Cooking and Costs

I love to bake. I like the feeling of dough between my fingers, the sound of cookies hitting the sheet, the smell of fresh baked treats.
My dad was a baker, and I try to be a baker. The problems though are simple, the cost. Have you tried to go out and buy a good cookie sheet? I did the other day. The cheap one, looked like it might last 2 days at my house, and the ones I wanted were almost the same price as the new cell phone my daughter wanted.
 So how do you buy good quality and still be able to afford to cook. I have learned in recent years, when I stopped working and started cooking, there are a million people out there who don't cook and who regularly clean their houses.
  The WOK on my stove, my second, this one has a flat bottom, is almost identical to my second one, only I only paid $4.99. New in the box, at a garage sale. The set of Cutlery I got from the local thrift store, I paid $19.99. It came with the block, the accesory set, and the ice cream scoop. It is a Cutco. I have a beautiful Tiffanys bowl, for serving $7.99 at a resale shop. They had never heard of Tiffanys selling bowls, but they took in on consignment anyway.
    I have learned, but I have learned there are things you should never scrimp on, and they are the pans I cook in, I have a really nice set, and I cook without water. I know it almost sounds like I am selling them to you, but you can't have my set.
   But at the end of the day, you need a good set, and sometimes you can find one in the paper, at the estate sale, or even at a resale shop.  Here is to good hunting, may all the treasures of cooking rise to meet you.

The Dark Knight

The Dark knight has truly brought a dark night. It is hard to understand how it happens, but it does. Someone, I can't tell you why, and wouldn't want to guess walked into a room full of happiness and proceeded to spray his insanity through the crowd. And 12 died.
  My daughter went to the movie tonight. Not the Dark Knight, but Spiderman 3, and I worried her home. I have to now. I can't just take her to the movies, and let her and her 3 little friends out of the car, watching them walk towards the door in all their immortality, laughing, and deciding on which drink to get. Moms and Dads live in separate houses, and they can't protect them from the darkest of nights. I would wonder, will the victims ever be able to go to the movies and not remember that moment of absolute terror, when one of the "safe" places we had left was torn from our society.  I wonder if my children now know they are no longer immortal.
  I remember thinking I would never die. I could do anything, and everything would just be ok. I don't think our children live in the same world, as the one I grew up in. Someone took all the innocence and hid it away from children. They see on television, about death, anguish, and they watch friends die.
What happened to you, what was in your troubled mind as you mowed people down, watching as children fell, mothers & fathers ran, spouses & family tried to protect those you had hurt, willing to die, before allowing you to do more damage. There are so many angry people, but anger doesn't save those who died, it doesn't do them justice. It was an angry and violent moment cutting their lives short, what did you fear? I am not angry, I am hurt, hurt you felt you had the right to take from someone something which was not yours, you are a thief. Hurt the safety of going to the movies has now been destroyed, you are a terrorist. But I will not give you my anger, you don't deserve any emotion of mine which is so close to fear, love, and hate.  I give you hurt and pity, for they are all you deserve, for in the end. You will be forgotten, but they will not.

New Babies, Old babies, and living with your own babies

I am watching my grandchildren, for a few days. I know I love them, but somehow, I forgot how much time it takes. I guess as your children get older and you are running here, for dance, there for wrestling, robotics, school events, proms, and parent teacher conferences, you forget how much running you were doing when you had babies, and then they come back and you are out of your mind.
The toys babies like, seem to be your camera, your laptop, cookware, beads and lord help you, your office materials. Not the hundreds of toys you spent your time and money picking out, so they wouldn't play with your camera, laptop and office materials.
Its funny how all those moments you ran your legs off and fell into bed exhausted, fade from memory as you are watching them grow, and they way keep you running changes.
Now I keep busy chasing the childrens busy appointments, who seem to believe my time is all full of openings just for anything they volunteer for.
My husband found out he has a new granddaughter. Its funny, she named it after his mother. But it is also one he won't get to spend much time with. It is a sad, but wonderful situation, when your babies have babies.

Maybe if we are lucky, we will refind our sanity.

Realality Television and the Snap of the American Brain

We did the whole world become so fascinated it the mundane. The real of housewives of I don't give a shit, The I can't find a wife/husband without tv. Or How about those wonderful chefs who cant have a decent word come out of their mouths. I am your target addiunece and I can't stand all the crap on your television show. I have taken my dogs walking,,I don't care who sings the best, or who did whom, and I certainly don't care if she/he crys when the answer is no.

Sorry housewives, I have a husband, kinda like him and he helps out, and you are right I don't drive a porsche, and hang out at bars, I did that once. I was a trashy biker then.
What happened to televisions, now you bore me wtih deaths i figure out before you, and I sleep way too much.

The band needs to slip off and smack the crap outta someone cause we need to be woke up...

Now were cooking with Power

My mom never cooked, or rather she never cooked well. She tried, but living in a house with a professional baker made it hard. Living with a perfectionist who drank to much made it harder. I love my dad, he taught me how to bake, how to knead bread, to put all you had into cooking.
He also told me I was a girl, and should only want to be a nurse. I was a good nurse, lousy wife. I spent half my life wishing I was a boy, and the other half, acting like I had Ba..s of steel. I didn't by the way, but what i have learned of late, is I have no will power. I may still think I have those steel objects but I don't have the ability to do anything about them. Its hard a trip down self-reflection, but everyone has to make it at some point, I choose now. I choose to not keep things I will never fix, never finish, or just aint gonna do.
I love to cook, but if you tell me you hate something, I don't change it, I quit. I love smoothies. I do, I love them, and want to drink them. All the time.
My sweetie tolerates them, and me most days. But I quit making them, because he did not like them. I don't do new years resolutions, I break them all of them, I never lost that 20 pounds, said no to that last donut, or took back my life, but I think I am going to. I think I am going to do it one baby step at a time. I am getting back the steel items, and I am going to learn to use them

I think stuffed mushrooms, and rice green peppers just went back on the menu... baby steps, next it will be the 20 pounds and no..:)

Bruschetta Baquettes and Ravioli

I love Bruschetta. I love to go out and eat it at a fancy restaurant. But with the economy the way it is today, it’s become less of an option. So I decided to try it at home. It turns out my whole family loves this recipe.




6 Roma tomatoes

1 bunch (6) green onions

Fresh basil

Pesto seasoning

Salt & pepper to taste


I have been mixing in other tomatoes to change up the flavor,
Very interesting concept. It keeps the world guessing,

After chopping, not blending or anything else, just me and a knife
I mix all the ingredient with a little bit of virgin olive oil,
Then spread over a slice of baquette bread, a little cheese, heTed so
So slightly and them into your mouth....oh I am now hungry, off to find
A baquette..


Oregano leaves

Random moments in my day

I was not there
But I did see,
But what you took was not from me

I was not there 
But i did see

The pain you caused was not to me

I was once there 
And did not see

For what you took was from me

I once was there
And I refused to see

The pain you were causing all to me

You are there
And you refuse to see

You prefer to blame it on ones like me

You are there
And you will see

The price for what you are doing is not free

There are hundreds of parents who are in one way or another stealing the life 
From their children, whether it is making them grow up too fast, abuse
Making them witness abuse, neglect abandonment, trust fraud and someday
Somehow we must learn to stand up for the child, no child left behind.