Quick and easy questions this week!!!
1. I get about 1-2 telemarketer phone calls on a daily basis.
2. I never call anyone after 10 PM at night.
3. I never call anyone before 9 AM in the morning.
4. I DO or DON’T screen my phone calls via caller ID.
5. I really should call my dad and Tim’s parents more often.
Saw this over at Dawn‘s blog the other day and thought I would swipe it. Love these things, so much fun! Thanks Dawn 
Holiday: Christmas or New Years? Ooh, Christmas, definitely. I love it all – the tree, the decorations, the music, the movies, the food, etc. All but the stress of shopping, that is. New Years is not a big thing for us at all. We don’t even go out, just stay home and watch TV or a movie.
Cookies: Sugar or Gingerbread? Gingerbread! Love it!
Decorations: Santa or Snowmen? Snowmen, definitely. I even blogged about them earlier here and posted a couple of pictures of some of my snowmen.
Decorations: Reindeer or Elves? I’d have to go with Reindeer on this one.
Colors: Red or Green? Wow, can’t pick, love both of those colors. But at Christmas, I do like a lot of red. My tree has a lot on it, and I try to find snowmen with red on them (most of them have blue).
Colors: Gold or Silver? Silver. I have a lot of red and silver on my tree.
Tree Topper: Star or Angel? An angel. I’ve had her a long time and love her. She’s not expensive, but she’s still special to me. She’s the only thing I’ve ever put on my own trees as an adult. Plus, Tim always insists on putting her on last. The very last thing, he won’t let me put her on till the very end 😀
Stocking Stuffer: Fruit or Candy? Hmm, well I think I got a little of both growing up, but these days, I’d definitely go for the candy. Chocolate, please. 🙂
Tree: Real or Artificial? Ours is artificial. We got a new one this year and it’s prelit, which is really nice, a lot less work! I like the smell of a real one, but not the hassle of watering, needles, disposing of it, and the practical side of me doesn’t like paying for a new one every single year.
Cartoons: Charlie Brown or Rudolph? Rudolph
Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Carol? Definitely It’s a Wonderful Life. I owned it on VHS and now own it on DVD and try to watch it at least once every year.
Stocking Stuffer: Jewelry or Gift Card? Either would be nice! Tim doesn’t do stockings usually. Whatever I find in my stocking is something I have bought and put in there!
Christmas List: Naughty or Nice? Of course I’m nice! Not a naughty bone in my body 😆
Drink: Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate, hands down
Holiday Ghost: Past, Present, or Future? Past, I guess… not sure about this one!
Vacation Spot: North Pole or Winter Wonderland? Winter Wonderland. I love snow and cold weather as long as I don’t have to be out in it long or drive in it, hehehe. Love curling up by a big fire, with some hot cocoa.
Holiday Song: Jingle Bells or Silver Bells? I like them both, so this one is a bit hard to pick between. I’d have to go with Jingle Bells though, more upbeat and fun 🙂
Holiday Song: Silent Night or O’ Holy Night? Love both of these too, but O’ Holy Night is definitely in my range more than Silent Night. I heard O Holy Night the other day on the radio and then was singing it all afternoon, even in stores. I probably scared a ton of shoppers 🙄
More Fun: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Well, ours are different every year. It depends on when my brother-in-law has custody of his kids, and whether or not my family is out of town for the holidays. It changes from year to year, so I really can’t pick. My absolute favorite is any time I can be home for Christmas. We’re normally gone from sunup to midnight to other people’s houses, so any time at our own home is the best and most fun for me.
Lights: Clear or Multi-Colored? White lights everywhere, inside and out
Ornaments: Bulbs or Bows? Bulbs
Tree Decor: Ribbon, Popcorn, or Garland? I don’t have any of these on my tree!
Gifts: Wrapping Paper or Gift Bags? Some of both, but I end up wrapping the majority of mine. Only small things or really really large things usually go in gift bags.
Better To: Give or Receive? To Give
I won’t tag anyone specifically with this, but please feel free to play along if you’d like. I’d love to come read your answers, so leave me a comment that you’re going to play and I’ll be over to visit and check it out.
Merry Christmas!
I haven’t played Sindee’s By the Way Sunday meme in a while, so I thought I would catch up with the last two week’s installments. Some great seasonal questions she has been posting. Thanks Sindee!
