Kara's Journal
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07/25/2006 20:41 #25004
For jenksCategory: potpourri
07/19/2006 21:52 #25003
The S.S. MuffinCategory: food
As I try to come up with clever names for recipes, like the Ro-Ro-Rollup, here's one that pays homage to my love of boats: the S.S. Muffin. Sounds like a good name for a ship, doesn't it?
Baking when it's 90 degrees in our apartment isn't the worst idea I've ever had, but in the history of bad ideas, it's among the top 20.
The S.S. stands for sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. The recipe is adapted from one on allrecipes.com for five spice muffins.
Tools
One big bowl
One small bowl
Spoons
Muffin tins (I used one tin w/ 6 muffin molds - supermuffins. This recipe would make 12 regular size muffins.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (I had some frozen - in the summer, when it's local and fresh, I always shred a few and freeze them in bags of 1-2 cups.)
4 tbsp boiling water
1 3/4 cup of AP flour
1 cup sugar, any kind but powdered
2 handfuls sunflower seeds
1 handful sesame seeds
3/4 tsp each of: baking powder, salt, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cloves. I used several liberal dashes of cinnamon, and a giant tablespoon of my four spice mix (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and something else that escapes me).
2 eggs, beaten
3 tsbp veggie oil
a splash of vanilla extract
Steps
Preheat oven to 350 F and grease your muffin tins.
Add boiling water to shredded zucchini, mix.
In another bowl, mix all dry ingredients.
Add the eggs, vanilla and oil to the zucchini mix. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Add milk by 1/4 cups until it's a muffin consistency. I can't be more specific than that.
Spoon into your muffin pans.
Bake in the oven for 25+ minutes - mine took 28, but I constantly peek in to see its progress. I need an oven with a window.
Gosh they were yummy.
Baking when it's 90 degrees in our apartment isn't the worst idea I've ever had, but in the history of bad ideas, it's among the top 20.
The S.S. stands for sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. The recipe is adapted from one on allrecipes.com for five spice muffins.
Tools
One big bowl
One small bowl
Spoons
Muffin tins (I used one tin w/ 6 muffin molds - supermuffins. This recipe would make 12 regular size muffins.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (I had some frozen - in the summer, when it's local and fresh, I always shred a few and freeze them in bags of 1-2 cups.)
4 tbsp boiling water
1 3/4 cup of AP flour
1 cup sugar, any kind but powdered
2 handfuls sunflower seeds
1 handful sesame seeds
3/4 tsp each of: baking powder, salt, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cloves. I used several liberal dashes of cinnamon, and a giant tablespoon of my four spice mix (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and something else that escapes me).
2 eggs, beaten
3 tsbp veggie oil
a splash of vanilla extract
Steps
Preheat oven to 350 F and grease your muffin tins.
Add boiling water to shredded zucchini, mix.
In another bowl, mix all dry ingredients.
Add the eggs, vanilla and oil to the zucchini mix. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Add milk by 1/4 cups until it's a muffin consistency. I can't be more specific than that.
Spoon into your muffin pans.
Bake in the oven for 25+ minutes - mine took 28, but I constantly peek in to see its progress. I need an oven with a window.
Gosh they were yummy.
ladycroft - 07/20/06 09:54
ooh, i love allrecipes.com!
ooh, i love allrecipes.com!
chicoschica - 07/19/06 22:43
kara -
I totally feel your pain. We don't have a window in our oven either and it's horrible. I know a watched pot never boils (or bakes), but it's really hard to keep from peeking.
The SS Muffin sounds pretty damn good to me. That's a cruise I'd take some morning during a coffee break. =d
kara -
I totally feel your pain. We don't have a window in our oven either and it's horrible. I know a watched pot never boils (or bakes), but it's really hard to keep from peeking.
The SS Muffin sounds pretty damn good to me. That's a cruise I'd take some morning during a coffee break. =d
07/18/2006 19:51 #25002
Buy our BoatCategory: buy
We're simplifying our lives a bit here at Casa Kane, and part of that involves divesting ourselves of some boat property.
(e:ladycroft)'s entry made me ask myself: does anyone else on (e:strip) have a boat? Like, a real boat, that you can sail - not a noisy motorboat that wastes gas and hurts eardrums.
