Good Tidings!

Yay! I just purchased tickets to travel to Oregon in May! My family is quite excited of course, as am I. The bonus is being able to visit the beauty of Oregon in addition to seeing my family. And the dogs. It's exciting to think about going to Oregon so soon after being there a year ago (this is compared to 9 years passing since the trip before that, so this is a good rate!). Lord willing, I will be able to go a couple more times before the end of the year.

Quiz #11

I bet you never thought you'd see one of these again! A photo quiz, that is.

News bits

I saw an article today about a measure in Germany to curb infanticide by providing drop bins for unwanted newborns. How sad! How horrendous that this happens. While it's good that they want to reduce deaths by giving the mother a drop-point for her unwatned baby instead of murdering the child, it's just so sad that it happens. Even more, the article indicates some women have murdered more than one baby. What is also sad is these mothers are arrested for killing their children outside their womb, but no action is taken against mothers who kill their unborn children. The article may be found here.
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"Woman, dog both sick after eating recalled pet food"
I feel bad she's sick, but really, eating your dog's food to get the dog to think it's people food? She could have completely avoided this. I feel worse for the dog that is poorly trained and sick!
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I'm making a couple new things this week and next, so I'll post my results. Recipes include:
Garlic-Herb Marinated Chicken Kebabs (Cook's Illustrated)
Balsamic Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Bon Appetit)
Double Chocolate Tort (Bon Appetit)

Cooking Style

Here is a quiz my aunt sent me, called "What is Your Culinary Style?" Have a go at it! I came out "Healthy: You are a health-conscious chef who knows that you don't have to sacrifice flavor to lose the fat. You believe in a well-balanced diet and like to cook with fresh, straightforward ingredients. For you, the trick to making good food lies in the seasoning; which is why you are never without herbs and spices."

I think that is pretty true for me. That doesn't mean I EAT healthy, but I do like fresh, straightforward ingredients and good spices/flavors for cooking. I also took the grilling personality quiz and came out Expert.

Rebecca's feet are cute.

I am a bad blogger, I know. I KNOW. No photo quizzes, no recipes. I've been doing stuff and spending time with friends. The reason for no photo quizzes: no ideas! Needtocomeupwithsomeideas. Reason for no recipes? I've been making the same thing over and over - Island Rice! I know I ought to stop while I am ahead and while I still love it. Wait! I do have a new recipe. I made some soup last night and it was a new recipe, and I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Recipe here. I used regular brown rice though and not the boil-in-a-bag rice. That is about all I have for you. Rebecca had a funny idea and posted a picture of her feet as a way to fill her blog! hehe. I love you, Rebecca!

My family's belongings arrived this past weekend; thanks to God for that.

I took a typing test here and had the following result the first time: "During the test, you typed at a speed of 64 words/minute and made 16 errors. According to these results, you are an expert typist and should consider taking the corresponding course when you register." They tell you not to backspace but I forgot that, and I think they count that as an error in additon to the things we normal people would consider errors. The second time, I had 75 wpm and 8 errors! haha. Try it if you like.

Drawwwwwwwwwwwl

Drudge said it best in its headline "Kentucky Fried Hillary: NY Senator Adopts Southern Drawl In Church Service".

Listen here. It reminds me when Al Gore changed his tone noticeably when speaking to a black audience. What are they doing "preaching" in churches anyway?

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I have made Island Rice a couple of times recently and would consider this my favorite rice dish. I first made it a few months ago, and I substitute 1/2 cup lite coconut milk for 1/2 cup of the water called for. This goes fabulously with spicy chicken or pork, such as Asian BBQ Chicken or Jerk-Style Chicken. I have also had it with sauteed onions and red peppers with all the fixings for fajitas and eaten it in a tortilla or piled on a plate without a tortilla.

Rebs!

Rebecca and I had a fantastic time catching up!

Nothings and Somethings Bullet Style

• My family arrived safely in Oregon last Friday and received the keys to the their new house on Wednesday. Their belongings should arrive in the next week or so, and in the meantime, they'll paint and make some minor changes to the house.
• I went to McConnell's Mill last week and enjoyed a beautiful hike with a good friend. Pics here. It was my first time hiking there in the winter after a dozen times in other seasons, and it was a delight to see all the snow.
• I haven't cooked anything new for a while! Nothing to share there.
• My old college roommate, Rebecca, is visiting tomorrow! You may have noticed some funny dialog in the comments from her on here about how incredibly excited we are so see each other (and you can find ones from me on her blog). We last saw each other in July 2005 at Danila's wedding, and even then, it was a busy time. So we are going to talkandtalkandgiggleandtalkandeatandlaughandtalk for hours and we'll love it!
• My cup runs over.