Microwave Spatter Screen: The Earth-Shattering Update

Over two years ago, I started using the spatter screen and wrote about it on this here blog. 

Now, I know that many of you have my archives memorized, but for those of you who don't, you know who you are, let's review: The spatter screen is a reusable plate cover that keeps the nuke-o-rays from shooting food all over the walls of your microwave. 

Cool, huh?

Back in '07, I bought one spatter screen and have used it regularly since. One! And much to my surprise, it is still going strong. 

I think of y'all every time I use the nifty little thing, knowing that you're sitting around home, wondering how the spatter screen and I are getting along.

Well, we became friends in '07 and have been BFFs since at least '08. True love!

And that, my readers, is all the romantic nonsense about inanimate objects I have to say to you today. Well, except I'm required to tell you that I'm still not getting paid to say these fine, fine things about the product and that I'm writing about it just cuz the bloggy mood struck me and I thought you'd want an update. The end.

Subscribe to this blog's feed and follow me on twitter!

Sausage Rice Casserole

I spent the bulk of my childhood on a farm. A pig farm, no less. Which explains my impeccable manners and refined sense of humor.

*COUGH*

Part of living on a farm included feasting on the fruits of our labor. In this case, our "fruit" happened to look a lot like pork. Mmm. Meal after meal of pork. I can still picture my dad coming in from a day of work singing "piggies in the morning, piggies in the evening, piggies at suppertime." (based on the 1950s song "Sugartime") 

So, after years of eating every part of the pig but the squeal, I grew to love-hate the pork thing. But I still like a little sausage every now and again, and this recipe fits the bill. It's simple to put together and smells great when it's cooking in the oven.

Hope you pig out on enjoy this main dish, straight from the heart of the Midwest.

Sausage Rice Casserole

1 pound bulk sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped celery, optional

1 cup white rice

2 envelopes chicken noodle cup-a-soup

2 1/2 cups water

Cook sausage until browned; drain. Place in a greased 9x13 pan along with the remaining ingredients. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. 6 servings.

More recipes at Ann's Food on Fridays and the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Subscribe to this blog's feed and follow me on twitter!

 

I'm Cuckoo For Pop-up Books

I'm not sure how publishers classify people like me, but I'm guessing the words "penny-pinching party-pooper" top the list. I rarely buy a book if I can hog borrow it from the library.

But have you ever seen a pop-up book at the library? Not likely. And if you have, it probably looks like it's been through a shredder. Which in our house we refer to as "the three-year-old."

For the longest time, I thought pop-up books existed only for the "wow" factor. Turn the page--and "wow." Turn the next page--and "wow." Turn, wow, turn, wow, turn, rip, cry, and wow. The end.

But once my oldest boy got past the destructive phase, relatively speaking, he came across Atlas of Space and instantly fell in love. That's how geeks do romance. Not with people. With books. Their scent, their feel.

I've said too much. 

*fans self*

So this book. I've never seen my boy engage with a book like he does with this one. He'll get it down from the top shelf (hello, still a three-year-old in the house) and read all the fun little facts while he maneuvers the different tabs and flaps. And he now knows more about the solar system than I do. Which is not saying very much. But still.

I've continued to get my boys pop-up books as birthdays or holidays roll around. Three others that I love, as only a geek knows how to love, are the following:

• Pop-up Facts Human Body :: Fabulous resource to have at home. It's like taking part of a science museum home with you.

• Robert Crowther's Pop-Up House of Inventions: Hundreds of Fabulous Facts About Your Home :: I've recently learned that Robert Crowther has a whole series of these pop-up books. A goldmine, if you will.

• The Amazing Pop-Up Geography Book :: Great for what I like to call, "Sneaky School." You already know the depths of my love for geography. And a book about geography? Swoon.

Do you have a pop-up book you enjoy?

PSA: My posts have been kinda listy and link-heavy lately. That's about all my cluttered, busy, stressed-out brain can handle right now. Yes, the links go to Amazon, and yes I get a minuscule commission if you place an order on that site after clicking through here. But no one has asked me to promote these resources. I just happen to like them and want to share what's worked for me.

Subscribe to this blog's feed and follow me on twitter!

Books I'm Hogging From The Library: The March 6, 2010 Edition

Yes, my house looks like the library threw up there. Is that a problem?

Here's what I'm reading in bits and pieces this week:

Eat That Frog! :: I have to chuckle a bit every time I read a book about procrastination. Hello, irony. You amuse me.

The Power of Women :: I hope this book tells me how to improve my roar. It needs a little tweaking.

Confessions of a Public Speaker :: This is not one of those dry, how-to books. It's one of the friendliest books I've read on the topic, all because the points are wrapped up in stories from the author. A must-read for anyone who speaks, at whatever level.

The Everything Homeschooling Book :: It's this time of year that the gears start grinding in prep for the next school year. Good gravy--next year I'll be teaching three grades simultaneously. Help me now.

What's good or bad on your bookshelf?

Subscribe to this blog's feed and follow me on twitter!

Turkey Goulash

One of my beefs with healthy eating is that it usually costs a fortune and tastes like it could use some, oh I don't know...FAT. But I came across this recipe in The Biggest Loser Cookbook* a couple years back and it's been a staple in my menu ever since. And because it's goulashy, it tastes bad for you even though it's not.

