CongAgra foods makes Banquet PotPies. We always had some in the freezer when I grew up. Well they were tainted with salmonella not so long ago making many people sick. CongAgra tried and tried to figure out just what ingredient it was that was at risk of killing their customers but dagnabit, they just couldn’t find the culprit. That isn’t surprising considering the fact that they don’t even know who supplies most of their ingredients or if those suppliers actually check the foods for contaminants! ConAgra’s solution? To put your health into your own hands (where it ought to be) and tell you to check several spots in your potpie with a food thermometer and check the internal temperature for a reading of 165 degrees.
I have a better idea. Literally take your health into your own hands and tell ConAgra where they can put their potpies.
I would like to give a product shoutout to Amy’s Kitchen - the maker of wonderful foods including MANY frozen entrees and pizzas which are healthy, organic, sometimes vegan (but not always), and tasty. I haven’t had any Amy’s product that I wished I hadn’t bought and I am in love with their Roasted Vegetable Pizza. The products are sold at most major retailers – no need to go to an expensive health food chain and they appeared on the Food Network at one point with a look into their factories – clean, beautiful, safe, and sanitary in appearance.
While I can’t deny that owning a food thermometer is not a bad idea and I won’t suggest that no Amy’s product could ever be contaminated by some food borne pathogen, I will suggest that it is probably safer (and will make you feel good) to purchase products from a company that really seems to care and at the very least knows who supplies their ingredients!
Oh, bonus: I see that Amy’s now features diet plans on their website – a regular plan, gluten-free plan, vegan plan, and others for those of you with illness or allergies. You could most certainly lose weight eating their products which are very filling, nutritious, and not full of empty calories. I think I might just give that a go!
I am not a fan of a LOT of breakfast foods and I am not a big cereal eater but tonight at the grocery store, something caught my eye and I had to pick it up:
Raspberry Ginger cereal!
Made by Peace Cereal, this may be a product you won’t find just anywhere. I managed to get it at my local Kroger store but NOT in the cereal isle; it was in the health/veg section.
It’s vegan, the company is worth supporting AND it tastes AWESOME! Corn flakes, little raspberry bites, and crunchy chunks that have a gingery zing.
I only had a handful and I’m sold. Tomorrow morning I’ll be topping it off with some of my Hempmilk – another new try for me. I am not a big fan of soymilks. I can’t even tell you why. And I do like ricemilk, but I don’t find it appropriate for everything. So far my favorite milk sub is Almond Breeze which does have an obvious nutty flavor and I like baking with it. I’ll be sure to let you know how I feel about the Hempmilk tomorrow!
Ever go to your local video store and check out the documentary section?
If they have such a section, it is probably disapointing. Especially if you are looking for a documentary on a subject that is unpopular in your particular geographic region.
This website offers a great number of documentaries for download, for free. Quick, easy, don’t sign up for anything – in terms of how easy and accessible it is, it is just like YouTube.
The way it ought to be – the free exchange of information and ideas.
(The following links are to the official webpages of the individual documentaries. For the free downloadable versions you have to hit www.freedocumentaries.org.)
I recommend Jesus Camp, Earthlings, Bowling for Columbine, . . . well, I can’t name them all. There are also specials that have aired on PBS, CBC, BBC, etc.
What I love about the website is the fact I can watch these all for free and I don’t have to pay for a cause I may not believe in.
Funny enough there are still documentaries available on the site that I would really prefer to own. I own Supersize Me and I just don’t get tired of it. Jesus Camp and Bowling for Columbine are also movies I would like to own. Bowling for Columbine is exciting to me because of the numerous references to Michigan and the fact that I personally know James and Terry Nichols and their families. I’ve discussed Jesus Camp in the past. It has a great soundtrack and is an amazing look into the lives of a whole other culture within the United States that even the devoutly religious might not be aware of.
Anyhow, I say this is worthwhile to bookmark and check out whenever you have a free moment. I’m thrilled about it.
Filed under: recommendations
Here is a site you should all visit just for kicks.
http://www.flat33.com/bzzzpeek/html/bzzzpeek.html
Bzzzpeek has an inventory of sounds of different animals and vehicles made by children from around the world. It was really interesting to listen to what children from different countries think dogs or chickens sound like. And no, they aren’t all the same!
Very cool.
Filed under: recommendations
Ok, not really but good advice nonetheless for anyone needing to go to court in the near future.
