I am nothing but a bunch of pixels

Authored by Beth on
Saturday, August 28, 2004

I'm just a bunch of pixels on your computer screen. I just found out that a blogger who I like quite a bit has quit blogging because of a comment I made on John's blog in response to a comment he made.

Now, let me explain something. My spouse is a wonderful man, I love him dearly, but he can be so damned frustrating at time because he often comes across as a college professor might - quite pedantic, if you know what I mean. I often call John 'holier than thou' when he goes on that way.

Our blogger friend, Jack, sometimes writes in that kind of a tone of voice, also - at least I take it that way, and I told him in a comment that he was being holier than thou - that doesn't mean shit, though, because I am nothing but a bunch of pixels on your computer, Jack!!!!

I can be petty and catty and snarky, I am a semimenapausal woman, but Good Lord, nothing I say should mean anything to anyone because ... I am nothing but a bunch of pixels on your computer!!

So, Jack, please blog again. Feel free to call me a bitch, a harpie, a harridan.

I am sorry!!!!

My Opinion on Things Political

Authored by Beth on
Friday, August 27, 2004

Take this or leave it. Mean comments will be deleted.
1. McCain-Feingold is a bunch of hooey. The First Ammendment gives us all the freedom of speech - especially, politial speech. This stupid law that attempts to legislate who gets to speak when should be overturned or revoked or whatever. I would prefer the Congress spend more time figuring out stuff that really matters to people than trying to legislate spending in what is supposed to be a free country.

2. John Kerry is acting like Richard Nixon - he has his enemies, he is trying to ruin them (and may have ruined at least one of the Swift Boat Vets) and he can't bear that idea that not everyone agrees with him. Plus, he has a 'secret plan' for Iraq - kinda like Richard Nixon's secret plan for Vietnam. Richard Nixon also tried his hand at regulating the economy - wage and price controls - and drove us into a recession that lasted for years. John Kerry has not bothered to tell anyone exactly what he would do to improve the economy - only that he would improve it - and he ignores the fact that the economy is improving anyway.

3. We need to secure our borders. George Bush is wrong to want to give illegal aliens (yes, they are illegal) amnesty. They need to either go through the normal channels to immigrate here or they need to go home. I want every immigrant to have to go through a stringent security check before they are allowed to come here to go to school, to work, to live.

4. Low taxes are a good thing. John Kerry wants to raise taxes - he says on the rich, but just who are the rich, and since they are already paying way more than there share of taxes, why make them pay more? He would probably decide that John and I are rich, he has no idea what money means.

5. Islam is not the religion of peace.

6. John Kerry has told so many lies about his time in Vietnam for so long that I am sure he truly believes his lies are truth at this point. That could explain why he gets so pissed off as he is proved wrong, time after time. I bet they could give him a lie detector test and he would pass it.

7. John Kerry needs to sign Form 180 to release every one of his military records.

8. To those of you who are sick of hearing about Vietnam, too bad. It is a valid subject to discuss, especially since John Kerry won't let anyone forget about it.
What makes our country different from all the rest is that we have a Bill of Rights to our Constitution that guarantees us all the freedom to speak our minds. I am really upset that so many people are telling so many others to shut up about Vietnam. Just because some folks might not want to hear it, doesn't mean you should call the ones who do want to talk about it names.

9. This is the best counry in the world. Ain't no doubt about it. We got this way because we did not want to be like Europeans, Africans, Asians, etc. The individual's rights come first here, and it should always be that way.

10. Capitalism is good. Socialism is not good.

11. Poor people in this country have more than probably 90 percent of the rest of the world. With the exception of homeless people - who are very likely to be mentally ill - people living below the povery level in this country have more than enough food, clothing and material things like tvs, radios and stereos.

Recipe Reviews here

Authored by Beth on
Friday, August 27, 2004

Anyone who tries one of the recipes in the carnival and would like to comment can do so here in the comments.

Tonight, John and I tried BeeBee's Cornbread Casserole. It is very quick and easy to prepare. And boy, is this ever a comfort meal! It coule probably serve 8 people easily, so we have lots of leftovers.

I highly recommend you try it.

