Everything And Nothing

Football Food!

I don't know which I like best - watching football or making (and eating) football-watching food. Luckily, I don't have to choose. I get to do both! (We even rigged up a projection screen and watched the Saints beat the Raiders big time in a big fashion.)

Here are two new recipes I tried that were both keepers. The Crawfish Dip was the hands-down favorite though!

Crawfish Dip

2 lbs. crawfish tails, drained
3 8 oz. blocks cream cheese, softened
1 bunch green onions
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Tony Chachere's to taste (about 1 1/2 tsp.)
Tabasco to taste

Saute green onions in butter over medium heat. Once the onions are soft (about 4 min.) add the cream cheese. After cream cheese is melted, add crawfish and spices. Serve with Frito's Scoops.

Warm Feta Spread

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add one diced red bell pepper and two sliced garlic cloves. Cook until soft, 2 to 3 min. Break 1 lb feta into a serving bowl. Top with the warm pepper mixture. Serve with sliced cucumbers and pita chips.

(I am using what was left of this spread and toasting it on a baguette to eat with supper tonight.)

Our dog Sassy passed away today. She lived a long and happy life, but she will still be sorely missed due to the happiness she brought to all of us. Remember...hug your dog today (and take him or her for a long walk in honor of Sassy, please).

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

 

I made this Pizza Spaghetti Casserole from Southern Living tonight. The recipe was kid-friendly (just not to my kid, obviously). Personally, I would rather just make spaghetti myself, but it's not the recipe's fault.

These recipes were on the backs of packages I used. (Lagniappe!)

Pesto-Chicken Italiano (from the back of Kraft's Five-Cheese Italian Blend)

1 tbsp oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large red pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup pesto
1 lemon, cut in half, divided
1 cup Italian five-cheese blend
2 cups hot cooked angel hair pasta

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook and stir 4 to 5 min. or until chicken is evenly browned. Stir in peppers; cook 3 to 4 min. or until chicken is done, stirring frequently.

Stir in pesto and juice from 1 lemon half; top with cheese. Cover; cook on low heat 2 to 3 min. or until cheese is melted. Spoon over pasta.

Serve with remaining lemon half, cut into wedges.

Best  Spaghetti and Meatballs (from Kroger spaghetti bag)

2 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 28-oz. can tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 12-oz. can tomato paste
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf

Brown onion in hot oil. Stir in tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon. Add other ingredients. Cover and simmer gently for 30 min.

Meatballs
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup snipped parsley

Mix together all ingredients except oil. Form mixture into balls. Heat oil and brown meatballs in oil. Place meatballs into sauce and simmer uncovered for 20 min.

Spaghetti
Prepare 1 12-oz. pkg of spaghetti to package directions; drain. Serve with meatballs and sauce. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

At work with Annie Leibovitz

"Things happen in front of you. That's perhaps the most wonderful and mysterious aspect of photography."
~Annie Leibovitz

I just finished Annie Leibovitz's At Work. I expected it to be much more of a picture book, but it delves more into her creative process in planning her portraits and other photo shoots (which is right up my alley).

But, now that I'm done with her book, she's left me a list of many other photographers to study:

• Eadweard Maybridge's motion studies
• Harold Edgerton's development of the strobe
• Weegee's pictures of crime scenes
• Cartier-Bresson's photos of Giacometti running in the rain
• Barbara Morgan's photos of Martha Graham
• Melvin Sokolsky's models in a plastic bubble
• Alfred Stieglitz's mude portraits of Georgia O'Keefe
• Edward Weston's nudes of Charis Wilson
• Robert Mapplethorpe's early studies of Patti Smith
• Imogen Cunningham's nudes of her husband on their honeymoon on Mt. Rainier
• Weston's nudes of a dancer, Bertha Wardell
• Irving Penn's photographs of artists in old age (Colette, Picasso, de Kooning)
• Alexander Liberman's photographs of artists taken while working

And she added to my Reading List Susan Sontag's Regarding the Pain of Others.

The last of the human freedoms...

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
~Victor Frankl

Corn Casserole

 

• 1 (14.75 oz.) can creamed corn
• 1 (15.25 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a round casserole dish.

