And Congratulations Toews on your MVP Trophy! You deserved it!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
BLACKHAWKS WIN!
Congratulations Blackhawks on a totally awesome year culminating with the Stanley Cup!
And Congratulations Toews on your MVP Trophy! You deserved it!
And Congratulations Toews on your MVP Trophy! You deserved it!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Recipe - Beef Base Recipe - Per request
This is what I call a beef base recipe. I slow cook this then use it to make different things with it (beef tips over noodles, beef stroganoff, beef bourguignonne and beef stew) so I tend to make a huge pot of this so I can freeze the base and then whip the other things together to change it into the other recipes.
1 1/2 lb. sirloin, cut into bite size pieces
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 slice of bacon, cut into small pieces
1 garlic clove, minced or put through a press
In a skillet (I use my cast iron skillet but any one can be used), brown the meat in olive oil and bacon over medium heat. (This is a single recipe so depending on how many meals you want to get out of it will depend on how much meat you will use). (I usually use sirloin but I get it at costco when it is on sale). Take out the meat and put it in a dutch oven. Leave the grease in the skillet.
Mix together in a separate bowl:
1 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper
Put the flour into the skillet and brown the flour slowly until it is dark brown. Pour this in the dutch oven with the meat. Pour 3 1/2 cups water into the skillet and then over the meat. This will finish getting the browned flour out of the skillet. Cover the dutch oven with a lid and cook in oven at 350 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender and gravy is thick or at 200 degrees for 8-10 hours.
To make beef tips over noodles:
Do nothing else except to make the noodles although I have added sliced mushrooms too. Spoon the tips over the noodles and serve.
To make stroganoff:
Add sliced mushrooms (I usually use fresh although I guess you can use a drained jar of mushrooms), a small container of sour cream and a tablespoon of worchestershire sauce. Make the noodles then spoon over the noodles.
To make beef stew:
Take the base and add diced potatoes, diced carrots, and I usually add a jar of small cocktail type onions drained. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes and carrots are cooked. I usually serve this with bread.
To make beef bourguignonne:
Take the base and add half a bottle of Kendall Jackson burgundy wine, sliced mushrooms, and a drained jar of the small cocktail type onions. Cook for an hour over medium heat uncovered. I serve this with boiled baby red potatoes. Yes, I serve the rest of the wine with the dinner. I have tried other wines but Kendall Jackson's burgundy wine just adds such a good flavor that I have found hard to beat.
1 1/2 lb. sirloin, cut into bite size pieces
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 slice of bacon, cut into small pieces
1 garlic clove, minced or put through a press
In a skillet (I use my cast iron skillet but any one can be used), brown the meat in olive oil and bacon over medium heat. (This is a single recipe so depending on how many meals you want to get out of it will depend on how much meat you will use). (I usually use sirloin but I get it at costco when it is on sale). Take out the meat and put it in a dutch oven. Leave the grease in the skillet.
Mix together in a separate bowl:
1 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper
Put the flour into the skillet and brown the flour slowly until it is dark brown. Pour this in the dutch oven with the meat. Pour 3 1/2 cups water into the skillet and then over the meat. This will finish getting the browned flour out of the skillet. Cover the dutch oven with a lid and cook in oven at 350 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender and gravy is thick or at 200 degrees for 8-10 hours.
To make beef tips over noodles:
Do nothing else except to make the noodles although I have added sliced mushrooms too. Spoon the tips over the noodles and serve.
To make stroganoff:
Add sliced mushrooms (I usually use fresh although I guess you can use a drained jar of mushrooms), a small container of sour cream and a tablespoon of worchestershire sauce. Make the noodles then spoon over the noodles.
To make beef stew:
Take the base and add diced potatoes, diced carrots, and I usually add a jar of small cocktail type onions drained. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes and carrots are cooked. I usually serve this with bread.
To make beef bourguignonne:
Take the base and add half a bottle of Kendall Jackson burgundy wine, sliced mushrooms, and a drained jar of the small cocktail type onions. Cook for an hour over medium heat uncovered. I serve this with boiled baby red potatoes. Yes, I serve the rest of the wine with the dinner. I have tried other wines but Kendall Jackson's burgundy wine just adds such a good flavor that I have found hard to beat.