Why I Hate Microsoft

Authored by Beth on
Friday, August 27, 2004

I am testing a product that our company might use and resell to our clients.
It uses MS SQLServer. I downloaded the evaluation of SQLServer from Microsoft, and now I am trying to figure out what version of Service Pack 3 I need to install - aieeeeee!!!!
Microsoft says:

Users who have an existing instance of MSDE 2000 must know how their instance of MSDE 2000 was installed to know how to update it. In particular, you must know the original package name for your instance of MSDE 2000. To determine the original package name, see the article How To Identify Which MSI File Was Used for an Existing MSDE Installation in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

Carnival of the Recipes Number 2

Authored by Beth on
Friday, August 27, 2004

One of the fun things about putting this Recipe Carnival together is that I get to look at blogs I have missed before, and I have discovered some very interesting people out there. So I try to be sure I link to the Main page of each blog as well as the recipes themselves. Do yourself a favor and check out not only the recipes, but the blogs themselves - I am amazed and pleased at the wide variety of bloggers who are submitting recipes to me - from one side of the political spectrum to the other. If you would like to submit a recipe, please do - you don't have to have your own blog to do so, I'll post it for you. Submissions need to be in by Thursday night at midnight and sent to beth(at)thedonovan(dot)com.

We have some great recipes this week.

Calliope, a non-blogger but frequent commenter, sent me recipes and pictures for an entire Tex Mex feast. There was so much, that I put it all in a separate post. She doesn't know it, but she is a guest blogger for that one!

Here's a recipe from There's One, Only! that is full of fun - Fruitcake - even if you don't think you will like it, you must read it!

Steve has a recipe for low fat Squash Chili that is not only delicious, but healthy.

Nathan of The Argus, has as incredible recipe for Georgian Cheese Bread, Khachapuri.. This is one I will most definitely try this weekend.

Goobage sends this scientific Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe for the true nerds out there. Because he is on Blogger, you will have to scroll down to find the recipe.

Inside Allan's Mind sent this recipe for Skillet Penne with Vegetables.

John from TexasBestGrok has a recipe for Roast Lamb and Vegetables - I've always been afraid to try roast lamb, this recipe might convince me to attempt it.

Wow, Wacky Hermit of Organic Baby Farm has a way to make Five Dinners out of One Chicken - and even get baby food out of it! And, they all look good. I love this blog, it's full of wholesome goodness. Read it.

The Glittering Eye gives us the Ultimate Guide to Meatloaf and

the beautiful Venomous Kate, who is back after taking most of the summer off has a recipe for Hawaiian Potato Salad.

From Katespot - Chocolate Cake!

Tom from The Nap Room loves to make bread. He is sharing with us his Pizza Dough Recipe.

Tritcale (the wheat and rye guy) sends his wee wifey's award winning recipe for Black Walnust Baklava.

The Esmay Family has two recipes this week - one from Jake Esmay, a cool kid if I've ever met one - his lasagna recipe, and Rosemary, the beautiful and pregnant Queen of All Evil has submitted The Queen's Cheesecake recipe.

Here is a Crunchy Tossed Salad from Angela of Fresh as a Daisy. It sounds like such a nice dish for a hot day (it's supposed to be in the high 90's today here in Kansas).

From Punctilius, an Italian Seafood Stew.

Boudicca of Boudicca's Voice is a good cook. You can trust that her recipes are excellent. Here is a recipe for her Steak with Garlic Blue Cheese Butter.

From Kin's Kouch, a recipe that I will most definitely try soon - Kin's Easy as Pie Chicken Pie.

BeeBee, who has a blog full of goodness that is a joy to read, is also a great cook. This week, she shares her recipe for Cornbread Casserole.

My husband, John of Arrggghhh! submits this recipe - he has made this for us and it is excellent -

Emeril's remoulade recipe.

As we know, great with burgers.

Creole Remoulade Sauce:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons Creole or other whole-grain mustard
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a blender or food processor, combine all
ingredients and process until fairly smooth, about 30
seconds.

Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour before using. (The sauce will keep for
up to 1 week in the refrigerator - but it won't last that long, it's so good.)

IMPORTANT UPDATE:
I missed Tammi's recipe, she got it in on time, I'm a dolt - Fruit Cocktail Cake.
I claim old age.

Semi-important update - here are some great bread machine recipes from this blog is full of crap. Trust me, the recipes are not full of crap.

Last Update (at least I think so!) - King of Fools was a bad boy and was late sending me his recipe. But here it is because I'm really a nice person. Chicken Cordon Bleu!