In a medium bowl, combine first six ingredients. When well-combined, add cornbread mix and stir. Pour into dish. The batter should fill the pan, leaving 1/2 inch at the top, as the mixture will rise in the oven. Bake for approximately one hour, or until firm in the center. (If you prefer the casserole a little creamier, bake for about 50 minutes.) Casserole will deflate slightly while cooling.

 

[ via Charleston Home magazine, Spring 2009 ]

Chocolate Cake Bars

 

• 1 stick margarine, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 (16 oz.) can Hershey’s chocolate syrup
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt

  For the frosting:

• 1/3 cup milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 stick butter
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease and flour a 15 ½ x 10 ½ x 1'' jelly-roll pan.
In a medium bowl, combine margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in chocolate syrup until well-combined. Add flour, vanilla, and salt and mix well.

Pour into pan and spread evenly. Bake 15-20 minutes.

To make the frosting, heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat for three to five minutes, being careful not to let it scorch. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Break butter into sections and add to mixture. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add chocolate chips and continue to stir until completely melted. Pour over cake. Frosting will harden as it cools.

[ via Charleston Home magazine, Spring 2009 ]

Biloxi lighthouse repairs to begin

Photo via Flickr/Michael Fontaine 

Hopefully, the Biloxi Lighthouse will be ready for touring again by next spring. Restoration work is set to begin in May and is slated to be finished by the end of the year. Hurricane Katrina washed out part of the brick interior and completely destroyed the electrical system.

Built in 1848 as a "working lighthouse," the 61-foot cast-iron tower has long been a draw for tourists and locals alike (partly because of the spectacular view from the top).

Along with restoring the lighthouse itself, there are plans to build a new visitor's center on the north side of U.S. 90 directly across from the tower.

100-mile tour traces Union's waterways campaign

With the recent release of a free tour guide by the Lower Delta Partnership, tourists can now retrace the Union's ill-fated voyage at 11 historic stops between Vicksburg and Rolling Fork.

"It's a great Sunday drive," said Meg Cooper, coordinator of the Lower Delta Partnership. "For Civil War enthusiasts it will enhance their experience and understanding of the Vicksburg campaign, and it provides all tourists a chance to see the gorgeous scenery of the Delta."

The first stop of the tour is at the USS Cairo Museum in the Vicksburg National Military Park. While the Cairo was not among the five gunboats on the expedition, VNMP Historian Terry Winschel said it will give people an idea of just how immense the ironclads attempting to navigate down the bayous and rivers were.

Fully taking in all of the stops will require at least four hours, said Cooper, but she suggests tourists include a lunch in Rolling Fork and turn the 100-mile round-trip drive into a full day of sightseeing in the Delta.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip

1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. pecans, finely chopped

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugars and vanilla.

Blend well. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Cover and chill for several hours. Serve with graham cracker sticks or mini vanilla wafers.

[ via The Rankin Ledger ]

Jerk Chicken Nachos

6 c. tortilla chips
3 c. cooked chicken (diced or shredded)
2 c. (8 oz.) shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend
2 tbsp Jamaican jerk spice mix, divided
1 small yellow or red bell pepper
1 lime
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 c. sour crea and 1 tsp additional jerk spice mix

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange chips in baking pan. In bowl, combine chicken, cheese and 1 tbsp fo the spice mix; mix gently. Sprinkle mixture evenly over chips. Bake 5-7 min. or until cheese is melted; place on cooling rack. Meanwhile, dice pepper and cut lime in half. Juice half of the lime. Add to remaining spice mix and pepper and mix well. Slice remaining lime into wedges. Spoon pepper mixture over nachos; sprinkle with cilantro. Combine sour cream and additional rub in resealable plastic bag; trim corner and squeeze the sour cream mixture over nachos. Garnish with lime wedges.

[ via The Pampered Chef ]

Love is...

Love is the magician, the enchanter that changes worthless things to joy. It is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart, and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with it, earth is heaven, and we are gods.
~ Robert G. Ingersol

Spelling Bee championship to be aired March 9

Mississippi Public Broadcasting will televise the State Spelling Bee Championship at 10 a.m. on March 9.

