Epic 9 Day Traffic Jam

Here is the link to the article: China's 9 Day Traffic Jam

Yeah, so i just read about this on yahoo news...and wow I thought the traffic got bad here sometimes...

It says in the article that the Jam stretches 100km which is approx 62 miles, and that " the jam between Beijing and Jining city had given birth to a mini-economy with local merchants capitalizing on the stranded drivers' predicament by selling them water and food at inflated prices."

The whole thing is a nightmare. I feel so bad for the poor people trapped on that stretch of highway. I feel even worse for the ones that had little to no money on them, because they are stranded out there with no food or water. No to mention them not being able to get to their jobs to earn money, have a bed to sleep in, or a place to use the bathroom. They said that the reason for the jam was because of massive amounts of goods and people passing through the area combined with road construction....Um yeah, that is just poor planning and not a very good excuse. I can just imagine the public outrage if this was occurring here in the U.S.

From now on when ever I find myself stuck in traffic I will think of this and I will just take a deep breath and think to myself that things could be worse.

Homemade Cheesecake

One of our favorite desserts is cheesecake. Usually when the craving hits us we head to the place in Baton Rouge that has the best cheesecake you can buy, Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro. If we are looking to have more than once slice each then we will get a cheesecake from Whole Foods since they have the second best cheesecake in the city. This weekend we both wanted cheesecake but we decided that we wanted to give making one a shot. So we made a homemade cheesecake with fruit topping and it turned out wonderful, It was better than Cheesecake Bistro! We definitely will be making our own in the future especially since its much cheaper than buying it ($5.99 per slice at the bistro and $30.00 per cake at whole foods) and it tastes better than either place.

Here is a picture of our beautiful cheesecake:

Mmmmm...makes you hungry doesn't it? I Wouldn't show you that picture without including the recipe (that would just be mean) so here are the directions on how to make your own homemade cheesecake.

Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups finely ground honey graham crackers
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Cake:
2 - 8oz blocks softened cream cheese
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
8oz sour cream
dash of vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Crust:
In a mixing bowl combine crust ingredients with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8in springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Here is a pic of the pan in case you don't know what kind of pan to use.











You can buy a pan at Sears, Target, Walmart, etc.

Pour the Crumb mixture into the pan and using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the crumbs into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 min.

Cake:
In Bowl beat softened cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed for approx 1 min until smooth and free of lumps. Add the eggs 1 at a time (mixing between each egg) continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy 1-2 min. Add sour cream and Vanilla and mix, the batter should be well mixed but not over beaten. Pour the filling into the crust lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake in a large roasting pan. pour hot water into the pan until water is 1/4-1/2 the way up the sides of the pan. (the foil keeps the water from seeping into the cheesecake) Bake for 1hour -1hour 30 min You want the cheese cake to still jiggle just a little but not be liquidy. Let cool in pan 30 min then place in refrigerator. Chill in fridge, loosely covered, for at least 6 hrs, but preferably overnight.remove from pan and top with topping of your choice.

~~~~~~~~

For our first cheesecake we went simple and just used different fruits for the topping. The fruits we used for our toppings were peaches, bananas, strawberrys, and grapes drizzled with a little bit of honey. All of the fruits were delicious on top of the cheesecake, however my favorite of the fruits was the banana. Next time we make the cheesecake we are going to try and do a banana foster topping. I will update pictures and recipes here as we try making different toppings.

Grandpa Gaga

This old guy has got some epic moves!! I just love him and I bet he is a hit with all the older ladies! Go Go Grandpa GAGA!!

Pet Awareness

I was browsing through yahoo news today and I came across an article talking about pet safety. It had a link to the ASPCA site which I checked out and it is a really great with lots of useful information for your pets. If you have pets you should definitely check the pet care section of the site out, here is the link: www.aspca.org.

There are so many common things out there that we don't realize are harmful to our pets. Any time I find any useful info out there, I try to pass it on because the best defense against a lot of common pet issues is knowledge. The Animal Poison Control Center is another great resource from the ASPCA here is the link: www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control . Alot of the stuff I knew already but some of it was surprising. My thoughts on a lot of the food items were that my pets would never eat most of those things. However when we have a new puppy sometime in the future they might be like Roxy who will snatch up and eat anything that falls on the floor and who loves to chew on plants. Below is a list from the ASPCA poison control center showing several things that are toxic to pets.

Toxic Foods:

Chocolate, Coffee, Caffeine

These products all contain substances called methylxanthines, which are found in cacao seeds, the fruit of the plant used to make coffee and in the nuts of an extract used in some sodas. When ingested by pets, methylxanthines can cause vomiting and diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst and urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and even death. Note that darker chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate. White chocolate has the lowest level of methylxanthines, while baking chocolate contains the highest.

Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages and food products containing alcohol can cause vomiting, diarrhea, decreased coordination, central nervous system depression, difficulty breathing, tremors, abnormal blood acidity, coma and even death.

Avocado

The leaves, fruit, seeds and bark of avocados contain Persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs. Birds and rodents are especially sensitive to avocado poisoning, and can develop congestion, difficulty breathing and fluid accumulation around the heart. Some ingestions may even be fatal.

Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts are commonly used in many cookies and candies. However, they can cause problems for your canine companion. These nuts have caused weakness, depression, vomiting, tremors and hyperthermia in dogs. Signs usually appear within 12 hours of ingestion and last approximately 12 to 48 hours.

Grapes & Raisins

Although the toxic substance within grapes and raisins is unknown, these fruits can cause kidney failure. In pets who already have certain health problems, signs may be more dramatic.

Yeast Dough

Yeast dough can rise and cause gas to accumulate in your pet’s digestive system. This can be painful and can cause the stomach or intestines to rupture. Because the risk diminishes after the dough is cooked and the yeast has fully risen, pets can have small bits of bread as treats. However, these treats should not constitute more than 5 percent to 10 percent of your pet’s daily caloric intake.

Raw/Undercooked Meat, Eggs and Bones

Raw meat and raw eggs can contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli that can be harmful to pets. In addition, raw eggs contain an enzyme called avidin that decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin), which can lead to skin and coat problems. Feeding your pet raw bones may seem like a natural and healthy option that might occur if your pet lived in the wild. However, this can be very dangerous for a domestic pet, who might choke on bones, or sustain a grave injury should the bone splinter and become lodged in or puncture your pet’s digestive tract.

Xylitol

Xylitol is used as a sweetener in many products, including gum, candy, baked goods and toothpaste. It can cause insulin release in most species, which can lead to liver failure. The increase in insulin leads to hypoglycemia (lowered sugar levels). Initial signs of toxicosis include vomiting, lethargy and loss of coordination. Signs can progress to recumbancy and seizures. Elevated liver enzymes and liver failure can be seen within a few days.

Onions, Garlic, Chives

These vegetables and herbs can cause gastrointestinal irritation and could lead to red blood cell damage. Although cats are more susceptible, dogs are also at risk if a large enough amount is consumed. Toxicity is normally diagnosed through history, clinical signs and microscopic confirmation of Heinz bodies. An occasional low dose, such as what might be found in pet foods or treats, likely will not cause a problem, but we recommend that you do NOT give your pets large quantities of these foods.

Milk

Because pets do not possess significant amounts of lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose in milk), milk and other milk-based products cause them diarrhea or other digestive upset.

Salt

Large amounts of salt can produce excessive thirst and urination, or even sodium ion poisoning in pets. Signs that your pet may have eaten too many salty foods include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, tremors, elevated body temperature, seizures and even death. In other words, keep those salty chips to yourself!

Toxic Plants:

Lilies

Members of the Lilium spp. are considered to be highly toxic to cats. While the poisonous component has not yet been identified, it is clear that with even ingestions of very small amounts of the plant, severe kidney damage could result.

Marijuana

Ingestion of Cannabis sativa by companion animals can result in depression of the central nervous system and incoordination, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, increased heart rate, and even seizures and coma.

Sago Palm

All parts of Cycas Revoluta are poisonous, but the seeds or “nuts” contain the largest amount of toxin. The ingestion of just one or two seeds can result in very serious effects, which include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, seizures and liver failure.

Tulip/Narcissus bulbs

The bulb portions of Tulipa/Narcissus spp. contain toxins that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation, drooling, loss of appetite, depression of the central nervous system, convulsions and cardiac abnormalities.

Azalea/Rhododendron

Members of the Rhododenron spp. contain substances known as grayantoxins, which can produce vomiting, drooling, diarrhea, weakness and depression of the central nervous system in animals. Severe azalea poisoning could ultimately lead to coma and death from cardiovascular collapse.

Oleander

All parts of Nerium oleander are considered to be toxic, as they contain cardiac glycosides that have the potential to cause serious effects—including gastrointestinal tract irritation, abnormal heart function, hypothermia and even death.

Castor Bean

The poisonous principle in Ricinus communis is ricin, a highly toxic protein that can produce severe abdominal pain, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, weakness and loss of appetite. Severe cases of poisoning can result in dehydration, muscle twitching, tremors, seizures, coma and death.