~I Know It’s Christmas~
By the way…
Complete these sentences…
I know it’s Christmas when I hear…Christmas commercials on TV and Christmas music on the radio or Music Choice channels on our cable system
I know it’s Christmas when I see… our tree and Snow Village up in our house 🙂
I know it’s Christmas when I feel… a bit stressed about going shopping and getting it all wrapped 🙁
I know it’s Christmas at my house when… oops, see above… when our tree, Snow Village and outdoor lights are up!
I know it’s Christmas in my town when… we see our neighbor’s decorations and lights. Just love to turn down our street and see it all lit up!
And here’s last week’s questions, which I wanted to go back and do… more seasonal fun!
~Let It Snow~
By the way…
Does it snow where you live? If not, have you ever seen snow in person? Well, we get maybe one or two light snowfalls where I live, per DECADE. Tim and I have been married 10 years and we’ve had snow once or twice at most. I think we’re about due and I’m hoping we get a little this year!
Do you like snow or do you consider it a nuisance? Oh, I love it! I get cold, but I love to go out and play in it, take pictures, watch the dog play in it, try to build a snowman, throw snowballs and make snow ice cream. I’ve done those things so few times in my life (maybe 5 or 6 total, in my lifetime), that they are all tremendous fun for me. 😀
Do you have any experience with shoveling snow? Nope, never shoveled a lick of snow. Don’t have a clue how!
Have you ever built a snowman? Tim built one during one of the two snowfalls we’ve seen together. I helped a little bit, but mostly took pictures!
If you had a choice would you prefer Christmas with snow or without? Oh, definitely with. What little snow we’ve had in my life has never been near Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
If you could hit anyone with a snowball right now, who would it be? (all in good fun) Well, probably Tim, but I’d love to toss some snow at our new dog Beau and see what he would do. I feel relatively sure he has never seen snow and I’d love to see how he reacts and what he does! 😀
On a related note, I do have one memory of snow from my childhood. I can remember standing at the double glass sliding doors on the back of the house I grew up in, looking out at my two older sisters out playing in the snow. I wanted to go out, but I had these cumbersome metal leg braces on, and my mother wouldn’t let me go out and get in the snow with them on. I can remember standing for so long at the door, and the glass was so cold, and I just wanted to go out and she kept saying “you can’t go out, Stacy”. I was soooo upset!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Feast One Hundred & Twenty One
Appetizer
Which language would you like to learn and why? Well, I took French in high school and college and have forgotten most all of it. French is a beautiful language and I’d like to learn it, but the practical side of me would have to answer Spanish. We have a growing Hispanic population in our area, and it would be much better for me to learn some Spanish.
Soup
What’s the funniest thing you’ve heard or read so far this week? A movie we watched the other night, I guess 🙂
Salad
Which movie was so bad you couldn’t watch the whole thing? Reds and Any Given Sunday spring to mind
Main Course
If there were a holiday in your honor that didn’t use your actual name, what would the day be called? Procrastinator’s Day 😆
Dessert
Name one movie which is coming out soon that you would like to see. Probably The Holiday with Kate Winslet, but realistically, I’ll probably have to wait to rent it.
Friday, December 1, 2006
Feast One Hundred & Twenty
Appetizer
Have you ever flown in a helicopter? No, but I would LOVE it! 😀
Soup
What color is your warmest coat or jacket? A very old gray parka type jacket. It’s very warm, but it doesn’t look all that great!
Salad
What is your favorite rainy day activity? Curling up with a book and some coffee or tea and reading in my big chair by the fireplace. Sheer heaven.
Main Course
Describe your hands. Yucky, I don’t like my hands. I wish I had gotten my mom’s hands, but only Suzanne got those. I have short stubby hands, all wrinkly and freckled, short nails that I bite or that break off. Icky, I’m telling you, icky.
Dessert
If you could eat only one nut for the rest of your life, what nut would you pick? Tough choice, but probably walnuts. I should pick pecans, they are huge here, but I think I would have to go with walnuts.
Debi, over at Caught Between Worlds, tagged me with this great A-Z meme. I loved reading her answers and love the questions, so here’s my answers:
The A-Z of Me Meme
A – Available/Single? Neither, very happily married
B – Best Friend? My husband Tim
C– Cake or Pie? must hedge, Chocolate Cake or Cherry Pie!