The event, which will be held in the MPB auditorium in Jackson, will be streamed simultaneously on the MPB Web site.

Students from across the state will compete.

The championship is sponsored by The Clarion-Ledger, which will award the winner a trophy and cash prize for expenses to represent the state in the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee.

The national championship will be in May in Washington, D.C.

Grow Where You're Planted

 

Charlie the Peanut is a children's book created by two Mississippians, Lexington couple Alyssa and Keith Killebrew. Batesville native, Chris Jenkins, illustrated the book. In the story, Charlie the Peanut is carried away by a bluebird and dropped in a cotton field and must find his way home. The message of the book is "grow where you're planted."

The self-published book can be found in about 20 Mississippi locations and is also available online at http://charliethepeanut.com. So far they have sold 1,000 copies.

Artichoke and Black-Eyed Pea Dip

1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped and drained
1 14-oz. can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 med. red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
1 cup grated mozzarella, divided
Bacon bits (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except 1/2 cup mozzarela cheese and bacon bits. Pout into a 9-inch pie plate and top with remaining mozzarella and bacon bits. Bake until heated through and bubbly. Serve with scoop-style Fritos. Serves 10-12.

[ via the Brandon Garden Club in the Rankin Ledger ]

Mardi Gras for a Cause

Hal and Mal's will host a fundraiser on Feb. 24 to help pay medical bills for Austin Clark, a 5-year-old Florence boy with autism. Mardi Gras for a Cause, which requires a $10 donation, will feature a silent auction and live music from Jackson band Cool Papa Bell.

The auction will begin at 5 p.m. with the performance to follow at 8 p.m. Austin's mom, Ruth Carter, is hoping the event will raise about $3,000 to take Austin to specialists in Florida for treatment. (The treatments costs between $6,000 and $10,000.)

Donations can also be made to the For Benefit of Austin Carter charitable fund at any Regions Bank.

[ via Chris Liuzza, Rankin Ledger ]

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg dry Ranch dressing
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
Grated cheese
Round Tostitos

Brown ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning and Ranch dressing; mix well. Add corn, beans, and tomatoes. Slowly add beef broth and simmer for 1 hour (can be put in crockpot). Put Tostitos in bottom of bowl and cover with soup. Top with cheese.

[ via Rachel V. Tadlock, The Rankin Ledger ]

The cookies are coming, the cookies are coming!

 
Photo via Flickr/mechanikat

Rankin County Girl Scouts will soon be selling their famous cookies (now $3 a box) - and they have a new flavor this year, Dulce de Leche. Individual sales are complete but troops will be setting up cookie booths in front of various businesses from Feb. 20 through March 8. (So be on the lookout if you haven't gotten your fix yet.)

Interested customers may call the Girl Scout Service Center at (601) 366-0607 or toll-free at (800) 898-4475 for local troop contacts.

Tiny Quiche Bites

1 lb. bulk hot sausage
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup Colby Jack cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 14-oz. can chopped green chiles
10 eggs
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Brown sausage; drain. Pour into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Layer with cheeses, onion and chiles. Beat eggs with seasonings; pour over cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 18-22 min. or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool slightly, cut into 1-inch squares. Insert toothpicks into squares. Serves 12 to 20.

[ via Fast & Fabulous Party Foods and Appetizers ]

File under Better Late Than Never...

 

In October (yes, October!), Kristen tagged me. It takes me a while to check off my to-do list, but it all gets done eventually. (And Kristen didn't even scold me once!)

1. My first job was at Wendy's. On some Saturdays, I had to dress up like Wendy (with a yarn wig and painted-on freckles) and hand out balloons to kids. Though I would never have admitted it at the time, I loved those Saturdays. 

2. I love to travel (anywhere) but I'm usually never happier than when I'm in New Orleans. So this year, I treated myself and I now have 1/3 of a 1/4 share in a Bourbon Street apartment. I'm visiting for the first time on Valentine's Day weekend. I can't wait!

3. My favorite wine is pinot grigio. And I seem to like wines with tree in the title, for some reason. Red Tree, The Wishing Tree. I seem to have a tree thing (in real life too).