Dirtiest Places - #12 - Lemons and Limes but in reality all fruit and veges
For those of you who were thinking this would contain a recipe, ummm....nope.
Did you know how dirty restaurant lemons and limes are? If you are like me, I always ask for either lemon or lime to go with my water. For the house, I usually buy at least 6 lemons and 6 limes a week and I either use them in my water or hubs and son use them in their beer. At the end of the week I use them in a recipe although I have been known to buy more if I am planning on making lemon chicken or my parchment tilapia.
Back to dirty lemons and limes. Out of 6 restaurants, one being a buffet, all 6 were found to have fecal matter on their lemons and limes. Yep you read that right. All 6! Good Morning America did a study 1n 2008 if you don't believe me.
So the next time you are thinking of having a lemon or lime in your drink - squeeze the juice into your drink and don't put it in your drink! Think twice about ordering a drink with fruit in it unless you see the bartender or your waiter/waitress wearing gloves to put that fruit in. Yeah I was a waitress and that just does not happen!
Oh - and wash your fruit and veges before you eat or cut them!
Dirtiest Places - #11 - Shoes
This another post I accidently deleted.
Earlier I did a post on Top Dirtiest Things #4 which was about your feet/shoes. I talked in length about your feet and how to deoderize your shoes on the inside. BUT I never talked about the outside of your shoes and what they carry on them.
Good Morning America did a study recently in 2008 on "How Dirty Are Your Shoes?" It was pretty informative even for me. I used to babysit for this boy who just could not believe I wore shoes inside my house that I wore outside. I nicknamed him Felix as he was a clean fanatic even at age 4. Well, Father Brian, I apologize....only for wearing my shoes inside and not for anything else. Seems you were right on that ONE thing.
Good Morning America reported that recently researchers at the University of Arizona had found 9 different bacteria on your shoes. They also found that bacteria seem to live longer on our shoes than in any other place, yep even toilet seats or bathrooms. And better yet, over 90 percent of that bacteria on the bottom of your shoe DID transfer to your floors. Carpeted floors scored worse.
So guess what is going to happen at my house now? Yep the shoes will be left at the door along with a can of Lysol. For parties I will be bringing home a box of surgical booties for others to wear over their shoes.
The corker for me? Hearing my house will stay cleaner. I hate hate hate hate hate mopping floors.
Earlier I did a post on Top Dirtiest Things #4 which was about your feet/shoes. I talked in length about your feet and how to deoderize your shoes on the inside. BUT I never talked about the outside of your shoes and what they carry on them.
Good Morning America did a study recently in 2008 on "How Dirty Are Your Shoes?" It was pretty informative even for me. I used to babysit for this boy who just could not believe I wore shoes inside my house that I wore outside. I nicknamed him Felix as he was a clean fanatic even at age 4. Well, Father Brian, I apologize....only for wearing my shoes inside and not for anything else. Seems you were right on that ONE thing.
Good Morning America reported that recently researchers at the University of Arizona had found 9 different bacteria on your shoes. They also found that bacteria seem to live longer on our shoes than in any other place, yep even toilet seats or bathrooms. And better yet, over 90 percent of that bacteria on the bottom of your shoe DID transfer to your floors. Carpeted floors scored worse.
So guess what is going to happen at my house now? Yep the shoes will be left at the door along with a can of Lysol. For parties I will be bringing home a box of surgical booties for others to wear over their shoes.
The corker for me? Hearing my house will stay cleaner. I hate hate hate hate hate mopping floors.
Top Ten Dirtiest Places - #9 and #10
Sorry - I accidentally deleted a couple of posts so am republishing them.
