! Woot Weet!!!
Anyhow, that's my post for the day ... because I'm sort of lazy like that!

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.
Marilyn Monroe

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ
What are some things you can do today because of technology that you couldn't do five years ago?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ
Comstockery

PRONUNCIATION:
(KOM-stok-uh-ree, KUM-)

MEANING:
noun: Overzealous censorship of material considered obscene.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Anthony Comstock (1844-1915), founder of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. He crusaded against anything he considered immoral. Nothing escaped his wrath -- even anatomy textbooks for medical students and the draping of mannequins in public view in shop windows were obscene to him. He lobbied for laws against mailing any material that could be perceived as promoting immorality.
He was appointed postal inspector and he seized books, postcards, and other materials by the boatload. He boasted that he had arrested more than 3,000 people and driven more than 15 to suicide. George Bernard Shaw coined the word comstockery after him when he attacked the American production of Shaw's play "Mrs. Warren's Profession".

USAGE:
"The language and thought police are hardly some Orwellian invention; America has been unusually susceptible to plagues of Comstockery and self-righteous tomfoolery."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ
Friends Departed

They are all gone into the world of light!
And I alone sit ling'ring here;
Their very memory is fair and bright,
And my sad thoughts doth clear.

It glows and glitters in my cloudy breast,
Like stars upon some gloomy grove,
Or those faint beams in which this hill is drest
After the sun's remove.

I see them walking in an air of glory,
Whose light doth trample on my days:
My days, which are at best but dull and hoary,
Mere glimmering and decays.

O holy Hope! and high Humility,
High as the heavens above!
These are your walks, and you have show'd them me,
To kindle my cold love.

Dear, beauteous Death! the jewel of the Just,
Shining nowhere, but in the dark;
What mysteries do lie beyond thy dust,
Could man outlook that mark!

He that hath found some fledg'd bird's nest may know,
At first sight, if the bird be flown;
But what fair well or grove he sings in now,
That is to him unknown.

And yet as Angels in some brighter dreams
Call to the soul, when man doth sleep:
So some strange thoughts transcend our wonted themes,
And into glory peep.

If a star were confin'd into a tomb,
Her captive flames must needs burn there;
But when the hand that lock'd her up gives room,
She'll shine through all the sphere.

O Father of eternal life, and all
Created glories under Thee!
Resume Thy spirit from this world of thrall
Into true liberty.

Either disperse these mists, which blot and fill
My perspective still as they pass:
Or else remove me hence unto that hill,
Where I shall need no glass.

Henry Vaugha

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ
Brisket Braised in Porter

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dry mustard (such as Colman's)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 6-pound flat-cut brisket, trimmed but with some fat still attached
2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat or olive oil
4 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth, divided
1 12-ounce bottle porter or stout
6 whole pitted prunes
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons (packed) dark brown sugar
6 cups thinly sliced onions (2 1/2 pounds)
8 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 pound medium carrots, peeled, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch lengths
2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon (or more) malt vinegar

Special equipment: Heavy extra-large wide ovenproof pot

Preparation:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Mix first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Rub herb mixture all over brisket. Heat bacon fat in heavy extra-large wide ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add brisket to pot and cook until deep brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer brisket to platter or rimmed baking sheet. Add 2 cups broth to pot and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Stir in porter, prunes, bay leaves, and brown sugar; bring to boil. Return brisket to pot, fat side down; scatter onion slices over to cover meat, then add garlic.

Cover pot; place in oven and braise brisket 1 hour. Remove pot from oven; uncover and turn brisket over so that onion slices fall into liquid in pot. Return pot to oven and braise uncovered 30 minutes. Add 1 cup broth. Cover and bake 1 hour 30 minutes longer.

Transfer brisket to platter or rimmed baking sheet; add 1 more cup broth to liquid in pot, then add mushrooms and carrots. Return brisket to pot. Cover and return to oven; braise until meat and carrots are very tender, adding more broth by cupfuls, if needed, to cover vegetables, about 45 minutes longer. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled at least 1 day and up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spoon off any fat from surface of brisket pan juices and discard. Transfer brisket to cutting board. Thinly slice brisket across grain. Place brisket slices in large roasting pan. Bring pan juices with vegetables in pot to boil. Whisk in mustard and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding more vinegar by teaspoonfuls, if desired. Pour pan juices and vegetables over brisket in roasting pan. Cover roasting pan tightly with heavy-duty foil and cook in oven until brisket slices and vegetables are heated through, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Serve meat with vegetables and sauce.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Sunday Book Stroll

2009-09-28T15:20:00.000-05:00

I haven't quite finished The Unbearable Lightness of Being, so SBS will be moved to this coming Sunday ... perhaps twice a month will be fine for this feature. *winks*

I will say I was distracted from reading because of the season premiers going on. WEET!!!