Beans and tomatoes are cheap, thank goodness. I even take that frugality to the next level by fixing one pound of meat and doubling the other more inexpensive stuff (see numbers in parentheses). As it stands, this recipe makes enough to feed a sizable family. Double the thing and invite the Marines over for supper. All of 'em!

And as an aside, I grew up calling "goulash" by the name "loblolly," which means (thank you, internet), "thick gruel." Hey, Mom? I kinda always thought so.

Hope you enjoy this rendition of goulashy gruel. Mmm!

Turkey Goulash

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 pound (ish) ground turkey

1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, undrained (2)

1 medium yellow squash, cut into bite-sized pieces (2)

1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes (2)

1 teaspoon chili powder (2)

1 teaspoon salt-free extra-spicy seasoning mix (Mrs. Dash)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

hot cooked rice

Lightly coat a medium nonstick pot with olive oil. Set over medium heat. Place the onions and garlic in the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes, or until the onion is tender. Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl and set aside. Set the pot over medium-high heat and drizzle with a little olive oil. Add the turkey to the pot. Cook, breaking into chunks with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the beans with liquid, squash, tomatoes, chili powder, 1 tsp seasoning mix, salt, cayenne, and the reserved onion mixture Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pot. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 35-40 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Taste and add more spicy seasoning mix, if desired. Serve immediately over hot rice. 4 servings.

More recipes over at Ann's Food on Fridays and the Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap.

Subscribe to this blog's feed and follow me on twitter!

In the interest of full disclosure, no one asked me to promote that cookbook. But if you do click that link and buy something on the amazon site, I get a minuscule percentage of the purchase. The earnings I receive by being an affiliate help feed my family addiction of throwing pennies in a fountain twice a year. 

Classical Music On The YouTube

You know what's more annoying than people referring to YouTube as "The YouTube?" Going to the YouTube to listen to a bit of Fur Elise and finding a nine-year old in a dimly-lit room playing an out-of-tune piano that was recorded with a microphone wrapped in foil.

I mean, not that I've spent enough time on the YouTube to discover these things, no.

But thanks to my recent reading of YouTube in Music Education (full disclosure: affiliate link), I've discovered this magical thing on the YouTube called "channels." Channels are like little home pages on the YouTube dedicated to organizations and individuals with talent. Like real skillz!

Below are some of the better classical music channels I found. Each has a nice selection of songs as well as enough uploads to make an online visit worth the effort. I know how hard clicking a mouse can be, and I don't want to exhaust you.

Piano:

Classical Masters

Music Animation Machine (with a nice rendition of Fur Elise!)

Symphony Orchestra:

Berlin Philharmonic

Classical Music Only Channel

London Symphony Orchestra

Opera:

Los Angeles Opera

Royal Opera House

One thing I like to do when searching for a higher-quality song is to include the word "studio" or "original" in my search (along with the song title). That seems to weed out the songs recorded in a dirty ol' fish tank.

Feel free to add a link to your favorite YouTube channel or online classical music video in the comments. Or you can just tell me how the laughing babies make your giggle or explain why chocolate rain has 18 bazillion hits.

More tips over at Works For Me Wednesday!

Subscribe to this blog's feed and follow me on twitter!

Easter Tradition: Celebrating the Passover Seder

I wasn't there at the Last Supper.

But I've seen some good home videos of that night.

Very intriguing, that Passover. It's a celebration that's been around far longer than good ol' Santa, the Savior of the Materialistic World.

(I am trying so hard not to snark.)

(But it just comes out!)

Jesus!! I love you! I promise!

(But Stuff-Loving Santa? Not so much.)

So this Passover. It is rich with tradition and meaning, and just begs to be celebrated.

Remember that I am a bit on the "over-ambitious" and "rather geeky" side of things. But there is something in my Jesus-lovin' heart that wants to pass on the great truths of the faith in a practical, hands-on kind of way.

A way that also happens to involve eating.

Which is always a positive thing.

Being a teacher at heart, I have put together seven documents (Count them! Seven Overkilled Documents!) that are meant to help YOU host your own Passover Seder.

I hear you asking, "Seder?"

Edited from Wikipedia:

The Seder is a Jewish feast held on the first night of Passover. Families gather around the table on the night of Passover to read the story of the Israelite exodus from Egypt. Seder customs include singing songs, drinking four cups of wine, eating matza (flatbread) and partaking of other symbolic foods.

Our family celebrates the Passover according to Jewish traditions, but we weave Jesus into the story. Because, after all, he is the story.

I forget that every once in a while.

Which is why it's good for me to do these little traditions.

So these documents. They are friendly, and I want you to HAVE THEM. Use them to celebrate the Passover Seder with your family or other small group. All you have to do is e-mail me and I'll zip them right off to you. Here is what is included:

Leader's Script
Participant's Guide
Recipes
Checklist
Glossary
Additional Resources
Comparison Sheet of Celebrations (Passover, Easter, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Seder)

I hope you'll ask for the FREE packet. It's not to be "passed over."

Looking for approximate dates to celebrate? Here is a list showing calendar dates for the years 2009-2015.

Subscribe to this blog's feed and follow me on twitter!