February 10, 2006
Pork Chops Stuffed with Smoked Gouda and Bacon
INGREDIENTS:
2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded (or any other cheese you're a fan of)
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (also yummy with chives or scallions!)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (2 1/4 inch thick) center-cut pork chops (bone-in or boneless)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS (for the grill):
1.Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
2.In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bacon, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
3.Lay the chop flat on cutting board, and with a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut a pocket into the pork, going all the way to the bone(if boneless, slice toward fat side, leaving fat intact), but leaving the sides intact. Stuff cheese mixture into pocket, and close with a wooden toothpick. Brush meat with oil, and season with salt and more black pepper.
4.Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until pork is done. Be careful not to overcook!
DIRECTIONS (for the oven):
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a shallow baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bacon, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Lay the chop flat on cutting board, and with a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut a pocket into the pork, going all the way to the bone (if boneless, slice toward fat side, leaving fat intact), but leaving the sides intact. Stuff cheese mixture into pocket, and close with a wooden toothpick. Brush meat with oil, and season with salt and more black pepper.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or it may take longer if your chops are thicker. Cook until the stuffing is hot, and chops are to your desired degree of doneness. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
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07:19 PM
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Your Candy Heart Says "First Kiss" |
 You're a true romantic who brings an innocent hope to each new relationship. You see the good in every person you date, and you relish each step of falling in love. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic dinner your sweetie cooks for you Your flirting style: friendly and sweet What turns you off: cynics who don't believe in romance Why you're hot: you always keep the romance alive |
Stolen from Deb, who evidently needs a hug
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Funny lady, new mom, and all-around great person: the fabulous Margi!
Millions of hugs and kisses to you and all your boys on your special day!
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February 09, 2006
| < | You scored as Oboe. Oboe. You're an oboe. yup.
If you were in an orchestra, what instrument would match your personality? created with QuizFarm.com |
from a fellow Oboe
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.And it turns out that my favorite episode of all time just happens to be #6, which is on this set! YAY!!!!
Update: This is one of the BEST DVD sets ever. Lots of artwork and extras, and the menus are cool. There's even a section with 50 profiles of not only the main characters, but several minor characters as well.
The cartoons are remastered and cleaned up and they look and sound better than they did in 1983!!!
PS does anybody else not remember the Orko music sounding quite so much like the Macarena?
So, who is YOUR favorite He-Man character? Me, I love the Sorceress.
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04:07 PM
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In order to use said equipment efficiently, I'm planning on stealingborrowing DH's iPod and jamming while I work out instead of just watching TV, as I have been doing.
Hence the bleg. What are your favorite songs to work out/ run to? I know lots of you do this everyday, so SOMEBODY's gotta have some good advice....
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01:26 PM
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Grrrrr. Hate. Santino. HATE. SANTINO.
Sorry, Nicky, babe. You were awesome, you have great skills, and you're a good person. If I was rich and thin I'd call you for a dress tomorrow.
Oh well, looking forward to tomorrow, when the pictures from fashion week should be able to tell me who the final three are from Daniel V, Chloe, Santino, and Kara, who so doesn't deserve to be there either.
My final 3 would be Nick, Chloe, and Andrae. Or maybe instead of Andrae, Daniel Franco, who is a brilliant tailor and got hosed by the lingerie challenge, IMHO.
That's ok. Survivor tonight. Go old dudes!!!!!!
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01:02 PM
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February 08, 2006
Liberty to express and discuss any issue including religion is a basic principle of a free society and human dignity.Wanna join the party? Go here and leave your name and URL in the comments.Accepting free speech is an essential quality of free people.
Fear of free speech is the mark of one whose beliefs are weak or based on force.
...Because we so despise those who would use violence to silence others, and because we laugh at the thought that their voices speak for any power beyond their own weakness and fear of open talk, we hereby:
Request, invite, and laugh at the issue of a FATWA, CURSE, SPELL, or any other fancied ignominy that any enemy of human liberty may choose to place upon us.
h/t the original Fatwa-worthy one, and while you're there, read this too.