Cyclamen

Cylamen species contain cyclamine, but the highest concentration of this toxic component is typically located in the root portion of the plant. If consumed, Cylamen can produce significant gastrointestinal irritation, including intense vomiting. Fatalities have also been reported in some cases.

Kalanchoe

This plant contains components that can produce gastrointestinal irritation, as well as those that are toxic to the heart, and can seriously affect cardiac rhythm and rate.

Yew

Taxus spp. contains a toxic component known as taxine, which causes central nervous system effects such as trembling, incoordination, and difficulty breathing. It can also cause significant gastrointestinal irritation and cardiac failure, which can result in death.

Amaryllis

Common garden plants popular around Easter, Amaryllis species contain toxins that can cause vomiting, depression, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, anorexia and tremors.

Autumn Crocus

Ingestion of Colchicum autumnale by pets can result in oral irritation, bloody vomiting, diarrhea, shock, multi-organ damage and bone marrow suppression.

Chrysanthemum

These popular blooms are part of the Compositae family, which contain pyrethrins that may produce gastrointestinal upset, including drooling, vomiting and diarrhea, if eaten. In certain cases depression and loss of coordination may also develop if enough of any part of the plant is consumed.

English Ivy

Also called branching ivy, glacier ivy, needlepoint ivy, sweetheart ivy and California ivy, Hedera helix contains triterpenoid saponins that, should pets ingest, can result in vomiting, abdominal pain, hypersalivation and diarrhea.

Peace Lily (AKA Mauna Loa Peace Lily)

Spathiphyllum contains calcium oxalate crystals that can cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips and tongue in pets who ingest.

Pothos

Pothos (both Scindapsus and Epipremnum) belongs to the Araceae family. If chewed or ingested, this popular household plant can cause significant mechanical irritation and swelling of the oral tissues and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.

Schefflera

Schefflera and Brassaia actinophylla contain calcium oxalate crystals that can cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips and tongue in pets who ingest.

What To Do If Your Pet Is Poisoned

Don’t panic. Rapid response is important, but panicking can interfere with the process of helping your pet.

Take 30 to 60 seconds to safely collect and have at hand any material involved. This may be of great benefit to your vet and/or ASPCA toxicologists, as they determine what poison or poisons are involved. In the event that you need to take your pet to a local veterinarian, be sure to take the product’s container with you. Also, collect in a seal-able plastic bag any material your pet may have vomited or chewed.

If you witness your pet consuming material that you suspect might be toxic, do not hesitate to seek emergency assistance, even if you do not notice any adverse effects. Sometimes, even if poisoned, an animal may appear normal for several hours or for days after the incident.

Call The ASPCA Animal Control Center or call and head out to your vet (if after hours go to a 24hr emergency vet).

The telephone number for the ASPCA is (888) 426-4435. There is a $65 consultation fee for the ASPCA service.

Be ready with the following information:

• The species, breed, age, sex, weight and number of animals involved.
• The animal’s symptoms.
• Information regarding the exposure, including the agent (if known), the amount of the agent involved and the time elapsed since the time of exposure.
• Have the product container/packaging available for reference.

Please note: If your animal is having seizures, losing consciousness, is unconscious or is having difficulty breathing, telephone ahead and bring your pet immediately to your local veterinarian or emergency veterinary clinic. If necessary, he or she may call the ASPCA.

Keep the telephone number of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center—(888) 426-4435—as well as that of your local veterinarian, in a prominent location.

Lady Bird

Introducing the newest member of our family,
the beautiful, Kahuna.

She is an Umbrella cockatoo who is approx 20 years old. She originally belonged to Karl's Uncle. Karl's parents have been her caretaker for the last few years since his death. About two weeks ago we inherited her since his parents could no longer keep her.

Her name is defined by Merriam Webster as

ka·hu·na
Pronunciation:\kə-ˈhü-nə\

Function: noun

Etymology: Hawaiian

Date: 1875

1 : a Hawaiian shaman
2 : a preeminent person or thing

But Karl says that she was named Kahuna after the surfer "the Big Kahuna" which was probably Duke Kahanamoku.
He was the only surfer associated with the name that I found in my internet search. I also found references to a surfing school, a water park and 1999 movie.

Regardless of how she came about her name it is truly appropriate. In the short amount of time we have had her, Kahuna has bewitched my heart and has quickly become a beloved member of our family.