Okay, really - this is the very last update: Stuffed Pork Roast and other garlic goodies(lotsa garlic, yummmy) from Mostly Cajun

Calliope's Mexican Fiesta

Authored by Calliope on
Friday, August 27, 2004

Due to the pictures included with the Mexican Fiesta recipes, everything is in the extended entry.

Recipe Reminder

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 26, 2004

I just found out that my Hosting Matters server was down for about an hour today between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm Central, and it is possible that I may not have received your recipe sent to beth(at)thedonovan(dot)com.

If you sent it earlier than then, don't worry about it - or, when I am done putting it all together and if you see that your recipe ain't there - please be sure to tell me and I'll get it there pronto!

Please try to get any recipes to me by midnight tonight.

Should we call this recipe blogging something like ... bleating - no blooking when cooking and bleating while eating and reading/writing blogs?

Oh, and wait until you see Calliope's Tex Mex recipes - we even have pictures! Wonderful stuff to cook.

Bob Dole

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 26, 2004

I'm proud (as a Kansan) of Bob Dole for speaking out about John Kerry and the 527 organizations who are doing all of Kerry's dirty work.

I met Bob Dole years ago when I was a clerk at a fancy store (Halls Plaza) in Kansas City. He would come in to shop there from time to time and was always very nice, though very political - always had that pen in his right hand, too. Back then, I was a Democrat, and I found it hard to reconcile the fact that this Republican was really a very nice man. I was sure that all Republicans had to be the debil!

I heard Bob Dole on Sean Hannity's radio show on Monday and they discussed the phone call that John Kerry made to him. If Kerry had half a brain, he would pay attention to what Senator Dole told him and start talking about what he would do as president, not what he pretends he did back in Vietnam.

I like Bob Dole.

Recipe Reminder!

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 26, 2004

Send me your recipe links (or recipe if you don't have your own blog) at beth(at)thedonovan(dot)com.

Looks like Carnival of the Recipes #2 is going to be better than the first one!

Wictory Wednesday

Authored by Beth on
Wednesday, August 25, 2004

It's Wictory Wednesday again. This is the last week (stupidly) that you can donate money to President Bush's Campaign. You can always donate your time, though!

The more I learn about President Bush, the more I admire and respect the man.
Actually, I wish he would play half as dirty as Kerry and his kamp play - because I want President Bush to continue to be the President for another four years - so he can continue the War against Terrorism.

President Bush is the only man running for President who has the fortitude to do the right thing. Kerry would end up damning our soldiers and airmen and sailors and marines just like he did in 1971.

So, be damn sure you are registered to vote, and be sure to vote - if you will be traveling - call your local election board or go here to see what needs to be done to get an absentee ballot - this is really important stuff, folks. Don't let yourselves down by forgetting to complete these important, very important tasks of citizenship.

All the bloggers listed below are also proud to support President Bush.

Just Amazing

Authored by Beth on
Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Some journalists are asking if the Swift Boat Story has gone on too long. (Thanks, Allah!) There are complaints that Kerry is less accessible to reporters since the story came out of the internet and onto tv. He doesn't come to the back of the plane as often.
Mind you, the 'story' about George Bush being AWOL from the National Guard has gone on for what - a year? And the President has released all of his military records, unlike John F'n Kerry.
I am especially perturbed by some bloggers, who apparently feel that this story has gone on too long, also. (One of them is even shutting down her blog for awhile, maybe forever, which is okay with me, she is right, it probably is time. )

Yes, what Kerry did during the Vietnam War (both in the Navy and after he got out) happened over 3 decades ago. What he did, and his refusal to apologize for what he did speaks volumes about the man's character, or lack thereof. Those of you who are perhaps 10 or 20 years younger than I am do not have a clue as to the impact of Kerry's words when he testified before Congress back in 1971. So perhaps that is why you are bored with it all. But I remember how he harmed all veterans of all wars by his words. And the thought that such a man could be President - that he is the best the Democrats could come up with, is abhorent to many, many veterans.

President Bush has never, ever disparaged Kerry's service to the country. In fact, he has done the opposite. Yet Kerry and his Kamp have gone on and on and on about President Bush's National Guard service. One of his minions, Mary Anne Marsh, even went so far as to exclaim, "George Bush betrayed America by not serving in Vietnam". I'll let you read my better half's viewpoint on that one.