Blessings all,

Surry

Bereavement

2009-09-24T21:00:00.001-05:00

I did finally get to the store last night, YAY! I got the fixins for my Veggie Beef soup. I'll post the recipe at the bottom!! It's sooo yummy!
Last night's TV was pretty darned good! Criminal Minds started this season very strong, still concluding with the reaper storyline!!! Very excellent! Glee keeps getting better and better as well. I love the various underlying lies and stories. That show is like a happy party in my tummy! I thought Eastwick was pretty good. I think I'll stick with it for a while and see how it goes. I like all the characters at least. I'm not jaded by the movie either, as I haven't seen it. So You Think You Can Dance (which will heretofor be referred to as SYTYCD) was still in the try-out stage, still very good though. I am a little tired of Mary and her screams though. Having the HOT HOT HOTTIE Tyse Diorio there as a judge makes up for it though!!!
Tonight is: Flash Forward (new this season), The Vampire Diaries which I've enjoyed thus far because the celeb love of my life is in it! (That would be Ian Somerholder) Supernatural, Fringe and Grey's Anatomy are also tonight!!! WEET! I'm recording The Mentalist, I missed the first season as it was up against two other shows, and I may not continue watching it, but I've always loved Robin Tunney.
Today is my FRIDAY, so in case you're wondering how I'm getting all of this TV watching done and still getting some sleep (it's not because I'm a vampire I promise) I watch some when I get home after work during the week, some while I'm getting ready for work and doing housework, and then the bulk of it gets watched while I'm puttering around the house on my rest days. I space it out, as I don't watch daytime tv!
I'm plugging through The Unbearable Lightness of Being for my Sunday Book Stroll Post, if you missed the last one the link is here. So that's all folks ... let's see if I can find ya a funny.
Flat Tire
Yesterday I had a flat tire on the interstate. So I eased my car over to the shoulder of the road, carefully get out of the car and open the trunk. .
I took out 2 cardboard men, unfolded them and stood them at the rear of my car facing oncoming traffic. They look so life like you wouldn't believe it! They are in trench coats exposing their nude bodies to the approaching drivers.
To my surprise, cars start slowing down looking at my lifelike men which made it safer for me to work at the side of the road. And of course, traffic starts backing up. Everybody is tooting their horns and waving like crazy. It wasn't long before a state trooper pulls up behind me.
He gets out of his car and starts walking towards me. I could tell he was not a happy camper!
'What's going on here? '
'My car has a flat tire', I said calmly.
'Well, what are those obscene cardboard men doing here by the road? '
I couldn't believe that he didn't know. So I told him, 'Helloooooo, those are my emergency flashers!'
ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

Thought is only a flash between two long nights, but this flash is everything.
~Henri Poincare

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

If you were to open your own theme restaurant, what would the theme be and how would you express it to the customers?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Micropsia

PRONUNCIATION:
(my-KROP-see-uh)

MEANING:
noun: A defect of vision in which objects appear smaller than normal.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek micro- (small) + -opia (vision).

USAGE:
"Seated on the chill concrete, I felt a recurrence of my childhood micropsia, a night terror I thought I'd left behind at age eleven or twelve, in my bedroom on Dean Street: the sensation that my body was reduced to speck size."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Bereavement

How stern are the woes of the desolate mourner
As he bends in still grief o'er the hallowed bier,
As enanguished he turns from the laugh of the scorner,
And drops to perfection's remembrance a tear;
When floods of despair down his pale cheeks are streaming,
When no blissful hope on his bosom is beaming,
Or, if lulled for a while, soon he starts from his dreaming,
And finds torn the soft ties to affection so dear.
Ah, when shall day dawn on the night of the grave,
Or summer succeed to the winter of death?
Rest awhle, hapless victim! and Heaven will save
The spirit that hath faded away with the breath.
Eternity points, in its amaranth bower
Where no clouds of fate o'er the sweet prospect lour,
Unspeakable pleasure, of goodness the dower,
When woe fades away like the mist of the heath.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Surry's Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb Stew Beef
32 oz Carton Beef Stock
4 Carrots
4 Celery stalks
1 large white onion
1 small head Cabbage
1 Pkg sliced baby portabella mushrooms
4 large potatoes
1 lg can stewed, diced or crushed tomatoes

Preparation:
In a large stock pot add the beef stock and tomatoes. Dice the carrots, celery, potatoes and onion and add to pot. Turn on heat until the ingredients are simmering.

Brown the beef, strain and add to pot.

Add water to pot to cover ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

After the initial ingredients have simmered for about 30 minutes, chop up the cabbage and add to pot.

Simmer for 15 more minutes and then add the mushrooms. At this point you may need to add some additional water and salt and pepper to taste again.

(As an added oomph ... since I don't use any salt I put in 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper)

Simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Benediction

2009-09-23T21:00:00.002-05:00

Ugh ... I didn't feel like stopping at the store last night, so NO soup today. Maybe tonight. So tonight you get Lamb Chops w/ Fresh Herbs and Roasted Figs
Is it just me, or do any of you have problems when you use your reader, then hit the blogsite you want to comment on? Sometimes when I'm doing this all of the sudden 2,000 tabs of same blogger's blog will open up automatically. It's a but disconcerting because it locks up my PC when that happens.

