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More Fudge
Friday, March 5th, 2010Sorry for the delay in this post; I was experiencing connectivity issues.
I have been at it again! I have had the fudge making bug. I made peanut butter fudge last week and I made maple walnut fudge this week. Some of you might remember that my last attempt at maple walnut fudge was not to successful. I am happy to report that this time my fudge was perfect. Not only did it have a fabulous flavor, the texture was good, too. My problem last time was that I used a grinder and I did not get the walnuts smooth enough. This time I used a blender and I blended the walnuts until they were fairly smooth. I would liked to have gotten them smoother, but I don’t think I can with the equipment I have. However, my efforts paid off. Last time the fudge turned out grainy, this time the fudge was smooth. I have been having a hard time not eating all of it!
This time, I also experimented with chocolate. I have a mold that makes 16 candies about the size of a Reese’s cup. Since my fudge is so sweet, I decided to try it with dark chocolate. I tried making peanut butter fudge cups and was successful, but I thought it was a time consuming process. After I made the cups, I poured the extra chocolate over the rest of the peanut butter fudge. I decided that since the flavor was the same, next time I would save myself the trouble and just do it that way.
Next up: almond fudge.
You might wonder, what’s with all the fudge? I have been toying around with the idea of selling my fudge to local stores to make a little extra money. I’m not sure if anyone will be interested, but we shall see.
The Wonders of YouTube
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010Almost everyone has explored YouTube at one time or another. The entertainment possibilities seem endless. There are even YouTube shows now. I am not that into YouTube, nor do I spend much time searching it. I usually find things by following links friends recommend. So in the interest of spreading the joy, here are some of my favorites.
The Treadmill Music Video
I think almost everyone has seen this one. But if you haven’t, it is worth your time to take a look. I have wondered how long it took to figure out the choreography. However long it took, I’m glad they did it because the choreography is what makes this video interesting. Don’t get me wrong, the song is catchy, but it is the choreography that has me revisiting this video every once in a while.
The evolution of dance
This one is a mix of comedy and dance. Even though I don’t follow music and dance very well, I still recognized most of the dance steps he was doing. They are just iconic and we have seen most of them even if we haven’t seen the music videos they came from.
The Perils of Travel
This is a clip from some Australian tv show of a comedian from Wales complaining about the troubles he encountered during his trip to Australia. I know that at least one of my friends can really relate to this one.
Supernatural videos
As you already know if you have read many of my posts, I am a big Supernatural fan. I generally don’t search out videos myself, but after going to a convention (yes, I admit it, I am a one of those fans) and seeing a video, I decided to try to find it on YouTube. I found it and several others. Here are my favorites.
The first video is the video I set out to find. It is set to the song ‘Not Yet Dead’ from Spamalot and shows at lot of scenes of Dean and Sam (but especially Dean) getting pummeled. (A warning for those who have not seen all of Supernatural and are thinking of catching up, this video takes scenes from the first season and the first half of the second season.) I will say that although the video is funny, I like it mostly for the song. After seeing this video, I really want to see the show Spamalot.
The next Supernatural video recaps the episode ‘Mystery Spot’ from the third season. I love this video both for the song (very gripping – it was used in an episode of Smallville. The only reason to watch that episode is to see the end sequence where Lex is touring 33.1 to the sound of this song.) and for the way the editor cut together the scenes to give you a very good recap of the episode. For those of you who have not seen the episode, the beginning of show is their version of Groundhog Day with each day ending with Dean dying in a different way. It is both funny and disturbing.
After seeing the CW commercial using Johnny Cash’s song, God’s Gonna Cut You Down, the creator of this video was inspired to do a full length video. I think I like it mostly because I like the Johnny Cash song, but the editor does a good job of recapping the first season with a few scenes from the beginning of the second season thrown in.
There are so many more videos out there, but I will stop for now. Happy YouTubing.
Olympics, anyone?
Friday, February 19th, 2010Don’t you hate the let down after sweeps? I was just getting used to having most of my shows back, and then they go back to repeats again! So what am I watching until Sam and Dean come back? I have actually become kind of obsessed with the Olympics.
I am not usually a sports fan, so I am surprised at how interested I am in the Olympics. Maybe it’s because it’s an international competition? Maybe because there are more individual sports than team sports? I don’t know. Whatever the reason, I am hooked.
Some of the highlights for me so far: Lyndsey Vonn winning the women’s downhill (those women are crazy! Did you see how many of them wiped out? And at those speeds it is amazing that none of them were seriously hurt!); Petra Majdic of Slovenia who won the bronze in women’s individual cross-country sprint (she fell into a deep ditch during practice and yet still managed to win a bronze. After the race was over she had to be carried off the track. Apparently she had several bruised or broken ribs.); Shaun White winning the men’s halfpipe (I didn’t know people could go that high! After watching him, I now understand why there is so much hype about him. Amazing!); Evan Lysacek winning men’s figure skating (I don’t know why I was more into men’s figure skating then the couples, but I was. I watched almost all of both the short and long programs, and I just wanted Evan, or maybe the Japanese guy, to win. Maybe it was that the Russian guy just rubbed me the wrong way, maybe it was because Evan was an American. I don’t know, but I was so happy when he won.)