So, reporters and bloggers who are sick of Vietnam, think again before you think the Swift Vet Boats story has gone on too long.

The American public disagrees with you. This is important stuff. And it's not Bush who is 'bringing it on', Veterans are bringing it on - it's what Kerry wanted, after all!

Tuesday

Authored by Beth on
Tuesday, August 24, 2004

I worked from home today. We had some pretty severe thunderstorms for severral hours this morning, with flooding in the area, so I figured that work would get more time out of me if I stayed home than if it took me an hour or so to get into work.

It finally cleared up around 11:00 am, so I took the three dogs for a walk. We saw a bunch of squirrels, a beagle, a bunny and 3 deer. Actually, Houdini is the only one who noticed the deer. Shadow is becoming elderly, and he has cataracts and I don't think Whiskey really cares.

When we got back home, the dogs were happy to take naps, but the cats were pissed that they had been ignored for 45 minutes, so they bugged the heck out of me all afternoon while I worked - Annie kept jumping up on the table and biting my chin, RestStop kept head butting me and Barnacle just whined. A lot.

Finally, John got home from work, I was too tired to cook, so we were very bad and ordered a pizza.

And that is all I feel like writing.

Except that Kerry is getting all he deserves for lying all those years ago about all the Vietnam Veterans. The man is delusional.

Recipe Reminder

Authored by Beth on
Monday, August 23, 2004

I need your recipe links by Thursday, midnight. Please send them to beth(at)thedonovan(dot)com.

So far, I have tried three of the recipes, and every one of them has been ... oh, just yummy!

Janet Jackson is delusional!

Authored by Beth on
Monday, August 23, 2004

From DRUDGE REPORT®

Janet Jackson now claims that her "Nipplegate" Super Bowl incident was used by the Bush administration to distract people from the war in Iraq!

She wishes anyone cared that much about her - the no talent bimbo!

Monday Morning

Authored by Beth on
Monday, August 23, 2004

John has another week of having to arrive at work at 6:00 am. That means that he is getting up at 4:30, and the dogs' and cats' sleeping and eating schedules are all screwed up.

They want to eat as soon as a human awakes. John puts the 3 dogs out to feed them, then brings them back in and I'll put them out for the day. For some reason, this has screwed up Houdini's potty schedule, and it seems that I'll be taking a bath, John has left, and Houdini suddenly has to poop. Fortunately, he does not do it on carpeting. Houdini also managed to pee in the bathroom on top of a huge package of 24 toilet paper rolls. I don't know how he got up there, and I don't know how he managed to just pee on the plastic without it dripping down onto the toilet paper. I also don't know how to get the puddle of pee off the package without having it drip down and ruining that two month's supply of toilet paper.

Bad Houdini!

And then there are the 7 cats - kinda like 7 dwarfs, I guess. They are all indoor cats, so I switched them to cat food made especially for indoor cats, and they have all become bulimic. They gobble up great quantities of kitty food and within 10 minutes, they vomit it - in amazing quantities, then they go and eat each other's food.

It's gross. I gotta get outta this house and go to work!

Alice Cooper is my Rock and Roll Hero

Authored by Beth on
Sunday, August 22, 2004

Alice is no longer 18, but he sure knows what is right!
Alice slams anti-Bush rockers

"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."

Via The Corner

Sunday

Authored by Beth on
Sunday, August 22, 2004

Ever so slowly, we are fixing this house up. One of the very irritating things about a house built in 1960 is that the cold air returns were made differently than they make them today. We painted the hallway last winter, but the cold air return was an icky, gross, peeling, hunk of rusty metal, and though we looked everywhere, we could not find the same type of cold air return to replace it. Finally John just bought a normal one - the kind that most homes use.

Today, I decided it was time to put the new cold air return in. You would not believe what a pain in the rear that was. The ductwork stuck out about an inch (because the old grate stuck out about an inch), and we had to make it flush with the wall. Also, the wood trim next to the floor needed to be trimmed about 1/4th of an inch for the new grate to fit flush against the wall.

Between John and I, we were able to fix it - using a wonderful powertool - RotoZip.. I was able to trim the wood molding without removing it to the perfect size, and John was able to trim back the tin of the ductwork by cutting it to size.

We bought that tool a few years ago and have only used it once before. I must say that I am very impressed with it. But it ain't cheap. But then, you get what you pay for.

