Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
My Dinner Invention – YUM!
I used to do a lot of cooking and was actually pretty good at it. I’d rarely use a recipe – I cook more like my Mom and Grandma – a little of this and a little of that and taste and adjust as I go. Refrigerator full of leftover? No problem, just put them all together and add some things that sound like they will make it all more cohesive and BAM – I had a meal! But – I haven’t done much cooking – especially creative cooking – in a long time! Well, tonight I had the urge and this is what I came up with…..
In my “Sunday Outing” post, I talked about all the wonderful fresh veggies I got from Harris Teeter yesterday. I wanted to find a way to have a nice “harvest” meal.
I cut into medium sized chunks:
whole bunch of thin asparagus,
two whole parsnips,
one sweet onion,
1/2 a large red bell pepper,
1/2 a large green bell pepper,
5 or 6 small white potatoes, and
5 or 6 small red potatoes (potatoes are the ones that are about the size of a ping pong ball)
I put them in a large, deep frying pan and covered them with water and brought it to a hard boil for just a few minutes or so to start cooking them – I wanted to be sure the parsnips and potatoes wouldn’t take too long to cook and make the rest too well done
Then, I poured them into a colander to drain while I fixed the frying pan with a nice mixture of olive oil and real butter
Once melted, I put the veggies back in the frying pan and tossed them with:
two envelopes of Lipton Vegetable Soup Mix,
a couple tablespoons of flour,
pepper,
garlic powder, and
a dash of Worstershire Sauce
The olive oil, butter, and Worstershire Sauce was enough to moisten the powered soup and flour so that it coated most of the veggies nicely
Then I stir fried them until they were nice and brown and crispy – like a pan of home fries!
It turned out sooooooooooooo good!!! A little mushier than I had planned (not sure what I can do differently to keep it from getting too soft – maybe not par-boil it first) – but the flavor was great! The vegetable soup mix was a really good idea – it gave them just the right flavor and added some crunch with the veggies in the mix that didn’t fully hydrate. The coating was perfect!!! The rich flavor of the fresh veggies blended together like a delicious symphony!
I done good — and it was more than enough to be a filling dinner — and there is enough to warm up for another meal tomorrow night!!!
Sunday Outing
It was an incredibly gorgeous day today! I decided that an outing with the top down would be wonderful and it was! The sun was warm and the sky was the most perfect shade of blue with fluffy bright cotton puff clouds! It was warmer than I expected – I wore a sweater and was actually pretty uncomfortable when I was stopped at a light and the sun filled the car with warmth! But – while I was moving, it was very nice — the wind blowing in my hair and fighting the urge to just lay my head back, look up at the sky, and raise my hands in the air to take it all in (not a wise thing to do driving down the highway)!!!
I wish I had taken my camera and captured some shots along the way. I did capture the beauty of the sky, though – but not until I got home – I couldn’t let it go without recording it for history! So – here is today’s sky shot from my back deck looking up over the roof of my house and through the trees in my side yard:
I put the top down and headed out about 11:00 or so. My first stop was Bagels ‘N Stuff – I just had to have some of Lenny’s bagels!! I bought several different ones so I would have some today and tomorrow (at least) and shared some with a friend! I also felt the urge to get a couple knishes! I haven’t had a knish in a very long time and although I knew Lenny served them, just haven’t tried one from there, yet! For those that don’t know what a knish is — it is a potato filled pastry that is a staple in New York City and a traditional Jewish treat! I bought two – one for today and one to take to work tomorrow! I like mine warmed up with applesauce to dip it in. I had one when I got home from my outing and it was DELICIOUS!!! Lots of perfectly seasoned potato filling – very good! If you have never tried a knish, run – don’t walk – to Bagels ‘N Stuff and have yourself a special treat!
Then, I gassed up and headed out Tramway Road to Rt. 1 in Tramway. Along the way, I enjoyed driving by the cotton fields – that isn’t something you see in NY and even after all the years I have lived in NC, I still get a tickle when I see the cotton blossoms looking like snow covered plants! I think it is so cool……another sight I wished I had my camera for!
