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politics

How dare you keep your own money!

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If you are unaware of all financial life here is a harsh truth, in the last few years property values have dropped. Especially in California, a lot. Part of the bills you pay when you own a home is property taxes which are usually a percentage of your property value. This tax price is usually only decided on when you buy or sell the property. But , and this is a big but, apparently you can have it assessed for other reasons and that can effect your tax. (This is something we at the Nerd Family household are currently looking into for ourselves.)

So what would be the problem with a home owner getting a tax break because their home is worth less? Well, a good portion of the tax goes into the school districts. In Larry Ellison’s case he will be taking $250,000 a year out of the Portola Valley School District. Apparently his home value has dropped about $100 million from the districts assessment (or wasn’t worth that to begin with) and he doesn’t want to pay tax on it. Imagine! So based on everything he is due a $3 million refund. There is an entire article about the effect on the school district in the Palo Alto Daily News.

Now am I shocked or angry that they felt the need to do an article on the effect? No, but the issue is that it is his money and he has a right to it regardless of how much of it he has. That means that I have a right to my money too! I think that governments are going to fight all of these reassessments because they “need” the money more. That is just another case of the government thinking they can spend my money better than me. I say scrap the whole tax system and give me my money;)!

Food

Top Chef 4/2/8: Live Blog

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So I am sitting here with a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream watching Top Chef. So prepare for my sarcasm as it comes;).

So we are starting with our quick fire with guest judge Daniel Boulud. The challenge is to create a vegetable plate with 3 techniques to impress. I am with Lisa in the get done mentality over fancy techniques. (I would love to learn them though!)Ok, I thought it was going to just be knife skills. But some of them were doing quinels (I may have spelled it wrong;) and supremes, I can do all that. I guess I am better than I thought;).

Spike is talking about doing scallion curls with a tool to cut it for him and then dunk them in water. I have to say I saw that on crudite plates as a child. Then to use a tool to cut it?!?!? But dude what did Spike do to that mushroom? He called it a tournee and looked cool. Is that just the cool cutting or is there flavor in it?

The winner of the quick fire was Dale with an Asian inspired plate. It seemed really interesting and there were definitely knife skills there.

The Elimination Challenge is to create a dinner where each course is inspired by your favorite movie. It is a 6 course meal and they will cooking in pairs. As a reward for winning, Dale got to pick who to cook with and he joined with Richard and Andrew for the first course.

So the team of Richard, Andrew and Dale are 1st course and are going with a Willie Wonka theme. (Smoked Salmon with faux caviar and wasabi white chocolate sauce)

Spike and Manuel are going with Good Morning Vietnam for 2nd course. (Summer Roll with Chili Rubbed Chilean Sea Bass and Pickled Swiss Chard)

Jen and Nikki are 3rd course with Il Postino. (Tortellini with Cavolo Nero, Ricotta, Pecorino, Squash and Peppercorn)

Ryan and Mark have 4th course and are going with A Christmas Story. Ryan doesn’t know the difference between New England and New Zealand. This doesn’t not speak well of his intelligence. (Quail Breast with Carrots Puree, Cranberry Chutney and Quail Spring Roll)

Antonia and Zoi have 5th course with Talk to Her. (Rack of Lamb with Cauliflower Saffron Puree and Romesco)

Lisa and Stephanie have the 6th course with Top Secret.(New York Strip Steak and Braised Short Rib and Apple Potstickers with Carmel Sauce)

Andrew wanting to go out to the guests as an UmpaLumpa is kind of freaking.

Lisa and Stephanie’s steak looks so good!

Richard is using his electric smoker again but this time it quits working. It appears they are trying to jerry rig something but they end up having to abandon it.

Padma called course 2 dead on. They wanted to do Vietnamese cooking and then went trolling for a movie. What was up with the little odd piece of chard on the side.

I thought when Mark and Ryan was talking about the scene from the Christmas Story where they went and ate duck. I was shocked we didn’t hear anyone ask where the duck was.

The 5th course seemed to go off kilter. The girls talked about vibrancy but the plate was boring looking.

There seemed to be a lot of Asian influence in the steak dish and I don’t remember that much in Top Secret. But one of the guests hit my pet issue on the head. She said that none of the components were something she could make at home and that scored well for her.

Richard and his Willie Wonka team won the challenge!

Talk to Her and Good Morning Vietnam was in the bottom. It was real clear right away that someone from Good Morning Vietnam was going to eat it. The question is, the leader that led into a ditch or the fool who followed? The follower, Manuel, got sent home.