I thought I would combine the last 2 since I think I am grossing you all out. But if you read each one, you will notice that I give you suggestions on how to control and keep yourself protected. But here we go on #9 - airplanes. Airplanes are closed off places where a lot of people are crammed into a small space where more than 20% at any one time is sick. If you took a swipe of any surface in the airplace, you will find lots of bacteria abound. Swiping just the tray tables, they found coliform bacteria (bacteria from our intestinal tract), Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and other disease-causing organisms. The bathrooms on planes were similiar to public restrooms as was the ice machines, etc. Flights turn around quickly, so the flight crew only has time to pick up the trash. They don't disinfect. In fact, when asked, no airline could produce a disinfection cleaning record. What to do: The old handwashing again (do it and do it often). I carry Lysol wipes and wipe down my tray table and seat arm. Avoid touching your eyes or nose as these are the main entry points for diseases. Avoid using the airline toilet unless absolutely necessary. If your seat mate is coughing or sneezing ask to change seats. If not, then turn the other way and keep wiping your hands. Bring your own magazines. Stay hydrated because you are more suspectible to respiratory organisms when your mucous membranes are dry. Drink plenty of water and if the cabin is very dry, drink hot water and use the steam to moisten your nasal passages or use a saline nasal spray (make sure it's the proper size for travel).
#10 is our lovely schools. I don't know about all of you but when my kids first started in school it seemed we were all sick all the time. That first year was murder. You name it we caught it. Daughter would come home with something then give it to me then I would give it to hubs who in turn gave it to his office employees and the cycle would begin again. Any gathering of children is a place of questionable hygiene. I know I talked about restrooms before but there is nothing like a school restroom. I am reminded of an email joke that circulated for a while: The janitor was tired of cleaning the mirrors in the girl's bathroom where they had kissed the mirror with lipstick. So he posted a message telling the girls how much effort he had to do to clean the mirrors in order to get their lipstick off. He explained the only thing he could find to get the mirror clean was to dip his mope into the toilet and then clean the mirror with it. He never encountered lipstick marks on the mirror again.
In reality, parents rarely have the opportunity to randomly visit school restrooms, but you should. Be prepared for a shock. They are filthy. There are no doors on the stalls even in the girls bathroom. There was no soap. No paper towels, and newspaper quality toilet paper. Definitely no seat covers. That was the girl's bathroom. Now the boys is even worse. Little boys use the stall so no one will see their weenies. Making sure that no one is behind them or sudden open the door, their aim is very poor, hitting mostly the unlifted seat. For the rest of the day, there is not one boy who will sit on it. Many would rather have poop build up to their eyeballs than sit on a sticky seat. Toilet paper if found is usually strewn all over the floor.
Which brings us to a problem seen in doctor's offices everywhere: children with urinary tract infections and constipation. The medical field are finding that this is caused by the school's strict policies on bathroom times as they are too disruptive in the classroom. Recess and lunch are the only free times to go to the restroom but recess is the most important part of their day and they would rather hold it than give up recess. The first time my daughter came home from 1st grade crying that her tummy hurt because the teacher wouldn't let her go to the bathroom was the 1st and last time I ever had to complain to that principal. I produced study after study, printed them off, and carefully placed them on his desk. I then said I would go to the school district meetings and take this all the way to the newspapers unless something was changed. A 1st grader should not have to soil her pants because of some stupid policy. I didn't encounter that again until she entered junior high and got her period. Then again after having to go pick her up and bring her home to change clothes and wash, I got that school's policy changed. I must have created a stir because by the time she got to high school, we had no problems and the policy had already been changed.
There is not much you can do for keeping your child safe unless you are involved in the school. I was a lunch mom, room mother, reading helper, math helper, etc. I deliberately never used the teacher's bathrooms (which by the way were immaculate with nice smells, lotions, basically what my daughter terms a "Pretty Woman" bathroom. I used the kids bathrooms and went to the principal each and every time they were a mess. We got to be very good friends. Basically one has to be an advocate for their child.
Gosh now I have to come up with a different thing to post. These were fun for me.
