4/27/11

Sometimes You Just Can't Cure "Stupid"

I was going to write a post on the just plain stupidity of this whole "conspiracy", but this article said everything I wanted to say.

Releasing Obama's Long-Form Birth Certificate Won't Cure "Stupid" TheLoop21.com

I too think it won't change a damn thing with these idiots that have run away from their village and senses. I also will not even enter into a discussion with such "Birthers". I REFUSE to argue with stupid & ignorant. Just go sit down in some damn corner, continue foaming at the mouth and pray you don't hurt yourself as you flail around looking crazy.

As for The Donald...YOUR FIRED. And by the way, you looked and sounded like a complete raving madman during your talk with CNN's John King. UTTERLY RE-DAMN-DICULOUS.

Bytchassedness to the Gazzillionth degree.

4/25/11

Easter Sunday Happenings

It was a blessed Resurrection Sunday! We ended up with 16 people total (6 were midshipman) and we had a blast. I watched The Sound of Music and sang along while I cooked & had dessert & packed my luggage for a trip to The Ten Commandments. Only way to do Easter right.

 

I hope that you had a wonderful Easter!

 

Easter Sunday Happenings

U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen – what wonderful young men & womenIMG_3369

Tree with her Apples

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My Girls

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4/22/11

Easter Dinner Menu Plans

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SAM_0947

It’s that time of year again for the gathering of friends & family to enjoy another magnificent feast. EASTER SUNDAY! WOO HOO!

 

I haven’t had the time to plan a totally new tablescape so I’m running with what I did last year but I will prolly go back to a napkin fold I did 2 years ago – loved those bunny ears:

Bunny Ears

So far we are up to 10/11…how about making it an even 12. Why not use the entire setting of dishes? Here is the menu so far…have to add 1-2 more items that my mother is whipping up.

 

The Kingdom of True Blessings Easter Dinner Menumomscake

Leg of Lamb w/Arugula Cashew Pesto

Honey Glazed Pork Roast

Spiced Mashed Butternut Squash w/Marshmallow Meringue

Scalloped Corn

Veggie Dish – A La Queen Mum

Queen Mum Easter Cake (OMG! If last year was any indication – OFF THE CHAIN)

 

 

May you have a Blessed and Joyous Resurrection Day

Spring Break Project–Raised Garden

photo 1

Yesterday, we put together Princess Cara’s raised bed garden containers, cleaned up all the other containers from last year and got a start on prep & planting for this summer’s harvest of goodies.

 

She wanted to do some flowers in addition to fruits & veggies so we started some marigolds this year too. So far we have some tomatoes, green & red peppers and cucumbers planted

 

We are planning on putting in some watermelon again this year and we are going for that ‘award’ winning squash again. We are also doing giant sunflowers & carrots.

giantzucchini

Last year was a huge success…Let’s see what this season brings.

4/20/11

UPDATE: Recipe Link

ThaiBurgersPEPPERS (4)

I didn’t have a link to the recipe’s for the Thai Chicken Burgers & Mexican Stuffed Peppers so I typed it up (with notes) and have provided a link to the document for your dining pleasure.

 

Enjoy!
Thai Chicken Burgers & Mexican Stuffed Peppers

click above to get recipes

Time is Money/Money is Time

peapod

I was freaking out. Just a tad stressed. I have to take exams, finish up about 8 more hours of online modules, entertain Princess Cara who is on Spring Break, choir rehearsal, concerts, miscellaneous appointments to fit in before I go to Minneapolis for 10 days of MORE TRAINING (I am too friggin old to do this rep shyt), fit in workouts for my triathlon training schedule, wife/house/mom/chex goddess duties to perform, restock liqour cabinet AND grocery shop for Easter Sunday Dinner.

 

…and there are only 24 hours in a day. AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

 

Then the light bulb goes on. While sipping on a glass of wine to calm my nerves & watching an episode of Crim.inalM.inds, I could get my grocery shopping done and have all of it delivered to my door. HALEILUAH! Jesus was a Peapod truck.

 

In 40 min, I had crossed off everything off my list, applied my coupons, used my store card for additional discounts, picked a delivery time/date, clicked ‘complete order’ and I was on to my second glass wine. I just got back about 2-3 hours of my life. YES!

 

2-3 hours in the grocery store, you ask? When is the last time you got in and out of the grocery store, unloaded & put away in less time when shopping for a major dinner party? (P.S. I’m up to 10 for Easter Dinner now…at least it is less than the 16 for Thanksgiving)

 

Talk about a load off my mind. DONE! Time is money/Money is Time. What a load off my mind AND schedule.

