J came up with the name, and we won't know the results for another few weeks. As with any alcoholic beverage, this recipe is intended for use and consumption by those of legal drinking age. There's my disclaimer, obey as you will. Currently, we have 2 buckets of the sloppy sap and 1 gallon of hard cider fermenting, 3 6-packs of hard cider bottled and aging, and I can't even guess how many bottles of stout, ale and cider are downstairs.
Brewing is an art. I'd recommend starting with something cheaper, like apple juice for hard cider. The initial equipment costs can be a little steep, especially if you buy the ready-made kits. Niagara Traditions Home Brew has a great selection of equipment and supplies, with knowledgable staff.
Ingredients
5 gallons of maple sap that has been put through a reverse osmosis machine.
[This part confuses me, but basically, the sap we used is 6-7% sugar; what comes out of a tree is 1-2%. You can figure this out using a hydrometer. If you've done any brewing, you know what this means. As a reference, Grade A maple syrup is 65% sugar; that's a lot of boiling.] Our source was Wendell's, down near Springville. If you called around to local maple places south of the southtowns, you could probably find a supplier.
Liquid yeast, available from brew supply stores - enough for the 5 gallons. This needs to come to room temperature before being used. The one I used had 40-60 BILLION yeast cells!
Tools
Bleach (for sterilizing equipment)
A bucket with lid that seals tightly, with hole in the top for the airlock; preferably, this bucket will have a spigot, for easy bottling once the fermentation process has finished.
Towels, for when you spill.
A bathtub or super-giant bucket.
A large spoon (for stirring).
Rubber gloves
Steps
Sterilize the equipment with a light bleach solution - this means all of it - gloves, spoons, and the bathtub. Using a bathtub is the absolute easiest way to do it. A kitchen sink just doesn't have enough space.
From there, dump the maple sap *carefully* into the bucket. Reserve a few cup's worth.
Make sure the yeast is at room temperature, following the package's directions.
Rinse out the bag with some of the reserved sap, so that you get as much of the yeast as possible.
Stir the whole mixture with the spoon. Add the top to the bucket (with the airlock). Leave it sit for . . . awhile. We're going to try it after a week to see if any additional sugar needs to be added.
Leave questions in the comments; I'll have to forward them on to the expert.

If you're an epileptic, or are otherwise prone to seizures, you SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A CAR. I was going to pick up some brewing supplies this evening, and as I pulled out I saw the aftermath of a car accident, with the guy who caused it in the driver's seat in the midst of a seizure. There were three or four people there on cell phones (calling 911) already, and the girlfriend who was with him seemed calm - like it had happened before. That's ridiculous. He could had killed someone while driving, instead of just denting a fender. That person, and whoever knew this and didn't speak up when he tried to drive, is a menace.

In several weeks, we will have many, many gallons of maple syrup mead. I don't know the specifics yet, but it will involve several buckets, a bit of bleach, 40-60 million yeast cells, and sweet, sweet maple goodness.

Today, I bought purple shoes. I may only buy purple shoes from now on, and it was the best $7 I spent all month.

My dog enjoys her three b's: her bear, her bone, and her 'bee (frisbee). Is there any interest in joining Abby for a birthday party? I'm thinking some sunny, April evening (her birthday's on the 19th), (friendly, non-biting) dogs and their owners could join us for an evening of homemade doggie treats and tennis balls.

We rented a Ford Explorer, and after 900 miles at about 14.5 miles per gallon, we got our shiny boat back to Buffalo. Seeing that type of mileage astonished me, and it hurt my tree-hugging sensabilities to see how much gas we went through. I'm glad we have our tiny Saturns that get over twice that rate.
The boat is a Catalina 22, and I need to call today about finding a slip for the summer. Otherwise, simple jaunts out on Lake Erie will require a truck rental and an hour+ of driving, in addition to setting up the mast, the motor and dozens of other little chores.
Unlike our last sailboat (RIP), this Catalina comes with a roller furling (sp), portapotty, lots of other awesome features, and everything is labelled. We even have the original manuals for everything, down to the trailer's brakes.

This was the best purchase of the weekend. The second-best purchase was white cherry blossom spray and lotion . Ever since they discontinued the Flowering Herb line, I've had no reason to go into Bath and Body Works. I remember when they brought Flowering Herb back for a few weeks one summer, I called all the BBW's in Buffalo and found a few left at McKinley Mall; I promptly left work and bought them all. This new product comes close to matching the fruit-flower combination that the Flowering Herb scent that I loved so much.

I've had a headache all afternoon, and now that I'm home (with minimal chores to do) I'm feeling queasy and generally unwell.
Unlike most people, when I feel sick, I don't lose my appetite. Unless I'm sick enough that I'm unable to keep food in my stomach, I generally eat as normal. Even when I can't keep food down, I'll still try to eat. Stupidly.
Here's my recipe for a sausage soup, guaranteed to cure what ails you.
Ingredients
olive oil
2 links of sausage - the big, Italian kind that you get at the deli counter. I used one link of mild and one of hot.
1 red onion, chopped.
1-2 carrots, chopped.
4 cups water
beef bouillion
1/2 can, diced green chiles
1/2 c. barley (raw)
salt
pepper
oregano
Steps
Remove the sausage casing. In a big stockpot, add a bit of OO and saute the sausage until it's cooked and crumbly.
Add the chopped onions and carrots. I chop all my veggies in big chopping frenzies on occasional weekends, and store them flat in freezer bags, breaking off what I need when I make these delicious soups. This cuts down on the time it takes to cook.
Add the chiles. You can use whatever chopped veggies you'd like.
Season with salt and pepper. I've been using some fine grain sea salt, because I am cultivating some food snobbery.
Add 4 cups water, more if you're using more veggies, less if you're using fewer veggies.
Add the boullion based on how much water you're adding.
Add the barley; if you're using less water, use less than 1/2 cup of the barley.
Add a big dash of oregano or your favorite green seasoning.
Simmer for 25-30 minutes. Make sure the barley is cooked through and not crunchy.
Serve with crusty bread.


