I love recipes. I read cookbooks for fun ... and yet I tease my husband for reading math books for fun... to each their own. A fellow Cairo blogger Wandering the World posted this meme, which is linked to a blog about Fun, Crafts and Recipes - definitely one to bookmark and peruse later!
Here is my play-along with this week's questions:
#1. Turnips. Love em or leave em?
I am a veggie fanatic - except lima beans, which are not technically food - and I like turnips too. Raw or cooked.
#2. What’s your favorite roasted dish?
Roast beef. Pure and simple. Preferably without anything cooked with it. Just good beef, juicy and fairly rare.
#3. Salsa. What kind of salsa do you like?
Chunky, with a bit of kick.
#4. Share directions on how to make your favorite quick meal, meaning start to finish in about 30 minutes or less.
- Take good steak. Show it to a hot grill - Ssss! Sss! on each side. I like it rare, if you want to ruin yours by cooking it longer, you figure out your own time.
- Serve next to baked sweet potato. Microwave 4 minutes, check if soft, but not mushy. Add time in 1 minute intervals. Remove and wrap in tin foil for several more minutes - it continues to cook and comes out great!
- Simple salad. Handful of greens, cucumber, tomato.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
New Addiction
A meme, sort of - but I have only one to list. It's SO addictive that I don't have time for any other addictions currently. The whole family has been sucked in. It's my husband's fault, he found it.
Caffienated Cowgirl at Just this side of normal posted her version of this meme. I'm cheating, but I simply do not have enough good ideas to fill out this whole meme requirement, so if you think you have 5 interesting current addictions to blog about, you can find the rules at her blog.
This game should come with a 'May be addictive' warning - the easy levels get you hooked - so you've been warned:
Fantastic Contraption: A fun online physics puzzle game
(yes, that does say physics - you can call this 'educational' to validate the need to play. AND, you don't need access to the APO to get it either! ;-) !)
Caffienated Cowgirl at Just this side of normal posted her version of this meme. I'm cheating, but I simply do not have enough good ideas to fill out this whole meme requirement, so if you think you have 5 interesting current addictions to blog about, you can find the rules at her blog.
This game should come with a 'May be addictive' warning - the easy levels get you hooked - so you've been warned:
Fantastic Contraption: A fun online physics puzzle game
(yes, that does say physics - you can call this 'educational' to validate the need to play. AND, you don't need access to the APO to get it either! ;-) !)
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Bavarian Mint
As in Bavarian Mint flavored coffee. What a nice aroma to start off a lazy day off from work and school.
Actually, my day was started with no alarm clock, snoozing in with my hubby, listening to the kids laugh, giggle, and shout out with a collection of Sega arcade playstation2 games we have. They are finally able to play games together. Handling all those buttons on the controllers is not that easy for little ones to master. Honor has gotten the hang of it though and they are having a great time.
Soon, the little gamers got the munchies and ran in to ask permission to get a pop tart snack - PopTarts and PS2 - what kind of parents are we anyway? Laid-back that's what kind, everything in moderation - I told them yes, and to work together. They went in the kitchen to get their snacks, and as they came out, Misty slipped out the door (still confined at night, although this may be ending because he's not had an accident in weeks now). The kids know the cats are supposed to stay in until I get up and check on them, so they tried to herd him back in the kitchen...he is too big for either to pick up.. "No Misty", "Get him!", "He's over by the other door!" Next thing, they come running in to us.. "Mooooom! Misty got out of the kitchen!"... what did they want? To let Ramses out too. Honor even went in and checked and told me that they hadn't made any messes. So I said ok. Next thing I know... two cats are sitting on my chest purring all over me. Guess it meant it really was time to get up. I fed them, got their box emptied, and cleaned up. Then, finally, it was coffee time.
There's nothing like opening the bag of coffee first thing in the morning and smelling the aroma of good coffee... ah! I've read recently, I forget where, that you do not even need to drink coffee in order to get a boost from it, there was some study that said even smelling it has benefit. I believe it, but I'd do it anyway. Mmm!
We order our coffee from "The Flying Bean". I found them several years ago after becoming quite bored and depressed with the local selection, even counting what was available at the commissary. I do not like drinking coffee just to put bitter caffeine in my system. I like GOOD coffee. Fresh coffee. Coffee that doesn't not have aftertastes of charcoal, or rancid vinegar. If that is all that is available, I'd rather have tea, or water!
"The Flying Bean" website offers nice sampler packs, then, after you try some of their coffees and get a feel for what they have, you can go to their Coffee Selector, which is a handy graph, sorting the various coffees (by name, linked to the product page) according to light/medium or dark roast and light/medium/full body. If you like one variety, you may want to try another in that same graph box.
Also, once you click on a particular coffee, they have more helpful descriptions for each variety. For example, we really like the Flying Bean Satin - a surprise to me, because it is a full-body, dark roast. I usually do NOT like dark roast coffee, at all. They pull it off without any of that nasty burnt, charcoal-dust, taste! It's rich and very smooth. If you click on the link (above), you see that it brings you to a page with a solid description of the coffee "A dark cup of coffee with a smooth, bright taste. A blend of African, Indonesian, Central and South American coffees.", and a flavor profile chart that includes a rating of acidity, body, and aroma (their definition of terms also available). If you like a coffee with a particular flavor profile - you might enjoy another one with a similar profile.