Anyway, after living here for a very long time, the hallway looks nearly perfect. Now I just have to figure out which paintings and pictures to hang in it.

Big Bad John

Authored by Beth on
Sunday, August 22, 2004

This is on Dog Snot Diaries - thanks for sharing, Gordon!

BIG BAD JOHN (KERRY) - Author Unknown. To the tune of the Country ballad - Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean.

Every mornin' on the Hill you could see him arrive
Standing six-foot-four, weighing one-twenty-five
Kinda' scrawny at the shoulders and lacking a spine
And when he spoke at all, it was mainly to whine.
(Big John, Big John) Big Bad John.

Nobody seems to know what's in John's soul
His 'beliefs' are based on the latest poll
Though he'll say what it takes to get your votes
It's the leftist agenda that he really promotes
Big John.

Some one said he came from Boston town
Where he joined the Navy and gained renown
'Earning' three purple hearts and one bronze star
The home folks said, "This boy will go far"
(Big John, Big John) Big Bad John (Big John)

Then came a day back in '71
When he renounced all the medals that he had won
Then turned against his country and his Navy friends
And sold them out for his own selfish ends
(Big John)

He appeared before Congress and on left-wing talk shows
Giving aid and comfort to America's foes
It was clear to see whose side he was on
Some say he helped cause the fall of Saigon
Big John (Big John, Big John) Big Bad John (Big John).

Ban Guns ...

Authored by Beth on
Sunday, August 22, 2004

and you end up with a Serial Hammer Killer.

The Brits better hurry up and ban hammers!

So, has anyone tried any of the recipes?

Authored by Beth on
Saturday, August 21, 2004

Let us know what you thought in the comments.
I tried the first recipe on the list, Tammi's Mexican Manicotti. Wow, it was very good. But, it makes a whole lot of food, so John and I will be eating it for several days. I should have saved that one to make when Andy is home from college with some friends! Next time I make it, I'll serve it with guacamole on the side as well as the sour cream that Tammi recommends. It was very easy to make, very economical and very yummy.

Thanks, Tammi!

Anyone else have comments on recipes?

Haiku Mania

Authored by Beth on
Saturday, August 21, 2004

Have a few minutes for some good laughs? Go and read American Haiku: The Road to Hollywood.

Dumb and Dumber

Authored by Beth on
Saturday, August 21, 2004

We are at war with Wahabists. Our very first order of business should be to win the war against terror. But the double Johns are more concerned about taking over the management of high schools from local authorities, or so it seems.

From The John Kerry for President web site "Our Plan for America":

Every Young Person Graduates
Today 3 in 10 young people do not finish high school, and half of Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans don't graduate. Kerry-Edwards will keep better track of graduation rates to hold schools accountable for raising them; will offer more tutoring and mentoring to at-risk youth; will make big high schools smaller when they are not working for their students; and will strengthen the high school curriculum so all students can graduate with a meaningful diploma.

People - the federal government should certainly not be meddling with high school curriculum or high school size. That is the job of the local and state school boards.

I have to wonder what makes them think that the size of the High School itself would have any relationship with the success of the individual student.

The only way that anyone can guarantee that 100 percent of high school students make it to graduation is to force all 17 and 18 year old kids to stay in school - and I don't think you can do that to the 18 year olds.

Kerry is proving that he is not a leader

Authored by Beth on
Saturday, August 21, 2004

No matter how you may feel about the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth ads, Kerry's reaction to them proves that is not capable of leading this country.

1. He does not respond to the accusations in the ads - he simply attacks the Veterans as liars.

2. He could clear all this up by signing the form 180 to release all of his military records.

3. His accusations of the Bush Administration being behind the Swift Boat Veterans sound oh too Nixon-like. His 'camp', as the media describes his followers, are using the 6 Degrees of Separation from Kevin Bacon ploy to prove that there is a connection to Bush. Balderdash. These are some of the evil things that President Nixon's CREEP did way back when:

Following members of Democratic candidates' families and assembling dossiers on their personal lives; forging letters and distributing them under the candidates' letterheads; leaking false and manufactured items to the press; throwing campaign schedules into disarray; seizing confidential campaign files; and investigating the lives of dozens of Democratic campaign workers

Replace the words Democratic candidates with Swift Boat Veterans and you will understand exactly what I am saying.