Old PC Games Get New Life

Do you have any Old PC games that you love but can no longer play? As games age you will find that they are no longer compatible with your newer operating systems or maybe you lost the disk and its too old to find at a store anymore. Fear Not! There is a place that I recently discovered with hundreds of old games that you can purchase for either $5.99 or $9.99 (total price). Once you purchase a game it is 100% yours, meaning that you can download it onto multiple computers (there is no limit to downloads), and you are free to make as many back up copy's as you would like. The Games also come with extras such as manuals,wallpapers, and soundtracks which are optional to download if you want them.

I first found out about the site in last months Game Informer Magazine. Last night we purchased our first games, we bought Masters of Orion 1+2 combo pack for 5.99 and Free Space 2 for 4.19 (it was on promotion for the weekend). If you are interested in finding some of the older games that you enjoy you HAVE to check out the site. If they don't have a game that you are looking for, you can put in a request or vote for it (if someone requested it before you). Since they are adding new titles all the time, I'm sure that your favorite game will appear on the Site before too long.


Check them out: Good Ole Games, gog.com


**Note** The site only supports Windows Xp and Vista but they are working to make all their titles compatible with Windows 7. Karl has windows 7 and all the games we purchased have been running fine. Also I sent them an email about it and they promptly responded with this message: "I am sorry but GOG doesn't support Windows 7 yet, so yes, some of our games might not work as the should on this OS. However most of them are running flawlessly, for more information please check out our forum: http://www.gog.com/en/forum/"

Here are some useful threads I found on their forum : Windows 7 Compatibility-Work In Progress and Games Working On Windows 7 Also I would expect any games that were recently released or that release new to be compatible.

Sago Palms Beautiful But Deadly!

I just saw this on the news tonight: Pets killed by common plant

If you have Sago Palms and pets you should get rid of the palms ASAP. Apparently the palms are as deadly as they are beautiful. The news said that the seeds of the plant have a sweet taste which is enticing to pets. EVERY part of the plant including leaves, roots, seeds, etc are extremely toxic. The plant quickly causes liver failure and there's no antidote. Treatments of Sago Poisoning include inducing vomiting, charcoal and finally blood transfusion. If you have Sago Palms and you notice your pet acting sluggish and vomiting get them to a vet asap to begin treatment. The longer you wait to bring your pet the less likely they are to survive. Early treatment of Sago Poisoning will give your pet better odds of living. Please if you have pets read the article, watch the video, and dig up those Sago Palms.


I had no idea that the Sago Palms were toxic and neither did my Mom who has several of the palms. Thank goodness I saw this because Roxy loves to chew on anything and everything she can find. Roxy or one of my babies could have easily ended up a victim of Sago poisoning. We are getting rid of those palms first thing in the morning!

Hide The Porn!

A warning to all the guys out there... the government is coming to take your porn away!!!! LOL relax its not for real, plus its not like Karl and I would have anything to worry about anyway .......... <_< >_> ......

Funny Music Videos & Parodys

Here are some funny Music videos & parodys that I've come across. If you have some favorite funny music videos or parodys please feel free to leave them in the comments, I'd love to watch them.






I Totally want this "ringtone" for my phone... lol!






















I love The Guild... cant wait for season 4 (I watched all of season 3 on their website)

Clash Of The Titans

We just got back from seeing this movie. First of all let me say, don't waste your money watching it in 3D like we did. You can obviously tell that 3D was an after thought. I think the producers just wanted in on the 3D cash cow so they threw in a little 3D at the last minute to make some extra money.

Other than the 3D botch, the movie was wonderful. The graphics were great and so was the story. They did make quite a few changes to the original 80's movie. Of course both movies just loosely mirror the Greek mythology behind them, so if you are a stickler for mythology than the 80's version is closer to the actual legends. However, I feel that they were very successful at making this movie feel new and fresh. It was a great update to the 80's movie. The plot changes made take this movie out of the 80's and into the modern world.

**Lil SPOILER ALERT** If you are hardcore about the 80's movie then you may not like this updated version. Karl(he loves the 80's version) hated the fact that they took out Bo Bo (the owl from Athena), that Perseus's mother did not survive to raise him with the fisherman,that Perseus did not marry Andromeda, the inclusion of the Djinn (human-like desert shaman with magic powers), and that Perseus has a hatred for the gods after they killed his family. However, if you are not a stick in the mud about old movies (aka Karl) these are minor things that in my opinion make the plot flow better and make Perseus's epic journey seem more realistic. Also they did pay a tribute to Bo Bo which was nice for those that missed him. I personally thought the addition of the Djinn in the movie was great. In my opinion, a little magic mixed in with a little Greek mythology and wonderful 21st century graphics = awesomeness!

I believe that Clash of the Titans was a win. Go see it in 2D and I think you will enjoy it.