I thought I would combine the last 2 since I think I am grossing you all out. But if you read each one, you will notice that I give you suggestions on how to control and keep yourself protected. But here we go on #9 - airplanes. Airplanes are closed off places where a lot of people are crammed into a small space where more than 20% at any one time is sick. If you took a swipe of any surface in the airplace, you will find lots of bacteria abound. Swiping just the tray tables, they found coliform bacteria (bacteria from our intestinal tract), Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and other disease-causing organisms. The bathrooms on planes were similiar to public restrooms as was the ice machines, etc. Flights turn around quickly, so the flight crew only has time to pick up the trash. They don't disinfect. In fact, when asked, no airline could produce a disinfection cleaning record. What to do: The old handwashing again (do it and do it often). I carry Lysol wipes and wipe down my tray table and seat arm. Avoid touching your eyes or nose as these are the main entry points for diseases. Avoid using the airline toilet unless absolutely necessary. If your seat mate is coughing or sneezing ask to change seats. If not, then turn the other way and keep wiping your hands. Bring your own magazines. Stay hydrated because you are more suspectible to respiratory organisms when your mucous membranes are dry. Drink plenty of water and if the cabin is very dry, drink hot water and use the steam to moisten your nasal passages or use a saline nasal spray (make sure it's the proper size for travel).
#10 is our lovely schools. I don't know about all of you but when my kids first started in school it seemed we were all sick all the time. That first year was murder. You name it we caught it. Daughter would come home with something then give it to me then I would give it to hubs who in turn gave it to his office employees and the cycle would begin again. Any gathering of children is a place of questionable hygiene. I know I talked about restrooms before but there is nothing like a school restroom. I am reminded of an email joke that circulated for a while: The janitor was tired of cleaning the mirrors in the girl's bathroom where they had kissed the mirror with lipstick. So he posted a message telling the girls how much effort he had to do to clean the mirrors in order to get their lipstick off. He explained the only thing he could find to get the mirror clean was to dip his mope into the toilet and then clean the mirror with it. He never encountered lipstick marks on the mirror again.
In reality, parents rarely have the opportunity to randomly visit school restrooms, but you should. Be prepared for a shock. They are filthy. There are no doors on the stalls even in the girls bathroom. There was no soap. No paper towels, and newspaper quality toilet paper. Definitely no seat covers. That was the girl's bathroom. Now the boys is even worse. Little boys use the stall so no one will see their weenies. Making sure that no one is behind them or sudden open the door, their aim is very poor, hitting mostly the unlifted seat. For the rest of the day, there is not one boy who will sit on it. Many would rather have poop build up to their eyeballs than sit on a sticky seat. Toilet paper if found is usually strewn all over the floor.
Which brings us to a problem seen in doctor's offices everywhere: children with urinary tract infections and constipation. The medical field are finding that this is caused by the school's strict policies on bathroom times as they are too disruptive in the classroom. Recess and lunch are the only free times to go to the restroom but recess is the most important part of their day and they would rather hold it than give up recess. The first time my daughter came home from 1st grade crying that her tummy hurt because the teacher wouldn't let her go to the bathroom was the 1st and last time I ever had to complain to that principal. I produced study after study, printed them off, and carefully placed them on his desk. I then said I would go to the school district meetings and take this all the way to the newspapers unless something was changed. A 1st grader should not have to soil her pants because of some stupid policy. I didn't encounter that again until she entered junior high and got her period. Then again after having to go pick her up and bring her home to change clothes and wash, I got that school's policy changed. I must have created a stir because by the time she got to high school, we had no problems and the policy had already been changed.
There is not much you can do for keeping your child safe unless you are involved in the school. I was a lunch mom, room mother, reading helper, math helper, etc. I deliberately never used the teacher's bathrooms (which by the way were immaculate with nice smells, lotions, basically what my daughter terms a "Pretty Woman" bathroom. I used the kids bathrooms and went to the principal each and every time they were a mess. We got to be very good friends. Basically one has to be an advocate for their child.
Gosh now I have to come up with a different thing to post. These were fun for me.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Inspirational Sunday - Kodak Moments of Your Life
I tried quite a few times yesterday to post this but alas, blogger wasn't working so here it is a day late.
Ever see those 'Kodak Moments' either on commercial or on the internet? I love them because that depicts my life pretty much all the time - those precious priceless times!
So what is a Kodak Moment? Kodak describes a Kodak moment as "a rare, one-time moment captured with a photo, or should have been captured by a photo". So it means a moment that you would want to remember, a moment worthy of being captured on camera. But some of life's greatest moments are unexpected.
So why do Kodak Moments belong on Spiritual Sunday? Because Kodak moments are those moments that turn the ordinary into the extra-ordinary. I know quite a few people who are really really good photographers, one of my nieces being one. She can capture that special look a child or person gives that lets you look into the soul of the person. She is truly gifted. But how is being creative also defined as turning the ordinary into the extra-ordinary?
