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Casserole Query
Jul. 9th, 2009 03:20 amPersonal aside, I have a test and project due tomorrow, which means I've been in superfocus mode the past few hours (oddly enough, no caffeine). The downside of superfocus mode is that I often cannot sleep well that night. I don't like using it very often, but I had to work and help out with some chores at home today. You don't catch up by going slower.
In any case, since I'm here and unable to sleep, I might as well make the most of it and post a cooking query. It's pretty simple, but before that let me tell you a joke one of my history teachers told me...
Mr. B: Do you know why Baptists make the best casseroles?
D2: I don't know, why?
Mr. B: Because they put all their vices in them!
Don't worry, it flew over my head the first time, too.
There are many kinds of casseroles of course, and I like a lot of them. Thanks to growing up in a Baptist church, I have a strong affinity for casseroles.
I <3 casserole.
Oddly enough, I've never actually tried to make it before. I guess I never had to thanks to all the kind ladies at the Baptist church. It's like, theirs is so good, why even bother trying to reproduce a flawed version? But I suppose it's time to try my hand at it.
So, my fine readers, how do you like your casserole? Got a good recipe you'd like to share? Any hints or tricks for this cooking newbie? Thanks in advance! ^_^
In any case, since I'm here and unable to sleep, I might as well make the most of it and post a cooking query. It's pretty simple, but before that let me tell you a joke one of my history teachers told me...
Mr. B: Do you know why Baptists make the best casseroles?
D2: I don't know, why?
Mr. B: Because they put all their vices in them!
Don't worry, it flew over my head the first time, too.
There are many kinds of casseroles of course, and I like a lot of them. Thanks to growing up in a Baptist church, I have a strong affinity for casseroles.
I <3 casserole.
Oddly enough, I've never actually tried to make it before. I guess I never had to thanks to all the kind ladies at the Baptist church. It's like, theirs is so good, why even bother trying to reproduce a flawed version? But I suppose it's time to try my hand at it.
So, my fine readers, how do you like your casserole? Got a good recipe you'd like to share? Any hints or tricks for this cooking newbie? Thanks in advance! ^_^
Hump Day Notes
Jul. 8th, 2009 10:28 amAdministration: I've decided to synchronize my friends list and mutual friends list. It's just a personal choice that reflects the changing nature of this LJ. =)
Freshman English I: Aced it, baby! =)
Test delayed: Just found out one of my tests will be delayed until Monday. Sweeeeeeeeeet.
Broccoli cheese casserole: I went to a chain called Cheddar's and ordered some Dijon chicken with broccoli cheese casserole as one of my sides. Wow, it was delicious!
Blazblue: A friend showed me this game, which billed itself as the spiritual successor of Guilty Gear. Special edition was 59.99 with two bonus soundtrack CD's and Blu Ray feature. Amazing what limited editions contain these days.
U.S. Soccer: Momentum is a funny thing, and we'll be tested in the Gold Cup against Hondurus tonight at RFK Stadium in the nation's capital. Winning unexpectedly is one thing; winning when you're expected to win is different. I'm curious to see if Bradley puts Fredddy Adu on the pitch tonight...
Modern Politics: USA Today poll shows Palin's support still strong among GOP.
Freshman English I: Aced it, baby! =)
Test delayed: Just found out one of my tests will be delayed until Monday. Sweeeeeeeeeet.
Broccoli cheese casserole: I went to a chain called Cheddar's and ordered some Dijon chicken with broccoli cheese casserole as one of my sides. Wow, it was delicious!
Blazblue: A friend showed me this game, which billed itself as the spiritual successor of Guilty Gear. Special edition was 59.99 with two bonus soundtrack CD's and Blu Ray feature. Amazing what limited editions contain these days.
U.S. Soccer: Momentum is a funny thing, and we'll be tested in the Gold Cup against Hondurus tonight at RFK Stadium in the nation's capital. Winning unexpectedly is one thing; winning when you're expected to win is different. I'm curious to see if Bradley puts Fredddy Adu on the pitch tonight...
Modern Politics: USA Today poll shows Palin's support still strong among GOP.
Firestarter Poll: American Democracy
Jul. 7th, 2009 07:38 amFeel free to discuss amongst yourselves, my fine readers. I am behind on school work already...
[Poll #1426274]
[Poll #1426274]
The homework, it piles on
Jul. 6th, 2009 12:51 pmIndependence Day: July 4th went well, despite the rain ruining any ideas of shooting fireworks. On the plus side, I was greatly entertained by my friends beating Gain Ground, an old game for the SEGA Genesis (Rouge bought the Sega collection for PS3).