Anyhow, I intend keep watching. Whatever you are watching, I hope you are entertained.
Petra Majdic
Happy Singles Awareness Day
Thursday, February 11th, 2010I know I am a few days early, but I would like to wish everyone Happy Singles Awareness Day. I know that you who have significant others call it something else, but for me, it’s Singles Awareness Day. It’s the day when those of us who are single go out and buy ourselves our favorite candy, take a long bubble bath, and curl up with our pets and contemplate whether or not we are better off than our encumbered friends.
I was just going to let this Singles Awareness Day go by uncelebrated, when my mother dropped a huge hint: “If you get me anything for [Singles Awareness Day], get me some Lindt chocolate balls.” Since I love Lindt chocolate balls as much as anyone with taste buds, I have of course gone out and procured some. Mom always shares. She doesn’t want to be saddle with all of the calories, so she likes to spread them around. Needless to say, come Sunday I will do my part to make sure that all the calories do not all end up with her. I have also gotten her a less calorie ladened gift: a scented oil warmer. She likes candles and aromatic things, so I think she will like it.
Anyway, however you plan to celebrate your own Singles Awareness Day, I hope that you have a good day.
I’m done!
Thursday, February 4th, 2010I’m so happy! I finished my taxes and sent them in yesterday! I feel so accomplished! I even filed my paperwork.
I’m gloating, I know, and I don’t want to bring anyone down. If you haven’t done your taxes yet, you’re in the majority at this point. I received the last of my W-2s last week, and money is really tight for me. So, I just set out to see if I would be getting money back or paying. Since I found out that I would be getting money back, I decided to go ahead and complete my tax returns and send them in.
And how did I do it? Did I use a tax program or one of the on-line sites? Did I go to a professional? No, as I said, money is tight. I just pulled out last year’s returns (which I completed with the help of TaxCut) and used them as a templates for this year’s returns. I went to the federal and state websites and downloaded the forms and instructions I needed and just followed them. It took several hours but was relatively easy.
You might ask, why would a computer geek like me not use a tax program or a tax website? There are two answers for that: I’m broke and I’m cautious. I didn’t use a tax program because I do not have the money to pay for them. I didn’t use a tax website because even though some of them offer free returns (at least federal), I am wary of entering my personal information, including my social security number, into an online site. I know that at least the one I looked at claimed they would never do anything with the information, but what if they are hacked, have a disgruntled employee, or simply change their mind down the line? I just didn’t want to chance it. Besides, the being broke issue decided things for me, anyway.
I now just have to sit back and wait for the refunds. Since I mailed my returns in, I assume it will take longer than e-filing to get my refunds. I am hoping that since I sent in my returns early that I might get my refunds within a month. We shall see. I could really use them. My car registration and insurance is due soon.
Another fun day
Thursday, January 28th, 2010Yesterday was another fun day here in the land of cats. Even in the dead of winter, with snow on the ground, my cats have managed to keep their fleas no matter how often we call Terminix, put on flea-be-gone, or bath them. So, yesterday, mother and I once again summoned Terminix, put the cats in their carriers, and set out to abandon our place for the requisite 2 to 4 hours acompanied by our very vocal furry companions. We drove to Terre Haute to while away the time amid the chorus of protests from our feline friends.
Once we determined that it was safe, we return to our home, aired it out, brought the heat back up to an acceptable level, and the real fun commenced. Yes, I’m talking about cat bathing. If there is a cat out their who likes to be bathed, I haven’t met it. But I was determined to get rid of our current batch of fleas, so no matter how much they protested or squirmed, my cats got flea baths. Anyone who has bathed a cat can tell you that it is not only a battle of wills, but a musclar work out to keep a cat in a sink with running water while trying to apply flea soap. Even though I outweigh my cats by 20 times, I still have a problem giving them a bath. They may only be 10 to 15 pounds, but almost all of that weight is muscle and bone of an animal that HATES water. Add water and soap to the mix and you have a squirmy, slippery critter who is constantly testing your determination. And to add to the fun, I have 3 of them. Needless to say, mother and I were tired by the end of the day.
Did it work? Have I gotten rid of the fleas? Well, judging by the fact that one of my cats was scratching herself last night, I would say no.
They’re Back!
Thursday, January 21st, 2010Ah, it’s that time of year again. The holidays are over, we’re already breaking New Year’s resolutions, and we are anticipating receiving the paperwork that we will need to do our taxes.
Amid all this not so festive time of year there is one bright spot: our TV shows are returning. Not only are the normal network shows coming back, but those shows on USA, SyFy, TNT, etc. (at least most of the ones I watch) are coming back as well. Nathan and team (Leverage) came back last week; Kate and Rick came back on Monday (Castle); Neal and Peter came back Tuesday night (White Collar); Michael, Fiona and Sam (Burn Notice) will reappear tonight along with Sam and Dean (Supernatural); Olivia, Peter, and Walter made an early comeback a few weeks ago (Fringe); Kate, Jack, Sawyer and company will be back next week (Lost); and Clark and friends will also be back next week (Smallville). I am also planning on giving Caprica a try when it starts tomorrow.
