generosity in this economy

Check out his heartwarming story of the family who was forced to put all their belongings on Ebay to pay medical bills.

super bowl fare

Chile Con Queso with Baked Lime Tortilla Chips

Eating Well, Feb ‘09

2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup light-colored beer
1 1/2 cups milk, divided
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 10-oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles, drained
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 [...]

must be in d.c.

the recession

Happy anniversary, Mom (who doesn’t actually read blogs)!
I wanted to share this glass half-full perspective from Kelly at Kitchen Sync.
Nicole wrote me a nice comment for my last post,
Thank you so much for such a reassuring post! There seems to be so much panic out there right now, and we only tend to hear about [...]

steal this kitchen

Although this is a galley kitchen, it’s pretty marvelous (and way beyond any budget I will every hope to have). Oh, and I don’t really cook all that much any more. From www.remodelista.com:
http://www.remodelista.com/2009/01/27/steal-this-look-brooklyn-heights-kitchen/

peanutty shrimp pasta

Ingredients

1/2 a 14-oz. pkg. dried medium rice noodles
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
12 oz. peeled, [...]

all things wordpress

Check out wordpress.tv.

chicken pasta in peanut sauce in 20 minutes

Ingredients
* 8 oz. thin spaghetti
* 1 bunch broccolini, cut in 2-inch lengths
* 1 medium red sweet pepper, cut in bite-size strips
* 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* Salt [...]

tv history on ponzi

Thirty years ago yesterday Lou Grant gave away the ending of the Bernie Madoff scheme. I could not get the embedding code to work but there is the link: http://www.fancast.com/tv/Lou-Grant/90535/783509222/Scam/videos

remember me

This beautiful, moving video was produced by a young girl named Lizzie Palmer to honor the brave men and women protecting our freedom.

inaugural poem

Here is Elizabeth Alexander’s inaugural poem.
Praise song for the day.
Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others’ eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone [...]

today

God bless America.

the story of madeline and her dad matt

Here is a story that is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking. Baby Madeline lost her mom, Liz, the day after her birth. Dad Matt blogs their story.

http://www.mattlogelin.com/

has the world gone mad?

First we have Madoff, whose collateral damage is phenomenal.
Then there was the investment manager who parachuted out of his plane and was found with his wrists cut (Note to anyone planning to do themselves in after swindling others: Don’t use the internet, particularly when the campground gives you a passcode).
Now we have this other guy [...]

i know it’s safer to fly than drive

I have found all of the stories about the US Air splashdown to be quite amazing.
My cousin just retired as a captain for US Air (mandatory retirement age), and he flew the Air Bus Charlotte/La Guardia. So maybe it felt a little too close. I feel the same way when anything happens on American — [...]

we need a superhero

a little perspective

A mother passing by her daughter’s bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then she saw an envelope “Mom.”
With the worst premonition, she opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:
Dear Mom, It is with great regret and sorrow that I’m writing you. I [...]

layoffs continue unabated

Weary of your job? These days, even on the weariest, I count my blessings.
A friend of mine (who got married a couple of years ago to a lovely woman with four children and who are adopting their niece) just got laid off from his job. He was quite good at his job but bottom lines [...]

keg tapped dry at seaworld

It was bound to happen, what with the economy plunging ever day. On Feb. 1, SeaWorld will no longer offer free beering sampling. Say it isn’t so, lol.

a child wise beyond his years

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY

new additions to jenn-air’s bronze kitchen line

The Jenn-Air suite of oiled bronze kitchen appliances has added a microwave and range vent. I am hoping another manufacturer will pick up this color line, and the competition will drive down prices a bit.

a study in bronze
bronze (age) appliances

in the market for a mortgage?

Some advice from the NYT’s Tedeshi.

a complex fate

Henry James once observed that it’s a complete fate, being an American girl.
I would like to second that.

wow, is he really 77?

William Shatner has a series of homemade films, mostly of himself.
CLICK HERE

cute things falling asleep

http://www.cutethingsfallingasleep.org

higher-end kitchen remodel: 75% discount

Imagine a higher-end kitchen remodel — that would cost $50K or more if done by a contractor — pulled together by a DIY husband and wife team for a mere $12K. That includes maple custom cabinets and flooring, granite tops and sink, and all the nifty fittings, trims and moldings that can make cabinetry so [...]

i am often puzzled

I have a friend whose mom died with Alzheimer’s and she’s paranoid about losing her mind. I have been forgetting why I entered a room or what I meant to get out of the cupboard for decades now, so I don’t share her fears in the same way.
Nonetheless I’ve been doing Sodoku puzzles since I [...]

bring them a meal

A bunch of us have been preparing and delivering meals to a friend whose husband has had a wicked diagnosis and a more wicked prognosis.
One of our friends discovered a really handy website that allows you to organize who brings what when.
It’s free, it’s simple and it helped about a dozen of us coordinate and [...]

life is so fragile

Wow, this holiday season was brutal among my donors. I lost three of them just since Christmas. One had lost his wife last year and his daughter says he was just in a hurry to get back with her. Another was only 55. She died in her sleep some five years after losing her husband [...]

rescue kitties, algae and children

I forgot to mention that the children got kittens for Christmas, rescues from the ASPCA. Two little orange critters that came to live with them last Saturday.
The name game went on among their parents, Nana and me for about four days. What to call them?
Although we started in New York, our Texas roots are apparent. [...]

beefy noodle soup

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 cups water
1 medium head bok choy, chopped
2 (3 ounce) packages beef flavored ramen noodles
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Brown meat in a large skillet. Drain off fat, and rinse meat using [...]

welcome 2009

Happy New Year. I was going to write something profound but the pressure was too great.
So let me just wish you a blessed new year, filled with unexpected joys, happy surprises and the love of family and friends. World peace would be a blessing too, as would some stability to the economy.
And farewell, thank goodness, [...]