Anyway!!! I didn't make my soup last night, I was feeling lazy on my way home and I've been fighting anxiety for a few days now. So I just hustled home. Tonight I really AM stopping. I'm making my ingredient list as we speak. I'll toss everything in the pot while I'm watching Wednesday night TV.

Speaking of TV. Last night's episode of NCIS was phenomenal!!! Really terrific start to the season. Sadly I missed NCIS: LA because I was too stupid to make sure I clicked to record it. I'll be looking for that online this Friday or Saturday (my weekend days). Also there was a 2 hour Hell's Kitchen, good gods I do love Gordon Ramsay!! He cracks me the 'bleep' up! I started watching The Good Wife, if you like law drama's that's one for you. It was suprisingly good!!! I recorded 'the forgotten' however I didn't get a chance to watch it yet. I'll tell ya'll about it soonish.

Tonight's a pretty good TV night with So You Think You Can Dance, Mercy, Glee, Criminal Minds, and Eastwick. I've been watching Glee and I adore it. I've always loved SYTYCD since the first season, as well as Criminal Minds! I don't know about Mercy or Eastwick ... we'll see about those.

Monday night brought us the season premier of Heroes, which I thought started out really strongly, excellent 2 hours! Castle was really excellent as was the CBS funnies, HIMYM, 2.5 Men and TBBT. I missed CSI: Miami, which I'm returning to watching this season ... but I'm pretty sure I can get that online too. WOOT!!

In case anyone is interested here is the link to view my Weekly TV Schedule,

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

Count not him among your friends who will retail your privacies to the world.
~Publilius Syrus

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

What oft-repeated quote or common cliché do you find the most annoying when someone says it to you?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ
Cobber

PRONUNCIATION:
(KOB-uhr)

MEANING:
noun: A pal.

ETYMOLOGY:
Cobber is an old-fashioned Australianism. It's perhaps derived from English dialect cob (take a liking to).

USAGE:
"Farewell cobber, it's been a blast."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ
Benediction

Bless this little heart, this white soul that has won the kiss of
heaven for our earth.
He loves the light of the sun, he loves the sight of his
mother's face.
He has not learned to despise the dust, and to hanker after
gold.
Clasp him to your heart and bless him.
He has come into this land of an hundred cross-roads.
I know not how he chose you from the crowd, came to your door,
and grasped you hand to ask his way.
He will follow you, laughing the talking, and not a doubt in
his heart.
Keep his trust, lead him straight and bless him.
Lay your hand on his head, and pray that though the waves
underneath grow threatening, yet the breath from above may come and
fill his sails and waft him to the heaven of peace.
Forget him not in your hurry, let him come to your heart and
bless him.

Rabindranath Tagore

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Lamb Chops w/ Fresh Herbs and Roasted Figs

Ingredients:
Lamb chops:
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
4 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
2 2-pound racks of lamb, trimmed of fat and sinew
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Roasted figs:
12 ripe Kadota figs, halved lengthwise
16 sprigs lemon thyme or regular thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:
For lamb:
Combine herbs in small bowl. Rub lamb with olive oil, half of chopped herbs, and garlic; cover and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat grapeseed oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper; sear until brown on both sides, 5 minutes total. Transfer lamb to large rimmed baking sheet; roast to desired doneness, about 20 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to cutting board; let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature; reserve baking sheet for figs.

For figs:
Place figs and thyme sprigs on baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Roast in oven at 425°F for 10 minutes.

Cut lamb racks into individual chops; arrange on plates and place figs alongside.
Well it looks like my formatting went into the wind on this one ... but Oh Well! What can you do? That's all folks!
Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

I Thought of You

2009-09-22T21:00:00.001-05:00

Well, I don't think my Book Stroll went over very well, either that or people have forgotten about me. *insert sad face here* Maybe it'll be better next week.
I'm done training which makes me very very happy, but I'll have to tell ya'll the story about how I got out of it. Perhaps tomorrow. I'm a bit tired today.
I've been sick for a few days ... some kind of stomach bug. I've been drinking tea and eating bread or crackers for a week. I'm finally getting a bit of protein in me today. Probably good for my health but bad for my stomach. Tonight I'm stopping at the grocers to get the fixin's for my Veggie beef soup. I'll make it and post a piccy and the recipe tomorrow!!!
On with the show!
ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ
Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
~Will Rogers
ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ
How do you think technology will impact your future?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Chouse

PRONUNCIATION:
(chous)

MEANING:
verb tr.:
1. To cheat or trick.
2. To drive or herd in a rough manner.

ETYMOLOGY:
For 1: Perhaps from chiaus (the word for an official in the Ottoman Empire), one such official defrauded people. 2: Origin unknown.

USAGE:
"Rightly viewed, calf-butchering accounts for Titus Andronicus, the only play -- ain't it? -- that the Stratford Shakespeare ever wrote; and yet it is the only one everybody tries to chouse him out of."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

"I Thought of You"

I thought of you and how you love this beauty,
And walking up the long beach all alone
I heard the waves breaking in measured thunder
As you and I once heard their monotone.