4. He is protesting too much - therefore, most of us think he is, indeed, hiding the truth.

5. He can't handle pressure. He is as over the edge as Dean, Gore and the other miserable candidates that the Democrats came up with this year.

6. I have serious concerns about his ability to uphold the Constitution. This guy doesn't like dissent (Swift Boat Veterans for Freedom), so he threatens lawsuits, etc. His extremely thin skin makes him vulnerable to threats from other countries. How much of our freedom will this man give away just so no one talks mean about him? If he has power, what will he do when someone writes a book about him that he doesn't like? Will he sue? Will he call the publisher up and say "pull that book"?

7. His voting record - when he actually does make it into Congress to vote, he flip flops from one week to the next - I voted for this bill before I voted against it - wtf is that supposed to mean? Does this guy have no ideas of his own?

8. His *Secret Plan* to get out of Iraq - how Nixonian can one be, folks?

9. He hints that he has spoken to foreign leaders who have made him promises - now this scares me - it seems to be dangerous for a senator to go making agreements with foreign countries on his own - with promises of what in return if he becomes president??? I guess, if he wins, we will find out.

10. I don't think Kerry has a balanced personality. Narcissistic Personality Disorder comes to mind. Look it up - no, I have looked it up for you, I defy you to say this does not fit this man who would be President - my thoughts are in italics:

Diagnostic Criteria
A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

Kerry thinks he was an exemplary Naval Officer. Kerry also thinks that experience as Lietenant, Junior Grade qualifies him as Commander in Chief.

2. Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.

Kerry has planned to be POTUS since his teenage years. Kerry brought a movie camera with him to Vietnam so he could have others film his 'brave actions' (they were re-enacted) for future reference.

3. Believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
requires excessive admiration.

Kerry's comments to people in airports as he pushes past them in lines - Do you know who I am?

4. Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations.

His reaction to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth - he can't handle anyone disagreeing with *his* facts. Oh, I almost forget - he doesn't fall down when skiing or snowboarding - somebody else musta pushed him!

5. Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends.

Married Teresa

6. Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others.

Doesn't understand why we don't like to be taxed - of course he is so rich, our little salaries are meaningless to him.

7. Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

This is such a d'uh statement in describing John Kerry that I have nothing to add.

And someone with this very nasty personality disorder only needs to meet five of the criteria. Ha!

The First Carnival of the Recipes!!

Authored by Beth on
Friday, August 20, 2004

I want to thank all of you who have submitted recipes. I am really pleased with the response from bloggers and commenters who answered my call for food, food, food!

There are recipes here to fit everyone's taste - enjoy!

Tammi, everyone's favorite Road Warrior has a recipe for Mexican Manicotti. Ah like alliteration a lot.

Punctilious's Chicken Tortilla Soup will be great for fall.

Dana has a Mexican Casserole that should hit the spot.

Boudicca, who has a lovely blog, btw has this recipe, called Mushroom Pork Tenderloin

Teresa of Technicalities goes with a more Mediterranean looking casserole - Chicken and Couscous Both Teresa and I are great believers that Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the best you can buy, btw.

Booklore, a blog with lots of great book reviews, gives us this recipe, Four Pepper Pasta

Random Pizza from Brian Epps of Random Numbers looks like something I have to try out.

Seafood Fettuccine from Tom Metzger of More Sense than Money is definitely *NOT* lowfat - therefore, it must be pretty darn good!

Pumpkin Cheesecake - my husband will like this one! It's from Matthew, aka Physics Geek

SeaShell Casserole from Sarah aka Wacky Hermit from Organic Baby Farm. - definitely a great family casserole.

Jim of Snooze Button Dreams fame, offers this very spicy Hot To Trot hot wing recipe- better have a lot of beer to go with these wings.

Laughing Wolf has a recipe for a one egg omelet.

BeeBee, one of really gifted writers of Blogdom has a great recipe called Coca Cola Brisket. Great for a crowd of folks.

mlah has a recipe for Salsa. mlah is a little confused as to who I am, though - I'm not miss apropos, I am She Who Will Be Obeyed! (or at least I wish I was!)

Triticale (the wheat/rye guy), makes a Barbeque Sauce that looks very good.

Helen, one of the other incredible writers in Blogdom, has a recipe that is just beautiful to read about - It is at the bottom of this post, called Ficelle Picarde (crepes rolled up with cheese, herbs and cream in the inside) - do read the whole post - Helen is so very gifted.