Church: Sunday I helped out at the 4 year old preschool class again. Priceless exchange:
Miss B: Remember, God loves everybody!
Kid: Miss B, does that mean He loves the Devil, too?
School: But today was back to school. On top of my ten week educational technology class, I'm taking a cultural anthropology and Arkansas history class this semester. Which means I'm in in class from 8am-12:30pm four days a week. I have two tests on Thursday, so I may abbreviate my posting a little.
Wimbledon: Roddick played the match of his life and he still lost to Federer. The Swiss legend has ice water running through those veins. Also, he's much more confident when he's not playing Nadal. I guess even the best players have their personal nemesis to deal with.
MLB All Star: Tim Wakefield makes his first All-Star game. I remember him breaking through with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early 1990's. He threw TWO complete games in the NLCS. But he struggled the next season and the Pirates released him. Pittsburgh's loss was Boston's gain, and the tradition continues with Jason Bay.
Sky Crawlers: I tried watching this anime. It was late on July 4th when we fired this up on the PS3. I failed to get through the first half hour before falling asleep. My friends tell me the idea was good, but the execution was lacking.
Sarah Palin: Uh...why is everyone criticizing her? Don't they see that she just made a genius level political move?
Church: Sunday I helped out at the 4 year old preschool class again. Priceless exchange:
Miss B: Remember, God loves everybody!
Kid: Miss B, does that mean He loves the Devil, too?
School: But today was back to school. On top of my ten week educational technology class, I'm taking a cultural anthropology and Arkansas history class this semester. Which means I'm in in class from 8am-12:30pm four days a week. I have two tests on Thursday, so I may abbreviate my posting a little.
Wimbledon: Roddick played the match of his life and he still lost to Federer. The Swiss legend has ice water running through those veins. Also, he's much more confident when he's not playing Nadal. I guess even the best players have their personal nemesis to deal with.
MLB All Star: Tim Wakefield makes his first All-Star game. I remember him breaking through with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early 1990's. He threw TWO complete games in the NLCS. But he struggled the next season and the Pirates released him. Pittsburgh's loss was Boston's gain, and the tradition continues with Jason Bay.
Sky Crawlers: I tried watching this anime. It was late on July 4th when we fired this up on the PS3. I failed to get through the first half hour before falling asleep. My friends tell me the idea was good, but the execution was lacking.
Sarah Palin: Uh...why is everyone criticizing her? Don't they see that she just made a genius level political move?
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Freedom demands sacrifice
Jul. 2nd, 2009 10:47 amA non-American friend of mine asked me recently what I thought of July 4th. So, here goes...
Soon, the United States will celebrate its 233rd birthday as it considers July 4, 1776 the date of birth of the oldest democracy in the world. Americans take this time to celebrate by, as Homer Simpson so eloquently put it, blowing a piece of it up. We salute our founding fathers with a dazzling fireworks show.
Yet, we rarely take the time to remember the unsung heroes. While our founding fathers put their own lives at stake for the sake of a new nation, plenty more fought in the rank-and-file. Though their names have been long forgotten, it is understood that we honor them on our founding day.
Death to taxation without representation. Pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. All men are created equal. We hold these truths to be self-evident.
What we often forget is that it takes more than just fighting for our beliefs to win. We must feed ourselves not only with mental encouragement but physical nourishment as well. It is said that a hungry army has never won a war.
Here's a story one of my favorite history teachers told me...
In our darkest times, with the capital at Philadelphia taken and Congress hurried off to New York, George Washington desperately searched for ways to feed his troops. Not only did the British Army outnumber and outmaneuver the Continental Army, the British Army also possessed a greater wealth that attracted farmers to sell their produce to the British rather than the Continental Army.
Washington appealed to a sense of patriotism, pleading with the local farmers. Enough of them listened to his pleas, and they fed his troops. But Washington didn't have any money, so he gave the farmers IOU's. The Continental Army rallied at Valley Forge and we ended up winning the war.
But America never paid off those IOU's, so those farmers had to sell their farms to the less scrupulous farmers who had sold their goods to the British. Yet another case where the rich get richer, or a case of being able to eat one's cake and also having it.
Without the sacrifice of those nameless farmers, it could very well be that we would not be celebrating July 4th as Independence Day. Freedom demands sacrifice.