Around me were the echoing dunes, beyond me
The cold and sparkling silver of the sea --
We two will pass through death and ages lengthen
Before you hear that sound again with me.

Sarah Teasdale
ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana Heros

Ingredients:
For tomato sauce:
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

For eggplant heros:
4 (6-inch) hero or hoagie rolls, split
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 (1-pound) eggplants
1/2 pound thinly sliced provolone or fresh mozzarella, divided
1 cup basil leaves, chopped

Preparation:
Make tomato sauce:
Purée tomatoes in a blender until very smooth. Heat oil in a 3-to 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sauté onion and garlic with red pepper flakes until golden, about 4 minutes. Add tomato purée, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Make sandwiches:
Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure .

Brush cut side of rolls with 1 tablespoon oil total.

Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Brush both sides of slices with remaining 3 tablespoons oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Oil grill rack, then grill eggplant (covered only if using a gas grill), loosening with a metal spatula and turning occasionally to avoid overbrowning, until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Top eggplant (still on grill) evenly with half of sliced cheese, then grill, covered, until cheese begins to melt, about 30 seconds. Transfer eggplant with spatula to a large tray.

Grill rolls (cut side only) until grill marks appear, about 1 minute, and transfer to tray.

Transfer grilled rolls to 4 plates and spoon about 3 tablespoons tomato sauce onto each bottom piece. Top with eggplant, making 2 layers. Add remaining sauce, then top with basil and remaining cheese and close sandwiches.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Sunday's Book Stroll

2009-09-20T19:00:00.002-05:00

A new day of posting! AND I have a lot to post too!!! (This is REALLY a hugely long post!) I have been promising and promising my new segment, and this will be weekly. I'll be posting it on Sundays, there will be no posting then the following Monday as to allow people to catch up from the weekend. So ... without further ADO here's my Sunday's Book Stroll:

I've just finished re-reading Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy so I've decided it's as good of a starting place as any for my book feature.

The trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and the Amber Spyglass is a wonderful journey through the trials of faith, knowledge and understanding. The characters are so well developed and interesting. Throughout the book, you see the struggle between good and evil from the very start; within each character’s frame. With some interesting character development throughout the story you see these ideas and personalities shift and change as well.

The trilogy itself sparked much controversy among Christians, although this was not widely known until the movie was made and boycotted due to some of the ideas presented. Namely the idea of the kind of power the “Magisterium” holds (The Magisterium would have been equivilant to the Catholic church's hierarchy I believe). I believe that many Christians felt as though their faith was directly attacked based on their choice of church and although there are parallels to historical Christian ideals and power struggles, I don't believe that was the main goal of the book. It simply made for a better story. The crux of the books however, is personal choice or lack there of.

I thought it was brilliant that the two protagonists were children on the very cusp of change, on their way to adulthood. If you haven't read the books, the problem the “Magisterium” had with these two children is that they represent a new Adam and Eve. A do-over if you will to eliminate OR re-create original sin, personal choice. If no original sin, no temptation; if no temptation no actual personal conciousness. (I know that's simplified, sue me later!)

In order to save the worlds, all the different parallel worlds, these two children must be allowed to experience what some see as the original sin. And they succeed by traveling through these worlds, learning to trust and rely on eachother, and eventually finding that elusive feeling of absolute joyful love.
The Magisterium is out to stop that process from happening. The problem with their plan though is that without this situation happening, and by disallowing these two children to make choices, good or bad, or feel what emotional, physical and joyful love is, the worlds would fall into total chaos and eventually into the absolute loss of conscious thought. This in turn would bring about worlds of remote human beings. Like bees buzzing around out of pure instinct and no conscious thought, and included in that would be the lawmakers themselves.
(As an aside, the book does not make mention of the actual 'love-making' portion of this scenerio, it's just semi-inferred.)

I think the essence of the book is that while faith is an extraordinary and powerful idea, the powers that control it can fall into a state that is so disrespectful of it's origin that it becomes destructive more than helpful. The loss of choice and consciousness destroys the very power you're after. The more choice you take away, the more chaos and discord you have. The original thought of making changes for the benefit of others' might have been full of good intentions originally, but in doing so you destroy the very foundation of humanity and the humanity in yourself in the process.

For me personally, I felt that even with my short study of different religions I was able to go into reading these books with a more open mind. In addition, with a second reading one always has a better understanding since the basic storyline is already known. Because of that the underlying meanings were clearer. So I got quite a bit out of it. For example: trying to make the right decisions for others but also with regards to oneself, even making personal sacrifices knowing we're all a part of something much bigger. Each minute atom ... every breeze, ray of light, lightening storm, we're a part of all of that, and that of us.

In addition, while utopia may not be found, if we are able to try to be happy and good and kind, we can make the small changes around us that make huge differences. The author uses the simple theory of using a pebble to change the course of a river. If you put the pebble in a place that causes just a trickle of water to move into another direction, you can make the river change it's course. If one can change the attitude of annoyance, dislike or indifference into thoughts of creativity, compassion, and interest many things could change. Never overnight, as who can or would trust an overnight change?

