Saturday, November 8, 2008

We Have A Winnah!!!

Congrats Jen over at Mama Mia! (the reason I got into blogging, come to think of it) you are the winnah of my PIF giveaway. Consider yourself soon to be gifted upon. Thank you to the 9 people that entered :) You're all fabulous. If only I was a lawyer or doctor I could gift upon you all. Or if I won the lottery....even a measley $30 bucks would be enough for a little some-thing something, ya know? (cheap shot, huh Jen?) tee hee hee hee (sorry peeps for the inside joke...jen won a scratch ticket or two and was the only person who won anything....my ticket was big fat nothing!)

Seriously though. Yahoo for Jen. She's assured me that she's going to blog all about her grand winnings and pay it forward. When she does I'll totally link it here so you can all go enter her giveaway! Now go enjoy the rest of your Saturday. I'm going to read or go play with my new iRoomba.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Haiku Friday

history was made
november 2008
barack obama

hope of change to come
a nation needing to heal
i'm proud to live here

















Thursday, November 6, 2008

Delicious Dinner

So this weekend I finally made this pumpkin casserole. I've had the recipe saved in my google reader for some time. I found it over at Closet Cooking. I like this guy's blog. Go check it out.
Pumpkin Casserole

Pumpkin Casserole
Ingredients:
4 cups pumpkin puree
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons butter (softened)

Directions:
1. Mix the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, milk, egg, vanilla and salt and mash.
2. Mix the brown sugar, pecans, flour and butter.
3. Pour the pumpkin mixture into a baking dish (or dishes) and top with the pecan mixture.
4. Bake in a preheated 350F until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

I also made a chicken in my crockpot to go with it. I found this recipe over at A Year of CrockPotting.

--1 whole chicken, skinned (mine was around 4 pounds)
--3 tsp kosher salt
--1 tsp paprika
--1 tsp Italian seasoning
--1 tsp seasoning salt
--1/2 tsp black pepper
--4 whole garlic cloves peeled
--1/2 yellow onion, cut into thirds

The Directions.

I used my white (I think it's 5 or 6 quarts) crockpot (smartpot).

I skinned the chicken because the crockpot lady did (and I thought we didn't really need the added fat). Get rid of the neck and other stuff from the cavity and rinse. I used my Pampered Chef kitchen shears and it made the job go fairly quickly. I gave up on skinning the wings though....completely lost cause!

In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Put the bird breast-side down into the crockpot (sadly enough I had to call my mother in law to make sure I had the right side pegged as the breast...just in case you don't know, it's wings up, rounded side down).

I shoved the peeled garlic cloves onion inside the bird.

Do not add water.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8. I opted for the high setting. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat.

Ok, both of these dishes were EXCELLENT!!! A complete hit with the whole family. Score!!! We'll definitely make this dish again. Now I'm off to use the chicken carcass to make broth.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Congrats Mr. President Obama

Wow. History has been made. Our first African American President. Is that why I voted for him? Absolutely not. Both McCain and Obama are good men. They both stand for different things. I was saddened to hear my Shorty come home touting, "Obama wants to steal our money", so saith Miss Day Care Lady. So be her opinion, I just wish she wouldn't shove it on my kid. I gave her a polite line to take back, being that both men are good men.

I voted for Obama because I believe he does hold the most hope for true change. Our country is in a world of hurt right now. Let's just say it...we're in a recession. It's not pretty right now, but it's going to get even uglier I fear.

I believe that our country needs a ton of healing in many different ways. I believe that President Obama can get us there. Hope. That is what he gives me. I saw Jesse Jackson in tears when they announced that Obama had been declared the new president. What a long way our country has come.

I don't really have any more words. Congrats Obama. Don't let us down.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Happy Election Day!

I voted, did you?

I found this over at The Frustrated Teacher...an interesting blog. I saw this cartoon in the newspaper back a while ago and loved it. Regardless of how you voted today, history will be made. Whether it be our first black president (please god, please) or a woman in the white house, today will mark history. This is possible because of the amazing leaders we've had along the way. Just take a minute to think about it.

Monday, November 3, 2008

I Learned Something New...

So I'm taking this distance course and am reading The Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Writing by Lucy Calkins. I was reading chapter 4 when I came across a term I'd never heard of before. "Ex nihilo" Yeah...have you heard this before? So like all good thinkers and learners I couldn't move on...I had to google it (dear god, what did we do before google?). It's a Latin phrase that means, "out of nothing".

So there you have it. You've learned something new. You're welcome. Have a fantastic Monday.

Oh, and I'm going to try to blog everyday this month...oh my...what have I just said?!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Weekly Winners & PIF Giveaway V 4.0

October 26-Nov. 1, 2008

Shorty McShort aka Candy Giver on Halloween
click here or here for why she's not trick or treating

Jack-O-Lanterns all lit up
That's all I have for now. I can't make this stop underlining...I have no idea what I did....

If you've not entered my latest PIF giveaway, please do!!! Click here to enter and get the details.