As I reached Rt. 1 in Tramway, I noticed that the North State Pottery shop was open and realized I haven’t picked out a piece of pottery for the Gala, yet! Each year I pick up a small piece of pottery to have for the free drawing at the Gala – I donate the piece and put out a bowl for anyone who attends to put their name on a card for a free drawing. I always look for a Sanford potter who’s work you don’t see as often as some of the others. In past years, I have gotten pieces from Pottery ‘N The Barn and Shovelin’ Barefoot – two of my favorite Sanford potters! I also really like DK Clay, but for this purpose, I usually like to get something that is a little more unusual in colors and patterns. I was disappointed that they didn’t have a big selection of pieces from Pottery ‘N The Barn or Shovelin’ Barefoot – they told me that they are busy creating pieces for the next Pottery Festival and haven’t brought much in for the store. BUT – I did find a nice pie dish from Pottery ‘N The Barn and snatched it up! Here is what it looks like – it is hard to see in the pic, but it is a nice deep, heavy pie dish with a interesting pattern to the color side and brown speckles on the cream side. There is a message carved in the back that reads “A good laugh is sunshine in your house” and dated 03-17-08:
Then I headed to Southern Pines to see Ghost Town at the theater down there (my review is in the next post). I’ve been meaning to mention something that has been bothering me about going to the movies for quite a while now and it really got to me today, so I’m gonna talk about it here! Whatever happened to freshly popped hot real buttered popcorn at the movies???? Where are the big kettles that popped the popcorn and filled the theater with the smell of it popping right then and there – just for that group of theater patrons! And who’s bright idea was it to replace real melted butter with yellow oil? At some point in time, theater owners stopped the practice of popping the popcorn fresh and started buying big bags of pre-popped popcorn that they dump into their bins in the concession stands – some warm it up so it is still hot, but some don’t!!! And then they pour that yellow oil on it and call it hot buttered popcorn!!! And my other pet peeve about the new generation of movie theater popcorn is that the bag you get (after paying almost as much as the cost of your movie ticket) is mostly crumbs and not that many plump puffs of popcorn! I used to get a large popcorn and really looked forward to it — it was the second best part about seeing a movie in the theater (right behind getting to see the movie on a huge screen) and I always thought it was against the law to go to a movie without buying the popcorn!!! But now, I often don’t even bother getting any – I get other snacks instead – and when I do, it is a small bag to just get a taste and then I’m usually sorry I wasted my money! Anyway — I really enjoyed the movie, but wished I had left the popcorn crumbs alone!!!
I made the most of my trip down to Southern Pines and stopped in at Harris Teeter while I was there! Harris Teeter is the closest thing to Wegmans that we have in the south – now, it doesn’t really compare to Wegmans totally, but it does in the sense of the variety of brands and the fresh fruits and veggies! I love going to HT to see what wonderful fruits and veggies I can get — and the fabulous fresh bread assortments, too!!! I picked up some great looking asparagus, parsnips, red and green bell peppers, small red and white new potatoes, a butternut squash, some scuppernong grapes, and a french mini baguette that smelled amazing! I was planning to make a veggie dinner, but ate the knish and a bagel from Bagels ‘N Stuff and had the grapes as a snack later and that was all I needed for supper – so I’ll do something with the veggies tomorrow night! Among other things, I also picked up some oatmeal and brown sugar — the oatmeal caught my eye and I suddenly had a craving for it!!! I love oatmeal with just a splash of milk and LOTS of brown sugar! I like to keep some in the cupboard and used the last of what I had a couple months ago and haven’t replaced it, yet! I am having a couple slices of the baguette now — warm with real butter melting on it — it is just the right mix of chewy and soft with a classic crusty bread outer crust — YUM!!!
So — after the rainy week we had, it was an absolute pleasure to be out enjoying a gorgeous day!!! I was sad to see it end!