That being said, I wonder about the state of the world today. I see 401K's cut in half and health benefits reduced. States are running out of money to fund their own programs. This July 4th, I see unemployment numbers steadily marching upwards. Every week I read about a new bank being closed down, draining yet more of FDIC's resources. Longtime employees are forced into retirement to prevent them from collecting pensions promised to them long ago.
Who among us are today's nameless farmers? And who are the less scrupulous farmers?
Soon, the United States will celebrate its 233rd birthday as it considers July 4, 1776 the date of birth of the oldest democracy in the world. Americans take this time to celebrate by, as Homer Simpson so eloquently put it, blowing a piece of it up. We salute our founding fathers with a dazzling fireworks show.
Yet, we rarely take the time to remember the unsung heroes. While our founding fathers put their own lives at stake for the sake of a new nation, plenty more fought in the rank-and-file. Though their names have been long forgotten, it is understood that we honor them on our founding day.
Death to taxation without representation. Pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. All men are created equal. We hold these truths to be self-evident.
What we often forget is that it takes more than just fighting for our beliefs to win. We must feed ourselves not only with mental encouragement but physical nourishment as well. It is said that a hungry army has never won a war.
Here's a story one of my favorite history teachers told me...
In our darkest times, with the capital at Philadelphia taken and Congress hurried off to New York, George Washington desperately searched for ways to feed his troops. Not only did the British Army outnumber and outmaneuver the Continental Army, the British Army also possessed a greater wealth that attracted farmers to sell their produce to the British rather than the Continental Army.
Washington appealed to a sense of patriotism, pleading with the local farmers. Enough of them listened to his pleas, and they fed his troops. But Washington didn't have any money, so he gave the farmers IOU's. The Continental Army rallied at Valley Forge and we ended up winning the war.
But America never paid off those IOU's, so those farmers had to sell their farms to the less scrupulous farmers who had sold their goods to the British. Yet another case where the rich get richer, or a case of being able to eat one's cake and also having it.
Without the sacrifice of those nameless farmers, it could very well be that we would not be celebrating July 4th as Independence Day. Freedom demands sacrifice.
That being said, I wonder about the state of the world today. I see 401K's cut in half and health benefits reduced. States are running out of money to fund their own programs. This July 4th, I see unemployment numbers steadily marching upwards. Every week I read about a new bank being closed down, draining yet more of FDIC's resources. Longtime employees are forced into retirement to prevent them from collecting pensions promised to them long ago.
Who among us are today's nameless farmers? And who are the less scrupulous farmers?
Hump Day Notes
Jul. 1st, 2009 12:50 pmAdministration: I'll have a decent thought provoking essay tomorrow, and that'll be it for the July 4th weekend. Between work, family and friends I'll be busy in the analog world. Probably the usual quota of linkdumping, though.
Kawaii Not: A classmate showed me the webcomic KawaiiNot. A decently funny comic, and good stress reliever.
Wimbledon: The Williams sisters seem destined for a final showdown. I think Venus will win it as her game plays better on grass than Serena's game. They should win another doubles championship as well. Can Murray do what Nadal did and overcome Federer?
U.S. Soccer: A disappointing but expected result. However, I don't think we're due for a resurgence (or maybe just surgence). Once other teams break down our adjustments on video, they'll be prepared for the American strategies by the next go around. Also, our defense is just not good enough to advance far in the tournament.
Tampa Bay Rays: The most athletic team in the major leagues is surging. I think the Yankees will be left out as one of their starters is due for an injury.
Pittsburgh Pirates: We just traded away two-thirds of our Opening Day outfield in a month. Might as spin the wheels when you're going for your 17th consecutive losing season.
Finals: Pwnd.
Kawaii Not: A classmate showed me the webcomic KawaiiNot. A decently funny comic, and good stress reliever.
Wimbledon: The Williams sisters seem destined for a final showdown. I think Venus will win it as her game plays better on grass than Serena's game. They should win another doubles championship as well. Can Murray do what Nadal did and overcome Federer?
U.S. Soccer: A disappointing but expected result. However, I don't think we're due for a resurgence (or maybe just surgence). Once other teams break down our adjustments on video, they'll be prepared for the American strategies by the next go around. Also, our defense is just not good enough to advance far in the tournament.
Tampa Bay Rays: The most athletic team in the major leagues is surging. I think the Yankees will be left out as one of their starters is due for an injury.
Pittsburgh Pirates: We just traded away two-thirds of our Opening Day outfield in a month. Might as spin the wheels when you're going for your 17th consecutive losing season.
Finals: Pwnd.
The Day Facebook Changed
Jun. 30th, 2009 03:41 amThe Day Facebook Changed: Messages to Become Public by Default. So sayeth the New York Times.