4. Since Quentin was two I have put him to bed every night with "Night night, sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite. Sweet dreams for a sweet boy. I love you, love you, love you." (You have to say it quickly and in rhythm. He then says it back to me, excepting I am a sweet girl.) But he's nine now and I'm wondering when he will make me cut it out!

5. I can't imagine any life worth living without music, books and movies! (I cover books and music here, but write much more about movies at www.hesaidshesaidmoviereviews.com.)

6. I have become addicted to Pathwords on Facebook. I tried to find a non-Facebook application to take its place, but haven't found one yet. The addiction comes close to matching the Zuma phase I went through a few years ago.

7. I am a grammar snob (which greatly increases your chances of finding something grammatically incorrect here - it's just grammar karma!). ;)

Consider yourself tagged: Becky, Joan, Will, Mary, Rex, Lisa, Paul

Score: Super Bowl Party Recipe Roundup

• Super Bowl Party Recipes
• 50 Big Game Party Recipes
• Food Network's Super Bowl Recipes
• RecipeZaar's Super Bowl Recipes
• Emeril's Super Bowl Recipes
• Super Bowl Food & Recipes
• Super Bowl Recipes
• Epicurious.com's Super Bowl Recipes
• Super Bowl Party
• Healthy Super Bowl Recipes
• allrecipes.com's Super Bowl page
• Super Bowl: The Big Crunch
• Super Bowl Party Recipes
• Taste of Home's Super Bowl Recipes
• Super Bowl Party Recipes
• Good Housekeeping's Super Bowl Party Menu
• Mahalo.com's Super Bowl Recipes
• Serious Eat's Super Bowl Recipes & Menus

Working on a Dream

Bruce Springsteen has been rolling out his new album, Working on a Dream, in grand style. It started last Sunday, when he won a Golden Globe for the best original song for The Wrestler. And today he will headline the free Inaugural Welcome Event on the National Mall, which will include an appearance by President-elect Barack Obama. Springsteen will also headline the halftime show at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay on Feb. 1.

I cannot remember a time when I was not in love with them...

"I cannot remember a time when I was not in love with them - with the books themselves, cover and binding and the paper they were printed on, with their smell and their weight and with their possession in my arms, captured and carried off to myself."
~ Eudora Welty

Sauteed Tomatoes and Shallots

1 tbsp olive oil
6 shallots, quartered
3 pints grape tomatoes
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp capers

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 4-5 min.

Add the tomatoes, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook, stirring, until a few of the tomatoes begin to burst, about 3 min. Add the wine and cook until nearly evaporated, 4-5 min. Stir in the capers.

[ via Real Simple magazine, December 2008 ]

Turn your old t-shirts into memories

Campus Quilt Company takes your favorite old t-shirts and turns them into a quilt. A full quilt takes about a month and costs $275 - but there are other sizes available too.

$129-$419

Red Pepper Frittata Squares

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper
10 large eggs
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 oz. soft goat cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 min. Add the bell peppers and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, 8 to 10 min.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Mix in the parsley. Pour over the vegetables in the skillet, stir once, and crumble the cheese over the top.

Transfer to oven and bake until the center is set, 18 to 20 min. Slide out of the skillet and cut into squares before serving warm or at room temperature.

[ via Real Simple magazine, December 2008 ]

Free text messages from your email account

If you know the recipient's phone carrier, you can send free text messages from your email. Simply type in a phone number before the proper address below:

• Alltel - @message.alltel.com
• AT&T - @txt.att.net
• Sprint - @messaging.sprintpcs.com
• T-Mobile - @tmomail.net
• Verizon Wireless - @vtext.com
• Virgin Mobile - @vmobl.com

Potato Onion Au Gratin

3 tbsp butter
1 large onion, sliced
2 lb. white potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in med. skillet over med. heat. Saute onion until very soft.

Alternate layers of potato, onion, and cheese in the buttered dish and season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour the broth over all layers and cover the casserole with aluminum foil. Bake covered for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Uncover and continue baking until the top is lightly browned, 15-20 min. more. Serve hot.

[ via a can of Kroger brand chicken broth ]

Time has no divisions...