In the 1st chapter of Genesis we learned that God is the undisputed Creator of earth and everything in it and He did it out of nothing. While we cannot do that, He has given us the ability to be creative. We have been given the ability to take something that is ordinary and turn it into something that is extra-ordinary. Do you know what the word paradigm means? A paradigm is the lens through which we view the world. Much like the lens of a camera or the photographer who looks into those lens, we view the world through our paradigms. Through our lens we view the world. That world will be colored by our culture, our upbringing, our educational background, our race, and those things that makes us who we are. Each of us view life and things differently for these and other reasons. But all of us have the innate ability to turn the ordinary into the extra-ordinary.
Take two people standing in the same place viewing a beautiful sunset. One person sees it as something ordinary, a normal sunset. The other person sees it as something extra-ordinary. That person sees the colors and how they interact with each other and then reflect off the water. One person can look at a glass of water. One will see it as half-full. The other person will see it as half-empty. It is a matter of perspective. The paradigm through which you view things makes all the difference. Does your paradigm change? Mine does, sometimes even on an hourly basis.
We long to capture a Kodak moment to hold onto it for the future and eventually for future generations. But we must remember that one also has to live in the moment. We need to spend less time trying to capture a moment on film and learn to live in those extra-ordinary moments as they come. Think about what it is that makes them special. What would those snapshots reveal?
So were my Kodak Moments always put into a physical photograph? No, some of my most memorable Kodak Moments are not on paper. They are in my heart. They are on our king sized bed where family discussions were carried out with our kids, they are moments in time where I am surrounded by what makes me happy - the people I love and God, they were all of us - well most of us - singing and playing the piano while our beloved lab howled with us.
So in terms of one of my Kodak Moments that happened yesterday:
Scenario: Spooning and snuggling with my husband surrounded on that king sized bed by our 2 male kittens, our female cat. Then having our daughter come to our house and put our 2 precious bulldog granddoggies on said bed, then hug and kiss us goodby for a few days.
What I captured in my mind was priceless: the scene above - nice and peaceful and loving - that is until my cell phone went off underneath one of the bulldogs which spooked her and the whole bed jumped at least a foot off the bed with cats and dogs and us all tangled up laughing our rears off.
Let us thank God for the revelations, the transformations, and the divine manifestations that are ours, each and every moment - those moments that turn the ordinary into the extra-ordinary. Watch for them. They happen more than you think. It is those memories that you will carry with you through life. Did you see your life half full or half empty?
Ever see those 'Kodak Moments' either on commercial or on the internet? I love them because that depicts my life pretty much all the time - those precious priceless times!
So what is a Kodak Moment? Kodak describes a Kodak moment as "a rare, one-time moment captured with a photo, or should have been captured by a photo". So it means a moment that you would want to remember, a moment worthy of being captured on camera. But some of life's greatest moments are unexpected.
So why do Kodak Moments belong on Spiritual Sunday? Because Kodak moments are those moments that turn the ordinary into the extra-ordinary. I know quite a few people who are really really good photographers, one of my nieces being one. She can capture that special look a child or person gives that lets you look into the soul of the person. She is truly gifted. But how is being creative also defined as turning the ordinary into the extra-ordinary?
In the 1st chapter of Genesis we learned that God is the undisputed Creator of earth and everything in it and He did it out of nothing. While we cannot do that, He has given us the ability to be creative. We have been given the ability to take something that is ordinary and turn it into something that is extra-ordinary. Do you know what the word paradigm means? A paradigm is the lens through which we view the world. Much like the lens of a camera or the photographer who looks into those lens, we view the world through our paradigms. Through our lens we view the world. That world will be colored by our culture, our upbringing, our educational background, our race, and those things that makes us who we are. Each of us view life and things differently for these and other reasons. But all of us have the innate ability to turn the ordinary into the extra-ordinary.
Take two people standing in the same place viewing a beautiful sunset. One person sees it as something ordinary, a normal sunset. The other person sees it as something extra-ordinary. That person sees the colors and how they interact with each other and then reflect off the water. One person can look at a glass of water. One will see it as half-full. The other person will see it as half-empty. It is a matter of perspective. The paradigm through which you view things makes all the difference. Does your paradigm change? Mine does, sometimes even on an hourly basis.