Filed under: books, food, nostalgia, recipes, recommendations, retro recipes, vintage
So this evening I went to the 1/2 price book store – great place and I found a couple Christmas gifts and I also picked up a little something for myself:
This book has me doubled over and I am not even completely done looking through it.
So far, my favorite recipe is the cucumber ice salad; the ingredients list includes:
1/4 pound of marshmallows (based on the name of the salad, this should raise an immediate retro red flag!)
1/3 C lemon juice
2 medium-size cucumbers, grated (enough to yield two cups of pulp)
1 tsp. onion, grated
1/2 tsp. salt
3 drops of green food coloring
few grains of cayenne pepper
2 egg whites
1 tbsp. sugar
8 medium sized tomatoes
Scary no?
But wait, it gets BETTER!!!
The details of how to prepare this are pretty intense but here is the basic run down
You melt the marshmallows and lemon juice and freeze that until “mushy”. Most of the other ingredients are mixed together and then you make a meringue out of the sugar and egg whites and fold that into the rest of the ingredients (including the now half-frozen marshmallow mush).
Bounce that all back into the freezer until solid…
Gut a bunch of tomatoes and put the frozen cucumber puke…er… salad into the tomatoes – serve cold.
Keep barf baggies handy.
One of my favorite blogs, Nacho Underpants, has a recent post that also had me rolling in laughter – ham and bananas hollandaise.
Eat your heart out Ted Allen, this is the food that I wanna eat!!!
On a more realistic note, there really IS a recipe I do want to eat and SOON. Salted caramel cheesecake
Picture is from Cream Puffs In Venice and although I normally don’t like using the pictures from other bloggers, I couldn’t help myself this time since this picture caused a bit of chaos in my Constitutional law class today as the people surrounding me all suddenly caught sight of it at the same time and all exclaimed “What is THAT!?”
My mouth waters every time I see that picture…
Ciao!!!
YES! YES! YESS! God has answered my prayers (*I tend to keep ‘em simple ok*)!
Do you love mexican food but not have ready access to it?
Do you know where to find a Super Target?
Archer Farms makes frozen tamales! They are wonderful! Now, I’ll admit, I haven’t had a tamale in a long time. I am sure if I was blindfolded and did a taste test, a “real” tamale would win. But these were a huge surprise!
Maybe the best part was finding out that these super filling tamales don’t have all that many calories! 240 a piece… not terrible considering I had to really work to finish two of them.
Well I have another long day of studying ahead of me but I am just “little miss optimistic” today. I am glad too…. it was about time for me to start feeling really good again. I am really looking forward to the upcoming trip to Florida and the summer break.
This summer is so important to me. I want to get out and meet some people in the area, make some friends, work (of course), and take care of my physical and mental health (which has definitely been on the back burner). It is funny how some things I used to avoid suddenly have a whole new meaning to me now that I haven’t been able to take part in so long!
Have a great day everyone!
I currently have the TV on and I’m just waiting for the big race to begin. Most people probably would not guess that I am a big fan of the Kentucky Derby but I haven’t missed a race in quite a few years now. Last year’s race really hooked me for good. Upon my first visit to Indiana I noticed the huge numbers of horses everywhere and I have been just waiting to make it to a race sometime. Being that exams are going on right now, the best I can do is watch on TV, but I plan on going to the Kentucky Derby sometime in the future.
An exciting part of the race this year is the visit by the Queen. She was looking very radiant in a celery/lime green dress and matching hat. Apparently the queen is an owner and lover of horses and horse racing. I am sure she will enjoy her first Kentucky Derby.
I hope you are all enjoying this lovely Saturday afternoon and if you are reading this shortly after I post it (5:25 pm eastern standard), be sure to turn on NBC and catch the race!
Ciao!
This morning I headed over to Target and found something I have searched for years for; An American Tail! I have never had so much trouble finding a movie before. It was one of my favorites as a child and I have fought for it on E-bay, searched garage sales and flea markets, and searched through various “knock off” American Tail movies. But this is the real thing. The DVD includes An American Tail and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.
I have the movie on right now and “There are no cats in America” is currently playing.
Now I own two of my favorite movies from my childhood; An American Tail and The Little Fox. I am hoping to get my hands on The Land Before Time and The Jetsons: The Movie yet.
Speaking of movies, last night Brian and I and some of his friends went to see Spiderman 3. I found some hillarious reviews of the movie this morning and I will be sure to post some of the info here later!
Off to watch my movie and study for crimlaw!