I checked on my best girl She's doing pretty well.

Whether you're a dog person or a cat person , somewhere, there's someone who had way too much time on their hands and developed these incredibly addictive sites just for you.
Naturally, my dog could kick the mangy butts of all the other puppies on that site, so I uploaded her picture. It's pending review - please vote for Abby when you see her "competing" on puppywar.


You may notice that her whiskers are white on one side and dark on the other. It's part of her charm.

My first attempt at this classic Italian dish turned out fine. I have a few special twists in mind for the next time I make it, though.
Ingredients
Lasagna noodles (one box, 12-15 depending on the size of your cassarole dish)
One jar of spaghetti sauce or marinara
One container of ricotta cheese (15 oz)
One box, frozen spinach (thawed and drained very well)
Garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, basil and oregano
1 egg
Romano and/or parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
Mozzarella cheese
Mushrooms, tomatoes
Sausage, cooked
Steps
I dipped the noodles in boiling water for a minute or two to soften them up, then placed them on a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil - otherwise they'll stick! I saw on Giada's Everyday Italian that you can boil the noodles al dente and roll them up with filling in side - that is what I want to do next time.
In a large bowl, whisk one egg, then add the ricotta, the thawed spinach, the garlic (to taste) the salt, pepper and spices (I did about a teaspoon of each, with more to taste), and parm cheese. Combine (I used my pastry blender - a potato masher could work too).
Spray the bottom of a 8x11 or 9x13 baking dish with olive oil.
Make a layer of sauce, about 2/3 cup.
Make a layer of the noodles, overlapping the edges slightly.
Add a layer of the cheese mixture.
Add a layer of sliced mushrooms, or tomatoes - or any other veggies. Zucchini would work nicely.
Add a layer of sauce, about another 2/3 cup.
Another layer of noodles.
Another layer of cheese.
More sauce.
More noodles.
More cheese.
Sprinkle the top with mozz cheese, if you wish.
Bake in a preheated oven (400 degrees) for 50 minutes; cover with foil for the first 35 minutes; remove the foil and keep checking it - any exposed noodles will become dry and crunchy.
Serve with extra sauce; I'd recommend a light salad as a side dish. This meal has so much cheese my arteries were crying out in pain when I ate it.

Drawball is like a massive, awesome version of wannaspell , but with a paintbrush instead of letters.
The tricks to get into the drawing part:
- click "disagree" instead of "agree."
- you need to connect the dots in a certain order - start at one bottom corner, and make your way to the other. It may take you a few times, but you can get it.

The amount of "ink" is limited, use it wisely. Wikipedia says to let your ink levels accrue over a few days.
I wrote "IMPEACH" near the center. Can you find it? I wonder if it will stay there.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day (and an upcoming trip to Ireland), here is my twist on that most Irish-American of sandwiches: The Reuben.

Ingredients
Focaccia bread
Corned Beef - freshly cooked or sliced from the deli
Thousand Island dressing
Colby-jack cheese (or any type of cheddar)
Marinated artichokes
Steps
Slice focaccia into squares; slice these squares lengthwise to open it up into two sandwich slices.
Pile one side of the sandwich with corned beef slices, a few pieces of artichoke, and a layer of cheese.
Bake in the oven on a cookie sheet until the cheese is melted nicely.
Serve with thousand island dressing.

It's that simple. I cooked up a hunk of (WIKIPEDIA - corned beef) last night, and wanted to have a snack of it before I freeze the rest. This is a sandwich inspired by the delicious panini at Panera Bread. The artichokes, a useful substitute for the traditional sauerkraut, gave an appropriate amount of crunch and flavor. I like the Co-jack cheese more than Swiss, anyway, so that's what I used.

I have a pile of stuff to do for the Ronald McDonald House
I have a pile of information for a certain special project.
I have a pile of wedding magazines, lists and related materials.
I have a pile of information for a (sigh) name change. At least I'll keep my initials, but it is an absolute mess to change my name.
I have a pile of shirts to decorate for a certain floor hockey team.
I have multiple piles of clothes to put away.
I have a pile of clothes to hang, and a pile of spring/summer clothes to sort through.
I have a pile of things to go to goodwill.
I have a pile of older wedding magazines (any takers? I'll deliver to north buffalo/amherst).
I have a pile of socks that may or may not have mates.
I have a pile of papers to file.
I have a pile of winter accessories that have, mercifully, been put in a closet until winter comes again.
And I have a puppy whose sole purpose this evening has been to step on, in or near every pile, knocking them over when she can.

Now that most of the snow has melted from our yard, I finally had the chance to do one of my most dreaded, most hated, most feared chores: dog poo duty.
I have a sturdy, easy-to-use scooper, which came in handy while picking up at least 15 pounds of the stuff. Note to self: next year, do this while the ambient outside air is still below freezing. Frozen bits are easier to deal with than mushy bits.
That being said, the temperature felt much higher than 52 degrees, and I was happy to be outside for - gosh, I think it took me twenty minutes.
So if you happened to drive on my street today, I was the girl in the pink jacket, muttering disgustedly to myself and talking to my muddy dog. If she had the capability, I swear she would have been laughing at me.