I know this sounds like a rant, I don't know that I have the language skills to make it sound differently, but I don't mean for it to be. I really fully believe that we all ought to be opening our minds more and really thinking about our feelings and actions, as the less we do this, the less knowledge, understanding and control we have over our own lives.

I hope you enjoyed the rambling AWESOMENESS of my first feature post. HAH! Join us next time for a rant/rambling about Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"
ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.
~Galileo Galilei

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ
Do you believe everything has a scientific explanation?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ
Agnosia

PRONUNCIATION:
(ag-NO-zhuh)

MEANING:
noun: Loss of ability to recognize objects, people, sounds, etc., usually caused by brain injury.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek agnosia (ignorance), from a- (without) + gnosis (knowledge). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gno- (to know) that is the ancestor of such words as know, can, notorious, notice, connoisseur, recognize, agnostic, diagnosis, ignore, annotate, noble, narrate, anagnorisis (the moment of recognition), and gnomon.
Also see prosopagnosia (inability to recognize familiar faces) and alexia (word blindness).

USAGE:
"Jeff Koons turns agnosia into an artistic principle. And that has the effect of letting us see our world, and art, as profoundly other than it usually is."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ
An Imitation of Spenser

Golden Apollo, that thro' heaven wide
Scatter'st the rays of light, and truth's beams,
In lucent words my darkling verses dight,
And wash my earthy mind in thy clear streams,
That wisdom may descend in fairy dreams,
All while the jocund hours in thy train
Scatter their fancies at thy poet's feet;
And when thou yields to night thy wide domain,
Let rays of truth enlight his sleeping brain.
For brutish Pan in vain might thee assay
With tinkling sounds to dash thy nervous verse,
Sound without sense; yet in his rude affray,
(For ignorance is Folly's leasing nurse
And love of Folly needs none other's curse)
Midas the praise hath gain'd of lengthen'd ears,
For which himself might deem him ne'er the worse
To sit in council with his modern peers,
And judge of tinkling rimes and elegances terse.

And thou, Mercurius, that with wingèd brow
Dost mount aloft into the yielding sky,
And thro' Heav'n's halls thy airy flight dost throw,
Entering with holy feet to where on high
Jove weighs the counsel of futurity;
Then, laden with eternal fate, dost go
Down, like a falling star, from autumn sky,
And o'er the surface of the silent deep dost fly:

If thou arrivest at the sandy shore
Where nought but envious hissing adders dwell,
Thy golden rod, thrown on t 1000 he dusty floor,
Can charm to harmony with potent spell.
Such is sweet Eloquence, that does dispel
Envy and Hate that thirst for human gore;
And cause in sweet society to dwell
Vile savage minds that lurk in lonely cell

O Mercury, assist my lab'ring sense
That round the circle of the world would fly,
As the wing'd eagle scorns the tow'ry fence
Of Alpine hills round his high aëry,
And searches thro' the corners of the sky,
Sports in the clouds to hear the thunder's sound,
And see the wingèd lightnings as they fly;
Then, bosom'd in an amber cloud, around
Plumes his wide wings, and seeks Sol's palace high.

And thou, O warrior maid invincible,
Arm'd with the terrors of Almighty Jove,
Pallas, Minerva, maiden terrible,
Lov'st thou to walk the peaceful solemn grove,
In solemn gloom of branches interwove?
Or bear'st thy AEgis o'er the burning field,
Where, like the sea, the waves of battle move?
Or have thy soft piteous eyes beheld
The weary wanderer thro' the desert rove?
Or does th' afflicted man thy heav'nly bosom move?

William Blake

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ
Caramelized Chipotle Chicken

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo (from a 7-ounce can)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 whole chickens (about 3 1/2 pounds each), each cut into 8 pieces

Preparation:
Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook garlic, stirring constantly, until golden, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate. Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, about 15 minutes.

Add garlic and remaining ingredients, except chicken, to skillet with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

Coat chicken with half of sauce, then roast, skin side up, in a 17-by 11-inch heavy 4-sided sheet pan 25 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with remaining sauce, then continue roasting until chicken is cooked through and well browned in spots, 20 to 25 minutes more.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Update and still training!

2009-09-06T19:35:00.005-05:00

Heya folks,

Just letting you know I'm still alive and still training the guy taking over my desk. He's pretty doggone slow too, so it looks like it'll be another week to two weeks of training. WOOT WOOT!!!!

(not really woot woot, I was being facetious about that ... I really really dislike training other people, it's a pain in my bloody neck, back, head whatnot!!!)

Hope all is well with you guys I miss being able to read your posts and things! Back to normal all in good time though.

Post and Comment atcha all latah!!!

Hugs, kisses and bright blessings,

Surry!

Training, edited by Little Johnnie

2009-09-06T15:49:00.003-05:00

I'm training the person that bumped me off my desk. I'll be doing so over the next 2 weeks so I won't be around.

Brightest blessings my friends,

Surry

Here's a funny!!!