Ciao
Last night I made a nice big supper of city chicken, spring salad, and a quick appetizer of traditional deviled eggs. I didn’t do anything special or fancy as far as the eggs were concerned, but I got the idea from Martha Stewart dot com which had some really nice ideas for dressing up this easy classic.
I decided to share a couple of the ingredient lists she provided to give you some ideas next time you are in a pinch for a quick appetizer. Besides the addition of herb toppers and unique spices added to the yolk mixture, I especially liked her idea to serve the eggs cut both lengthwise and crosswise. In order to keep them from tipping over, she just cuts a small bit of the white from the “bottom” of the egg and they sit very pretty. There is an example in the picture at the top of the post! Be sure to head over to the website too for additional ideas – there were about five different articles just on deviled eggs and even a cute tutorial video.
Today in Target I found myself pacing back in forth in two areas of the grocery section that have recently captured my adoration: the wine aisle and the tea section.
In the wine section I began to search through the red wines, looking for something I haven’t yet tried. I was specifically looking for something described as either “voluptuous” or “supple.” And sure enough, I came across a wine by the name of Oops!; ablend of Cabernet Franc and Carmenere. Oops! also makes a Merlot-Carmenere blend and a white Carmenere. I picked up the Cab-Carmenere blend and opened it just about a 1/2 hour ago and I am totally smitten.
“Voluptuous” and “full-bodied” certainly come to mind, but so does “gentle”. Some reds seem so heavy and chewy to me. Oops! just floats down your throat without catching and leaving a strong after-taste. While other reds are good with heavy meat dishes, they often seem inappropriate to drink alone or to have with a vegetarian meal or appetizer. This wine is perfect for those situations and would make a lovely compliment when you were hoping for a red but nothing else seemed appropriate.
And, the bottle was on sale for a measly $9.99… I will be picking up Oops! other blends the next time I am in Target!
Tea has come to my attention via my favorite podcast: Vegetarian Food for Thought. If you haven’t yet listened to an episode, I highly suggest it. Even if you are certainyou will never become a vegetarian/vegan, take a listen to one of Colleen’s earlier episodes. I find her voice and her message very calming and peaceful. She brings a real sense of compassion and honesty to her podcast without making you feel bad for what you aren’t doing. And she has given me some fabulous ideas for ways to make small, easy, changes to my diet that can make a real difference in the world, one meal at a time!
Anyhow, back to the tea. Colleen often references her love of tea in her podcast and it encouraged me to pick up a box last time I was in Target.
I bought a box of TAZO tea in the Wild Sweet Orange variety. First of all, I was very impressed with the fact that the color of the tea was actually orange. I know this is frivolous, but it certainly made me happy to see the cheery color fill my mug. After such a pleasant experience with the orange tea, I grabbed another box at Kroger the other night of the black Tazo Chai tea. I have never had a black tea before and I enjoyed this just as much as the orange variety. It was full of wonderful spices and the intense scent of cloves filled the entire house.
As much as I would be thrilled to know I encouraged someone to try a new wine or tea or a new vegetarian dish, there is a bigger point to this post – there are some very simple and lovely pleasures in life that we often overlook in our daily hustle and bustle. I have recently found some “quiet” joy in wine and tea; “quiet” because it is a feeling I experience all by myself and something I can secretly take part in that makes my day seem just a bit more peaceful and complimentary. I encourage you all to find something that you can personally take pleasure in that makes your day seem just a big brighter.
Enjoy your weekend.
Filed under: ads, animals, chickens, current events, food, fun stuff, recommendations
For years there has been speculations that birds and dinosaurs have distant relations. Now there is finally a molecular connection helping to prove the relationship – and it is rather impressive!
I’ve always thought chickens were rather “nifty”… now I can call them “buff” too.
So now for my note about Barack Obama and Don Imus. I had heard and confirmed that Obama called for Imus to be fired from NBC after they had merely suspended him the other day. My first thought; “what a break for Obama”! There has been some concern that African Americans would have trouble relating to Obama and so far there has been some truth to that concern. However, it turns out that Obama didn’t jump on the bandwagon… in fact, he waited until April 9th, 5 days after the initial statements of Imus give any input and he didn’t actually call for Imus to be fired until just yesterday afternoon. I am really surprised. Not that I think he should have taken advantage of the situation, but … wow… I gotta say I think Obama messed up on this decision!
