fresh veggie soup

1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (11.5 ounce) can tomato-vegetable juice cocktail
1 cup water
1 large potato, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh green beans
1 cup fresh corn kernels
salt and pepper to taste
Creole seasoning to taste

In a [...]

simple, zesty cream of tomato soup

2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
18 fresh basil leaves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine

In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil and sugar. Reduce heat to [...]

easy chicken noodle soup

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups egg noodles
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot [...]

italian wedding soup

1/2 lb. meat loaf mix (ground beef, pork, turkey or combination … can also use frozen meatballs)
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 c. milk

Combine the ingredients above. Form small 1/2 inch balls. Drop into boiling salted water. Simmer for 10 minutes, remove [...]

easy jambalaya

Ingredients
5 cups water
1/4 cup oil (optional)
2 packages Zatarain’s® Jambalaya Mix
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup sliced green onions (optional)

Preparation
1.  Bring water and oil to boil in large saucepan.  Stir in Rice Mixes, chicken and sausage; return to boil.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes [...]

wishing you happy returns of um 40

Happy Birthday Heath!

merry, merry, happy, happy, ho ho ho

I wish you a blessed Christmas …
And I hope that your day has been as lovely as mine has. The world is certainly not perfect but hope abides.

ready to explore new shores?

Is the Foreign Service right for you? Amidst the grim job stats is an opportunity to join the Obama team as a foreign liaison. The New York Times reports some 1,500 jobs.
Is it right for you? Here’s their quiz.
QUIZ
I’m headed out of town for the holidays so it may be quiet … or not. Who [...]

perky pesto pasta soup

4 14.5-ounce cans vegetable or low-sodium chicken broth
1 large onion, diced
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large carrot, sliced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
2 cups cooked bow tie pasta
2 tablespoons fresh or frozen pesto
Parmesan cheese for garnish
In a large pot combine the broth, onion, celery, carrots, parsnip, salt, pepper and bay leaf. [...]

fun, last-minute holiday kid camp in orlando

Parents, let the Orlando Science Center take some of the stress out of the upcoming holidays with a fun and safe place for the kids during their time off from school. OSC provides children in grades K-5 with a variety of themed camps designed to challenge, entertain and enrich their lives. The possibilities are endless! [...]

celebrity video: please don’t bomb nobody

From Crackle: “Please Don’t Bomb Nobody This Holiday”
“Please Don’t Bomb Nobody This Holiday” video PSA comes to us from the Dan Band.
If you look closely you’ll see lots of celebrities: Neil Patrick Harris, Meg Ryan, Macy Gray, Christina Applegate, Matthew Perry, Janeane Garofalo, Kim Kardashian and others whose faces I recognize [...]

god bless you, caylee marie

It was a very sad day in Orlando yesterday. The remains found by a utility worker for the county were identified as Caylee Marie Anthony.
Although everyone wants her to have a respectful burial, the reality was heartbreaking and disheartening.
An entire nation banded together to help find this little girl.
Now we know her mother somehow let [...]

hare-brained notion or stroke of brilliance?

I have been pondering an idea all week, sparked by the first article.
This is the follow up:
www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-riveras1808dec18,0,573372.story
I have a lovely 3/2, 1700-sf home in College Park (4 miles from downtown Orlando) that I need to sell but this is the wrong market to do it. It’s 70 years old, though the house was gut-renovated in [...]

secret santa

I saw this on 30 Rock (and didn’t realize it was real … I mean who gives out kids’ addresses these days?) After years in Big Brothers Big Sisters (which has very protective rules for the children and massive screening processes), I just figured it was a figment of Tina Fey’s imagination … a holdover [...]

lovely lasagna

1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
[...]

role modeling ponzi schemes

From Thomas Friedman at the Times:
I have no sympathy for Madoff. But the fact is, his alleged Ponzi scheme was only slightly more outrageous than the “legal” scheme that Wall Street was running, fueled by cheap credit, low standards and high greed. What do you call giving a worker who makes only $14,000 a year [...]

cheesy beef enchilada bake texas style

 

1 lb ground chuck or sirloin

 

1 onion chopped

 

1 can Rotel chunky chiles and tomatoes drained

 

12 white corn tortillas cut into 1-inch pieces

 

1 tsp of minced, prepared garlic
½ can cream of onion soup
½ can cream of cheese soup (or nacho cheese soup)

 

1 cup red red enchilada sauce
4 cups Mexican cheese shredded
 

 

 

 

 

 

Prep: 10 min., Cook: 6 min., [...]

let it snow

This is the closest I’ll get to the frosty stuff this year.
If you are WordPress, you can add snow by going to Appearance and then Extras.
Have fun. Ho ho ho.

zippy chicken tortilla soup slow cooked

ZIPPY CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
INGREDIENTS
¨      1 bottle of your favorite red wine
¨      1 pound shredded, cooked chicken (or frozen chicken chunks or strips)
¨      1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed (or diced tomatoes drained of most of the juice … alternatively can use the diced tomato and chile pepper canned variety)
¨      1 (4 ounce) can [...]