Easter Cupcakes

We didn't cook any new dishes tonight, but I did make some yummy Easter cupcakes.



They turned out great. They are just white cake mix with fluffy white vanilla frosting. I used food coloring to make the frosting a pastel spring blue. Then I used a peep for the chick. For the "egg" that the chick is hatching from I used white airheads that I rolled out with the rolling pin then cut into the jagged looking egg. Then I put on the other eggs (m&ms and jelly beans). Finally I covered the cake with "grass", which I made from coconut and green food coloring. As you can see they look so cute! They were alot of work but definitely were worth it for the cuteness factor.

New Rings

Those of you that know Karl and I, may have noticed that neither of us have been wearing our wedding bands lately. Sadly after 10 years of use we have outgrown them and they cannot be sized because of the etch work on them. We decided that we couldn't stand going without bands any longer, so we went out and got new rings. I really like the new rings. They don't quite match because the ring I wanted wasn't available in Karl's size, couldn't be sized due to the etchings (like our old rings), and was on clearance, but that's ok because they are similar and we know what they stand for. I really like our new rings. Don't get me wrong, I still love my original band and I hope to one day be able to slim down enough to wear it again. However I like the more modern look that our new bands have. Here is a pic of our original bands.



Here is a pic of the new bands (top bands are mine bottom is Karl's). Sorry sbout the picture quality but it was really hard to get a good shot because they are too shiny lol.

Signs You Are Addicted To WOW And AE...

Twenty Signs that you are addicted to World of Warcraft (wow):

1) You have more than one level 80 character.

2) You post links to the armory for your multiple characters, on your blog about wow addiction....
Winterblaze....... Shadowskiss....... Jadegoddess

3) As soon as the expansion was announced you reserved names for the new characters you are going to make. (yes i have them reserved...Worgenlefay worgen mage...figured if I was going to play alliance then it should be my favorite class and Shamania goblin shaman.)

4) You leave work early or call in sick to raid.

5) You know your WoW friend's real name, but it's still easier to call them by their game name.

6) You refer to opposing sides of anything as Horde vs Alliance.

7) When some kids outside the Circle K ask if you would buy some beer for them you respond "I dont buy beer for lowbies".

8) When the microwave timer dings, you yell "GRATS!"

9) You kill a rat and then go back later to see if it respawned. Then when revisiting the rat incident you think, I'm a level 80, it should have died in one hit.

10) You get a bank statement and think "i gotta go do some dailies."

11) You look in your mostly empty fridge and almost instinctively look for the conjure food and water button.

12) You tell your coworker that your boss is a noob

13) You're being extremely annoyed by someone and think to yourself, 'if i spam fear, i can run away".

14) After sex, your lover demands more and you ask to wait for a cooldown or for a stamina buff

15) You ask the car dealer if your rep will get you a discount on mount training and cost.

16) Your getting mugged and you attempt to bubblehearth.

17) When one of your friends is complaining about a real life issue, you respond with QQ.

18) You hesitate to eat lamb/pork/turtle.

19) You pass a cop and wonder if you aggroed and then if you did aggro the reason you gave for speeding was that you were under the effects of crusader aura.

20) When someone asks you if you have leadership or managerial experience you say "I am an officer in a guild"

I'm only guilty of the first 6 signs! I hope you enjoyed my WOW list. Don't hesitate to leave a comment if you think of any other signs.



Twelve Signs that you are addicted to Astro Empires (AE):

1) You play on more than one server.

2) You link the profile of your character(s) into your blog about being addicted to AE .......... Lady Sylvanas of Fenix........ Lady Sylvanas of Gamma ......... Madam Rogue Wave of Helion

3) You set your alarm and get up in the middle of the night to make a hit.

4) You check to make sure that your ques are full 3 or more times per day.

5) If you are a teen and your parents ground you, you tell your friends that you are being perma occ'd.

6) You see a car accident happen and you wonder how many recyclers it would take to suck up the debris.

7) You hear a noise outside the house and check the scanner to see if anything is there.

8) You beat up an old lady and steal her purse, when confronted by police you claim that it was because she had weak defenses.

9) Your neighbor moves away so you sit outside his house with a shotgun waiting for it to become a UC.

10) You name your children or pets after the servers that you play on.

11) You tell your dog to shut up or you are going to derb him

12) You think God is a noob for colonizing an earthly.