Yeah, I'm up at this hour. I'm too high strung to go back to sleep. Stress from finals combined with hours of reading and studying have turned me into a half awake zombie. Mind's too active to sleep, yet not active enough to want to do something productive like work on my final essay...
Yeah, I'm up at this hour. I'm too high strung to go back to sleep. Stress from finals combined with hours of reading and studying have turned me into a half awake zombie. Mind's too active to sleep, yet not active enough to want to do something productive like work on my final essay...
So, I was curious about his number one hits. I did not know that Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson had collaborated on a number one hit (hey, it happened before I was born). They had a falling out afterwards when MJ bought the catalog of McCartney's songs. In any case, "Say, Say, Say" is quite a good song!
How do you make smoked ribs?
Jun. 25th, 2009 04:54 amDue to the success of my BBQ brisket, my parents have encouraged me to try cooking some other meals (considering my mom wouldn't let me cook anything in the kitchen growing up, that's a big deal). So I said that I might try making some smoked ribs for July 4th.
The problem? I'm really not sure how, although I think I might try the following simple recipe:
4 to 5 lbs. pork ribs (spare or back ribs)
1 (13 1/2 oz.) bottle hickory liquid smoke
2 1/2 qts. water
Favorite barbecue sauce
Combine liquid smoke and water in a large pot; bring to a boil. Add the ribs and reduce heat; simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove ribs from liquid; let cool. (Ribs may be refrigerated or frozen for future use.)
Dip or brush ribs with barbecue sauce. Cook at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. For crispy ribs, broil additional 3-5 minutes.
Huh, seems simple enough. But I do have to ask, how do you guys and gals make your smoked ribs?
The problem? I'm really not sure how, although I think I might try the following simple recipe:
4 to 5 lbs. pork ribs (spare or back ribs)
1 (13 1/2 oz.) bottle hickory liquid smoke
2 1/2 qts. water
Favorite barbecue sauce
Combine liquid smoke and water in a large pot; bring to a boil. Add the ribs and reduce heat; simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove ribs from liquid; let cool. (Ribs may be refrigerated or frozen for future use.)
Dip or brush ribs with barbecue sauce. Cook at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. For crispy ribs, broil additional 3-5 minutes.
Huh, seems simple enough. But I do have to ask, how do you guys and gals make your smoked ribs?
Hump Day Notes
Jun. 24th, 2009 08:40 amPonytail: As I'm typing this in class right now, there's a girl in front me sitting with a ponytail. I have a weakness against ponytails, as I mercilessly pulled them when I was younger. Must...resist...
Spiders: Someone on my Facebook newsfeed posted a link about it's time to move. It turned out to be a freaky picture of a bunch of spiders, which triggered my arachnophobia. Ugh.
Soccer: U.S. beat ludicrous odds to advance to the semifinals of the Confederations Cup. However, we're playing the number one team in the world in Spain so we'll probably lose by at least two goals. I would consider it a moral victory if we even score a goal.
Baseball: Albert Pujols is a machine. 4-4 with the bases loaded and three grand slams!
xkcd: The most recent xkcd finds that the right move in the game in love is not to play. How fitting.
Chrome: My dad got a new laptop for Father's Day, so I got his old Gateway. It had been infected with viruses so I formatted it. On a whim, I decided to try out Chrome for a spin. I don't think it's better than Firefox but Gmail and YouTube play nicer with it.
Thai food: I caught up with a friend from second grade yesterday at a Thai place in town. I had some vegetarian pan fried noodles and it was delicious! =)
Spiders: Someone on my Facebook newsfeed posted a link about it's time to move. It turned out to be a freaky picture of a bunch of spiders, which triggered my arachnophobia. Ugh.
Soccer: U.S. beat ludicrous odds to advance to the semifinals of the Confederations Cup. However, we're playing the number one team in the world in Spain so we'll probably lose by at least two goals. I would consider it a moral victory if we even score a goal.
Baseball: Albert Pujols is a machine. 4-4 with the bases loaded and three grand slams!
xkcd: The most recent xkcd finds that the right move in the game in love is not to play. How fitting.
Chrome: My dad got a new laptop for Father's Day, so I got his old Gateway. It had been infected with viruses so I formatted it. On a whim, I decided to try out Chrome for a spin. I don't think it's better than Firefox but Gmail and YouTube play nicer with it.
Thai food: I caught up with a friend from second grade yesterday at a Thai place in town. I had some vegetarian pan fried noodles and it was delicious! =)