Of course, not all of the shows I really enjoy are back: V and FlashForward are not reappearing until March; Stargate Universe will be back in “Spring”; and I have to wait until summer to see Eureka. But still, most of the shows that I find very entertaining are either already back or soon will be.
Of course the show that I am most anxious to see return is Supernatural. It is by far my favorite show and I can’t wait for tonight’s episode. Of course, since this will probably be the final season, that will bring me one episode closer to the end. I am both looking forward to this and dreading it. I am looking forward to it because I want to know how Kripke (Supernatural’s creator) and company will wrap up the story; I am dreading it because their will be no more stories of Sam and Dean.
Anyway, whatever you watch, I hope it helps entertain you through all of the ups and downs of this time of year.
Oh, the joy!
Thursday, January 14th, 2010I know I have been mia lately and some of you might have wondered why. It’s not that I haven’t been working on my computer, it’s just that I have been having the joy of doing a complete reinstall of the operating system on my PC and all that that entails. Needless to say, I have been feeling pretty cranky lately and since my internet access was sporadic at best, I didn’t feel updating my blog was a high priority.
I am back now, and I have moved most of my internet activities to my new Ubuntu machine. We shall see how this works.
I have also been messing with my blog and have added Google ads in my right sidebar. Right now they are all looking like ads for Paris and French hotels. Hopefully in a few days, they will become more relavent. It doesn’t really matter, though. They are just an experiment to prove that I can create Google ads on a blog page.
I hope all is well with everyone out there. My next update should note take as long.
Adventures in fudge
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009For most people who do holiday cooking, the holiday season means that they will be making roast turkey/ham, some favorite side dishes, a pie or two, and maybe some Christmas cookies. For me, it’s fudge season. Specifically peanut butter fudge. I have made four batches of peanut butter fudge so far and I will be making another batch today (Mom has requested a batch for the New Year’s Eve party that she will be attending).
But this year, I decided that I needed to expand my horizons. What inspired me? On a recent trip down to Vincennes, my sister, my mother and I stopped at a roadside fruit stand/gas station that sold homemade fudge. I sampled their maple walnut fudge and was not impressed. My sister sampled their peanut butter fudge and said that it was pitiful, not anywhere near as good as mine (of course). My mother was happy with her chocolate fudge. I was looking over their offerings and got to thinking how I would go about making these fudges myself. And so, I decided to make 3 new kinds of fudge this year: chocolate, maple walnut and pumpkin.
For the chocolate fudge, I decided that the recipe that I use for peanut butter fudge would not be a good start, so I opened up my Betty Crocker Cookbook and used their recipe for chocolate fudge. It was a success, although it was a lot more work than peanut butter fudge. Mom really loved it. I think I had 3 or 4 pieces, I gave 4 pieces away, and Mom ate the rest.
My next experiment was maple walnut fudge. The maple walnut fudge had a great taste, but it turned out a little grainy. I think that is because I used a grinder to grind up the walnuts. I will use a blender next time and make sure I get it to a creamy texture. I will say, the flavor of this fudge was fabulous, so I will definitely do it again. I made it the same way as the peanut butter fudge, but I substituted walnut paste for the peanut butter and used maple flavoring.
The pumpkin fudge wasn’t quite as successful. The flavor was good, but the fudge never set properly. I made it the same way as the peanut butter fudge, but I used a can of pumpkin pie filling in place of peanut butter (I squeezed as much liquid out as I could beforehand by using a clean dish towel – I need to get cheese clothe). I also cooked it 10 degrees higher than I normally do (I had tried to make this fudge before and it did not set then either). It still turned out to be pumpkin sludge, not pumpkin fudge. The good news is, it makes a nice topping for ice cream and tastes great on toast. I am determined to succeed with this recipe, so next time I will cook it even longer. I will not stop until I succeed!
I also made a batch of cookies.
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas
Thursday, December 24th, 2009I have not sent out Christmas cards this year, so I thought I would at least send out a Christmas greeting on my blog. It has been a very busy week since I have been working, dealing with a hacked email account, a virus infected computer, a new computer to set up and configure, and all the normal holiday preparations.
Christmas came early for me this year. I would like to thank my friend Paul for sending me a new computer. I am loving it. The computer is a Unix Ubuntu machine and I am looking forward to diving back into Unix.
I know most of you received a spam email from my email account, and I would just like to say I am sorry. I have sent a message to yahoo about this. Let’s see if they have any answers. In the meantime, I have changed passwords on a lot of my accounts. I am going to do a complete reinstall on my PC in case that is the root of my problems. But that is going to take a few days, so I will do that next week (or the week after).
As for holiday preparations, presents have been bought and wrapped and fudge and cookies have been made. Mom and I are going to have Christmas Eve dinner with my aunts and then have our own Christmas tomorrow.
However you plan on celebrating Christmas, I hope you have a wonderful holiday.