D – Drink Of Choice? Peach Tea
E – Essential Item You Use Everyday? Computer and Internet access
F – Favorite Color? Burgundy
G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? Neither!
H – Hometown? Madison, Misssissippi
I – Indulgence? Truffles from Aunt V’s Candies or any drink from Starbucks
J – January Or February? January – it’s all about cleaning up, organizing and cutting back!
K – Kids & Their Names? no human kids, but Beau the wonder dog is my boy 😀
L – Life Is Incomplete Without? Tim
M – Marriage Date? March, 1996
N– Number Of Siblings? 2 sisters
O – Oranges Or Apples? Apples
P – Phobias/Fears? Fear of heights, fear of snakes
Q – Favorite Quote? Ah, that a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for? by Robert Browning
R – Reason to Smile- my boys, Tim and Beau
S – Season? Winter
T – Tag Three People? Stacy, Laura and Susie
U – Unknown Fact About Me? I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was in college
V – Vegetable you don’t like? Beets
W – Worst Habit? apologizing for everything or biting my fingernails
X – X-rays You’ve Had? Dental (sonograms don’t count, right?)
Y – Your Favorite Food? Three way tie – Seafood, Chinese, Italian 😀
Z – Zodiac Sign? Libra, very balanced
Ok, I know I tagged three people, but I would love for anyone else to play along. I could have tagged several other people, and I hope many of you will play along. Have a great day! 😀
If there’s one thing I love, it’s books. Books and cooking, as Dianne talks about in her blog, Unfinished Work. And here she is, posting this great set of questions that you know I just have to answer! Thanks Dianne!
1. Where do you most often buy your books? Online? Secondhand stores? Big name bookstores? Various places – online at usually Amazon.com and locally at library sales and bookstores. I have a Borders Reward card, so I like to buy there, but I’ve also been known not to leave Barnes and Noble empty handed! I prefer to get books as gifts and get them from the library though, being the frugal person that I am 🙂
2. If you buy online, which do you prefer – B&N or Amazon.com? Ebay? Christianbook.com? or elsewhere? Oops, answered that above. Usually Amazon.com. Love their wish list feature and I also like reading the reviews there.
3. Do you put your name in your books? If so, are you a bookplate or stamp person? I only put my name in books if I loan them out, or if they are gifts from someone. I write in the inside cover or inside front page who gave it to me and what holiday and year. I have never used a bookplate or stamp, just my own handwriting.
4. How do you feel about loaning books to others? I am a bit possessive of my books and prefer to only loan them to family or friends, when I know I will get them back. I don’t like loaning them out and losing them. That’s happened once before, years ago, with a book that I loved, a first edition of an author I like to read, and I never got it back. Once bitten, twice shy.
5. Do you highlight or mark your books as you read? Nope, I don’t mark in my books in any way.
6. How often do you visit your local library? Regularly. Usually every couple of weeks.
7. Do you collect any certain kind of book? No, I mostly read women’s fiction and Christian fiction, and I do like to get books by certain authors I know and like. But I don’t really collect any, per se.
8. What do you do when you’re done with a book and no longer want it? Usually hang on to it! As I said, I’m a bit possessive about my books. If they are paperback or I didn’t really enjoy them, I will put them in a garage sale or donate them somewhere. My hardbacks and paperbacks by authors I really enjoy stay with me in my bookshelves. 🙂
9. Do you keep a list of or catalog the books you own? No, but I want to do this. We have a system like this for our DVD collection and I’ve been *meaning* to do this for my books. One of those projects on my never-ending to-do list.
10. Any other weird book habits you’d like to share? Hmm, that I don’t mar my books in any way. I don’t write in them or turn down the corners. It’s only bookmarks for me! I don’t like to bend the spine too much, I don’t like to bend the paper jacket/cover over to mark a page, etc. I’m a little particular about how I care for my books!
Okay, so let’s hear it from you other book lovers!
I won’t tag anyone in particular, but I’d love if you would play along, and thanks again to Dianne for this great meme!
I saw this fun meme posted over at Stacy‘s blog (here). It’s called a “Get to Know Your Friends” meme/quiz, but it seems pretty holiday oriented, so I was really excited about doing it. Thanks for letting me swipe it, Stacy!
