Archive for » August, 2009 «

What I look for in a kitchen

08
Aug 2009
By

black-countertop-kitchen-homeIf we ever get a house of our own again; this is what I want to have in a new kitchen:

1. Black granite counter tops
2. Stainless steel appliances
3. A backsplash covered in metal tiles
4. An easy to maintain floor (and not cheesy looking)
5. Oak or Maple cabinets with glass fronts on some of the doors
6. Under cabinet lighting
7. A gas stove with a waist-high broiler
8. A pantry
9. A separate closet for mops, brooms and cleaners
10. A built in cutting board
11. Lots of drawer space
12. A center island with room for seating

I watch way too many home improvement shows and want just about everything they do on those shows. The picture above is almost exactly what I want except I want the seating at a center island.

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Apple Crunch Pie

08
Aug 2009
By

apple-crunch-pieGet out your Kettlebells and start exercising now because at 582 calories a serving you’ll need it after eating this pie. It’s organic but that doesn’t always mean it’s figure friendly.

Prep time: 40 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes

3 cups Back to Nature Energy Start Cereal or Heart Basics Cereal

1/4 cup organic butter, melted

3/4 cup Back to Nature Organic Apple Cinnamon Harvest Cereal

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup packed organic brown sugar

3 tbsp. raw sugar

1/2 tsp. organic ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. sea salt

3 lbs. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 6 cups)

3 tbsp. whole wheat flour

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the crust by putting Energy Start cereal in a food processor and process until finely chopped. With the processor running, add the melted butter. Process until well mixed. Press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate, pressing up the sides and across the bottom of the dish. Bake 5 to 8 minutes to set. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Crumb topping – Place apple cinnamon cereal, 1/2 cup of the flour, brown and raw sugars, cinnamon and salt in a food processor. Pulse until well mixed. Add 1.2 cup cold butter; pulsing until well mixed. Set aside 1 cup for topping.

3. In a large bowl combine the apples, 1 cup crumb mixture and 1 tablespoon flour; toss to mix. Pile the apple mixture into the pie plate, arranging and pressing slightly to fill the pie plate evenly.

4. Combine the remaining crumb mixture and remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a small bowl. Mix well. Sprinkle this over the pie. Cover the outer edge of the crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning.

5. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 15 to 25 minutes more or until golden and apples are tender. A knife inserted into the center will give little or no resistance when the pie is done. Cool completely.

Makes 8 servings

Per Serving: 582 calories, 70g carbohydrate, 13g protein, 31g fat, 6g fiber, 76mg cholesterol, 257mg sodium.

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It quit

07
Aug 2009
By

Tayler’s laptop battery won’t charge anymore. The battery is pretty expensive to replace. It’s probably time for her parents to look for laptop deals online or in a store and get her a new one.

I was afraid the battery was going. She would have it charged up and when it was unplugged the battery drained in less than a half hour. She has to be going crazy because she’s always on her laptop when she wasn’t in school.

I have a laptop here but it won’t do her any good because the hard drive went which is why I want to get myself a new laptop.

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Done

05
Aug 2009
By

Andi is out of the Army and on July 30th one of those cross country moving companies came and packed up all of her stuff. It will be here soon and she has to get a storage unit to put it in. I’d have her put it here but I don’t really have all that much room now.

Right now she’s up in Pennsylvania with her boyfriend but she says that she’s miserable and wants to come home. I don’t know if it’s because it’s getting close to time for the baby to come and she wants to be with family or what. It sure wouldn’t hurt my feelings if she wanted to come stay with me. I miss her even though she’s only about 4 hours away.

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Chocolate Macaroon Pie

04
Aug 2009
By

pie001Instead of looking for diet pill reviews.. how about making this yummy looking pie?

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs, beaten with a hand mixer until frothy (about 5 minutes)
1 14 oz bag shredded coconut
3 tbsp. flour
3 tbsp. butter
1.2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 6 oz premade chocolate crumb crust
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a low boil. Temper mixture by adding 3 tbsps. warm condensed milk to the beaten eggs. Mix gently. Repeat 3 times.

2. Return egg mixture to the saucepan. Bring to a low boil and remove from heat.

3. Add coconut and flour. Stir to combine well. Stir in melted butter and vanilla to combine.

4. Line crust with chocolate chunks and top with the egg mixture. Place pie on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake on the center oven rack for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is browned and slightly firm in the center. Cool on wire rack at least 1 hour or preferably overnight before cutting.

Makes 8 servings.

780 calories per serving.

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Still no luck

04
Aug 2009
By

I still haven’t had any luck finding a job. I can’t believe no one needs an experienced office worker. There haven’t been any jobs in the paper.. not even for Tennessee injury lawyers. I can file, answer phones, etc. I can use Word, Excel and many other office programs.

I even applied at WaWa and Shoprite and haven’t heard anything back from either place. As much as standing for long periods bothers my back I’m willing to give working in places like that a try.

Something has to come up soon. I really need to work.

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