So we all want to know when we are getting our tax stimulus package, right? Well if you go over to the IRS they have a chart of when you should get your money. These are for people who had their taxes processed by April 15th. It is broken up between direct deposit and checks in the mail.
Technorati Tags: irs
Dev Topics has a great list of 101 Great Computer Programming Quotes. I like many of them but here are a couple I loved.
“That’s what’s cool about working with computers. They don’t argue, they remember everything, and they don’t drink all your beer.”
(Paul Leary) (Though I would substitute Chocolate;)
“Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window.”
(Steve Wozniak)
“Most software today is very much like an Egyptian pyramid with millions of bricks piled on top of each other, with no structural integrity, but just done by brute force and thousands of slaves.”
(Alan Kay)
(HT: Why Homeschool)
This last week has been nuts with real life so I am just going to give a very brief summary. Go over to Bravo to get more blood and guts.
The Quick Fire was dessert and they were told if they didn’t have a recipe to wing it! How can you not throw together a dessert? I understand baking being a challenge because it is science but not having a dessert? What is wrong with people? You are coming to a cooking competition and dessert has been a problem for people every season so memorize a recipe. Padma did say dessert not pastry. Richard won the quickfire with the banana scallop.
They tell everyone that they are going to 2nd City for a show and it seems no one realizes that it is a trap. Did they not see the Miami night out last season? The 2nd Citiers started having people call out an emotion, color, and an ingredient. The Elimination Challenge was to cook a 5 course meal with each course to be based on an ingredient, color, and mood combo given by the audience. Then they “assume” they are cooking and serving in the Top Chef kitchen. You know what they say about Assuming;)? In the end Jen was sent home.
Later this week I hope to review the next episode in a little more detail!
Another crazy week so I am going very easy!
Monday- Enchiladas
Tuesday- Pasta Carbonara Florentine
Wednesday- Cube Steak, Beer Bread, Broccoli
Thursday- Cheeseburger Pie, Broccoli
Friday- Date Night! Kid: Mac and Cheese
This week has been a crazy week without blogging time so here is a brief recap.
Ramsay had everyone clean the kitchen before bed and Corrie ditched out and went to bed. So when Ramsay asked who the strongest was on the women’s team the team backed Jen over Corrie. The women even told Ramsay that part of it was because Corrie ditched out on them. The guys nominated Ben. I think that was a mistake and it should have been Lou Ross.
Then Ramsay says the will open for a special family night with a special menu. So the challenge is to roll out and form pasta. They had 20 minutes. The girls won, 6.57 lbs to 5.48lbs! So the guys got to prep both kitchens. The girls got to go to the Santa Monica pier.
Family service begins and the first team to finish cooking wins. The guys serve raw chicken wings while Vanessa burns herself and had to go to the hospital. The girls won and Bobby was considered the best of the worst. Bobby nominated Craig and Matt for elimination. Ramsay wanted to hear from Ben. But in the end Craig was bounced. I think that was an actual benefit for the guys.
So I was putting around the library one day just looking for some good books to read to the kids, not looking for any specific subject but melding learning and fun. Man did I find a jackpot! I found the Magic of Language books. These are books that look at one aspect of grammar and expolres it fully. So far we have read Nouns
This is a crazy week so here is to keeping it simple.
Monday: Enchiladas (in the freezer)
Tuesday: Corned Beef, Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli
Wednesday: Cube Steak, Broccoli, Beer Bread
Thursday: Pork Loin Chops, Fried Potatoes
Friday: Pasta Carbonara Florentine
So I went to a wonderful women’s retreat in the Monterey area last weekend (as evidenced by previous picture). While there I got a lovely sunburn on my shoulder, chest and the part in my hair. Now by head is peeling and it looks horrible. Ug.
Get ready for another exciting episode and some sarcasm!
So Spike is hearing that some think he should have been the one to go home. Maybe if he didn’t act like such a douche others wouldn’t want to send him home. To Lisa’s credit the whole interaction with Dale bothered her and she did try to make a passable peace. Dale even apologized for how he talked to her.
Quick Fire:
So our guest judge is Koren Grieveson. I have never heard of her. The theme is Simple Pleasures. They got to taste 3 out of 16 beers and choose 1 to make a dish to pair with it. They will have 30 minutes cooking. Dale put pretzels in the food processor and was surprised when they turned to dust. What did he expect? Jennifer got a hat tip because she was the last chef and her beignets weren’t greasy and were still light. The bottom was Nikki, Spike, and Dale. The top was Richard, Stephanie, and Jennifer. The winner was Jennifer.