Personally, I have been out of the “news” loop for the last week or so. I didn’t know what specifically Imus had said. However I am currently listening to the live announcement on CNN Pipeline about CBS’s decision to permanently pull Imus’ show and I am hearing about statements Mr. Imus has made in the past about other African Americans and women in general. I am convinced that Imus has apologized enough for his statements… you cannot apologize forever and there is little more you can do once you have said your sincere “I’m sorrys.” However, I agree with the decision to pull his show. (Not to mention the fact that the advertisers were SURE to pull out after Rev. Al Sharpton began his ‘work’ following these statments and that is always a sure way to get someone fired)!It is a morning news broadcast and it ought to maintain a certain caliber. In some other area of the media – perhaps I wouldn’t be as quick to agree with him being fired but unfortunately for Imus, he made a boo boo in a place where he really wasn’t able to do that without coming under fire.
And now I invite you all to watch a delightful little story about mangos.
[edit] I have to add this. This was a headline on CNN’s main homepage today: Jealousy drove lesbian to chainsaw murder …
What in the hell kind of headline is that!?!
The headline on the actual story page is “Woman guilty of chainsaw murder faces death“. I think this is personally enough to “catch” the attention of anyone who is actually going to read such a morbid story. The addition of the “jealous lesbian” reference should have been left in the “out” bin… sometimes the media really doesn’t get it. sheesh.
[/edit]
Ya’ll are undoubtedly wondering about the title to this post. I realize looking back at my archived posts that if I didn’t use an unusual or gripping title, I cannot for the life of me remember what each individual post was about. So I’ve decided to be more creative from now on.
Anywho….
Yes, I do love my teeth. By the grace of God or good genetics, I have managed to have a healthy, straight, set of chompers that have required very little upkeep. After years of guzzling soda however, they had changed color and I am aware of a problem with my enamel wearing thin. Earlier this year I began to worry that if I had a dental problem I would really be in for it – trying to find a dentist in a new state, trying to set appointments around law school schedules, and trying to concentrate through tooth pain would be a real hassle! So I bought myself a Sonicare Essence e5500toothbrush over spring-break. Although I made a quick reference to the purchase, I didn’t say much else about it and decided to save any product review until I had gotten a good handle on how I felt about it.
I’ve been using the Sonicare just shy of a month now and I can honestly say it has been one of the best purchases I have ever made. At the time of purchase, I had just begun using Crest White Strips (which I’ve used before and love), and had just begun to see initial improvements in my color when I decided to quit using them in order to see what differences the toothbrush would make on its own (Sonicare guarantees whiter teeth). My teeth are noticeably whiter since using the toothbrush! On top of that, my mouth has never felt so clean after a mere brushing! I would not say that it feels like you have just left the dentist (which sometimes almost feels “funny”), but it is darn close. In fact, I find myself wanting to brush immediately upon waking up in the morning and before bed because I am already more acclimated to having a cleaner-feeling mouth.
What has most impressed me however is the brushe’s ability to get at the plaque behind my lower front teeth. No matter how much I concentrated on brushing there before or how often I flossed, I still had to resort to dental tools to keep that area “dentist clean.” That is no longer a problem anymore. If you haven’t gotten the hint yet, I highly recommend this product to anyone and everyone – the $ will take you aback for a second I am sure, but think about your last dental bill and then talk dollars and cents 
As for the Jesse Jackson reference…
If you like South Park and you have not yet seen Season 11’s kick off episode entitled “With Apologies to Jesse Jackson,” go to iTunes and just buy it. Painfully, painfully funny……
Just thought I would mention this for anyone who is interested. The other day I came across a couple of DVD’s my father gave me for Christmas – Classic Cartoons and Betty Boop and Friends, both distributed by Bazooka (yea, the gum company). I put them on just for some background noise while working on my brief and then a thought came to me… “I wonder if there are any of these cartoons for sale on iTunes???”
Well, even better!!! There is a podcast called Vintage ToonCast and there are numerous classic, vintage cartoons from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s available for FREE download there! Some of these cartoons are just so great… and incredibly politically UNcorrect lol. Just a little bit of fun and history for you to enjoy this weekend.
If you don’t have iTunes downloaded to your computer yet, go here and get it FREE! 
Everyone needs to see this picture. I found it at The Cute Project and it immediately became the background on my computer. It has managed to brighten early morning classes, boring study time, and moments I am just plain feeling blue. (links open in a new window!)
Just cock you head to the side and enjoy a photograph that is truly a work of art.