“Time has no divisions to mark its passage. There is never a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.”
~ Thomas Mann

What the world needs now...

Photo via Flickr/alex de carvalho

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive."
~ Howard Thurman

Easy Orange Rolls

Ooey-gooey goodness - perfect for Christmas morning. My Christmas gift to all of you! ;)

Easy Orange Rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat 1/2 of an 8-oz. pkg softened cream cheese, 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar and 1 1/2 tsp orange zest at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Unroll 1 11-oz. can refrigerated French bread dough (like Pillsbury Crusty French Loaf) onto a lightly floured surface. Spread cream cheese mixture over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp granulated sugar. Gently roll up dough, starting at 1 long side. Cut into 11 (1 1/4-inch) slices. Place slices in a lightly greased 8-inch round cake pan. Brush top of dough with 1 tbsp melted butter. Bake 25-30 min. until golden. Stir together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tbsp orange juice in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over hot rolls. Serve immediately. Makes 11 rolls.

Frozen Tiramisu

2 pkgs soft ladyfingers (3 oz. each)
1/2 cup coffee liquer or strong brewed coffee
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, melted
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 1.5 qt. container Breyers's coffee ice cream
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup thawed frozen whipped topping or 1 cup fresh whipped cream
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

In a 9-inch springform pan, line bottom and sides with ladyfingers; brush with coffee liquer. Freeze at least 20 min.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine melted chocolate with sweetened condensed milk; chill 10 min. Into prepared pan, scoop 1/2 of the coffee ice cream, pressing to form an even layer. Evenly top with chocolate mixture. Scoop in remaining ice cream, pressing to form an even layer. Cover and freeze 5 hours or overnight.

To serve, remove ring from pan and arrange cake on a serving platter. In mixing bowl, with electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla; fold in whipped topping. Evenly spread over ice cream layer, then sprinkle with cocoa powder.

(If you don't have a springform pan, use a 9-inch cake pan lined with plastic wrap instead.)

Organized Outdoors

The Campsite Organizer wraps around a tree and provides a central place for all camping utensils. With hooks, storage pouches and smaller slots for personal items, there's plenty of room for camping gear - and it will be right where you need it.

$21.99

Go Wild

This wicker hamper is handwoven. Perfect for a kids' room! Available in small, medium or large.

$79-$149

Shine your light

Illuminate the room with the glowing light of a Turkish Meyhane using a replaceable 25-watt fridge lamp (not included) and cast a mesmerizing light.

$115

Where the wild sounds are

biophony - n., what the world sounds like in the abscence of humans

anthrophony - n., man-made noise

For nearly 3,500 hours of biophony from 15,000 species, visit www.wildsanctuary.com. (You can also download an add-on for Google Earth that will allow you to click on locations worldwide and hear snippets of their soundscape.)

[ via Clive Thompson, WIRED magazine ]

Spacey lauded for reviving old theatre

Kevin Spacey won a drama award recently for reviving London's historic Old Vic Theatre. He was given a special prize at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards "for bringing new life to the Old Vic."

Spacey took charge of the theatre in 2003 and began a series of acclaimed productions (including the recent revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow starring Spacey and Jeff Goldblum). The theatre is currently showing Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests.

World's most expensive book arrives at library

Photo via DeluxeBlog

Una Dotta Mano is  being billed as the world's most expensive, most beautiful new book. It's valued at over $100,000. The 62-pound velvet- and marble-bound edition depicts the life and work of Michelangelo - and it has arrived at the New York Public Library fresh from a printing press in Italy and is now on display through Dec. 8. (The copy on display was donated to the library, but more than 20 of the handmade books, which take six months to make, have been sold.)

The book is filled with photographs of Michelangelo's drawings and sculptures. The text is by Michelangelo biographer Giorgio Vasari, with essays by the director of the Vatican Museums, Antonio Paolucci.

Merry Merry

Photo via Racked

The Macy's holidays windows that we all know and love may have never come to be, except for the fact that R.H. Macy was friends with P.T. Barnum. And Barnum suggested to Macy that he put his mechanical toys in the windows of his store at Christmastime. When the Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924, Macy's invested even more  in their displays for the parade crowds.