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03:09 PM
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below the fold. Just because 
more...
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February 07, 2006
I know you wish it was HIS funeral, but some things are simply beyond trashy, classless, and rude. Rot in Hell you selfish, pathetic bastards.
You disrespected not only a strong and well-loved woman, but her husband, and everything he stood for by your remarks today. He would never have done such a thing, and I bet you wouldn't have dared to do it if he was still alive.
RIP Martin and Coretta. What you did will always be remembered, long after these jackasses are forgotten.
I heard some of this at work today, and Pam has the links here.
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05:22 PM
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"Clements likens himself to firefighters who, to combat a raging blaze in the forest, will sometimes set small fires in its path to starve the original fire of fuel before it can become an all-consuming wildfire, thus "fighting fire with fire." His numerous critics suggest that he's engaging in vigilantism, and that this is tantamount to protesting capital punishment by killing the guy who throws the switch on the electric chair. But that's a hard sell. Vigilantes operate outside the law, and it's illegal to kill the executioner. By contrast, Clements is operating inside the law, illustrating its absurdity by using the law against itself. "Why," he asks, "should the law be beyond its own reach?""Sounded like a prank at first, right? But this guy is serious, and he seems to have the citizens of Weare coming around to his side.... Only time will tell if Souter loses his house to Kelo, or Kelo loses itself to the courts.
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11:48 AM
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Dear Senator Obama:This is only the first paragraph, folks. Read the rest. And yes, I would vote for McCain/Lieberman (more likely if it was the other way around). It's not about politics. It's about balls.I would like to apologize to you for assuming that your private assurances to me regarding your desire to cooperate in our efforts to negotiate bipartisan lobbying reform legislation were sincere. When you approached me and insisted that despite your leadership's preference to use the issue to gain a political advantage in the 2006 elections, you were personally committed to achieving a result that would reflect credit on the entire Senate and offer the country a better example of political leadership, I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable. Thank you for disabusing me of such notions with your letter to me dated February 2, 2006, which explained your decision to withdraw from our bipartisan discussions. I'm embarrassed to admit that after all these years in politics I failed to interpret your previous assurances as typical rhetorical gloss routinely used in politics to make self-interested partisan posturing appear more noble. Again, sorry for the confusion, but please be assured I won't make the same mistake again."
h/t Darleen
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11:38 AM
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February 06, 2006
"If you are an employee, you must work full time in the general area of your new workplace for at least 39 weeks during the 12 months right after you move. If you are self-employed, you must work full time in the general area of your new workplace for at least 39 weeks during the first 12 months and a total of at least 78 weeks during the 24 months right after you move.Yeah, I can do that. No problem. $5k deduction here I come!
If you expect to meet the time test, you can deduct your moving expenses in the year you move."
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12:48 PM
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Go Steelers!
Peanut had his first bath, complete with documentary photographs
And speaking of babies, no news is good news here and here. Keep on baking Lindsey and Valerie!
And last, but certainly not least:
Best News I've heard in months: Mikey's coming back. He pulled out the vent tube and he's trying to get his voice back! Smash has the details right from the horse's mouth (although Mrs. Mikey is far too lovely to be called a horse)
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12:21 PM
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February 05, 2006
Not like some people, but I have a few laying around. In fact, I left more candles in NC than I brought with me. However, that's beside the point.
A little background: My wonderful husband, although agreeable in most other respects, is allergic to many scents, and thus anything scented has to be approved by The Man before I can bring it into the house, unless I want to deal with hives and benedryl. In terms of my candle habit this has limited the scents I can purchase on my own to Pumpkin Spice, Spiced Apple, or Peppermint. Which are nice but somehow boring....