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate, definitely.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa just sits them under the tree. He has so many kids to visit, all over the world, on just one night, that he doesn’t have time to wrap them all.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Well, funny you should ask! We had colored lights on our tree growing up, both of us. But when I got to be an adult and got my own tree, I wanted white lights. We still have white lights for our tree, and we hang white icicle lights outside, but both of us are thinking about getting colored lights for our inside tree. We saw some the other day we both liked, but we both hate to spend the money to replace the white ones (since we have so many!).
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes, if Tim will shoot some down for me while he’s out hunting. I love mistletoe! He used to bring some home every year when we were first married, and I loved it. But, sadly, those romantic newlywed days are gone, so I haven’t gotten mistletoe in a long time. 🙁
5. When do you put your decorations up? Sometime after Thanksgiving. I have to beg Tim to get up in the attic and start dragging everything down. He has to get up on the ladder and extension ladder and do all the outside lights (I’m scared of heights). He helps me put up the tree and the lights, and then I do all the rest of the decorating of the tree, put up my Snow Village and all of the other inside decorations.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Wow, that’s a toughie! I love turkey, because we only have it once or twice a year. Love cranberry sauce (just the canned kind!) and sweet potatoes, but probably my favorite would have to be my broccoli casserole. 🙂
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Sigh, here we go again, I wish I had memories from my childhood! I do remember one memorable Christmas, because I was very sick. I had to stay in bed and so my parents brought my presents in my bedroom. Daddy hauled in this big blue footlocker with a bow on it (I must have been a pre-teen), and I was so excited! I got something to put all my stuff in, and it LOCKED! And you know, I still have that footlocker in my attic, locked, with things from my life before I met Tim. 🙂
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? At school, probably in the first grade, but maybe in the second. Scott and Greg were talking and I didn’t believe them. So, after school, I asked my mom at home, expecting her to say they were Silly and of course there’s a Santa Claus. My mom sighed and said, yes, there’s no Santa, your father and I just give you the gifts. I was horribly, terribly and irrevocably disappointed. 😥
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? That would depend on where we are. We split our Christmas Eve and Day between Tim’s family and mine. It rotates year to year with custody of our niece and nephew. If we’re at Tim’s family on Christmas Eve, we open all of our presents then. If we’re at home or at my sister’s house, we don’t open on Christmas Eve, we open everything on Christmas morning.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? The word would be eclectic! I have ornaments that are very sentimental to me, and opening up my boxes each year and unwrapping them and hanging them on the tree is like opening a box of goodies over and over, remembering each one and the memories associated with it. I have ornaments from when I was growing up (my mom was going to throw them away, and I asked to have them), ornaments from when I first got out of college and had my own apartment and tree, ornaments that I have bought places (I love snowmen and have a lot of those!) and loved. But, the best ones, my favorite ones, are all of the ornaments we have collected while we’re on vacation and gone places. We try to buy an ornament to commemorate each year and vacation. I love all of those, they are my most favorite. 🙂
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it! But then again, we only get snow once or twice a decade here, and it’s a big deal! I won’t drive in it though. 🙂
12. Can you ice skate? No way Jose. (Bonus, I can’t roller skate or roller blade either).
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? No huge favorites stick out, but Tim and I got engaged at Christmas, so that’s probably my best gift/memory.
14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with family and remembering the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Fudge or my Reindeer Food I make
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We don’t have any traditions of our own. We spend the holidays on the road, going to see everyone else. One of the big downfalls of not being able to have children. I would have liked to have had kids and stayed at home and developed our own traditions and rituals over the years.
17. What tops your tree? An Angel. I’ve had her a long time and she’s looking a little worn, so I probably need to get a new one.
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?I love We Three Kings because it’s in my range. But I love all holiday music, hymns and songs. I have to start playing it soon, I love it all 🙂
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?? Yuck, unless they’re the chocolate ones! I buy them to hang on the tree though, because Tim loves them and that was a thing he grew up with.
P.S. I won’t tag anyone, but please feel free to play along at your blog, or answer any of the questions here in the comments. 🙂
Sandra, over at Diary of a SAHM mom, sponsors this great recipe meme each week. Be sure to go over and check out Sandra’s lovely blog, and also check out this week’s entries… I love seeing the recipes and getting ideas for new things to try in my crockpot! Click here for this week’s entries.