Amy has a recipe for true garlic lovers:

40 Cloves and a Chicken

1 whole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 peeled cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with a 2 tablespoons olive oil and
brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from
heat, add oil, thyme, and garlic cloves. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, carve, and
serve. (Note: There is no carving, the meat falls off the bone.)

Calliope, my mostest regular commenter, gave me a recipe for Oven Spiced Fries. Here it is:

2lbs new potatos
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Steak Grilling Rub (any brand)

Cut the taters into wedges, toss with the grill seasoning and EVOO, bake on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 450 (I sprayed the cookie sheet with Pam, made clean-up a breeze). Shake the cookie sheet once during baking. Pull out when the largest taters are soft when you stick 'em with a fork.

Next time I do it I will lighten up on the seasoning, it was a bit over-seasoned for my taste (and I like spicy food). It was quite good though, and incredibly easy. You only end up having to clean the cookie sheet too. Even my 13 year old daughter loved them.

I would also say you could substitute the grill seasoning with seasoned salt and perhaps some italian herbs to add a different twist to it - although the grill seasoning made a nice compliment to grilled steaks and was quite crunchy.

Corn Quiche

2, 9-inch DEEP pie shells
1 lb. sliced bacon, fried crisp,
drained and crumbled (divide in ½)
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups grated Swiss cheese (divide in ½)
4 eggs, beaten
2 cans cream style corn
Black Pepper to taste
12 oz. Evaporated milk

Pre-heat oven to 450 deg. F.

Fry bacon until crisp, remove and drain on paper towel and crumble, then sauté onions in bacon grease until tender. Place ½ of crumbled bacon evenly into the bottom of the pie-crusts and top with ½ of the cheese. Blend eggs, corn, pepper, milk, rest of bacon and rest of cheese in a bowl and mix well. Pour mixture into the pie shells. Bake in oven at 450 deg. F for 10 min. then quickly reduce oven temp to 325 deg. F and bake for 25 min. more. Cool slightly and serve.

Angela has a recipe for Lime Cookies that look mouth-watering. Angela's blog, Fresh as a Daisy is new to me, go check it out. She lives in Guam, so today there is our tomorrow, or something like that!

And here is one more recipe from Angela:

Donna's Creamy Chicken Enchiladas (don't know Donna)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup Pace picante sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
12 flour tortillas (6 in)

1. Mix soup, sour cream, picante sauce, and chili powder. Reserve 1 cup.
2. Mix remaining picante sauce mixture with chicken and cheese.
3. Spread about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla.
Roll up and place seam-side down in a greased (just spray with Pam)
9x13 pan. (Sometimes, I have to have an extra smaller dish)
4. Spread reserved picante sauce mixture over enchiladas. Cover and
bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until hot.
5. Serve with additional picante sauce, tomato, lettuce, and sour
cream, if desired.

Here is Pam's recipe, King Ranch Chicken, one of my favorites -

KING RANCH CHICKEN

1 Chicken
1 pkg Corn Tortillas
1 Onion
1 pkg Longhorn Cheese
1 can Cream/Mushroom Soup
1 can Rotel Tomatoes
1 can Cream/Chicken Soup

1 9”x13” Casserole dish

Boil and debone Chicken - Save Broth! In separate bowl, mix: Can of Mushroom and can of Chicken Soup, the Rotel Tomatoes (only 1/2 can of liquid), 1/4 cup Chicken broth, and 1/4 cup chopped Onion. Layer...

Soften Corn Tortillas in Chicken broth and line dish. Layer Chicken, using 1/2 the Chicken. Layer Soup mixture. Layer grated Longhorn. Repeat layers - ending with Cheese. Bake at 350 deg for 30 to 45 minutes.

Update: Since Glenn was so kind as to link to the Carnival of the Recipes, I figured the least I could do is link to his recipe for Pasta with Tomato, Basil and Chevre sauce and an interesting chicken recipe, Instachicken.

One more Recipe - everything else goes to next week - E Poet has a recipe for ribs.

Deadline is 6:00 PM Central

Authored by Beth on
Friday, August 20, 2004

For recipes for the Carnival of Recipes!
My email address is beth(at)thedonovan(dot)com.
It will probably take me an hour or so to finish putting together this carnival of bloggy, linky yummy goodness!

Thanks everyone, for participating.