We long to capture a Kodak moment to hold onto it for the future and eventually for future generations. But we must remember that one also has to live in the moment. We need to spend less time trying to capture a moment on film and learn to live in those extra-ordinary moments as they come. Think about what it is that makes them special. What would those snapshots reveal?
So were my Kodak Moments always put into a physical photograph? No, some of my most memorable Kodak Moments are not on paper. They are in my heart. They are on our king sized bed where family discussions were carried out with our kids, they are moments in time where I am surrounded by what makes me happy - the people I love and God, they were all of us - well most of us - singing and playing the piano while our beloved lab howled with us.
So in terms of one of my Kodak Moments that happened yesterday:
Scenario: Spooning and snuggling with my husband surrounded on that king sized bed by our 2 male kittens, our female cat. Then having our daughter come to our house and put our 2 precious bulldog granddoggies on said bed, then hug and kiss us goodby for a few days.
What I captured in my mind was priceless: the scene above - nice and peaceful and loving - that is until my cell phone went off underneath one of the bulldogs which spooked her and the whole bed jumped at least a foot off the bed with cats and dogs and us all tangled up laughing our rears off.
Let us thank God for the revelations, the transformations, and the divine manifestations that are ours, each and every moment - those moments that turn the ordinary into the extra-ordinary. Watch for them. They happen more than you think. It is those memories that you will carry with you through life. Did you see your life half full or half empty?
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Top Ten Dirtiest Places - #8
Yep the next top dirtiest place is your doctor's office. On any given day, there are a variety of patients in the waiting room at your doctor's office. Most pediatric offices have a well and sick waiting room. But remember viruses are contagious for at least a day before it actually hits you so even though you are in the well room, there could be sick kids in there. Even in the sick room, your child might have come in with a cold and may leave with diarrhea. My son has asthma. I remember trying to decide which waiting room I should wait in. He wasn't sick per se, he was having a breathing problem. The last thing I wanted to do was put him in the sick room when his immune system was low but I had a child who sneezed and coughed as his asthma symptoms. You would not believe the looks we got if we went in the well room. I think once I repeated myself 20 times that he wasn't sick - no one can catch it.
Now we come to those exam rooms. Cosmetic cleaning is totally different than disinfection. For instance, if you just wipe off a counter top that had blood and urine specimens sitting on it all day, it does not remove the bad bugs. It will take a chemical disinfectant to do that job. This job is usually left to the medical assistant and if the office is a busy one, that disinfection step might not have happened. I know in my offices I have a timer in each room. For 4 treatment rooms we run 2 assistants with me as a buffer if either girl is busy. I put magnets on the back of a digital kitchen timer. The girl that checks out the patient is responsible to go back to that room, pick up the litter, take the instruments to the ultrasound for cleaning, tidy the room and then spray the room, chair, and counters with Lysol. They exit the room and press the timer. I have them all set at 10 minutes. After 10 minutes we go back to that room and wipe down the room and then turn off the light. This signals to all of us that room is clean and ready for the next patient. But many offices don't do this.
So 1. Assume that many things in your doctor's office are contaminated: the arms of the chairs, door knobs, faucet handles, etc. By knowing these "hot zones", you can try to avoid them, or know that you will need to wash your own and children's hands.
2. Contain your children into a safe zone where you can watch them. As natural as it is for them to be social, a doctor's office is not the place to socialize with potentially-ill children. Children are very curious, so keep them from rifling through the drawers and exploring other dangerous places.
3. Bring toys, games, books, etc. for the kids from home so that they will have something to do. Waiting room toys have been eliminated from our office to reduce the spread of infectious disease although we still have our magazines.
4. Wash everyone's hands once you get to the examining room; wash them again after you leave the office.
5. Keep in mind that most pathogens enter the body via the nose or eyes, so avoid rubbing or touching these areas with contaminated hands.
6. Make sure your doctor is washing his hands prior to touching you. Many doctors now are not wearing ties because a study showed they were the biggest germ catchers.
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