Movie Review – Ghost Town
Ok – so, in case you haven’t already guessed – I love movies OR I have no life – I prefer the first explanation! I really wanted to see Ghost Town, but it wasn’t playing in Sanford, so it didn’t make it to the final choices yesterday – even though it was tied for second choice and probably suited my mood yesterday more than Eagle Eye did (although, I am really happy I went to see Eagle Eye). It may end up coming to Sanford, but I didn’t want to wait for it and then miss out if it doesn’t come here! So – I made the trip to Southern Pines and saw it there this afternoon. It was well worth the trip!!!
This movie is hysterical!!! Ricky Gervais plays a dentist who doesn’t particularly like people and has little or no social skills. He goes in for a colonoscopy and something goes wrong with the anesthetic resulting in him dying on the table for 7 minutes. After this, he is able to see ghosts! Ghosts from all over New York City find out he can see them and they start to follow him everywhere trying to get him to help them with their unfinished business! In particular, the ghost played by Greg Kinnear is the worst one – constantly hounding him to break up the relationship his wife (Tea Leone) got involved in after his death. This all makes for some hysterically funny scenes, the dentist realizing he has been wasting his life by not getting involved with the people around him, and an unexpected love interest!
Some of my favorite parts:
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when ghosts pass through people, the live one sneezes – I’ll never think of a sneeze the same way again! ha-ha
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ghosts walk around wearing whatever they died in – one must have been naked when he died….
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Kristen Wiig plays the surgeon that operated on the dentist – she is one of the Saturday Night Live comedians (the one who does the character that always has to say she has done the same thing as whatever anyone else says – only bigger and better) – she is so funny and is perfect in this role – the scenes she is in are a riot!
Those are by far not the only good parts — just the ones that stuck out at me! This movie was a very enjoyable 90 minutes – it was funny and even quite touching! I really enjoyed it and give it a solid A!
Movie Review + 2
I saw TWO movies this afternoon – both very good, but very different! Per my post of earlier today, I went to see my top two choices…
The first movie I saw was my top choice – Nights in Rodanthe – Richard Gere and Diane Lane were perfect in the lead roles and the story was incredibly touching. I loved the beach scenes and coastal scenery, which made for a mellow and relaxing experience! As with the other movies from this author, the lead characters are tormented by lost loves and the anticipation of second chances. In this story, there is also a secondary story of lost love in the character played by Scott Glenn – his wife of 42 years died on the operating table and Gere’s character was the doctor. This tragedy was what brought Gere to Rodanthe – Glenn sent him a letter asking to talk to him. Lane takes over management of the inn for her friend so that she can get a weekend away from the drama of her divorce. Gere is also going through a recent divorce. Together they share their stories, a hurricane, and the experience of meeting with the grieving Glenn. I won’t spoil the whole movie or the ending, but suffice it to say that there is love, warmth, caring, and more tragedy! If you liked “The Notebook” and “Message in a Bottle”, you will like this movie! It doesn’t really compare to “The Notebook”, so don’t go expecting that caliber of an experience – it is more on the level of “Message in a Bottle”. Still very good and will tug at your heart, for sure, just not quite as perfect as “The Notebook” was! I give it a strong A- and highly recommend it for anyone who loves a good romance!
Then, I sat in the car and listened to some music and made a couple phone calls waiting for the next movie to start – Eagle Eye – I haven’t heard much about this movie – pretty much just what I read in the synopsis and reviews. So, I was mistaken about a couple things — first, I thought the only name on the cast list that I recognized was Billy Bob Thorton. There were actually other stars I recognized that I didn’t notice on the cast list: Michael Chiklis for one and a couple others that I have seen in other films, but don’t know their names. The second thing I was mistaken about was Billy Bob Thorton’s role – it was actually a fairly large role and he was really quite good in it! I don’t care a lot for Billy Bob – he’s had a couple good roles, but on a whole, I don’t usually go see anything he is a main character in. But he was very good in this role – it suited him and he did a good job! I am not going to go into a lot of detail about this movie – you need to see it for yourself! But I will say this: It was INTENSE!!! They crammed so much action in every scene – I don’t know how they were able to put it all together and edit it without screwing it up! Through most of the movie, there was so much going on and such high tech information that I had a really hard time following it all — but it kept me on edge the entire time! I swear that I must have thought and/or said out loud “holy sh**” more times in the two hours than I have in the last two years!!! The whole story was about as far fetched and unbelievable as it could be, but it also totally put the fear of having my every move and every aspect of my life monitored and tracked in me at the same time — I am absolutely paranoid now!!! ha-ha When the movie ended, I finally relaxed my body and found that every muscle and bone ached and I was tense beyond tense!!! I wish I had seen them in the opposite order so that the mellow one came last! This will appeal to any action/adventure/suspense thriller buffs — I give it a big A and urge everyone to give it a try!