Somebody should lose their job over this

Authored by Beth on
Friday, August 20, 2004

Nuclear Data Found Missing From New Mexico.

Someone in the Energy Department should suffer for this - documentation on nuclear weapsons is coming up missing in New Mexico at several DOE locations - this is very dangerous and scary.

Army Breast Care

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 19, 2004

Glen thinks that it is probably a bad idea for women under military medical care to be able to get breast implants He links to this article, where a pretty young thing, a porn star is protesting military women getting boob jobs via the Army.

I can understand where the pretty young thing doesn't understand what the hell is going on - but let me, someone who gets all her medical care from the military, explain.

Plastic Surgeons in the military need to be able to keep up with their specialty. These doctors treat women who have had breast cancer and need reconstructive surgery. They also need to be able to fix women who have been injured on the job - what if a mine blows up and shrapnel gets buried in a boob? Is that woman to lose her boob with no replacement? Shit - if you lose a leg, you get a prothesis - if you lose a boob, they should get a replacement, too. To keep in practice, they need to do a certain amount of breast implants a year.

If that means that an occassional young woman gets an implant, and another young woman gets breast reduction surgery, I'm all for it.

Many people are totally unaware that retired military folks and their spouses continue to have health insurance through the military.

If I ever lose a boob to cancer, I sure as hell want my military physician to be able to make me look good.

And, one more thing - these active duty physicians, these officers, give up a lot to be in the Army, Airforce, Navy, etc., the least we can do as society is to enable them to keep their specialties intact while they serve our country.
So, Glen, evil puppy blender - feel ashamed for jumping to conclusions. It's a dumb game!

Recipes

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 19, 2004

So far, I have 8 really yummy looking recipes for the carnival. Thanks, everyone for sending them to me.
My email address is beth(at)thedonovan(dot)com if you want to send me a link to one or a recipe to be in the Carnival of the Recipes tomorrow.

What the blogosphere needs

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 19, 2004

Is a Carnival of Recipes! I look around, and I find absolutely wonderful recipes from many bloggers. Some bloggers are professional cookbook authors, and just talk about their recipes, but others of us are willing to give every detail of a recipe to the rest of the world.

So, I am going to start the Carnival of Recipes. Send a link to your recipe, or the recipe yourself if you don't have your own blog to beth(at)thedonovan(dot)com.

And on Friday evening, cooks everywhere will come looking for your bestest ever dish!

And frankly, I need some new recipes.

Deadline is Friday at 6:00 Central Daylight Time. Oh, and that is PM!
Now, I'll be embarrassed as hell if no one sends me anything, so please, please, please ----- send me a link or recipe!

Exotic Ocean Creature

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 19, 2004

Sandi sent me this picture of a Sea Horse. I think you will find it just fascinating.

It is in the extended entry.

Ted Rall properly put in his place

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 19, 2004

Michele fisks Ted Rall's latest whacko diatribe in her Bitchslap Ted Rall Day: Protest Edition.

I'm very happy she puts him in his place, as his words are seared -- seared in me.

Did you serve in the Military?

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 19, 2004

Jeff Quinton is looking for bloggers, of whatever persuasion, who ever served in the military

I guess that even includes me.

1976 - 1978, US Army Reserve, Behavioral Science Specialist 5th Class (they don't have that rank anymore!), 325th General Hospital.

More on Recipe Carnival

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 19, 2004

A few of my friends are worried about what kind of recipe they should submit to the Carnival of the Recipes.
Anything goes, as long as it does not include household pets, humans or horses.
(That should keep the French away).
Pork Fat Rules, as Emeril says.
Drink recipes would be good too!

Wictory Wednesday a day late

Authored by Beth on
Thursday, August 19, 2004

Let's fight back against the Kerry money machine funded by George Soros. George Bush is my candidate, and he ought to be yours, too.

Donate your time or money to help reelect President Bush.

I support George Bush. I will vote for him in the coming election. Even though I am an independant voter and was once a Democrat, the Republican Party (despite their undeniable faults) is the best choice. George Bush is the only leader running for election. We need a leader during time of war. Not just the war in Iraq, but the global war on terror that we are just starting.

If John Kerry is elected, we will lose the War on Terror. In fact, if he has his way, we will be subjugated to so-called "International Law" and our Constitution will be secondary.

All the bloggers listed below are also proud to support President Bush.