

The rants and recipes found here are solely mine.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Munchies for Dinner





Fresh Figs with Toasted Walnuts and Bleu Cheese


Fresh figs

Bleu* cheese, locally sourced, please. I used Amablu

Walnuts, coarsely chopped

Honey or real maple syrup



Messy. Yummy. You're welcome.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

So Terribly Sad

I'm trying really hard to get back into life, but I'm just unbelievably sad. My dear, dear friend Angi passed away suddenly last Monday. We had just returned from a camping getaway to Canada when we heard the news. Angi was 43 years old.

I honestly have been speechless only twice in my life. This is one of those times.

I want to write about all she meant to me. I want to write about the anger I have that a cardiac critical care nurse can die of a heart attack. I want to write about the ineptitude of doctors and my frustration with White Coat Superiority Complex. I want to write about why women still die of heart disease and how their symptoms are disregarded or diagnosed as hysteria despite how far we've come in other areas of medicine. I want to write about the clinical images I can't get out of my head of my friend, coding on a gurney before emergency angioplasty and lying in a morgue. I want to write about her husband, her teenage daughter, and all her family members and friends whose lives are empty now.

But, I can't. I can't minimize this life with mere words.

I can hear Angi in my head saying, "snap out of it Beavis", my college nickname from her that somehow remained far longer than her matching Butthead. I suppose not many people remember that show.

I can hear her laughter. I can still collapse in laughter because of just one word from her. Puddin' Long story.

There is a certain order of things and this just doesn't fit it. I will miss her more each day.

Military families make fast friends. Angi told this new Army wife that, "Army wives don't have time for BS." So, we made quick and very deep friendships not because we had to, but because we didn't have time for all the frivolous stuff. The Army moved Angi and Rick on, and we remained behind. I then found out how military families sacrifice way more than the obvious. These fast and deep friendships find you scattered all over the country as people are deployed, discharged, or move on. When others never leave their safe and secure hometowns or stay close in proximity to their college friends, our military families don't. If you can get anything out of this, other than to pay close attention to your heart health, I hope that you can have a deeper understanding of the sacrifices that military families make. I would never have guessed it, if I hadn't lived it. It's not just deployment or the danger of the job, it affects every aspect of your life, for the rest of your life.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Notable Quotable

We can't do everything. ~Nora Ephron

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Flash in the Pan

I remember when I owned my business being floored by the PR and marketing world. While I knew it was pretty bad, I had no idea how bad it truly was. I was shocked by Paid Media vs Earned Media. We never paid for media attention. How silly of me to think that the news was actually news and not just an endless stream of paid advertisers! Many business spend their marketing dollars on "news" programs to make it appear that their highly sought after. And not only do most people believe it, they ask for second helpings.

I'm not a news watcher. The headlines make me crazy. Even public radio and TV can get under my skin. Donor is just another word for commercial and the bigger the donation, the more they get in attention.

We've come to a point in our society where young people are wrapped up in branding and marketing and turned into products. We steal their childhood before they even realize it's lost. Screaming teens are big dollar signs. Figure out how to create a hormone surge and they'll hand over their money. It's been going on for a long time, think The Beatles or Michael Jackson, but I think it's getting worse. Twilight, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber.

Big flash. And it all comes at lightning speed.

I anticipate one day that Justin Bieber will be in rehab for the fourth time or marrying his third wife, looking to find what's missing in his life. Oops. It's your childhood. Gone forever, but here's another Bentley. His head will look even more like Donald Trumps than it does now. The screaming girls will be gone, but the hangers on will still be there continuing to take just one more piece.

Flash in the Pan Corn

You can use any of your favorite spices or leave it out.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Quickly add a bag of frozen corn (or fresh kernels cut off the cob), 2 TB real butter, a pinch of dried thyme, and stir until corn is crisp tender. It doesn't take very long. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Saturday, July 31, 2010






Pulled Pork with Beer and Garlic



Makes a great tortilla stuffer too.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Just One More Grill Marinade

A Smidgen of This Marinade


1/4 cup soy sauce

3 TB honey

2 TB vinegar, white or cider

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp grated ginger


pepper to taste


Thursday, July 29, 2010

Suzie Homemaker Household Engineer and SuperWife






Betsi's Super Easy One Crust Pie Crust


1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 TB skim milk



This is really easy, but don't tell them that!


Add to the pan:

1 TB flour

1 TB butter

1 TB lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar


Take a Whisk