We have a Potter 15
and it's the cutest thing. If we didn't already have the Catalina 22 in the marina, this would be our main boat. It's trailerable with a decent sized van or SUV, and comes with an engine and all necessary rigging and sails. I have more pictures and other details available; it's perfect for someone who wants to get into sailing, but who wants to start small. What better way to enjoy a western New York summer than out on the water - this is easily launched into Lake Erie, Chautauqua, or any of the Finger Lakes.
If you're interested, or if you know someone who should be, send them my way. Depending on how committed they are to a sale, we could be tempted to take the Potter out for a cruise.
(e:ladycroft)'s entry made me ask myself: does anyone else on (e:strip) have a boat? Like, a real boat, that you can sail - not a noisy motorboat that wastes gas and hurts eardrums.
We have a Potter 15
and it's the cutest thing. If we didn't already have the Catalina 22 in the marina, this would be our main boat. It's trailerable with a decent sized van or SUV, and comes with an engine and all necessary rigging and sails. I have more pictures and other details available; it's perfect for someone who wants to get into sailing, but who wants to start small. What better way to enjoy a western New York summer than out on the water - this is easily launched into Lake Erie, Chautauqua, or any of the Finger Lakes. 
If you're interested, or if you know someone who should be, send them my way. Depending on how committed they are to a sale, we could be tempted to take the Potter out for a cruise.
kara - 07/18/06 22:23
Before you get into sailing, here's a little advice that J told me to remember as one makes the decision to buy a sailboat:
Go into the bathroom with several handfuls of $20 bills.
Stand in the shower, fully clothed.
Turn the shower on, and as your clothes are becoming totally soaked, start flushing those $20s down the toilet. That is the closest you can come to sailing without actually getting on a boat.
On the smaller boats, it's no big deal. If you have to spend $13 on some special little bolt, fine. But when you have a gigantic boat, or are big into racing, and all of the sudden those little bolts are $83 and you need 12 of them - well, see my anecdote.
Before you get into sailing, here's a little advice that J told me to remember as one makes the decision to buy a sailboat:
Go into the bathroom with several handfuls of $20 bills.
Stand in the shower, fully clothed.
Turn the shower on, and as your clothes are becoming totally soaked, start flushing those $20s down the toilet. That is the closest you can come to sailing without actually getting on a boat.
On the smaller boats, it's no big deal. If you have to spend $13 on some special little bolt, fine. But when you have a gigantic boat, or are big into racing, and all of the sudden those little bolts are $83 and you need 12 of them - well, see my anecdote.
paul - 07/18/06 22:00
I want to buy your boat so bad. Unfortunately, the mansion is eating all of my money. How much are you selling it for?
I want to buy your boat so bad. Unfortunately, the mansion is eating all of my money. How much are you selling it for?
07/17/2006 20:30 #25001
RuinedCategory: clothes
I just ruined a load of laundry - an entire load of whites, including one of my favorite shirts of J's, white sheets, and some of my new white dinner napkins. I've read that it's possible to rescue some types of fabric from the inky mess I've made, but generally not if it's cotton (yep) or if it's been set in the dryer (yep, again).
A question for the (e:peeps) - what's the worst laundry experience you've ever had? Mine just happened tonight . . .
And what made it even worse was having my dear J show me, again, the wife school clip
A question for the (e:peeps) - what's the worst laundry experience you've ever had? Mine just happened tonight . . .
And what made it even worse was having my dear J show me, again, the wife school clip
chico - 07/18/06 20:45
ladycroft, thanks for reminding me -- I washed a load of clothes with a Chapstick in the pocket of a jacket and ruined a bunch of things, too -- damn, had forgot about that. Nasty stuff, Chapstick.
ladycroft, thanks for reminding me -- I washed a load of clothes with a Chapstick in the pocket of a jacket and ruined a bunch of things, too -- damn, had forgot about that. Nasty stuff, Chapstick.
ladycroft - 07/18/06 10:30
i washed a tube of hemp chapstick (and dried) which left oil stains on all my clothes. couldn't get it out. boo.
i washed a tube of hemp chapstick (and dried) which left oil stains on all my clothes. couldn't get it out. boo.
kara - 07/18/06 08:25
Thanks to overstock.com, a new set of sheets is on the way. I made a valiant attempt to use nail polish remover on a rather large spot on a shirt, but it ended with me having made an even bigger mess of the shirt, ink on the sink, and blue fingers.