My entry this week is something I have made once before in my West Bend Slow Cooker. The West Bend is something my mom gave me before she passed away and I use it often, because it’s a good size for the two of us. I often use it instead of my crockpot, but I also use them interchangeably. This is a recipe I sort of threw together, and combined ideas from other recipes I had seen. We love bratwurst this time of year, on Game Days, and we always have sauerkraut with it. I had some sauerkraut left over one Monday and decided to try it with two pork chops for us. It came out pretty well. I made this last fall and I probably need to make it again soon 🙂
Stacy’s Crockpot Pork Chops & Sauerkraut
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
2 bone-in pork chops
1 – 32 oz bag sauerkraut — squeezed dry
1/2 medium onion — thinly sliced
caraway, thyme — to taste
1/2 cup apple juice (see notes)
1/2 cup chicken broth
Directions:
Brown chops in olive oil in a skillet (I seasoned mine with salt, pepper, dash Tony’s and garlic powder). Transfer to sprayed West Bend slow cooker. Lay thinly sliced onions on top of chops, then cover with sauerkraut. Sprinkle with a dash of caraway (we don’t like much) and thyme. Add a dash of refrigerated minced garlic. Pour chicken broth and apple juice (1/2 to 3/4 cup) over all. Cook on setting 3.5 for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
NOTE: About half way through cooking, I thought it was getting dry and so I added a little more apple juice. Tim commented that, although it tasted really good as it was, he would like a little less apple flavor. So, next time don’t add more apple juice, maybe try a bit more chicken broth instead.
Stacy’s Notes: Made this from 3 different recipes that I combined. Cooked in the West Bend all afternoon and served with boiled potatoes and wheat rolls. Really good and it filled us up! 🙂
P.S. I’m sure you could easily double this, but since I only cook for two, I have never tried 🙂
Reading Lists, Part Two
1. So, last week we asked you if you kept a list of books that you’re interested in, wanting to read, wanting to buy, etc. This week, we want to know–do you keep a list of the books you’ve READ? Yes, being a list-maker extraordinaire, you know I have a list of this too :mrgreen:. I’ve been doing this for several years now.
2. If so, how? In a journal? A notebook? On the computer? On the computer. Before I started my blog, I used to make a Word document for each year. I still do, but now, I transfer that to my blog regularly. My 2005 Reading List is here and my 2006 Reading List (so far) is here. 🙂
P.S. My answers to last week’s questions, Part 1, are here.
I usually do the Friday Feast meme on Fridays, but they’re still on a much deserved vacation. I wish that I had time to blog about other things (yes, I actually have a couple of things to say!), but I don’t have a lot of time. We’re going to be very busy today and tomorrow. We have family coming in, and are also going to see other family, and we’re going to be running pretty much non-stop. I’ll try to catch up on all that later, for anyone who is interested.
In the mean time, I saw over at Stacy’s blog, Vader’s Mom that she did the “Booking Through Thursday” meme yesterday, and I liked the questions. So, a day late, I do believe I’ll play along. 😆
Mary wants to know…
Do you keep a list of books to read? YES! Most definitely yes. I have several lists. I have a list of books I want to check out at the library and a list of books that I want to look for at the bookstore. I get lots of great book ideas from message boards, and mostly from other people’s blogs. I have read several books that I have seen reviewed or recommended at blogs that I would have never known to read, and I love that!
Where do you keep your list (computer, PDA, paper, etc.)? These days, on my PDA. I love this thing and use it for every kind of list imaginable. I used to keep a little notebook back by my computer, where I would write down books that I saw that piqued my interest. When I got my PDA, I sat down and typed that list into my PDA, and now I update that as I find new books I want to read, and remove them from my list once I’ve bought them or checked them out of the library.
How often do you refer to your list? Every time you go for a new book to read? When book shopping? Or? I refer to my list often. Just to see what books I have on there. I use it every time I go to the library or bookstore. I use it when I want to check online at my library’s website and see if they have a book available.
Many thanks to Sandra, over at Diary of a SAHM mom, for sponsoring this each week. Be sure to go over and check out Sandra’s lovely blog, and also check out this week’s entries… everyone has been posting lots of yummy sounding recipes lately! Click here for this week’s entries.
