Cassie-b

Banking –

I do all my banking at the ATM machine outside our cafeteria at work. It seems so safe.

I think I could run down the hall waving money and a MAC card, and nobody would even care.

Don does not have an ATM card, he choses to bank at a local grocery store.

I don’t remember the last time I was in a bank.

I guess it all works out the same wherever you bank.
You either get or give money.
(I prefer the getting money part)
I guess you can bank by mail as well.
Where you bank?

Gloves –

It was 3 degrees this morning when I left for work, and I finally broke down and wore a pair of gloves.

They’re very nice gloves, but I never seem to feel any warmth from gloves or mittens.

I don’t understand, these are suede, fur-lined gloves. Don’t you think they should offer some warmth? Maybe it's just me.

Oh, and by the way, this is my 301st post.
That's probably not a lot by some standards,
but I'm kind of pleased.

Addiction?

My modem was disconnected this afternoon when I got home from work
(we may have had a computer burglar or something),
and I waited for Don to come home to fix it, cause it's not too handy to get to the modem.

The wait was about 20 minutes, and I was getting really antsy and just didn't know what to do.

Do you think this blogging is an addiction?
And if it is, should I be worried?

Delicious - AND - Healthy!

I was stranded at home in the snow this weekend, and just wanted to make a big bowl of soup. I figured out what I had and went from there.
Here's the results - and was it delicious:

Cream of Broccoli/Cauliflower Soup

4 tablespoons salad oil
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter
3 ¼ cups water
2 cans chicken stock
1 1/2 cup powdered milk
4 cups fresh broccoli, cauliflower or a combination
salt, and pepper to taste
I added a carrot to the original recipe

Add the flour to the oil and blend. Add the butter Stir in all remaining ingredients except the powdered milk. Cook on low heat until thickened. Then mix the powdered milk with some water and add.

It was really delicious and tasted even better today.
I probably wouldn't have tried it
if I could have gone to the store for other ingredients.

Snow Again.

We’re supposed to get a lot of snow today and tomorrow.

Don just went out and put a lot of birdseed in the yard.
The birds are gathering by the dozens.

How do they know that they need to stock up?
6:00 update - 8 inches of snow on our deck.

First Snow I've Seen This Season

It's snowing here in Bucks County Pennsylvania.

I'm not a big fan of snow, because I worry about all my people getting home safe.

The snow is beautiful, but I won't be completely happy till I hear that everyone is home safe and sound. So, if it's snowing where you are, please drive carefully.

I'm home, and Don is off skiing.
I'll be glad when he gets home.
Is it snowing where you are?

6:30 UPDATE -
Don is safe at home and ready for a glass of wine.

I want to try this

What is Icewine?
Grapes ripened in the heat of summer are left on the vines until the heart of the frigid Canadian winter. When the grapes naturally freeze on the vines at temperatures below -8º C they are picked by hand and pressed to obtain the rare golden juice which is then skillfully vinted to produce exceptional dessert wines.

How is Icewine produced?
Icewine is an extremely rare wine in which naturally frozen grapes are harvested and then pressed to produce a sweet dessert wine.

Why is it called Icewine?
It is called Icewine because the grapes are frozen when harvested in the middle of winter, at temperatures below - 8º Celcius.

After a slow and skillful fermentation process the wines are ready for bottling. The intense varietal flavors and brilliant complexity of a finely balanced Icewine offers an unparalleled experience.

I hear it's kind of pricey

What does Icewine look and taste like?
Icewine is a very rich wine and due to the sweetness, it has a much higher viscosity (thickness) than table wines. Icewine has an extremely unique and wonderfully sweet taste varying from a mixture of tropical fruits, nuts, spices, and floral flavours and aromas.

Where did Icewine originate?
The first recorded production of Icewine was in 1794 in Franconia, Germany. Canada is world renowned as the largest and best producer of Icewines.

I FINALLY WON SOMETHING!

I opened an interoffice mail envelope at work yesterday, and out fell a gift certificate! I won it for filling out a questionnaire!

I haven’t won many things, so this is almost a momentous event in my life.

Great Meal-Great Evening

Don and I went to dinner at The Empress and Buzz's last weekend. They fixed a lasagna that was sooooo good, and were nice enough to give me the recipe to share.

Lasagna - Empress and Buzz Style
1 pound ground beef & 1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
½ cup chopped onion, 1 clove minced garlic
2 cans crushed or diced tomatoes (1 pound each)
2 cans tomato sauce (15 ounces each)
2 Tablespoon parsley flakes
1 Tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon basil leaves
1 large container ricotta cheese (32 oz.)
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon oregano
1 package lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

• Cook and stir ground meat, onion and garlic in large saucepan until meat is
brown. Drain off fat.
• Add tomatoes and break up with a fork.
• Stir in tomato sauce, 2 T. parsley, sugar, 1 t. salt and basil.
• Heat to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour till mixture looks like
spaghetti sauce.
• Mix ricotta cheese, 1 cup parmesan cheese, 2 T. parsley, 1 t. salt and
oregano.
• Reserve 1 cup meat sauce for thin top layer

In an ungreased 13x9x2 inch pan, layer noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat 2 more times. Spread reserved meat sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered 45 minutes. For easier cutting, let stand 15 minutes after removing from oven.

Thanks for the great meal
And thanks especially for the great visit.

Great Movie

I read someone’s blog recently, and she said that she had just re-watched the movie, “Finding Forrester”.

I checked the movie out at our local library, and we just finished watching it. It was wonderful.

I just can’t remember the who suggested it. Whoever you are, thank you for a wonderful afternoon watching that movie.

I think I'd like to watch it again.
Sometime soon.

I'm Confused

Can anyone explain this one to me?

Best electronic meeting ever

Two men in my office were having a meeting with people in a European branch of our company last week.

The woman who was running the meeting had just spent a month in Australia, and proceeded to show slides (on the pc part of the meeting) from her trip.

They were really terrific.

The meeting attracted the attention of 5 other people, (one of them being me), and we attended the best staff meeting ever.

When she finished with her slide show, we all applauded and went back to work.

Continuing with calendar happenings

2005 is the Year of the Rooster

January Holidays

I'm a day late with this post.
I just hope I didn't spoil anyone's celebration plans.

Happy New Year's Day

Would you like to be the Rose Queen at the Tournament of Roses?

Here are the rules:

You nust be at least 17 years old but no older than 21 on New Year’s Day.

You must be a senior in high school and carry a C or better grade-point average.

You must go to school in Pasadena or in the Pasadena City College District.

You can’t be married or have children.

Well, at least one of those qualifications rules me out.