Maybe the moral of the story is that I shouldn't ever spend more than $5 on a piece of clothing; that way, if I stain and/or rip it, I don't feel so darn bad.
Thanks to overstock.com, a new set of sheets is on the way. I made a valiant attempt to use nail polish remover on a rather large spot on a shirt, but it ended with me having made an even bigger mess of the shirt, ink on the sink, and blue fingers.
Maybe the moral of the story is that I shouldn't ever spend more than $5 on a piece of clothing; that way, if I stain and/or rip it, I don't feel so darn bad.
carolinian - 07/18/06 05:18
My worst laundry experience was when I went to the beach with my father and he put a load of dishes into the dishwasher. The reason this qualifies as a "laundry experience" is because he mistook a jar of white powder the timeshare's owner had placed under the sink for dishwasher detergent, when in fact it was powdered laundry detergent.
We were up until 3AM cleaning up the remnants of the unintentional "foam party" in the condo's kitchen that resulted from my dad's attempt to launder dishes.
My worst laundry experience was when I went to the beach with my father and he put a load of dishes into the dishwasher. The reason this qualifies as a "laundry experience" is because he mistook a jar of white powder the timeshare's owner had placed under the sink for dishwasher detergent, when in fact it was powdered laundry detergent.
We were up until 3AM cleaning up the remnants of the unintentional "foam party" in the condo's kitchen that resulted from my dad's attempt to launder dishes.
jenks - 07/17/06 23:07
if it's really just solid white, and already ruined (i.e. you can't make it worse)- it's worth a try to just bleach the hell out of it... like qtip straight bleach onto a spot and see if it does anything... That sucks though. :( sorry to hear it.
if it's really just solid white, and already ruined (i.e. you can't make it worse)- it's worth a try to just bleach the hell out of it... like qtip straight bleach onto a spot and see if it does anything... That sucks though. :( sorry to hear it.
mrdt - 07/17/06 22:43
My worst laundry expirience - well, this is kind of gross.
One Saturday morning, after working the night before, I was washing my chef pants, work unders and t-shirts when I noticed a pair of my girlfriends black panties from the same night on the floor. Trying to figure out why they were down there, I gave them a good look and saw a very nasty white stain in the crotch.
I don't know what the fuck it was but I always had the feeling that this insecure girl was cheating on me.
Needless to say a few months later the girl left me for someone else. But thanks for reminding me of that. There's nothing like the feeling of being told I love you by someone who's been around the entire neighborhood.
My worst laundry expirience - well, this is kind of gross.
One Saturday morning, after working the night before, I was washing my chef pants, work unders and t-shirts when I noticed a pair of my girlfriends black panties from the same night on the floor. Trying to figure out why they were down there, I gave them a good look and saw a very nasty white stain in the crotch.
I don't know what the fuck it was but I always had the feeling that this insecure girl was cheating on me.
Needless to say a few months later the girl left me for someone else. But thanks for reminding me of that. There's nothing like the feeling of being told I love you by someone who's been around the entire neighborhood.
chico - 07/17/06 20:49
Oh Kara, so sorry to hear about the laundry disaster. Did you pick up some of that dye remover stuff, just to give it a try? "Ritt" or something like that...
For the record, I once left a very nice wristwatch in my pants pocket and not only washed it but threw it in the dryer as well. To say that it was pulverized would be putting it lightly.
Also, I once shrank one of (e:chicoschica)'s favorite wool sweaters down to Cabbage Patch Kid size.
Oh Kara, so sorry to hear about the laundry disaster. Did you pick up some of that dye remover stuff, just to give it a try? "Ritt" or something like that...
For the record, I once left a very nice wristwatch in my pants pocket and not only washed it but threw it in the dryer as well. To say that it was pulverized would be putting it lightly.
Also, I once shrank one of (e:chicoschica)'s favorite wool sweaters down to Cabbage Patch Kid size.
