With the rate change on stamps today, and the introduction of the Forever Stamp I am attempting to place an order online, but their website is as slow as the Pony Express. Let’s just hope the stamps don’t take that long to arrive.
Archive for May, 2007
pony express
Monday, May 14th, 2007wish upon a star…
Friday, May 11th, 2007
A friend of mine from high school is working his way into the movie business. Currently, he is trying to raise his “Starmeter” on the International Movie Database (IMDB). A “Starmeter” is an analysis of how many times an actor is searched on IMDB and casting directors and producers DO pay attention to who’s on the rise.
Recently, he went from being ranked just under 37,000 all of the way up to 22,717…in ONE week…and would like to see how far up he can go. He has moved up a couple of spots on the credit list for “Love Lies Bleeding” with Christian Slater, slated (no pun intended) to be released in 2008. If you’d like to help, go to IMDB and search “Chris Ashworth”. Three Chris Ashworth’s will come up. He’s number two (II). Or you can search for him under the following movies/shows: “The Wire“, “Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows” or “The Lost Room“.
cold press coffee
Wednesday, May 9th, 2007
I love coffee and every few years I learn of a new way to make some brew. I started out with an old fashioned coffee maker in college (the Gevalia free gift kind), upgraded to a Black & Decker Brew ‘N Go after I was married, I have a wonderful Briel espresso machine, purchased a Bodum french press and am now using a Toddy Cold Brew Coffee System that produces a coffee concentrate that will keep in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. I have to say, as much as I like some of the other methods, my favorite is definitely the Toddy. I can make coffee anytime, whether I want hot or iced coffee, any leftovers can be popped into ice cube trays and frozen. Don’t like coffee? The Toddy can also brew tea. For less than ten specialty coffees at Starbucks, I think it’s worth a try. If you are like me and buy your coffee in bulk, 1 lb. coffee = 6 cups of ground coffee.
baked sweet potato fries
Tuesday, May 8th, 20072 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
chili powder (optional)
Heat oven to 425° F.
Slice each sweet potato lengthwise into 8 pieces. Place in large plastic bag. Toss with salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder. Add olive oil and mix well. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Turn slices and bake until bottom is browned and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes more. Serve hot.
Note: To reduce cooking time, slice potatoes, blanch potatoes in boiling water for approximately three minutes before placing in oven. I’ve sliced them like potato chips, blanched them and grilled them with great results.
orange jell-o salad
Tuesday, May 8th, 20071 small package orange Jell-O
1 (16-ounce) carton cottage cheese
1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
Mix dry Jell-O with cottage cheese until dissolved. Add oranges and fold in Cool Whip. Cover and keep cold.
Recipe courtesy of Laura’s maternal grandmother, Nana.
crab cakes
Tuesday, May 8th, 20071 lb. crab meat
1 egg
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon Old Bay
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for crab meat. Gently fold in the crab meat, being careful not to break the lumps. Shape into cakes. Pan fry or bake at 375° F for 12-15 minutes or until evenly brown on each side and reach an internal temperature of 165° F.
jammin’ java
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007If you like live music, but hate going home smelling of cigarette smoke, check out Jammin’ Java.
Why? Because…
- It is a smoke-free environment. In our book, this is a big winner. We don’t do the bar scene because we don’t want to be exposed to second hand smoke or go home smelling of cigarette smoke. For this reason alone, we are going to go back for more.
- It’s family friendly. Go ahead, bring the kids.
- Decent food. Their menu isn’t extensive, but they’ve got some great dishes. We sampled the following:
House Salad – Spinach, toasted almonds, dried cranberries and our house dressing.
Chicken Salad – Our homemade blend served over mixed greens.
Hoofless Blackbean and Mushroom Chili – Chunky mushrooms, blackbeans, red peppers, white corn, tomatoes and fresh green beans.
- Decent drinks. Full bar, beer, wine AND gourmet coffee drinks.
- Music. Great music in an intimate setting.
the greencards
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007I love all types of music, but bluegrass is one of my absolute favorites. I guess it speaks to my Appalachian roots that I dig the twangy tunes. But I wasn’t always a fan. I remember traveling to Cherokee, North Carolina for vacation and being incredibly embarrassed when my grandfather started flatfooting IN PUBLIC. I was horrified. But I was also 13. As a freshman in college, I heard the sweet voice of Alison Krauss and I’ve been hooked ever since.
It’s been several years since I first learned about The Greencards, but I’ve been a fan for several years now. These Aussies (and one lonely Brit) are great musicians and songwriters, now living in Nashville, Tennessee. So, when I checked their tour schedule and found out they were going to be close by, I convinced Matt and his dad to go see them live at Jammin’ Java. We all loved the performance, even Matt. My favorite song of the evening? The cover of Paul Simon’s, “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover“. I can’t wait for them to come back around. If they are reading this, I want them to know if Bob and Mary don’t have room for them at their house, we will put you up for a night or two!
life goes on
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007So much has happened since the shootings at Virginia Tech, but it’s only been recently tha I’ve had the urge to blog about anything else. Life goes on, and we must go with it.
I need to thank everyone for the emails, phone calls and well wishes. We have had an outpouring of emails over the past few weeks. It’s amazing to have friends like you. Lately, we have all been Hokies.