the new nyt dream cabin blog

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/garden/11cabin.html?pagewanted=all
At long last. I’ll see you all there!

perhaps some closure

It was with mixed emotion that many people — in Orlando and around the globe — received word today that Caylee Marie Anthony may have been found.
The reality is tragic. The fact that the right person will come to justice is heartening, as is the fact that this adorable child will be given a proper [...]

www.alphainventions.com

Have you visited www.alphainventions.com yet?
I haven’t quite figured out how it works but I have seen increases in traffic. I’m not sure if it will generate loyal readers but it is kind of fun to see dramatic spikes in the daily counter.
Check it out and let me know what you think.

kids sail free on disney cruises

In another example of discounting to combat a worsening recession, Disney Cruise Line has launched a promotion where kids 12 and under can sail for free during some three-night voyages this winter and spring.
Disney says the offer is valid for “most” three-night sailings of the Disney Wonder from Jan. 22 to May 28. The company [...]

top blog referrers

And for our final installment on blog analytics, we have the question: Who referred you?
My thanks to the New York Times Dream Homes Diaries, Dobegil, WordPress, Utube, Finish Rich, Washes of Color and Google Reader, in particular. Thus concludes this scintillating adventure in data collection.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Referrer
Views

dreamhome.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/0…
268

dobegil.wordpress.com
192

wordpress.com/tag/dream-house-renovat…
143

dreamhome.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/1…
125

dreamhome.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/0…
109

dreamhome.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/3…
98

WordPress Dashboard
63
 

theutubeblog.com/2008/10/24/will-ferr…
31

dreamhome.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/2…
22

google.com/reader/view
18

washesofcolor.blogspot.com
18

finishrich.com/pages/home.php
15

dreamhome.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/2…
14

theutubeblog.com/2008/10/19/sarah-pal…
14

top blog search engine terms

We’ve been doing some target analytics on our donor database. And as you can see I have been doing some on this blog as well.
For those visitors not among the three or four regulars, how do you find me?

Search
Views

kraftmaid outlet
731

sometimes he calms the storm
348

bronze appliances
273

bisque appliances
253

oil rubbed bronze appliances
112

slate porch
83

stained glass
80

i can see russia from [...]

top blog posts

More trivia. Observation: Home renovation, building, design and planning drive you here. My philosophical thoughts about whatever … not so much (most didn’t have more than 50 readers). Will this influence future posts? Unlikely. But thanks for coming back anyway!
Top posts as determined by your visits.

Title
Views
 

kraftmaid cabinets at deep discounts
1,839

sometimes He calms the storm, and [...]

top blog clicks

Some trivia.
Top clicks from my website from you, loyal or sporadic readers, both cherished.

cabinetwarehouseoutlet.com
378

actionext.com/names_s/scott_krippayne…
240

wordpress.com
81

wordpress.com/tag/dream-house-renovat…
53

nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/cli…
50

kraftmaid.com
37

collegepark.wordpress.com
37

carolf.livejournal.com
32

dreamhome.blogs.nytimes.com
30

dobegil.wordpress.com
30

doorknobdiscountcenter.com/?CustomerC…
23

examinedlife.typepad.com/johnbelle/20…
17

free tv online

I miss cable some days. I will miss it more when HBO unveils its new 2009 episodes of several shows I love.
However, I’ve taken to watching some shows online a few days after the original broadcast. Among them: 30 Rock, Bones, Brothers and Sisters, Eli Stone, Life on Mars, The Starter Wife, all the CSIs, Are [...]

need a free tipsy tow? call 800-AAA-HELP this holiday

We should not drink and drive. It’s not worth it to you or the other unfortunate souls you may encounter on the road. AAA Auto Club South and Budweiser are offering the Tow to Go service — a confidential ride home and tow to anyone who may have overindulged. The Tow to Go services are available [...]

save ourselves on $10 billion a month

I read this insightful article today at the Orlando Examiner site, www.examiner.com/orlando. The author, Brian Trent, offers five important things we could do with $120 billion over the next year — the amount we’re spending on Iraq. The article is here: http://www.examiner.com/x-1051-Independent-Examiner~y2008m11d28-5-Things-to-do-with-10-Billion-a-Month
Today at the post office, I overheard two gentleman ahead of me discussing the [...]

breaking news? wine liberates your inhibitions at family dinner

OK, so it’s probably not a true story but this is a priceless, very amusing essay in the Onion, which I discovered while reading John and Belle’s blog (our friends from the New York Times Dream Home Diaries). Wine, White Russians and vodka tonics, among other adult beverages, show a causal effect to worthwhile family communication. Ha.
The article [...]

donate a pint, score a publix gift card

Florida’s Blood Centers is offering each blood donor a $10 Publix gift card.
Donors may keep the cards or return them to the blood center, which will donate them to area food banks. They are calling for all blood types, and donations ordinarily are transfused into a patient within two or three days.
For details, please call 1-888-9DONATE or visit [...]