After I left the theater, I went to the Dairy Bar for some dinner — now I’m full and movie’d out and ready to curl up on the couch with the girls!
Sad News…
After my last post and checking out posts from fellow bloggers, I was about to log off when I saw the headline: Paul Newman Dies at 83! I just mentioned the movie “Message in a Bottle” in my blog this morning and thought about him – he was one of the main characters in that movie and it was one of a gazillion wonderful movies he made in his long and successful career as an actor. His legendary, penetrating blue eyes and dashing good looks graced the screen for many years – he will be sorely missed!
The Weekend Is Here – YAY!
It is Saturday morning – the weekend is here – two days of fun and relaxation! So – what am I going to do with them??? The first thought this morning is on MOVIES! Since I didn’t see any of the top three from last week’s line up, I now have an even longer laundry list of movies I want to see! More that have been peaking my interest opened this weekend and two new ones catapulted themselves to the top of the list! So — here’s what I’m thinking:
Nights in Rodanthe – Richard Gere and Diane Lane – my new top choice – this is a MUST NOT MISS, SEE FIRST movie for me! No brainer – this one WILL be seen this weekend! Two other stories from this author are on my top movie favorities list – The Notebook (my current all time absolutely favorite movie) and Message In A Bottle (another wonderful movie)! So – it will take something really drastic to keep me from seeing this movie this weekend! Watch for a review!
Eagle Eye – the only name on the cast list I recognize is Billy Bob Thorton, but I won’t hold that against the movie because he isn’t one of the lead characters, so I’m thinking he won’t have a big enough role to ruin it for me! ha-ha I think this one is tied for second choice. It is a Steven Spielberg film and looks very intense! I’m thinking it is the type of suspense thriller that appeals to me, so it is pretty high on the list!
Ghost Town – This was top on my list last week and is now tied for second choice with Eagle Eye! I adore Greg Kinnear and this looks like a really fun, entertaining movie! So – if I see two movies this weekend, the second will depend on my mood — will I be in the mood for suspense or comedy — will I want to be on the edge of my seat or laugh! Those are the questions that will determine which of these two movies are seen first! The other downfall for Ghost Town is that is isn’t playing in Sanford……..
Burn After Reading and My Best Friend’s Girl round out my top five — these will only come into play this weekend if I feel the strong urge to see MORE movies after the top three are seen — not likely gonna happen, but you never know!!!
Other thoughts I have on this cool Sunday morning:
I have mentioned the squirrels that torment the girls every day — well, they are particularly active today — cool weather and dropping walnuts have gotten into high gear! Here are some pictures of the girls watching the squirrels who are teasing them on limbs out of their reach – the pics are kinda dark cause the sun isn’t very bright this morning and if I tried to get up close to them, they would have refocused their attention on me and I would have missed the shot (you can click on the pic and make it bigger, if you’re interested):
And in more pics of the girls — I was curled up on the couch watching the debate last night and I was able to get these pics of Megan and Amy that are a perfect expression of just how boring the the debate was – this is the first time they have ever curled up in these chairs like this – the chairs are positioned together with a small table between them and it was so cute to see the girls each in their own chair, snoozing:
Guess that’s it for now……
CIS Gala – Two Weeks and Counting
UPDATE – I received the list of jewelry Southern Jewelers is including in the Jewelry Raffle – I’ll disclose it in teaser posts I plan to run over the next week or so as I receive the restaurant’s menus, silent auction items, and other details…..it is all so fabulous!!!