That concludes my AE list, luckily I'm only guilty of the first 4 signs. I would love to hear some other signs, so if you have any ideas feel free to leave a comment. ☺

Playing Top Chef - Maritime Tacos (Fish Tacos)

We made Fish Tacos with mango radish salsa and homemade corn chips with tomatillo salsa tonight for our weekly cooking experiment. I actually took all the pictures of the dishes this week because food network didn't have any pictures of what we were making. I like my pictures better than the ones the food network has done for the other dishes we've tried (maybe I'm biased lol) anyhow, from now on I'm going to try and take my own pics for the new dishes we make. Below is the picture of the Fish Tacos (courtesy of me ☺) and here is the link to the recipe: Ultimate Fish Tacos



I have to admit that I was very skeptical about making this dish. I thought that fish tacos didn't really sound all that appetizing. Well they may not sound all that great but they looked, smelled, and tasted heavenly!! I am so glad that we tried these! We decided that such a delicious dish needed a catchier, tastier name, so we are now officially calling fish tacos, Maritime Tacos.

I've never had Mahi Mahi before and I was pleasantly surprised at its mild flavor and light airy texture. The only down fall to Mahi Mahi it that it is a bit expensive and was hard to find. I called several local fish markets and they did not carry it. Luckily Whole Foods had just gotten a shipment in and I was able to get it there(Whole Foods to the rescue again lol). I liked the way the panko bread crumbs gave the fish a nice crunch. The mango radish salsa was very refreshing as was the pink chile mayo. I love that when you combine the fish, salsa, and mayo together with the cabbage on the tortilla its like a fiesta in your mouth.


To go with the Maritime Tacos we made homemade corn chips with tomatillo salsa. Below is the picture (courtesy of me again ☺) and here is the link to the recipe: Fresh Fried Corn Chips With Tomatillo Salsa.



One of the first things that you probably notice about the picture is that the salsa is red. You might be wondering how the salsa is red when tomatillos are green...Its Magic!!...not really... we made the tomatillo salsa and hated it, so the salsa in the picture is Pace Picante. The tomatillo salsa was really bitter and just nasty so we ended up throwing it out. On the upside, the tortilla chips were really yummy and easy to make. Plus they are much better tasting than the chips that you buy in the store.


Overall the meal was wonderful and I had a lot of fun (as I always do) preparing it with Karl. Its kinda funny but before we started this experiment we never cooked together too much. It would just be one of us cooking. Now I look forward to trying new meals and working as a team on a mini weekly - biweekly project. You know what else? I love working with Karl on anything and I just plain Love Karl and i always will ♥

ROXY!

These are all pictures of Roxy (some include Mom) that I've been taking over the past few months. Roxy was a Christmas miracle puppy. Her doggy mother, a pure breed rat terrier was stolen within the first few days of her life. Once Mom found out what had happened she wanted to help, so she adopted Roxy. Lil' Rox had to be bottle fed formula every couple of hours and out of a litter of 3, only Roxy and her brother survived(he was adopted & bottle feed by another family). Roxy is now a perfectly healthy wild little pup. She has soo much energy, every time i see her I get new scratches and bite marks from playing with her. She is a really beautiful dog and I will be updating this post periodically as I add new photos of her. I plan on making a 2011 calendar out of her pics for Mom next year.

Playing Top Chef - Raviolis And BBQ Shrimp

This week we decided to make corn star raviolis in sweet basil cream sauce and bacon wrapped shrimp with chipotle barbecue sauce. Below is the picture of the raviolis courtesy of the food network and here is the link to the recipe : Corn Star Raviolis in Sweet Basil Cream Sauce.



This dish was very time consuming to make, however it was worth every second of time it took to prepare. It was delicious! We had a little trouble finding the wonton wrappers, we went to 3 different stores (Wal-mart, Albertsons, and Whole Foods) and Whole Foods was the only store that we were able to find them at. I was so glad that we put in the extra effort to look for them because they made great ravioli! This recipe was great as is, but I think it would also be great with some meat added into it, next time we will try it with some crab or lobster meat. We will definitely be making this dish for years to come. It would be a great dish to use if you want to impress company (just don't tell them you used wonton wrappers for the ravioli, let them think you slaved for hours making homemade pasta!).

To go with the raviolis we had some bacon wrapped BBQ shrimp, we figured they must go well with the ravioli since Guy did them together on the same show. Also it would give us some meat in the meal. Here is a Picture of the shrimp courtesy of the food network and here is the link to the recipe: Bacon Wrapped Shrimp With Chipotle Barbecue Sauce.