To get the Bavarian Mint, you have to go to their flavored coffee page. Be prepared to spend some time browsing! They have everything from Almond Nut Creme to White Russian Coffee. We love all of their chocolate flavors. Kahlua Fudge, Chocolate Cherry, Peppermint, Gaelic Grogg...
Most coffees appear to be available in caf and decaf, and you can get whole beans, or one of 5 grinds. The coffee comes in good vacuum bags. I ordered whole beans once, but there is not need. The ground coffee stays very fresh.
Our orders are always filled and shipped fast. They ship to APO addresses (yay!) and their website is set up to take foreign orders, too. Never had any experience with that though I am sure you could email them and ask - this is a small company and you get fast and very friendly replies. I'm using their logo to share this resource, with their permission. They also sell tea (haven't tried it yet) as well as gift boxes and equipment and supplies. We been very satisfied with every order we've placed, and will likely to continue purchasing our coffee from them, even after we return to the land of coffee shops on every corner.
Actually, my day was started with no alarm clock, snoozing in with my hubby, listening to the kids laugh, giggle, and shout out with a collection of Sega arcade playstation2 games we have. They are finally able to play games together. Handling all those buttons on the controllers is not that easy for little ones to master. Honor has gotten the hang of it though and they are having a great time.
Soon, the little gamers got the munchies and ran in to ask permission to get a pop tart snack - PopTarts and PS2 - what kind of parents are we anyway? Laid-back that's what kind, everything in moderation - I told them yes, and to work together. They went in the kitchen to get their snacks, and as they came out, Misty slipped out the door (still confined at night, although this may be ending because he's not had an accident in weeks now). The kids know the cats are supposed to stay in until I get up and check on them, so they tried to herd him back in the kitchen...he is too big for either to pick up.. "No Misty", "Get him!", "He's over by the other door!" Next thing, they come running in to us.. "Mooooom! Misty got out of the kitchen!"... what did they want? To let Ramses out too. Honor even went in and checked and told me that they hadn't made any messes. So I said ok. Next thing I know... two cats are sitting on my chest purring all over me. Guess it meant it really was time to get up. I fed them, got their box emptied, and cleaned up. Then, finally, it was coffee time.
There's nothing like opening the bag of coffee first thing in the morning and smelling the aroma of good coffee... ah! I've read recently, I forget where, that you do not even need to drink coffee in order to get a boost from it, there was some study that said even smelling it has benefit. I believe it, but I'd do it anyway. Mmm!
We order our coffee from "The Flying Bean". I found them several years ago after becoming quite bored and depressed with the local selection, even counting what was available at the commissary. I do not like drinking coffee just to put bitter caffeine in my system. I like GOOD coffee. Fresh coffee. Coffee that doesn't not have aftertastes of charcoal, or rancid vinegar. If that is all that is available, I'd rather have tea, or water!
"The Flying Bean" website offers nice sampler packs, then, after you try some of their coffees and get a feel for what they have, you can go to their Coffee Selector, which is a handy graph, sorting the various coffees (by name, linked to the product page) according to light/medium or dark roast and light/medium/full body. If you like one variety, you may want to try another in that same graph box.
Also, once you click on a particular coffee, they have more helpful descriptions for each variety. For example, we really like the Flying Bean Satin - a surprise to me, because it is a full-body, dark roast. I usually do NOT like dark roast coffee, at all. They pull it off without any of that nasty burnt, charcoal-dust, taste! It's rich and very smooth. If you click on the link (above), you see that it brings you to a page with a solid description of the coffee "A dark cup of coffee with a smooth, bright taste. A blend of African, Indonesian, Central and South American coffees.", and a flavor profile chart that includes a rating of acidity, body, and aroma (their definition of terms also available). If you like a coffee with a particular flavor profile - you might enjoy another one with a similar profile.
To get the Bavarian Mint, you have to go to their flavored coffee page. Be prepared to spend some time browsing! They have everything from Almond Nut Creme to White Russian Coffee. We love all of their chocolate flavors. Kahlua Fudge, Chocolate Cherry, Peppermint, Gaelic Grogg...
Most coffees appear to be available in caf and decaf, and you can get whole beans, or one of 5 grinds. The coffee comes in good vacuum bags. I ordered whole beans once, but there is not need. The ground coffee stays very fresh.
Our orders are always filled and shipped fast. They ship to APO addresses (yay!) and their website is set up to take foreign orders, too. Never had any experience with that though I am sure you could email them and ask - this is a small company and you get fast and very friendly replies. I'm using their logo to share this resource, with their permission. They also sell tea (haven't tried it yet) as well as gift boxes and equipment and supplies. We been very satisfied with every order we've placed, and will likely to continue purchasing our coffee from them, even after we return to the land of coffee shops on every corner.
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