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We’re in the last two weeks of preparations for the big event — the 3rd Annual Benefit Gala for Children for Communities In Schools of Lee County will take place on Friday, October 10th from 6:00 – 10:00! If you haven’t heard about it, go read the Sept 13th and 14th editions of the Sanford Herald! It is an amazing event and the major fundraiser for CIS each year! I can’t wait — but — the next two weeks are going to be really intense as we wrap up the last minute details and tie up loose ends! I gotta say — for the third year, the businesses and individuals in Sanford have been absolutely wonderful — their support makes the Gala a success year after year and we can’t do it without them!
Our hosts this year are Mark and Ruth Stewart on Camelot Lane – they have graciously opened their home as the centerpiece for the Gala where guests will tour the home upon their arrival at the event and then make their way out to the tents in the backyard for food, bars, entertainment, and the silent auction!
The restaurants that are participating in the Taste of Lee County this year are Amy’s Confection Company, Bagels ‘N Stuff, Bella Bistro, Cafe 121, Fresh Choice, Myra’s Kitchen, Harris Wholesale, and Smith’s Coffee – these (and the others that have participated in the past and will, hopefully, participate again) are incredible – they donate their food and time to offer up their specialties for our guests and are always a big hit!!!
The Silent Auction Committee put together a Silent Auction to beat all Silent Auctions this year — they have an amazing list of fabulous items donated by Sanford businesses and individuals that will knock your socks off — the list includes trips, spa packages, golf packages, artwork, photography, major sporting event packages, and much, much more!!! All proceeds from the Silent Auction go to CIS – the businesses and individuals have donated all items at no cost to CIS – you just gotta love this incredibly generous city! The CIS Board is putting together a nice item for the Silent Auction, as well – we are all donating wine to be put in a really nice wine rack (I believe the rack holds 24 bottles – not sure of that, though) – the person getting this item will have a wide variety of wines for their tasting pleasure!
New this year is a Jewelry Raffle – in the first two years we did a Diamond Raffle – this year we will offer up a nice assortment of jewelry for the raffle! Southern Jewelers is sponsoring this feature this year! This is the way it will work: Guests will have an opportunity to purchase one of 50 chances for $25 each and every chance is a winner!! The minimum prize your chance will yield you is a $25 gift certificate at Southern Jewelers — so, everyone will at least get their $25 investment back!!!! No risk – no loss!!! BUT — you just may win something even better! There will be several prizes of varying values much higher than the $25 investment! You can’t lose!! And, again, ALL proceeds go to CIS — Southern Jewelers is generously donating all the prizes at no cost to CIS!!!
Live entertainment will be Jackie Gore Entertainment Group (formerly of the Embers) — this is a must attend event!! If you would like to purchase tickets or be a sponsor, please contact the CIS office at 919-718-5426! Tickets are on sale for $100 each and sponsorships are still available beginning at $250 – of course, any size donation is always appreciated, as well! For more info on CIS of Lee County, please visit our web site!
Thank you to all who support CIS and our important programs!
Dancing With The Stars – Week 1
Well, week one is done and I am 2 for 2 in my predictions! I had planned to hold my predictions and comments until after the end of week one, but per a comment I left on my 9-22-08 post, I did go ahead and say that I thought Jeffrey would be the first to go and that Ted would follow him on the second night! And I was correct! The first two to be voted off were Jeffrey and Ted – in that order!
Early ones to watch are Brooke, Toni, and Warren – all are very good and show the most promise – so far! Warren was a shocker right out of the box — for someone as big and athletic as he is, he sure is light on his feet and flexible – not what I expected out of him at all – very good! Of course, it is just the first week, so it is still anyone’s competition to blossom and win!
I would expect the scores to be low the first week because the stars are nervous, it is their first dance, and they haven’t had time to polish their techniques! But, I thought the judges were a little harsh on them – their comments sounded more like what you would expect further into the series if someone hasn’t improved or listened to their advice! Also – I think it is too early (regardless of how good someone is) to be giving out 9s! I think a 9 means they have no room for improvement and certainly they are not perfect, yet!