The absolute best Little Johnnie joke

Little Johnnie's neighbor had a baby. Unfortunately, the baby was born without ears.
When mother and new baby came home from the hospital, Johnnie's family was invited over to see the baby..

Before they left their house, Little Johnnie's dad had a talk with him and explained that the baby had no ears.

His dad also told him that if he so much mentioned anything about the baby's missing ears or even said the word ears, he would get the smacking of his life when they came back home.

Little Johnnie told his dad he understood completely.

When Johnnie looked in the crib he said, "What a beautiful baby."

The mother said, "Why, thank you, Little Johnnie.

Johnnie said, "He has beautiful little feet and beautiful little hands, a cute little nose and really beautiful eyes. Can he see?"

"Yes", the mother replied, "we are so thankful; the Doctor said he will have 20/20 vision."

"That's great", said Little Johnnie,"cuz he'd be f_cked if he needed glasses".

A Night Thought

2009-09-01T21:00:00.001-05:00

Happy September! I have been so busy at work ... I'm really pleased that I got these blogs put together ahead of time. SUNDAY is the big moving day for the furniture and I'm ready! I'm looking forward to getting everything straightened up and taking some new 'updated' photo's of my apt! WEET!!! I have no funnies today ... sorry about that ... I just don't have but a minute here!!! So on we go with the rest!
ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ
The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible -- and achieve it, generation after generation.
~Pearl S. Buck

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ
What is the dumbest thing you've ever done? How did it affect your life and how did you resolve the consequences?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ
Smalto

PRONUNCIATION:
(SMAHL-to)

MEANING:
noun: Colored glass or enamel used in mosaic.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Italian smalto (enamel, glaze), related to smelt (to melt).

USAGE:
"Using Carrara marble, Venetian gold, and glass smalto, Elaine M. Goodwin creates mosaics inspired by the Classical, Byzantine, Victorian, and contemporary worlds."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ
A Night Thought

Lo! where the Moon along the sky
Sails with her happy destiny;
Oft is she hid from mortal eye
Or dimly seen,
But when the clouds asunder fly
How bright her mien!

Far different we--a froward race,
Thousands though rich in Fortune's grace
With cherished sullenness of pace
Their way pursue,
Ingrates who wear a smileless face
The whole year through.

If kindred humours e'er would make
My spirit droop for drooping's sake,
From Fancy following in thy wake,
Bright ship of heaven!
A counter impulse let me take
And be forgiven.

William Wordsworth

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ
Heirloom Tomato Herb Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup crème fra&ircirc;che
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
2 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (from 1 medium)
1 pound fusilli or other short spiral pasta
3/4 cup chopped mixed herbs such as basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, and tarragon

Preparation:
Whisk together oil, crème fraîche, vinegar, sugar (if using), 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Coarsely chop tomatoes and toss with shallot and dressing. Marinate until ready to use, at least 10 minutes.

While tomatoes stand, cook fusilli in a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente. Drain in a colander and immediately add to tomato mixture, tossing to combine. Cool to warm or room temperature (do not chill), tossing occasionally, then stir in herbs.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Of The Four Ages of Man

2009-08-31T21:00:00.004-05:00

Not much is going on with me lately, taking it easy after my long day of organizing and sorting ... work this week has been pretty bizzy too. Since I don't have much news, here's a funny ...

Job at the FBI

The FBI had an opening for an assassin.

After all the background checks, interviews and testing were done, there were three candidates left, two men and a woman. For the final test, the FBI agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun.

"We must know that you will follow our instructions no matter what the circumstances. Inside the room you will find your wife sitting in a chair. We want you to kill her!"
The man said, "You can't be serious.. I could never shoot my wife."
The agent said, "Then you're not the right man for this job. Take your wife and go home."

The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went into the room. All was quiet for about five minutes..
The man came out with tears in his eyes, "I tried but I can't kill my wife."
The agent said, "You don't have what it takes. Take your wife and go home."

Finally, it was the woman's turn..
She was given the same instructions to kill her husband.
She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were heard, one after another until the gun was empty.
Then, they heard screaming, crashing and banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet.
The door opened slowly and there stood the woman, wiping the sweat from her brow. "This gun is loaded with blanks." she said. "I had to beat him to death with the chair."

MORAL:
Women are crazy. Don't mess with them
ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ
Those who flee temptation generally leave a forwarding address.
~Lane Olinghouse

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ
Do you believe everything has a scientific explanation?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ
Supplicatory

PRONUNCIATION:
(SUH-pli-kuh-tor-ee)

MEANING:
adjective: Humbly pleading.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin supplicare (to kneel). Ultimately from the Indo-European root plak- (to be flat) that's also the source of fluke, flake, flaw, plead, please, and supple.