My entry this week is a wintertime meal I love to make in my crockpot. I hope to make it soon, I just need to work it into my menu. We love this stew! (As always, be sure to read my notes, I often make changes and try to note what I did)
Chicken Stew Over Biscuits
2 envelopes chicken gravy mix
2 cups water
3/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
2 garlic cloves — minced
1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules — (1 to 2)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
5 medium carrots — cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large onion — cut into eight wedges
1 boiler/fryer chicken (3-4 pounds) cut up (see notes)
3 Tablespoons flour
1/3 cup cold water
1 tube refrigerated biscuits
potatoes — if desired (see notes)
In a slow cooker, combine gravy mix, water, wine or broth, garlic, parsley, bouillon and pepper until blended. Add the carrots, onion and chicken. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
Increase heat to high. In a small bowl, combine the flour and cold water until smooth: gradually stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Meanwhile, bake biscuits according to package directions. Place biscuits in soup bowls, top with stew.
Stacy’s Notes: I used a “Pick of the Chick” – assorted skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces, chicken broth, diced & peeled red potatoes, and cornstarch instead of the flour. I put in the diced potatoes after about 6-7 hours. I took the chicken pieces out after about 7-8 hours, took off the skin and meat off the bone, then added it back with the cornstarch mixture. Cooked about 45 min – 1 hr on high while I made bisquick biscuits in the toaster oven. We really liked this! 🙂
Source: adapted from Quick Cooking magazine
OK, my sister Gail tagged me for this meme. The object, apparently, is to list 9 weird things about yourself. The innate problem with me doing this particular meme is that Gail and I are very very much alike. We’re more like twins separated by several years (although I’d love to tell you how many, Gail would kill me!!! ), so we like and dislike a lot of the same things, and surprisingly, we have a lot of the same quirks.
So, my answers could easily be many of the same ones that Gail answered (read hers here)… but, I’ll strive to be different. Without further ado, 9 weird things about me:
1. I have this thing about stuff being in the right place. For example, if Tim puts the mayonnaise jar back in the fridge (but not where it’s supposed to go, on the shelf on the door), I will move it back to it’s rightful spot the next time I open the refrigerator. Every single time.
2. Similarly, since I like things in their “correct” place, I have a tendency to move things like keys or coasters. Tim will drop his keys on the countertop in the kitchen, so I hang them up on their hook on the key holder. If he moves his coaster on the end table to the coffee table, I move it back to the end table. It’s the OCD/Monk syndrome in me
3. Tim offered this one for this meme – when I cry, I sweat a little on my upper lip. 🙄
4. When I read a book or magazine, I won’t use anything but a bookmark or a spare piece of torn paper to mark my page. I won’t stick anything else in it, bend it back on the spine, or turn the corner of the page down. I don’t like messing up my books and magazines 🙂
5. I used to win things all the time on the radio. I’ve won 2 trips (one to the Bahamas when I was 12 and one to Dallas to see the Dixie Chicks a few years ago), tons of movie tickets, albums, cassettes and CD’s (yes, I’m old), and even food. One year I won a honey-baked ham at Thanksgiving and one year at Christmas I won a huge tray of stuff from Chick-Fil-A. Alas, I haven’t won anything lately though. Since we got digital cable and I got an iPod, I don’t listen to local radio much anymore!
6. I have never seen the Wizard of Oz. And I never will. All of my family thinks that I am weird, but I don’t care. I didn’t see it as a child and I know it won’t mean anything to me as an adult.
7. On the same wavelength, I have never seen an entire episode of certain shows on television from start to finish. Shows like The Andy Griffith Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, Law & Order, etc. I have seen snippets, bits and pieces, but I’ve never sat down and watched one from beginning to end.
8. There are TV shows that I love though, and movies too, and I can quote long sections of dialogue. TV Shows like Friends and Mad About You (which I ADORED!) and movies like The Sound of Music, You’ve Got Mail, Princess Bride, all of the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings movies… I know tons of dialogue and even inflections in their voices and can replicate it.
9. Tim says that my obsession with Chinese food is “weird”. He gets burned out on certain kinds of food, and for the last several YEARS, it has been Chinese. I could eat it every day, but I have to settle for once every few weeks or months. He thinks I’m weird because I want to eat Chinese so much. I don’t think it’s weird, but I did ask his opinion on this meme, and he threw that one out at me
BONUS: I just realized, as I was sitting here at my computer, in my computer chair, thinking about these and typing them up, that I sit in my chair with one leg up under me (or sometimes, both legs!). I do it all the time, and never think a thing about it. Other people might think it’s weird though. I have to have one or both legs up in my chair when I’m at the computer. I can’t sit here correctly, ergonomically, with my feet on the floor in a correct position. I just can’t. 😛
I won’t tag anyone specifically, but please feel free to play along, either at your own blog, or leave me a comment here about something that is “weird” about you, or that other people think is weird, and you think it’s just fine!!!!