07/05/2006 22:32 #25000
AlaskaCategory: places
My in-laws have a wide collection of books. Some line bookcases in the living room - these are the reference books, the photo albums, the cookbooks, the encyclopedias. Other boxes of books sit in storage in the basement, waiting to be opened one day. Still others line a set of shelves heading downstairs - popular fiction from the 1950s onward sitting next to non-fiction books that will teach me French or Spanish, biographies of infamous men, and cast-offs from various libraries and book sales from my travels and their travels
This weekend I picked up the novel Alaska by James Michener and haven't been able to put it down. At this rate I'll finish the thing by the end of tomorrow, and for a book that measures at 900 pages, that's a pretty good clip.
I've read Michener before, starting with The Source in a high school global studies class. Michener's standard style is to take a place (or, for his novel Space, a concept), and weave a set of stories throughout history, beginning with the start of time itself and ending with present day. You get used to his weighty, layered historical detail after a few hundred pages, and if you can get past the sheer volume of his words, the pages reveal a compelling story. This book makes me want to go to this strange state and travel around for a bit, and I imagine that the author would take this as a compiment if he were still alive .
It's hardly a bit of light summer reading - but it does give me an idea - would anyone here like to start up a book club? Something like, we read the same book, then post about it at some point(s). There are a few other Michener books I'd like to try, but I need to take a break after this one, maybe with some non-fiction or a really trashy chick-lit paperback.
This weekend I picked up the novel Alaska by James Michener and haven't been able to put it down. At this rate I'll finish the thing by the end of tomorrow, and for a book that measures at 900 pages, that's a pretty good clip.
I've read Michener before, starting with The Source in a high school global studies class. Michener's standard style is to take a place (or, for his novel Space, a concept), and weave a set of stories throughout history, beginning with the start of time itself and ending with present day. You get used to his weighty, layered historical detail after a few hundred pages, and if you can get past the sheer volume of his words, the pages reveal a compelling story. This book makes me want to go to this strange state and travel around for a bit, and I imagine that the author would take this as a compiment if he were still alive
. It's hardly a bit of light summer reading - but it does give me an idea - would anyone here like to start up a book club? Something like, we read the same book, then post about it at some point(s). There are a few other Michener books I'd like to try, but I need to take a break after this one, maybe with some non-fiction or a really trashy chick-lit paperback.
dragonlady7 - 07/06/06 08:36
Heh, I do need to read more, so perhaps I'd be up for a book club. But I don't know how reliable I'd be. I need to read more to get a better idea of the genres I'm trying to publish in, but when I read I'm useless for writing for a couple of days, so I'm really kind of weird about what I read.
I have started easing into this how-you-say "reading" by reading book review websites like smartbitchestrashybooks.com. And there are several books/series they've reviewed that I think I really might want to read. PC Cast writes fantasy romance/adventure novels with a Celtic mythology theme that I think might be good, and not just because one of her heroines has my name. But--- that sort of genre is not for everyone.
(Just you try writing romance/adventure novels with a fantastic flavor to them when the boy you live with who is your only potential fan at the moment totally hates fantasy and romance. Bah! Welcome to my personal hell.)
Heh, I do need to read more, so perhaps I'd be up for a book club. But I don't know how reliable I'd be. I need to read more to get a better idea of the genres I'm trying to publish in, but when I read I'm useless for writing for a couple of days, so I'm really kind of weird about what I read.
I have started easing into this how-you-say "reading" by reading book review websites like smartbitchestrashybooks.com. And there are several books/series they've reviewed that I think I really might want to read. PC Cast writes fantasy romance/adventure novels with a Celtic mythology theme that I think might be good, and not just because one of her heroines has my name. But--- that sort of genre is not for everyone.
(Just you try writing romance/adventure novels with a fantastic flavor to them when the boy you live with who is your only potential fan at the moment totally hates fantasy and romance. Bah! Welcome to my personal hell.)
terry - 07/06/06 00:59
i guess ill read yer darn books...give me a title already...but less than 900 pgs to start plz
i guess ill read yer darn books...give me a title already...but less than 900 pgs to start plz
joshua - 07/05/06 23:31
Not the trashy chick-lit!
Anyway, depending on the books of choice I might be interested. I think its a very good idea.
Not the trashy chick-lit!
Anyway, depending on the books of choice I might be interested. I think its a very good idea.
aww. Thanks. hopefully I'll be able to change my pic back one of these days. I had to draw that one (obviously) since all the pix I have of myself are so damn smily!