USAGE:
"The supplicatory attitude that some Taiwanese politicians have shown to China to win its favor must stop."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ
Of the Four Ages of Man

Lo, now four other act upon the stage,
Childhood and Youth, the Many and Old age:
The first son unto phlegm, grandchild to water,
Unstable, supple, cold and moist's his nature
The second, frolic, claims his pedigree
From blood and air, for hot and moist is he.
The third of fire and choler is compos'd,
Vindicative and quarrelsome dispos'd.
The last of earth and heavy melancholy,
Solid, hating all lightness and all folly.
Childhood was cloth'd in white and green to show
His spring was intermixed with some snow:
Upon his head nature a garland set
Of Primrose, Daisy and the Violet.
Such cold mean flowers the spring puts forth betime,
Before the sun hath thoroughly heat the clime.
His hobby striding did not ride but run,
And in his hand an hour-glass new begun,
In danger every moment of a fall,
And when 't is broke then ends his life and all:
But if he hold till it have run its last,
Then may he live out threescore years or past.
Next Youth came up in gorgeous attire
(As that fond age doth most of all desire),
His suit of crimson and his scarf of green,
His pride in's countenance was quickly seen;
Garland of roses, pinks and gillyflowers
Seemed on's head to grow bedew'd with showers.
His face as fresh as is Aurora fair,
When blushing she first 'gins to light the air.
No wooden horse, but one of mettle tried,
He seems to fly or swim, and not to ride.
Then prancing on the stage, about he wheels,
But as he went death waited at his heels,
The next came up in a much graver sort,
As one that cared for a good report,
His sword by's side, and choler in his eyes,
But neither us'd as yet, for he was wise;
Of Autumn's fruits a basket on his arm,
His golden god in's purse, which was his charm.
And last of all to act upon this stage
Leaning upon his staff came up Old Age,
Under his arm a sheaf of wheat he bore,
An harvest of the best, what needs he more?
In's other hand a glass ev'n almost run,
Thus writ about: "This out, then am I done."

Anne Bradstreet
ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Halibut Brochettes Provencale

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 teaspoons minced fresh marjoram
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon chopped fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped dried lavender blossoms*
( In lieu of all these herbs you could use 1/2 tbsp dried herbs de Provence)
1 1 1/2-inch-diameter zucchini, cut into eight 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 unpeeled slender eggplant, trimmed, halved lengthwise, cut into eight 1- to 1 1/4-inch pieces
8 mini plum tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes
16 mini bell peppers in assorted colors (from one 5-ounce package) or 1 bell pepper cut into 1-inch squares
1 small red onion, cut into 4 wedges, each wedge halved crosswise, layers kept intact
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds halibut, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/3 cup dry white wine
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Special Equipment: 12 metal skewers

Preparation:
Mix first 7 ingredients in small bowl. Place zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and onion in large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon herb mixture and 1 tablespoon oil to vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Thread 1 mini pepper, 1 zucchini round, 1 eggplant piece, 1 tomato, 1 onion piece, and 1 more mini pepper onto each of 8 skewers. DO AHEAD: Herb mixture and vegetables can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.

Place fish in medium bowl; sprinkle 2 tablespoons herb mixture over. Add 3 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours, tossing occasionally.

Simmer wine, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice in small saucepan until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining herb mixture. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray; prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Divide fish cubes among remaining 4 skewers. Grill vegetable skewers until vegetables are slightly charred and tender, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Grill fish skewers until fish is cooked through, turning occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.

Place 1 fish skewer and 2 vegetable skewers on each plate. Drizzle sauce over.

* Also called culinary lavender buds; available at some supermarkets and farmers' markets, at many natural foods stores, and from deandeluca.com.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Narcissus

2009-08-29T21:00:00.044-05:00

Now that I'm back ... and since Blogging Mama Andrea asked; since I have actually gotten my personal book Nirvana under control maybe you all can give me a hand!

I'm planning on doing a quick talk about books I've read in the past, but I don't really have a good working title for the series yet. I was planning on doing it on Saturdays as that's the beginning of my work week and will allow me Thursday and Friday to work on the piece. iI could certainly change the day I post it thought. My plan was just to write a bit about how I felt about the book, the author; how it made me change or how it strengthened what I already knew or thought. Why don't you all give me some ideas on what I should call this weekly series? Just leave it in the comments!!! Thanks a bunch!

I have been really terrible about reading blogs, so I went crazy tonight and preformatted my next seven days, less any personal notes in order to read more blogs each night!!! YAY I think I have about 200 or so to go through.

Now ... to either delight or bore you ... I'll tell you what I've been up to the last few days. Unfortunately, wine drinking was nowhere on the list. *insert sad face here*

1. Put everything that didn't have a place into a box (or boxes)
2. Stacked boxes that weren't filled with books in closet for future perusal
3. Finished organizing books and bookshelves. (If you noticed now that it's all organized, I actually have room for MORE books! HEHEHE!)
4. Washed every single dish, pot, pan and storage container
5. Reorganized pantry
6. Laundered and stored all stuffed animals, dolls, or whatnot that will no longer be on display (I'm a single girl sure, but jeez ... I can't believe I still had those things out)
7. Hooked up and set up my DVD player (I think)
8. Cleaned out and organized my kitchen cabinets
9. Cleaned up balcony and stored items in storage closet
10. Vacuumed and dusted all surfaces and cleaned floorboards and window sills.
11. Sat down, rested, chatted and then slept a bit. I still have a bit more to do ... but I have to say ... anything else is EZPZ and will just be icing on the cake. I'm ready ... let's have a party!