I blogged briefly yesterday about the black bean chili that I was going to make for supper. It was chilly and blustery here yesterday, and I had homemade bread rising, so chili seemed like the perfect complement to that. I should have taken a picture of the chili in the pot, but we were too hungry and we just dove right in and I never thought about it!
So, the Black Bean Chili is my submission for today’s Favorite Ingredient Friday meme, sponsored by Overwhelmed with Joy. Check out her beautiful blog for other participants.
Beefy Black Bean Chili
Ingredients
1 pound lean ground round (or ground turkey)
2 15 oz cans no salt added black beans — undrained
1 cup medium or hot chunky style salsa
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili seasoning mix
low fat sour cream — optional
shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese — optional
tortilla chips — optional
Directions
Cook meat in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until meat is browned, stirring until it crumbles. Drain, if necessary.
While meat cooks, drain and mash 1 can of beans. Add mashed beans, undrained beans, salsa, tomato sauce and seasoning mix to saucepan. Stir well. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Spoon into serving bowls. Top with additional toppings, if desired.
NOTE: Original recipe says it makes 7 – 1 cup servings, but who eats 1 cup of chili for a main dish?! She noted that this was about 4 good servings. She used one can of black beans and one can of seasoned pinto beans with liquid, Newman’s salsa and Penzey’s chile powder, and also added some Penzey’s chipotle powder.
Stacy’s Notes – Made October 2003. This was quick, and really good! Used 1 pound ground chuck and 2 cans black beans as directed. I used 1 cup of On the Border brand salsa, about 1 1/2 tablespoons of chili seasoning from a packet, and a pinch or two of chipotle powder. Served with tortilla chips (fat free), sour cream and shredded cheddar. Also, I used 1 can plain tomato sauce and one can of roasted garlic flavored sauce. A definite keeper!
Source: Cooking Light message board
Sandra, over at Diary of a SAHM mom, sponsors this each week. Be sure to go over and check out Sandra’s lovely blog, and also check out this week’s entries… everyone has been posting lots of yummy sounding recipes lately! Click here for this week’s entries.
This week, I’m going to post another oldie but goodie. I haven’t made this in a while, but will probably make it soon, now that cooler weather is upon us. It’s not gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, just good comfort food. My husband likes me to make cornbread with this, and we just crumple our cornbread in the bowl and top it with this beans and sausage concoction. (As always, be sure to read all of my notes at the bottom!!! I have made changes to this one, and tried different beans and sausages)
Have a great day everyone!
Crockpot Four Beans And Sausage
Ingredients:
1 – 15 oz can drained Great Northern Beans
1 – 15.5 oz can rinsed drained black beans
1 – 16 oz can drained red kidney beans
1 – 15 oz can drained butter beans (see notes, can use different beans)
1 1/2 cups ketchup — see notes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper — chopped
1 pound cooked smoked sausage — cut in 1/2″ slices
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic — minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low 9 to 10 hours, or on high 4 to 5 hours.
Stacy’s Notes – Made June 03. I used canned great northern beans, black and red kidney beans, 1 can french cut green beans, and 1 box frozen baby lima beans. I used 1 pkg of our deer sausage and about 1 cup ketchup and everything else the same except no bell pepper. I cooked this in the crockpot on HIGH for about 3 hours, then turned to low. I served over a wild rice combo but Tim didn’t like the rice. He just ate it plain in a bowl, and he suggested that I make cornbread to go with it next time. So that’s what I do now, make cornbread for Tim, and if I’m ambitious, I make brown rice for me too! 🙂
More Stacy’s Notes – I have made this many times since originally posting the above notes. I have used different combinations of beans, but usually use a can of Italian cut Green Beans, Great Northern, black and red kidney beans. Sometimes I substitute frozen for the canned (baby limas, green beans). If I don’t have deer link sausage, I use Healthy Choice turkey sausage. This is definitely not gourmet, but very good comfort food. 🙂 Enjoy!
Source: Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook, page 208
