January 31, 2006
February again
I wanted to get this holiday calendar out before February starts, just in case someone wants to celebrate either Freedom Day or Serpent Day on February 1st.
The 27th looks good for me. No Brainer Day, and International Polar Bear Day. Both are very appealing.
The calendar page is in the extended entry of this post.
Happy celebrating!
January 29, 2006
For Chili Lovers -
for Chili Lovers -
We had a couple of steaks left over from a company dinner, and I put them to good use.
This chili is a little different than any I've made before, and I think it's really very good. The recipe for this quick and easy Steak Chili is in the extended entry of this post.
Crockpot Steak Chili
1 large can kidney beans, drained (40 something ounces)
1 large can or 2 regular sized cans diced tomatoes
1 pound steak, previously cooked and cubed (or cooked in the crock pot in diced tomatoes for a couple of hours till tender)
1 diced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 Tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)
few drops Tabasco sauce (optional)
salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.
Cover and cook for 8 hours.
I served it with brown rice and topped with chopped onions and grated cheese.
January 27, 2006
This is old news
Been carded lately?
My husband was once carded for a bottle opener. 
We stopped at a liquor store to see if they had one, which we needed badly, and they made him show his ID before they would GIVE it to him.
He was 29
January 24, 2006
What a nice day
Don and I went to the Michener Museum on Sunday afternoon to see film clips of old movies (which were either written, directed or produced by Bucks County authors). They were great.
On the way home, we stopped at the Spotted Hog, a favorite restaurant of ours, and had Nachos Grande. Don had a margarita 
(he says they go with nachos). I don’t like them, but managed a nice glass of red wine.
What a nice afternoon.
I hope your Sunday was a good one!
January 23, 2006
Ive got to learn to paint
Washington Portrait Sells for Record
Portrait of George Washington Sells for $21.3 Million, a Record for Sale of American Portrait.
I could use the money.
Then I could pay off the mortgage for Buzz and the Empress
The sale price of the portrait more than doubled the previous record for an American portrait sold at auction Sotheby's sold a half-length portrait of Washington in November for $8.1 million.
January 21, 2006
Just in case
Don saved this recipe for Ultimate Flu-Busting Chicken Soup for me from the local paper.
If you're feeling under the weather this winter, before you head to your doctor's office, take a trip to your kitchen. When you feel the first signs of a winter-borne bug, a scratchy throat, a runny nose, an achy feeling, Women's Health suggests it's time for some feel-good foods.
This recipe is for a made-from-scratch chicken soup that's not only comforting, but is also packed with ingredients to boost your immune system and ward off illness. What it's not packed with is fat and empty calories.
Why it works: It reduces congestion and inflammation.
The result? Fewer sniffles. It also harnesses the healthy power of tomatoes, potatoes and garlic.
The recipe for this "miracle soup" is in the extended entry of this post.
Although it sounds very good, I hope you don't have to try it either
- at least not for a "winter-borne bug".
Ultimate Flu-Busting Chicken Soup
3 chicken breasts (skin on and bone in, about 2 pounds)
2 stalks celery, cut in half
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium yellow onion, cut in half
2 cups baby carrots, cut in half
1 sprig fresh oregano
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (about 4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 1/2 pounds red or purple potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
3 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 2 cups)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Put chicken, celery, 2 garlic cloves, 1 cup carrots, the oregano sprig, and half the onion into a large pot. Fill pot with cold water, 2 inches above ingredients; put over high heat. When water boils, cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer 1 hour.
Set aside chicken to cool and discard all veggies and herbs. Strain broth into a large bowl, skim fat from top, and set aside.
Put oil, jalapeno, the chopped oregano leaves, 2 remaining garlic cloves (minced) and the remaining half onion (chopped) into a large pot. Cook at medium heat until vegetables are just soft, about 5 minutes.
Turn heat to high; add broth, potatoes and remaining carrots. When broth boils, reduce heat to medium. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove skin and bones from chicken. Shred meat into bite-size pieces. Add chicken, tomatoes, salt, and pepper to soup. Cook until warm.
(The photo provided by Women's Health magazine shows a bowl of ultimate Flu-Busting Chicken Soup. This really tasty, made-from-scratch chicken soup is an example of a dish that's not only comforting, but is also packed with ingredients to boost your immune system and ward off illness.)
January 19, 2006
January 17, 2006
A Little Philadelphia Pride
When Benjamin Franklin celebrates his birthday on January 17, 2006, no one will be feting Ben Franklin quite like Philadelphia, his adopted hometown. This is the beginning of a year-long celebration of Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday.
A list of inventions reveals a man of many talents and interests. 
It was the scientist in Ben that brought out the inventor. His natural curiosity about things and the way they work made him try to find ways to make them work better.
There is so much to be said about this great man.
January 13, 2006
A very good friend of Don’s would like us to go to dinner with he and his wife someplace in the Pocono mountains (in Pennsylvania).
He said “bring your wallet, it’s kind of pricey”.
I looked on the internet, and there were NO prices listed.
I’ll bet it won’t be cheap! But I bet it will be good.
I know we'll enjoy the company.
I hope we enjoy the food.
January 10, 2006
Tall Building
Don was watching the History Channel this morning. They really have some interesting stories. Today’s was about the Empire State Building construction.
The building was completed in 1931, 11 months after it construction began. It came in under budget and was completed ahead of schedule.
I wonder how long it would take if they built a similar building today.
The Empire State Building remained the tallest skyscraper in the world for a record 41 years (and the world's tallest man-made structure for 23 years) until the construction of the World Trade Center, and shortly afterwards the Sears Tower.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Empire State Building regained the title of tallest building in New York City, and the 2nd tallest building in the United States, the tallest being the Sears Tower in Chicago.
1 Sears Tower Chicago, IL 1,451 ft (442 m) 108 floors 1974
2 Empire State Building New York, NY 1,250 ft (381 m) 102 floors 1931
January 06, 2006
No Weekend Plans - Yet
It’s been a long time since we had a weekend with no plans. 
Whatever shall we do?
I wish we had weekends all the time.
Oh, I think they call that “retirement”
January 02, 2006
You might have missed this
A leap second is a second added to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to make it agree with astronomical time to within 0.9 second.
The first leap second was added on June 30, 1972, and they occur at a rate of slightly less than one per year, on average.
Although it is possible to have a negative leap second (a second removed from UTC), so far, all leap seconds have been. Based on what we know about the earth's rotation, it is unlikely that we will ever have a negative leap second.
Why do we need leap seconds?
Leap seconds are needed so that users of the astronomical time scale (UT1) can use UTC and know that the difference between the two time scales is never greater than 0.9 seconds. Currently the difference between UT1 and UTC is changing at a rate of about 2 to 3 milliseconds per day, which makes a leap second necessary at an average interval of slightly more than 1 year. Historically, leap seconds have only been implemented on June 30th or December 31st