Elimination:
The Challenge was to go to the Bears game and cook at the tailgate party. The fans will determine the top and bottom 3. Then the judges will decide the winner and loser. They had 30 minutes to shop and $350. Spike claims wings first. Mark was mad others used shrimp because then how could he “throw some shrimp on the Barbie”? Ryan proclaims himself a metro-sexual and not a fan of sports.
They had 2 hours to prep and get packed up. It was funny to see Lisa beating the skirt steak with a rolling pin. That is one way to get out aggression. The refrigerators were so full that they were taping them to make sure the frigs didn’t open.
Once prep was over they all went back and apartments and relaxed. Then Spike and Mark are in the bath together (clothed). Just a little freaky!
Spike: Fire Spiced Wings, Jicama and Pinapple Slaw with Lime Dressing
Dale: Baby Back Ribs in Tandori Marinade and Potato Salad with Raisins and Mango.
Richard: Pate Melt Burger
Nikki: Sausage and Pepper Heroes, Grilled Shrimp with Hot Sauce, Spiced Cider
Mark: Chicken and Scallion Skewers with Soy and Onion Glaze, New Zealand Corn Chowder
Ryan: Bread Salad, Marinated Chicken Thighs, Poached Pears, Chili Spiked Cocoa
Stephanie: Pork Tenderloin with Pear, Potato and Bacon Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette
Jennifer: Chicken Marinated with Harissa and a Quinoa Tabouli
Antonia: Jamaican Jerk Chicken Sandwich, Pickled onion with Pineapple and Banana
Andrew: Beer and Mustard Honey Glazed Shrimp with Parsnip/Potato Whip, Apple Chutney and Bacon
Lisa: Skirt Steak and Corn Cakes with Salsa Verde
Then we get to Soldier Field. They had an hour to work. Everyone was given the choice between a gas and charcoal BBQ’s. Mark was the only one that chose charcoal. The guest judge in the elimination was local chef Paul Kahan and we had Gail this time instead of Ted. We had 3 huge Bears legend. Spike claims to be a Bears fan and then asked when the last time they won the Super Bowl. Bad question. That will get the crowd against him. Ryan was really working the crowd and that could definitely help him. He actually had the fans helping him. Andrew was wearing a helmet because “this is his game”. Then his ears got stuck in the helmet. Mark had big problems with the grill and he was very messy. Nikki was just about out of food before the judges tasted. So the judges didn’t get Peppers, Onions, and Sauce. Nikki was just hoping that the fans votes would just take her into the middle.
Judgment:
First up were Antonia, Dale and Stephanie. They were the fan favorites! The judges loved all of the top 3 and they chose Dale the winner. He got a Bears Top Chef jersey and the grill he used! The bottom 3 were Mark, Nikki and Ryan. I guess Ryan’s playing with the fans didn’t out weigh bad food. The judges were holding Nikki very accountable for not making her own sausage and for running out of onions, peppers and sauce. They also thought that having shrimp on the side was odd. They thought that poached pears with creme freshe and huckleberry sauce was crazy for tailgating. Gail also didn’t like the bread salad at all. Ryan went on about bringing California flair but Tom reminded him that wasn’t what the challenge wasn’t about. They felt Mark’s soup was ok but gritty texture. They also felt his area and presentation was a mess. In the end Ryan was bounced. I think it is because he specifically didn’t want to make what would work. He was above it.
Technorati Tags: Bravo, Top Chef
Welcome to Freezer Friday. The goal here is to make our lives easier. Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!
Zucchini Carrot Muffins
This is a great way to get more vegetable servings into your kids and your own diet. The zucchini is also a great ingredient for moist baked good. This recipe can be double, quadrupled, etc without a change to proportion. The recipe as written makes 1 dozen muffins (And I never make only a dozen). I also highly recommend freshly grated nutmeg over the jarred stuff. I tend to use regular (vs unsweetened) applesauce only because that is what I have on hand. If you don’t have room for oodles and oodles of muffins, just use you frozen shredded zucchini.
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup plain or vanilla nonfat yogurt
1 egg
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded carrot
1 tsp vanilla
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Now the original recipe says to use paper liners but I usually just put my muffins into free standing silicone muffin tins on big cookie sheets (I do 48 at a time). Then mix all dry ingredients (Flour through salt). Then add the remaining ingredients until combined but not smooth. Fill muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Then you just allow to cool and then I put all the muffins in the freezer on a cookie sheet. When they are frozen you just put them in zip top bag. Make sure they are labeled. Then to enjoy you can thaw or just pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Enjoy!
Technorati Tags: Zucchini, Freezer Friday, Make Ahead