Technorati Tags: Bravo, Top Chef

Free, Frugal Homeschooler, science

Frugal Homeschooler: Science

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Once again I am out there looking for ways to homeschool on the cheap and this time I am sharing great science websites.

First up is MSNucleus. They have complete, free science curriculum for K-12. You can use the units as is or, like I do, canabilize them to use specific resources for specific points. Next is The Gorilla Foundation. You can get information on gorillas, got to the kids club or see KoKo the gorilla sign. This is very useful to me this year as we are doing 10 animal units. The third sight is a cool Nasa weather sight, SciJinks. They have activities in 4 areas: fun, People, Weather Technology and How & Why.

You can’t forget the hands on science experiments with the TWINKIES Project. They have all kinds of cool experiments that teach real science principles. The last site for today is Extreme Science. They have facts and info on areas of science. I am sure that we will be spending loads of time here.

There are just a few of the science site the web has to offer. If you have any that you like, please share. As always remember homeschooling doesn’t have to be hard or expensive!(Yes, I am trying to develop a tagline;)

Food

Hell’s Kitchen – 1st Episode

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So I watched the first episode of the 4th season of Hell’s Kitchen. I am a die hard Gordon Ramsay fan so I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for me. In a nutshell, it was ok.

The contestants had 45 minutes to prepare their signature dish (which is the opener every season). There were some standout losers. First up was Craig who wears a tall chefs hat that looks taller than him (which of course, Ramsay made fun of). He made this odd dish of Jerk Seared Chilean Sea Bass with a Rum-Raisin Risotto. I am not a chef but… Fish is a delicate flavor, regardless of type, and that can’t handle that kind of sweetness. Maybe if it were a venison or even prime rib, maybe. Rum and Raisin?? That is really sweet.

But that wasn’t the worst. Ramsay said that this next dish was the most disgusting ever and threw up (but I think he throws up once during this part every season;). So if you have a delicate stomach skip the next little bit;). Matt. the “true culinarian”, came up with a tar tar of venison and a tar tar of scallops. Mix into those 2 separate tar tars were capers, pickles, ketchup and white chocolate. I don’t see how any mix of those flavors could be good.

Once again this season the kitchens will be girls versus boys and this time they started off with captains. Both sides did horribly. There wasn’t any food served for over 45 minutes and Ramsay shut it all down before a single entree was served. Now, I am just a mom but you are in a prepped kitchen. How can no food come out for 45 minutes? I can walk into my kitchen with nothing ready and have dinner done in 45 minutes. If I had a prepped kitchen and recipes made for quick restaurant recipes who knows how speedy I could be.

On the boys’ side Bobby, the “black Gordon Ramsay”, stepped up for leadership saying that he could jump in and help others if needed. Wow, did he over sell. Not only was he a bad leader, he was a bad team member. The guys floundered horribly in just starting appetizers. Not only did Bobby not help, he went to far as to say that he didn’t want to jump in because “you got it over there”. Ramsay de-captained him and appoint Lou Ross as the captain. He did a much better job but the guys didn’t even get out all the appetizers. Dominick kept ruining scallops and Jason at the appetizer station couldn’t get any of it right.

Over to the girls. They did better but not great. Their captain Vanessa wasn’t visible in the beginning of service. Ramsay eventually reassigned captain to Rosanne. Then things went smoother. The girls got out all the appetizers but not a single entree.

Bottom line, boys lost and Lou Ross put up Stay at home Dad Dominick and ex-captain Bobby. I was shocked that Jason, who was in charge of the appetizer station, wasn’t put up. Dominick was sent home so I guess we have to endure Bobby and his ego at least one more week. I think it is the reality show contract to keep the jerks around as long as possible. Otherwise, Ramsay really should have kicked Bobby to the curb.

I will see you all next week as I am sure that the action will heat up!

Technorati Tags: Hell’s Kitchen

Food

Freezer Friday:Broccoli Mac and Cheese

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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!

Broccoli Mac and Cheese Gratin

This is an adapted recipe from Cooking Light. I like to double and even triple this recipe. The key is to not to crowd your boiling water.

Ingredients

1 pound of uncooked medium seashell pasta
6 cups broccoli florets (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk or 2% milk, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese (Parmesan will do)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
Cooking spray
2 (1-ounce) slices white bread or 1/4 cup preseasoned bread crumbs or panko crumbs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cook pasta in boiling water 8 minutes; add broccoli. Cook 3 minutes or until pasta is done. Drain.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 45 seconds. Transfer garlic mixture to a small bowl; set aside.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; stir in onion. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3 cups milk. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine the remaining 3/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to onion mixture. Return pan to medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; stir in the cheeses, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and nutmeg. Add pasta mixture to milk mixture, tossing gently to coat. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish (or 2 8×8) coated with cooking spray.