The theme of this year's display - the six windows of Macy's facing Broadway - is the making of Christmas magic. When you visit the Macy's Holiday Windows, make sure you bring your (stamped) letters to Santa to drop in the special Santa Mailbox. Macy's will donate $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation for every letter sent.

Same Time, Last Year

• All you need is LOVE
• There's no freezing time...
• Happy birthday, my baby boy!

• The Spelling Bee
• I'm Addison. What Grey's Anatomy character are you?
• The coolest thing I saw in New York City
• My spending style
• Watching the detectives
• City Bakery's hot cocoa
• My seven chakras
• The influence of my birth order
• My Tiger Beat questionnaire
• All I want for Christmas...

MS Puppetry Guild presenting Peter and the Wolf

The Mississippi Puppetry Guild will present Peter and the Wolf at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Dec. 4-5, Dec. 10 and Dec. 12 at Millsaps College's Christian Center Auditorium.

The show is directed by Peter Zapletal, artistic director for Puppet Arts Theatre. Actors/puppeteers are T.J. McSparrin, Ruth Broome Hackman, Olivia Mullins, and Peter Zapletal. J.C. Patterson is the onstage narrator.

Tickets are $6 each or $5 each for groups of 10 or more. (One adult is admitted free with each group of 10 children.) For more information or reservations, call (601) 977-9840 or visit www.mspuppetry.com.

Three-Cheese Lasagna with Italian Sausage

I tried a new lasagna recipe recently, adapted from this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine. Raves all around! Everyone loved it.

SAUCE

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 18 oz spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

LASAGNA
9 lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)

2 15-ounce containers part-skim ricotta cheese
2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
2 large eggs

6 cups grated mozzarella cheese

FOR SAUCE:
Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, about 12 minutes. Add sausages to pan; sauté until cooked through, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until flavors blend and sauce measures about 5 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Cool.

FOR LASAGNA:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Drain; cover with cold water.

Combine ricotta and 1 cup Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Mix in spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs.

Drain pasta and pat dry. Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Place 3 noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit. Spread half of ricotta-spinach mixture evenly over noodles. Sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta-spinach mixture. Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over cheese, spreading with spatula to cover (sauce will be thick). Repeat layering with 3 noodles, remaining ricotta-spinach mixture, 2 cups mozzarella and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Arrange remaining 3 noodles over sauce. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese evenly over lasagna. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.) Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake lasagna 40 minutes; uncover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Let lasagna stand 15 minutes before serving.

 

The Perfect Woman

To see the full-size comic, click on the image. For more great Dilbert comics, click here.

Twenty years from now...

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did do."
~ Mark Twain

Turkey Trivia

It's Thanksgiving Day so it's time for turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and hummingbird cake (at my house, anyways). But that's not the truly traditional Thanksgiving meal.  The pilgrims and the Indians ate deer, codfish, and boiled pumpkin at the first Thanksgiving. There were no ovens for bread (or hummingbird cake) and there was no sugar or milk when Thanksgiving came around.

The pilgrims ate their meal with their hands, spoons, and knives. They didn't have forks. The original Thanksgiving lasted three days.

Let the Tinbot Play

The Tinbot is an impact-resistant iPod case constructed from tin and neoprene that features original designs from creative contemporaries. The top has access to the headset port, and the bottom has access to the charging port, so you never have to take your iPod out of your case.

$29.95

Watermelon Margaritas

3 cups seedless-watermelon chunks (about 1 lb. peeled watermelon)
1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup tequila
1/2 cup Grand Marnier

Combine watermelon chunks, lime juice and sugar in a blender, and blend on high until completely liquid and frothy. Combine in a pitcher with tequila and Grand Marnier. Fill pitcher with ice, stir and serve.

[ via Domino magazine, August 2008 ]

All the wrong people have self-esteem

Laurie Rosenwald plugs her new book, all the wrong people have self-esteem, as "an inappropriate book for young girls or anyone else." (Hey, she got my attention!)

With heavy doses of illustration and humor, Laurie tells tales of shoplifting, getting kicked out of yoga and more. She explains some of the "more" below:

Cat Time

The whiskers and eyes of this colorful cat mark the hours.

$85