Thursday, June 11, 2009

Buckle up for safety....

Food - A friend of mine made this Carmel corn and it was simply great!

Simply great Carmel corn (makes 14 cups.)

Ingredients: 12 cups popped corn; 1 cup mini pretzels; 1 cup salted cashews; 1 stick of unsalted butter; 1 cup packed light brown sugar; 1/4 cup light corn syrup; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. baking soda; 1 large brown paper grocery bag.

Directions: Place the popped corn, pretzels and cashews in the paper bag. Shake to combine. Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl, 1 minute. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Microwave for 2 minutes. Mixture will boil. Carefully stir and microwave for additional 2 minutes.

Stir baking soda into sugar mixture. It will foam up. Carefully pour over popcorn mixture. Fold top of bag over and shake to coat popcorn.

Place bag in microwave; cook 1 1/2 minutes. (watch carefully as higher wattage ovens may cook faster. Alternatively, transfer mixture to a greased sheet pan; bake at 250 for 1 hour, stirring.) Remove bag and shake. Microwave an additional 1 minute. Pour onto large cookie sheets to cool.

Dish - New seat belt law goes into effect in MN, Tuesday, June 9, 2009.

I have traveled into other states that have signs that read "Click it or ticket it," but you will not find them in Minnesota. However, chances are they will be coming soon to a street you drive on in the state of Minnesota. Minnesota has now passed a law that will permit police officers to stop and ticket any driver or unbuckled passenger failing to buckle up. Really guys, it's true. The violation for the driver and unbuckled passengers carries a $25 fine.

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S967030.shtml?cat=1

Just how much control do we want the government to have?

This newly passed law raises some hairs on my head (I don't have a hairy neck, sorry). It is not just this law, rather it is the accumulation of these small, and sometimes, trivial laws that raise the hair and I feel as though my hair is in need of some gel, or something.

Undoubtedly, this law will save lives. Many studies have shown wearing seat belts do save lives and I wear a seat belt EVERY TIME I ride in a car, I just don't like the fact that there is now a law telling me I have to wear one. I am not a rebel, nor am I defiant, or contumacious, I simply like making decisions for myself. If I ride in a car without a seat belt and I get in an accident and I am either seriously injured; that is my fault and a consequence I have to live with.

I will not argue with the fact that in cases where there are children, the elderly, or people with mental disabilities who cannot make sound decisions on their own there defiantly needs to be some laws in place to protect them.

I will agree that most of the time, "Without rules there is chaos," I just don't think this is one of those times.

I ask that you entertain me for just one moment. What law will they pass next? I am going to blow this way-out of proportion now. The government starts out with small laws that seem harmless and well intended, for our own safety and those around us they tell us. And we accept that rational, even applaud it, but these laws eventually lead to much larger issues and before you know it, the government will be involved in issues where we won't want them to be.

Now, if they want to "govern," I can think of other things they should focus on protecting us from, such as: cell phone companies that gouge us, bank fees, or how about.....the rising gas prices just in time for summer!

Will gas hit $3.00 this year?
http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topstocks/archive/2009/06/08/will-gas-hit-3-this-year.aspx
Don't they know we expected this? Anytime a holiday, weekend, or summer rolls around coincidentally the gas prices jump.

Embellish - Drop a habit that has kept you from reaching your full potential.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Reading to a child; how sweet it is!

Food - It's spring, soon to be summer, and I am craving fresh fruit, crisp lettuce, and some lean protein, but this girl still gets a sweet tooth now and then. So while I was out and about, I happened upon La Patisserie, a bakery in St. Paul, MN.

I have been to this bakery before; however, I was not too impressed the first time. Let's just say, I was fooled. When you walk in the door, the first thing you notice is that it is not your typical bakery with cases filled full of baked goodies (you really find that to be true once you take a bite.) They have some bars, some rolls, and maybe a torte or cake. Like I said, nothing impressive. But after a few minutes of talking with the owner, Deb, you soon find out just what a delicious bakery this truly is. The secret ingredient to this bakery is that all of their cakes or desserts are made fresh-to-order (she doesn't believe in freezing anything) using ingredients such as: real butter, imported chocolate, and fresh cream.

I munched on her Carmel bars (you won't find any like these anywhere else) that have a butter crust, a layer of her special Carmel, sprinkled with chocolate chips and topped with crumbs of the butter crust. I also had to taste (okay, I bought a piece and ate the whole thing,) of the Chocolate Raspberry Torte that is better than, not sex, but certainly is a contender.

Did I mention the prices are really reasonable? They are. If you get a chance, I suggest you visit La Patisserie @ 1570 Randolph Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105.

* If there's a bakery you think we should try, let us know, we will gladly sharpen our sweet tooth.

Dish - You've Got Mail! This movie happens to be my all time favorite movie, with my favorite actress and actor, I might add. I have watched a 1,000 times and I will probably watch it a 1,000 times more. I just can't help myself!

I love the following quote from the movie, it speaks volumes about how important reading is in a child's life. I knew there was a reason I have never wanted to grow up - I love to read.
"When you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your life does. " — Kathleen Kelly (You've Got Mail)

Here is proof that there are happy endings. (Get a Kleenex.)



Embellish - Read to a child today.

Food.Dish.Embellish is starting June with a menu of BINGS & BANGS

Food - Looking for a good summer read that involves romance, suspense and thrills? This following list of 36 nonfiction books, put together by The Hennepin County Library, about eating, cooking and restaurants will certainly give you food for thought and endless summer hours of fun - chow!
http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/BooklistAction.cfm?list_num=195&Genre=Nonfiction

Dish -
Stocks start June with a BANG!http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/01/markets/markets_newyork/index.htm?postversion=2009060114
It's always nice to start a new month with a bang!

Bada bing, Bada bang...June is starting off with a BING! Microsoft unveils BING, check it out ~
http://www.bing.com/?FORM=MFEHPG&PUBL=Google&CREA=userid1743e38d78bf6f0002cad834a6349227d594

Undecided as to who you will use?
PC World does the research for you; Bing vs. Google vs. Yahoo: Feature Smackdown
http://www.pcworld.com/article/165749/bing_vs_google_vs_yahoo_feature_smackdown.html
We compare top features of three search engines-Bing, Google, and Yahoo--in the ultimate search engine battle royale.

-- Oh boy, I can hardly wait until July...maybe it will start off with a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Remember, the best is yet to come; keep the faith.

Octuplets' mom plans to write book, signs TV deal
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/01/octuplet.mom.book.tv/index.html
Gee, who didn't see this coming?

W.H. won't say what Obama's N.Y. date cost (Could this be why the stock market starts June with a bang?)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-05-30-obama-date_N.htm
Do we really have a right to know? The Democrats probally haven't asked, simply don't care or will make an excuse as to why it's good for the Obamas, but the Republicans...well they will notice and will mind a lot! Especially with the current state of the economy and with General Motors, another iconic American company prepares to file for bankruptcy.
Do we care? Do we have a right to care? Are the Obama's just practicing what they preach by stimulating the economy? I suppose the answer lies in: who's paying the bill? What do you think?

Embellish - Dream it. Expect it. Live it.