 

Have you ever used Peapod or another delivery service to gain back some time to your life?

4/18/11

Heath Advice for Women

wine-915Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
Do you suffer from shyness?
Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?


If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Cabernet Sauvignon.


Cabernet Sauvignon is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. It can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.

You will notice the benefits of Cabernet Sauvignon almost immediately and, with a regimen of regular doses, you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.


Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living.


Cabernet Sauvignon may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use it. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.


Side effects may include: dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of virginity, delusions of grandeur,table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister.
               

WARNINGS:
* The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
* The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.            
* The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may cause you to think you can sing.
* The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may make you think you can converse enthusiastically with members of the opposite sex without spitting        
* The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.    
               

Now just imagine what you could achieve with a good Shiraz..............

4/13/11

Cooking With Love: Puttin’ My FOOT Off In It

I don’t want to brag or nuttin…I’m just sayin’…

 

I HAVE BEEN PUTTIN MY FOOT ALL UP OFF IN SOME FOOD THIS WEEK!

I started off Saturday with a Extra-Crusty Baked rigatoni with Beef Ragu (and a box of chocolate brownies that Becca MADE me whip up). OFF THE CHAIN!

 

On Sunday, I pulled out my slow cookers and pulled together –

Mexican Stuffed Sweet Peppers

PEPPERS (2)  PEPPERS (3)

PEPPERS (4)

Mmmmmm. Yummy!

 

And last night…

Thai Chicken Burgers with a Cucumber/Mint Dressing

ThaiBurgers1

ThaiBurgers

The FireMarshall tore that burger down like somebody was going to try and take it from him. “This is friggin restaurant quality, woman!”

 

I aim to please.

 

We got company coming over tonight so I just gonna whip up something simple like Beef Tenderloin Filets w/garlic spinach & balsamic reduction & Roasted Potatoes w/blue cheese & chives. (Yeah, I’m showing off)  Now, that Lemon & Strawberry Chiffon pie I tried…hmmm…desserts don’t seem to be my thing. Baztard won’t set – HUMPH! Store bought dessert it is. Lemme run over to Oh, What a Cake and get some cupcakes.

 

P.S. For those of you in the know: Just in case I get some wisecracks about some “requirements” up in here…The FireMarshall gets plenty of nookie (The least I can do is lift a leg-TravelDiva, ‘09) & I cook cause I enjoy it.

4/9/11

Finding Your Bike Cadence

The-12-Week-Triathlete

I decided that I would put in a little more effort (actually seems like a LOT) in preparing for the triathlons I signed up for. I got me a new bike…Dominique Diva Dawes…, started going to the Triathlon Group Swim Class at my gym and I even picked up a couple of books on triathlon training.

 

I really like this one pictured above. It breaks everything down in pretty simple & practical terms and has 2 12 Week training programs (Finisher & Performance) that make me look like I am over training.

 

I decided that I was going to do a ride and “get back in the saddle” as I had put off swimming & biking for a few weeks to focus on getting some run time for the Cherry Blossom (a lot of good that did, LOL). The night before I read the chapter on Bike Training.

 

Eye Opener.

 

I have been told by several people or comments made that my cadence (the rate at which I pedal) is high. That if I want to cover a greater distance/go faster that I should move up to a higher gear – push against more resistance. I intuitively felt that was not right or wasn’t really working for me, but since I didn’t really know why I felt that way – like I’m a novice at this, so what do I know – I went with it. I would pedal in a big gear, stand out of the saddle to muscle up the big hills out here in the suburbs wilderness…and I would be exhausted at the end of a ride. My legs would feel like jello…but I beasted out that ride.

 

Here is what Tom recommended regarding cadence:

 

…A high cadence will serve to save valuable energy while on the bile, but more importantly for triathletes, it will also “save” your legs for the run to follow…Triathlon is not about who goes the fastest, but who slows down the least. …Do not forget that triathlon entails three sports and you will have to run after you bike. Push the bike to hard, and you will suffer on the run, possible joining the ranks of the walkers who failed to adequately pace themselves during the bike leg.

….you should try to maintain a cadence of at least 85 RPMs as much as possible…you may not be able to maintain this cadence on steeper hills, but even then it is a good strategy to try to stay in the saddle and spin up them as much as possible…

 

He goes on about finding out if this strategy will work for you and what your cadence is. I figured that I would give it a try.