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.
~E E Cummings

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

What is the worst piece of advice you've ever received?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Diastrophism

PRONUNCIATION:
(dy-AS-truh-fiz-uhm)

MEANING:
noun: The process of deformation of the earth's crust that produces continents, mountains, ocean basins, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek dia- (across) + strophe (turning). Ultimately from the Indo-European root streb(h)- (to wind or turn) that also gave us catastrophe (literally, an overturning) and apostrophe (literally, turning away, referring to the omission of a letter), and boustrophedon.

USAGE:
"There is even a mosque across the street from the hotel, but most people here believe it was spirits, not volcanic diastrophism, that sent deadly vapors roiling up from Lake Nios, killing the villagers who lived over the hills."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Narcissus

Encircled by her arms as by a shell,
she hears her being murmur,
while forever he endures
the outrage of his too pure image...

Wistfully following their example,
nature re-enters herself;
contemplating its own sap, the flower
becomes too soft, and the boulder hardens...

It's the return of all desire that enters
toward all life embracing itself from afar...
Where does it fall? Under the dwindling
surface, does it hope to renew a center?

Rainer Maria Rilke

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken BBQ

Ingredients:
6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:
Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbeque sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.
Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Where in the world is Surry?

2009-08-28T23:19:00.001-05:00

This is what I've been up to lately!!! Organizing my books! It's been a daunting task to say the least, but here's the end result.

And here's the Grandmother Clock that I hung a while ago.

And here's a picture of me that I took while testing the camera!

Probably this week I'll be back on track with the blogs and perhaps ready for the book dealie-oh!

Blessings,

Surry

Move Eastward, Happy Earth

2009-08-23T19:48:00.003-05:00

Not much to banter about today, tomorrow I'll tell you the story of my 'political row' with a fellow chatter and his ending argumentative statement, it was quite enlightening and unbelievably funny. Yesterday at work we had a food day -- which we do nearly every three months or so -- it was an excellent Fajita Night!!! I'm going to suggest we do it again next year on the Fifth of May. Makes more sense to do it then, as it's Mexican or spanish themed and all. Here's a funny for you today ... (I apologize for the caps ... but I was too lazy to retype the thing.)

THE POTTY

A LITTLE THREE YEAR OLD BOY IS SITTING ON THE TOILET. HIS MOTHER THINKS HE HAS BEEN IN THERE TOO LONG, SO SHE GOES IN TO SEE WHAT'S UP. THE LITTLE BOY IS GRIPPING ON TO THE TOILET SEAT WITH HIS LEFT HAND AND HITTING HIMSELF ON TOP OF THE HEAD WITH HIS RIGHT HAND.

HIS MOTHER SAYS: "BILLY, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? YOU'VE BEEN IN HERE FOR A WHILE. BILLY SAYS: "I'M FINE, MOMMY... I JUST HAVEN'T GONE 'DOODY' YET."

MOTHER SAYS: "OK, YOU CAN STAY HERE A FEW MORE MINUTES. BUT, BILLY, WHY ARE YOU HITTING YOURSELF ON THE HEAD?"

BILLY SAYS: "WORKS FOR THE KETCHUP."

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
~Steven Weinberg

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ
Are you an oldest, youngest, middle, or only child? How do you think it has influenced your personality?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ
Martinet

PRONUNCIATION:
(mar-ti-NET, MAR-ti-net)

MEANING:
noun: A strict disciplinarian.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Jean Martinet, an army officer during the reign of Louis XIV in France. He was a tough drill master known for his strict adherence to rules and discipline. He was killed by friendly fire during the siege of Duisburg in 1672.

USAGE:
"Many people believe the agency acts like a martinet. They say the agency is hard-headed and hard-hearted. They say it is dictatorial and unyielding."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ
Move Eastward, Happy Earth

Move eastward, happy earth, and leave
Yon orange sunset waning slow:
From fringes of the faded eve,
O, happy planet, eastward go:
Till over thy dark shoulder glow
Thy silver sister world, and rise
To glass herself in dewey eyes
That watch me from the glen below.

Ah, bear me with thee, lightly borne,
Dip forward under starry light,
And move me to my marriage-morn,
And round again to happy night.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ
Mozzarella Arrabiata Salsa
(Epicurious)

Ingredients:
2 pounds tomatoes, divided
1 fresh hot cherry pepper (optional), stemmed and chopped
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 pound fresh mozzarella, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves

Accompaniment: 1 pound capellini, cooked and drained

Preparation:
Halve 1 pound tomatoes, then purée with cherry pepper (if using), red pepper flakes, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth.

Finely chop remaining tomatoes and combine with celery and tomato purée in a large bowl.

Toss hot capellini with tomato sauce and mozzarella. Serve sprinkled with celery leaves.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~