Combine garlic mixture and bread in a food processor; pulse 15 times or until fine crumbs measure 1 cup. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until the top is brown.

Makes 8 very generous servings

To Freeze: I freeze it before baking in 8×8 baking dishes, covered well in aluminum foil. Then I cook defrosted for 1/2 hour or frozen 1 hour.

Technorati Tags: zucchini, Freezer Friday, Make Ahead

literature

The Princess and the Pea

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The NerdPie picked up The Princess and the Pea when we were at the library last week and I internally rolled my eyes. We have all read this story before and I was reticent to read it yet again. But this was a delight to read. The kids and I both loved it. The vocabulary was great because it enabled the kids to develop theirs a bit further and the illustrations were fabulous. I highly recommend this to anyone!

Food

Food Network Challenge Princess Cake

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So of course I watched this with all the little nerdlings. It was a crowd pleaser in our house. It was a good watch. So onto the critique…. With these kind of challenges they bring in special judges and it was made clear that it was all about the princess, not the story. Not everybody paid attention to that and it was clear.

Kate Sullivan: She did a Belle inspired cake and I was under whelmed. It was basically a 3 tiered cake (standard) with a bust on top and some of the characters from the movie on the sides. I really thought that it looked like those Barbie heads we had as kids to practice hair on, if it had been done well. Which it wasn’t really. I think that it was shown that time constraints are not her foray.

Flora Aghababyan: She had a Cinderella inspired cake and it lacked focus and detail. She did a large castle with some detail but a big part of the visual impact was the towers. They appeared to be made of just a cone of paper so that didn’t take a skill per say (a judging element). Then she added some small figurines but Cinderella was the worst. After talking to the judges she said that to do a great Cinderella and a dress would have taken 7 hours. I think that would have been a better use of time. She spent so much time on the rest of it but had an itty bitty Cinderella. Even if she would have been done great, Cinderella would have just melted in to the background.

Elizabeth Hodges, 3rd place: She did a tall Jasmine cake and it was iffy. It was iffy because Jasmine was just barely balanced on the top of a very nice pile of pillows, carpets, etc. She had to use wire and skewers (and they were visible) in order to keep it from falling. It seemed that she didn’t account for the proportions in Jasmine.

Norman Davis, 2nd place: He did a really cool concept. It was a coral reef with Sebastian and Ariel. Ariel was a substantial size and a good portion of the composition. I think that if Ariel’s head hadn’t had some balance issues he probably would have won. He pinned it back and “disguised” it with a necklace and some flowers. So it looked a little odd there.

Mary Maher, 1st place: She did a large 3D Snow White in a forest setting with Dopey. I have to say that the eyes looked odd in both the drawing and in the execution. She really focused on doing a great princess and I think that is what won this for her. Part way through it didn’t seem that she had enough time to finish anything but Snow White but she pulled it together and did an adorable Dopey. All and all it was pretty good.

There is my break down for what it is worth!

Technorati Tags: Food, Food Network, TV

Free, Frugal Homeschooler, history

Frugal Homeschooler: History

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Here are some free history resources.

First up are some fun and interesting sites from the BBC. They have one history section for ages 4-11 and another for 11-16 year olds. They have some interesting history games. They also have stuff on specific time periods(WWI and WWII, etc) and on specific people.

Kids Dig Reed give virtual tours of the 19th century Reed Farmstead in Virginia. It also gives the specific history of the site, talks about artifacts and has games and puzzles.

Colonial Williamsburg also has a great site with cool history resources. The front page has some games but the real learning is under the Teachers/Parents tab. It has an electronic field trip, info on people and the place. It even has a lesson plan.

So that wraps up this Frugal Homeschooler. Look, explore, use and if you have any great resources please share with me. As always remember homeschooling doesn’t have to be hard or expensive!

first grade, literature

Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective

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NerdDad and I both loved the Encyclopedia Brown series when we were kids and so we decided to check out Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (Encyclopedia Brown) for NerdBug. He absolutely loved it. This book was a entertaining and wonderful as we remembered. The part I loved seeing in my son was his logic development. NerdBug could start at the beginning of a case and would slowly start trying to figure them out. While he hasn’t quite gotten to the point of solving any cases before Encyclopedia Brown it is adorable to watch him try. We will be checking out more of these for this and all of our kids!