Many moons ago I purchased a lovely rose scented candle. Not too heavy, not too fruity, a wonderfully pleasant rose smell. The problem? It was a special Valentine's Day candle, and it disappeared after VDay.
Ever since then, I have been on a quest to replace the Perfect Rose Candle. Believe me, I have tried every brand, every store, and always, something was not right. Usually you'd open the top and it would smell like a whore's bathroom (I hate the smell of smoke, so I always get jar candles)...
So fast forward 8 or so years later, every store, every brand tried and finally, FINALLY I go into Wal-Mart just to wander around, and so as I passed the candle display, I made my usual stop and sniff, and I found it. Right there on the shelf. I popped the lid, and thought, "Wow, this is pretty close", and I passed it on to the man for approval, and it didn't make him ill, so I brought it home, and tonight, I fired it up.
And damn, if it isn't the Perfect Rose Candle reborn. Must go stock up on them now, while they're still in the store. Damn. That means I have to go back to Wal Mart.
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09:31 PM
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February 03, 2006
Just keep scrolling down, starting with the 4th photo. Anyone else notice a pattern?
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Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake
Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes Ready In: 9 Hours 20 Minutes
Yields: 12 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (Crushed Oreo or similar)
1/3 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter, to be melted
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (yes, same as above, you need it twice)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur (love that Bailey's)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, confectioners' sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa powder. Add melted butter and stir until well mixed. Pat into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, white sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa and flour. Beat at medium speed until well blended and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the sour cream and Irish cream liqueur; mixing on low speed. Pour filling over baked crust.
3. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C), and continue baking for 60 minutes.
4. With a knife, loosen cake from rim of pan. Let cool, then remove the rim of pan. Chill before serving. If your cake cracks, a helpful tip is to dampen a spatula and smooth the top, then sprinkle with some chocolate wafer crumbs.
TIPS:
If the top of your cheesecake cools too fast and cracks, you can also cover those unsightly blemishes with fruit (like strawberries or raspberries) or a chocolate whipped cream (use real whipped cream, you'll taste the difference)
This also makes a YUMMY cheesecake if you substitute Kahlua (or any coffee liqueur) or Grand Marnier (any good Triple Sec will do, I suppose) for the Irish Cream. Amaretto or Frangelico might also be nice, but I haven't tried them.
Enjoy!
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03:49 PM
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You know the old saying don't sh*t where you eat? Well, it looks like the Army is doing just that.
You may remember that Michael took this picture of a US soldier cradling a young Iraqi girl in his arms. This picture was even nominated as one of Time Magazine's Best Pictures of 2005. However, the Army released the photo on its own initially, without Michael's permission and under the false attribution "AP/US Army".
Since last fall, Michael has been trying to claim the rights to his own photograph, including any compensation the Army recieved for its publication, and has been denied.
According to the Boston Herald, the Army is denying his claim based on their assertion that the
""hold harmless" waiver that [he signed at the ouset of his trip] absolved the government of responsibility for any "injury" Yon might suffer as an embedded blogger.Michael Yon has consistently supported our troops and brought their stories to light out of his own pocket, having recieved no compensation for his time in Iraq, funding his trips to the Middle East on his own. By denying Michael his due compensation for this photograph, the Army is, ironically enough, shooting themselves in the foot by preventing one of their best weapons in the battle of public opinion from reloading.
The army also said that Yon uploaded his photo onto government computer servers, creating an "implied license" agreement for the Army to distribute the photo.
Yon, who's become something of an online celebrity because of his vivid battle dispatches from Iraq, said the Army's arguments are "preposterous". The injury waiver applies to physical wounds, not copyright infringements, he said.
He added he gave the Army permission to use the photo for purely internal purposes."
If you support Michael and his mission, link this post or these posts, and tell his story. Write your congresspeople and senators, too. Especially if you are a Massachussetts resident, like Michael.
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01:55 PM
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Which of course means that he is #1!
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12:46 PM
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