These shrimp were delicious! After eating these you wont want to eat shrimp any other way! The BBQ sauce was so good, It had just the right amount of spice so that it wasn't too hot, but it had a bit of an after burn. We loved the sauce so much that we have decided that we are going to use sauce recipe to make BBQ ribs in. The only things we did differently from the recipe is that we didn't add the red pepper flakes (we thought that would make it too hot) and we added a little honey to the sauce which gave it the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Also I would suggest using thick cut bacon (guy uses it on the show but its not listed on the recipe) with the thick bacon you can cut a bacon strip in half and it is plenty enough to wrap around one shrimp. We will definitely be making these again, this recipe is a winner!

Epic RL PVP Battle! (man vs wasp)

There was an epic battle in our bathroom tonight as Karl took on a rogue wasp that somehow made it into our house and into our upstairs bathroom. I had gone upstairs to take a shower, I turned on the water, got into the shower, turned around, and came face to face with a huge black wasp on the opposite shower wall. I am terrified of bugs so I jumped out the shower, shut the bathroom door, and yelled for Karl to come help me. Karl finally made it upstairs and I tell him that there is a HUGE wasp in the shower and I need him to kill it. Karl bravely marches into the bathroom and starts looking for the wasp, only he doesn't see it. The darn wasp must have sensed that it was in danger and went into hiding. Karl gives me the all clear telling me that he couldn't find it. Naturally I was on edge so i put my "detect invisibility" on, and that did the trick, I saw him hiding on the opposite side of the shower wall behind our shower caddy. At this point I retreat to the safety of the bedroom while Karl grabs the nearest epic weapons (a bottle of Windex and a JCPenny magazine) and charges into battle.

The battle begins, Karl makes the first move by casting a spell of Windex at the wasp, the wasp manages to dodge most of the spell and only gets a glancing blow. The wasp counters by flying and casting erratically around the battlefield while Karl runs for the safety of a conjured shield (aka the door). Karl carefully returns to the battle and notices the wasp is resting trying to renew his health and mana. Karl turns on his stealth and sneaks up to the wasp. He casts another spell of Windex, and this time its a Direct Hit, the wasp is stunned. Karl raises his epic sword (aka magazine) and slices at the enemy. He then lifts his sword expecting to see his enemy defeated, except where the enemy once stood there is nothing but empty wall and floor. Next, he examines his sword and without warning the enemy who was attached to the end of the sword launches himself straight toward Karl's face. Karl stumbles backwards (barely missing being stung) whilst wildly flailing his sword; both Human and Wasp go flying toward opposite ends of the room. Karl calls for backup he needs some heavier artillery. I run to the night stand and grab a mighty shield (aka hardback book) and bring it to my brave knight Karl. Meanwhile the injured wasp is crawling towards Karl in a last ditch attempt to defeat his enemy. Karl runs in and shield slams the wasp, and slams him again, and again and finally the battle is over. Karl has won, the bathroom is once again safe, and Karl truly is my hero :)

Playing Top Chef - Steak Sandwich

This week we decided to make the Ultimate Steak Sandwich. Below is a picture of the sandwich courtesy of The Food Network and here is the link to The Ultimate Steak Sandwich recipe.




This sandwich was AWESOME!! It was the best sandwich I've ever had. We made a few changes to the recipe : we left out the arugula in the mayo, used cheddar for the cheese, and we didn't make the Fennel Slaw also we added sauteed mushrooms and onions to the sandwich. This was definitely a winner and we will be making this yummy sandwich regularly.


For the side to the yummy Ultimate Steak Sandwich we decided to make some homemade onion rings. Below is a picture of the onion rings courtesy of The Food Network and here is a link to the Tempura Battered Onion Rings recipe.




The onion ring recipe was very time consuming and overall disappointing. The onion rings looked wonderful but they tasted pretty bland and also a bit bitter. After we fried up the first set and tasted them we decided to omit the flour coating step (the batter stayed on fine without the flour, just make sure you remember to remove the thin membrane between the onion layers) and we added some sugar and more salt and pepper. This helped to add some flavor and tone down the bitterness. Also I think that 1 large Onion would be plenty, (we cut up 2 onions as the recipe said and had lots of cut onion left after using up all the batter). We will not be making these again.

Yet even with the onion ring disappointment, The meal was wonderful. The steak sandwich was divine and i can't wait till we cook up something new next week :)

Baby Dies Due To Parents Gaming Addiction

Here is the link to the article:

Baby Death Alleged Result of Parents' Online Games Addiction - ABC News

This is just sick! These people were so into gaming and living life with their "virtual daughter" that their baby actually starved to death... Addiction or not that is no excuse! The bottom line is that these people did not care about their child. They were selfish people who only cared about themselves. Also It says that at the time they were living with the "wife's mother", how could the baby's grandparents not step in and intervene?! I just don't get how you could not care enough to feed your own child. Its sad, so so sad.