The first night, Susan Lucci came off nervous and cautious and didn’t get a lot of love from the judges! I forget if it was Len or Bruno who said that her first dance needed a slut and Carrie Ann said she looked frail out there! It was true — I think for Susan to continue improving, she needs to bring out Erica Kane! She is too sweet and demure as Susan Lucci – if she competes as Susan, she’ll surely be done earlier than if she brings Erica out and really pours on the DIVA qualities! She did much better last night, though!
Cody and Julianne are the king and queen of the prom…..a cutesy couple, but I’m not so sure Julianne can pull off enough magic to keep him around very long!
Then there is Cloris Leachman……what a character she is!!!! I think she’ll get to hang around a couple weeks or so because people will vote her in just to see what she’ll do next! But once the competition starts to get heated and the ones that don’t improve in their technique are weeded out, she’ll be gone. I am still in absolute awe of her, though! I can not imagine doing as good as she is doing — and she’s 82 years old!!! She definitely deserves a lot of credit for getting out there and giving it the ole college try!!!
So – who do I think will be voted off next week? By rights in the technical sense, unless someone else really blows it, it should be either Kim Kardashian or Cloris Leachman! Both will be popular with the voters, though – Cloris because people are going to want to keep her around to see what she’ll say next and Kim because of her celebrity status with the younger crowd! So – I’m thinking it just might be Cody next week!
Of course, we have seen some major upsets in past seasons because someone had one bad dance that totally blows all previous good performances out the window……I hope nothing like that happens this year!
Happy Dancing……
Yankee Stadium Closes
Sunday marked the last game that will be played at the historic Yankee Stadium! The Yanks went out with a victory over the Orioles, speeches, tears, sentiment, and cheers from the crowd! It is sad to think that the “House that Ruth Built” – a strong, iconic house rich in history – will soon no longer exist!
Sunday night was an ending to an era and a start towards building new traditions and memories across the street at the new stadium set to open in February. I wonder if the ghosts of all the great Yankee players will follow the crowd to the new stadium – it was part of the charm of being in Yankee Stadium to feel their presence and sense that they were there sitting in the seat next to you or standing behind the pitcher whispering advice or giving a lift to an outfielder reaching to catch a fly ball to win the game! I can’t imagine Yankee Stadium without them!
Click here for a recap of Sunday night’s closing – this will take you to an article on the NY Yankee web site:
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20080921&content_id=3525619&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy
Just across the street, the new stadium is going to be incredible and I hope to be able to see a game there one day. It promises to be a perfect blend of the old and the new. Click here for a virtual tour video of the new stadium – it is a long video, but well worth the time! It has some nice historical info and video, interviews, and a tour of what the interior of the new stadium will look like. A very nice video!
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200809093443211
Such is life – everything eventually changes and we move on!
Dancing With The Stars – Season 7 Begins Tonight!
Season 7 of Dancing With The Stars starts tonight in a live 3 show event where 2 of the 13 couples will be eliminated! I am so excited!! I thought it was strange, though, that there wasn’t the normal hoop-la this year to build anticipation for the show – it is really starting up with very little promotional fan fare!! But, that’s OK. I don’t have any early predictions – I’m waiting to see what happens this first week! My early favorite to root for is Susan Lucci – I think she’ll do good — she is graceful and has been an entertainer most of her life, so she knows what it takes to rehearse and give it all she’s got. Cloris Leachman may surprise us, but even if she doesn’t stay in the competition very long, she gets a BIG A+ for her effort and guts for getting out there and trying to compete at age 82!!! I think they are over playing the athelete card this year with THREE! I’m also interested in watching Chef Rocco DiSpirito. After I see how they come out of the box this week, I’ll start having some stronger opinions on who has staying power and who may be among the ones to leave early!
The line up of stars this season is:
Lance Bass
Kim Kardashian
Cloris Leachman
Misty May-Treamer
Cody Linley
Rocco DiSpirito
Toni Braxton
Ted McGinley
Susan Lucci
Maurice Green
Warren Sapp
Brooke Burke
Jeffrey Ross
I’ll be watching…
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