 

OMG! This was the ticket. I maintained a higher cadence for my entire ride and even stayed in the saddle on some of the steepest hills. What made me a true believer/convert to this strategy was the two cyclists that I CRUSHED (at least in my minds eye). I was attacking the steepest hill on the Iron Girl Columbia Tri route and there was another cyclist at the top catching her breath. She started off but was going real slow. I not only made it up the hill but still had enough energy to blow past her and keep it moving. Later on the route, on the approach up a hill past Glenelg Country Day School, another cyclist blew past me, muscled up the hill, standing in the saddle to get up the hill and trucked on. I kept my pace and eventually caught up to her – why – cause she slowed down after each hill from fatigue and I didn’t. GO ME!

 

When I finished (approx 11.5 miles) I felt good and my legs didn’t feel like jello. I felt that I could complete a couple of miles without walking. I’ll have to put some Brick workouts in to completely test this new strategy but I’m going with it for now.

 

I may be slow as cold molasses on these long run races. Maybe 10K or less is my event. Maybe triathlon is my thing. I don’t know, but I’m willing to find out. I’m having a blast on this journey.

 

P.S. I know I’m a crackhead for Triathlons now. My latest gear purchase.

bikerepair

I going over to my fave bike store to get my personal one-on-one lesson on how to change a flat. It is NOT CUTE to be out in the wilderness with a bike flat. No matter how chexy I look in my cycling outfit & helmet – nobody pull over to help change a BIKE FLAT. NOBODY. All I can hope for is a ride and I watch too much CSI & Criminal Minds to throw my bike into the back of someone’s car (male or female) & hitch home. No thanks. I got this.

4/8/11

Cherry Blossom Achievement Statistics

 

So…Yeah…I finished and that is an achievement…but, well, er, ummm…can you say slow as frozen fuggin molasses. All of these stats just depressed me. I’ve got work to do. Lot’s of work. SIGH.

 

At least I finished ahead of 2% of the male runners. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. *TEARS*

CherryBlossomStats

4/5/11

Cooking With Love–Chicken Scarpariello

When I was a lady of leisure (just last week) I would watch the Today Show just to see what they were cooking up (then wait for Peoples Court – which brought me such joy) cause if Al Roker said it was delicious (without having to fix his face – seriously – watch enough and you’ll know when that mess was nasty according to Al) then it was worthy of the TravelDiva’s “Cooking with Love – Chef Carla, 2011” efforts.

 

About a month ago, they were whipping up some Italian Dishes from Rao’s in NYC and they looked fabulous. I selected the Chicken Scarpariello to whip up tonight and it was FAB-U-LOUS! I even used my bowl of compliments. I have been throwing down lately.

 Scarpariello  Scarpariello2

Scarpariello3

The contrast of the vinegar, hot peppers, sweet peppers & more is just wonderful. A cornucopia of flavors to the palette. Try this one…you’ll love it. A whole meal in one pan…well you need to have a paella size pan to do this right, but sacrifices must be made.

 

Here’s the recipe (my adjustments for the size pan I’m using are in parenthesis) :

Chicken Scarpariello

Frank Pellegrino and Frank Pellegrino Jr. of Rao's Restaurant

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 pound sausage, a combination of hot and sweet, cut into bite-size pieces (1 pk of hot, 1 pk of sweet sausage approx 6 links in each pack)

2 2 1/2-pound chickens, cut into 12 small pieces, bone in (I use boneless breasts/thighs- 2pks of 4-5 in each))

2 large bell peppers, red, green or yellow, cored, seeded and cut, lengthwise, into 1/4-inch strips

1 large yellow onion, cut, lengthwise, into 1/4-inch slices

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup chicken broth (1 cup)

1/2 cup dry white wine (1cup)

1/2 cup halved Vinegared Hot Cherry Peppers (whole jar, approx 8-10oz jar)

1/2 cup Vinegared Sweet Bell Peppers (whole jar, approx 8-10oz jar, minimal liq)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (I just shake it out, I don’t measure)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Heat oil in large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté sausage for about 8 minutes until lightly browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage from pan and set aside to drain. Reheat oil so that it is hot but not smoking, pat chicken dry, and sauté chicken for about 15 minutes or until it is almost cooked through.

2. Stir in bell peppers, onion, garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft or beginning to brown. Drain off all excess oil. Return sausage to pan.