The Bachelor - On The Wings Of Love

I just finished watching the finale of The Bachelor- On The Wings of Love. My pick for Jake was either Tenley Or Gia. From day one, I did not like Vienna. Vienna just seems too wishy washy, she seems too caught up in the idea of a perfect fairytale and she doesn't seem right for Jake. I feel like Vienna is going to expect every day of their relationship to be this perfect passonate romantic fairy tale, and to be surprised when the reality of real life hits her. Love is beautiful but it is not perfect, Love comes easy yet it takes alot of work. To have a real lasting meaningful relationship there has to be more that just that "spark" of passion and "love", and I'm not sure that Vienna understands that.

With that said, if Jake is happy, then I am happy for him. As outsiders we can speculate on what is best for someone and make judgements on what we can see from afar, but as people on the outside looking in we cannot know what is right for someone. It may not work out with Jake and Vienna but then again it could just as easily be a match made in heaven. They both saw something special in each other and if they are both willing to work together and grow together then they could very well build a lasting relationship based on real love. Congratulations Jake and Vienna I wish you both the best!

I'm looking forward to the next season of The Bachelorette, with Ali. Originally i was hoping that the Bachelorette would either be Gia or Tenely if Jake did not choose them. However i think that Ali will be a good Bachelorette. I completely respect her decision to leave Jake, and honestly I would have made the same choice if i was in her shoes. I may have regretted it and i would probably have resented my job for putting me in that position but the realities and responsibilities of real life would have sent me home. I guess now she will have to leave her job (unless they let her take the time off to keep away bad publicity) to be the Bachelorette. Either way, I'm sure that we have a very interesting season ahead of us.

Playing Top Chef - Blackened Catfish

Top Chef ...Karl and I love the show. It was a gateway for us into the world of cooking shows. We have recently started watching some cooking shows on food network. A few weeks ago we were watching a cooking show and we decided that we should try and make a new dish that we have never had before. Now we have decided that we will try to do one dish per week keeping in mind that sometimes we may only be able to do one per two weeks just depending on cost/finances.

So This week we made Blackened Catfish with Grainy Mustard Mashed Potatoes and Parmesan Roasted Green Beans.


This is a picture of the Catfish courtesy of Food Network (our fish looked exactly like this) and here is the link to the recipe, Not Lackin' on the Blackenin' Catfish.

I personally wasn't crazy about the catfish, however I'm not really a fish eater unless its fried. Karl loved it and i did enjoy it, so it was definitely worth making. It was rather easy to make as well. If you plan on making this dish my only real suggestion is to cook it outside if possible (we made ours on our gas grills side burner) because it creates alot of smoke and it will smoke your house up.


This is a Picture of the mashed potatoes courtesy of Food Network. Here is the link to the recipe, Grainy Mustard Mashed Potatoes.

These potatoes are really good. They were in fact the best tasting homemade mashed potatoes that I've ever had. Usually I find homemade mashed potatoes bland but these had plenty of delicious flavor. These potatoes are definitely a keeper.

Here is the link to the Parmesan-Roasted Green Beans (sorry no picture). The green beans were wonderful. The Sides were my favorite part of the meal.

I hope that I didn't make you too hungry with this post... If anyone out there decides to try these dishes (or any that we make in the future), I would be interested to know how it turned out and if you liked it or not.

The Annoying Orange....

I was watching some videos on YouTube the other day and i came across the following videos which are oddly fascinating, disturbing,"deliciously" entertaining, and hilarious all at the same time.







When I find videos that i think are funny or cute i always like to share them so i had my brother (Richard) watch them. After watching 'Marshmallow Murder' he clicked on the related video of The Annoying Orange and that's where my troubles all began.... Here are a few of the videos...









yeah....I think the annoying orange is well..annoying. Richard on the other hand thinks that its brilliant and that daneboe (annoying orange creator) is a comedy genius. Rich is the kind of person who enjoys annoying people so it makes sense that he would like the annoying orange. When we were kids he watched The Mask with Jim Carrey and Jurassic Park practically nonstop to annoy me plus he memorized every line in both movies so when it wasn't on T.V. he could annoy me by repeating the lines.

So today he asks me if i would like to go run some errands with him and because i didn't have anything else to do and i said yes. Boy was that a mistake!! The whole hour and a half we were out Richard was like "hey apple, hey apple. hey apple" until i would respond then he was like "orange you glad i didn't say apple again..." or some other stupid phrase from the videos. I was being tortured and Rich was having a blast. By the time we got home i was practically insane, and ready to murder some oranges... Now I sit here, writing this blog, sipping some homemade Orange Juice and enjoying the sweet taste of my revenge ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!