3. Add wine and chicken stock to chicken, sausage, and vegetables and bring to a boil. Stir in hot and sweet vinegared peppers, vinegar, oregano and salt and pepper. Again, bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer slowly for about 10 minutes or until flavors have combined and sauce has reduced. Remove from heat and serve.

Note: You can, near the end of cooking, add 2 or 3 sliced boiled potatoes to this dish. Potatoes seem to have an affinity for the intense vinegar flavors, lustily absorbing the sauce.

Serving Size Serves 6 people

 

Bon Appetit

4/3/11

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

cherryblossom

Well, my first race of the season is done. It was very apparent that I didn’t get enough training in to improve any from the Army 10 Miler…but I’m good with the fact that I finished, didn’t finish last, didn’t have the sweeper bus on my tail and actually had a pretty decent pace for the 1st 5 miles (11:20) – and then my pace went to all hell in a handbasket (READ: Slow as frozen molasses). Ultimately, my average pace was 12:52 according to the time clock; 12:45 according to RunKeeper.

               photo 2  photo 5

It was FREEZING down on the mall. FREEZING with a blustery wind and all. I was bummed that I got to the race so early and had to stand around shivering to wait for the sun to come up and the race to start. I was so friggin cold that when they had some guy get up on stage and do a mini Zumba class as the warm-up, I was ALL IN! I finally go warm dropping it like it was hot in front of the Washington Monument.

              zumba  zumba1

FINALY, it was time to line up according to our “colors” and get ready to GET ER DONE.

              staging  startline

I wore my “wearable speakers” from TuckAwayTunes and LOVED THEM. The only way I knew they were there was because the music was coming out. People kept looking around trying to figure out where the music was coming from. I suppose that having them really wasn’t necessary and the “no headphone” rule was not enforced AT ALL. There were so many people with headphones that it just didn’t matter. I will stick with running/biking with them though because I enjoyed being able to hear my music AND the birds, traffic and other general noises that also helped take my mind off the race.

 

BTW, the heffa that ran up behind me and YELLED in my ear (yeah, I heard that shit) about passing on the right – IT’S PASS ON THE LEFT oh you of unfortunate features. HUMPH.

racepic

N.E.WAY. I finished the race in 2:08. 550/572 in my age group. I’m so glad that there were at least 22 other broads slower than my behind. WHEW! I’m glad that there were 572 women in my age group out there DOING THE DAMN THING. GO US!

 

Next up:

The Peasant Man Triathlon May 8th

Warrior Dash May 21st

4/2/11

You’re a Firework!

So tomorrow is race day! The “season kickoff” of all the various races that I have signed up for.

 

The Cherry Blossom 10 miler.

 

I got up this morning and met BklynDiva (@thefitlounge) at the metro to go to pick up our race packets and check out the Expo shop. My goal was to complete my outfit for a coordinated look and @thefitlounge was looking for an entire race day ensemble. We may not be fast but WE LOOK GOOD! We come up out of the Judiciary Square metro stop across from the National Museum where the expo was and the line was almost a block long. We were like DA HELL! It went pretty quickly and we hit the expo.

 

AND WE WERE WINNING!!!! We hit some 50% off racks and BOO-YAA, SCORE!

expo

I completed my race day outfit & picked up an outfit to match Dominique Diva Dawes (yeah, my bike) to train in. I also picked me up a “Run Skirt”. Has a pair of capri’s built in. I can’t wait to get some run time in them. KEEEE-UUUUTTEEEE! GO ME!!!

expo2expo3

 

I also just HAD to get some stickers for my car. HAD TO!

expo4

 

@thefitlounge and I wrapped it up, walked outside and were stopped in our tracks. The line to get into the building was now 3 city blocks long, going around the 3 sides of the building. DAMN SHAWTY! How bout that wait? I’m so glad that we got up and went early.

 

So, I guess I’m RET TA GO! …and right now I can’t get this song out of my head. It has been speaking to me about a lot of things and while I haven’t achieved a couple of goals I set for myself recently, while I won’t break any speed records tomorrow…

 

BABY I’M A FIREWORK…and I’m going to let my colors burst.

 

Tomorrow is the start of a lot of new beginnings.

 

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July


Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y


Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own

Fierce

Princess Cara tested for her Blue Belt at the Black Belt Institute yesterday and once again did an outstanding job! We are so proud of our little warrior. She is so fierce!

 

 

photo 3