Festive Foods for St. Patrick's Day

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!

We dress in green, drink green beer, and eat traditional Irish dishes. Traditional foods for St. Patrick’s Day include Corned Beef and Cabbage, Irish Stew, Soda Bread, Guinness Beer, and Irish Coffee. Recipes rely heavily on potatoes and cabbage, corned beef, and lamb, Reuben’s, Irish whiskey and Irish Cream liqueurs.

Here are a few more festive foods to eat on St. Paddy’s Day:

Breakfast:
Lucky Charms Cereal and milk, green tinted Scrambled eggs and ham, shamrock shaped toast, pancakes, and French toast with green tinted butter or whipped cream, and green tinted oatmeal.

Lunch:
Potato soup, split pea soup, shamrock shaped sandwiches, salad, lime Jell-O with green vegetables or fruits, Rainbow Fruit Kebob: Thread a skewer with the following fruits: watermelon or strawberry slice, orange slice, pineapple or banana chunk, kiwi slice or green grape, blueberry, and purple grape, green pasta, green tinted egg salad or cottage cheese, Lucky Clover Salad: Place a glob of green tinted cream cheese on a plate and arrange 4 slices of cucumber and one celery stick into a clover shape.

Dinner:
Traditional foods: Corned Beef and Cabbage, Irish Stew, Soda Bread, Corned Beef Hash, Shepherd’s Pie, Irish Banger Sausages, and variations of these. Beef Dishes with green tinted mashed potatoes, green beans or peas. Chef Salad or Rainbow Salad: lettuce, tomatoes, cheese slices, and shredded purple cabbage, carrots, ham, and turkey, cucumber slices. Stuffed Green Peppers.

Drinks:
Irish teas, Irish coffees, green beer, Guinness Beer. Green tinted milk, milk shakes, ginger ale, 7 Up, Sprite, Beer. Make green tinted ice cubes. Green Gatorade and green Kool- Ade. Grasshopper cocktails and Appletinis.

Desserts:
Shamrock shaped cookies, green decorated cupcakes, cookies, and cakes. Pistachio Pudding. Lime Jell-O and lime Jell-O cake. Grasshopper Pie. Mint or Irish Cream flavored desserts.

Snacks and Appetizers:
Green tinted Rice Crispy Treats, green apple slices, spinach dip and crackers or soda bread chunks, potato skins and roasted potato wedges and cheese sauce, celery sticks frosted with green tinted cream cheese, guacamole dip, green tinted popcorn balls, green tinted deviled eggs: add a little green food colored to water when boiling, and vegetable plate of green pepper slices, celery sticks, green onions, broccoli, and olives with dip.

Erin Go Braugh! Ireland forever!

Terry fator is the Best show in Las Vegas!

If you are going to Las Vegas, you must see the Terry Fator Show. It is the best! Terry is a singer, comedian, impressionist, ventriloquist, and puppeteer. He is extremely talented and funny!

Our friends told us that we just had to go see Terry Fator when we went to Las Vegas. We ordered tickets before we went because he only has shows on Tuesdays through Saturdays and we could only make the Tuesday night show. Tickets at the Mirage are $59, $79, $99, and 129$. We wanted the $59 ones but had to settle for the $99 ones. I’m so glad we got tickets because this is the funniest show I have ever watched!

The Mirage is a beautiful casino/hotel. The Terry Fator theatre is small but very elegant and comfortable. The doors open 45 minutes before the show. Before you go in, you can buy drinks, popcorn, candy, etc. just like a movie theatre. We were thrilled with our seats. We were up on a balcony with one other couple and we had our own table and chairs. It was so comfortable and you had the freedom to get up and around to get more drinks or use the restroom although once the show started you didn’t want to miss a moment of it because it was so good.

Terry is funny, talented, and so likeable. He will let you take pictures and videos of his show. He is a very charitable person. He asks for all servicemen to stand up and be applauded during his show. He gives all the profits from his fan store to charity. He has a meet and greet after his show to sign autographs and talk to his fans. He is a fine person and it is so easy to like and respect him.

There is a full band with drums, guitars, saxophone, piano, and trumpet and a DJ Ben Harris that creates lots of energy for the show. Terry introduces several muppet-like puppets who have funny and unique personalities and can imitate Cher, Garth Brooks, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, the Pussycats Louie Armstrong, and many more. Terry brings them to life as they interact with each other and also with Terry. You almost forget that Terry is controlling the puppets because so much is happening at once. I don’t know how he does it and I can’t figure out how he can sing with his mouth closed! He is so talented! You will laugh and laugh!

One of the best parts is when he chooses a volunteer from the audience and makes him into a human puppet – so funny!

It is top notch entertainment and worth every penny. Terry Fator is a down to earth person who is grateful for his fans and humble enough to show it. Best of all – you leave the show with a warm, content, energized feeling of being completely entertained and appreciated!

Seeing Las Vegas

We wanted to get away somewhere a little warmer and relax and have a good time. We were not disappointed! We only had 3 nights and 2 ½ days to explore Las Vegas and we were on a tight budget. We tried to see a little of every casino on the strip but we didn’t make it to all of them. We also missed the beautiful pool areas because most of them were closed until spring.

Our favorite three casinos were Wild Bills. O’Sheas, and Casino Royale. They all have drink specials, slots, and blackjack and were not far from Bally’s. They were older establishments, less expensive, and more our style than the richer and more luxurious casinos. Wild Bills was across the street from Bally’s and was like an old West Saloon. It has a Victorian Restaurant with lots of Chinese food and a $6.99 steak and egg breakfast starting at midnight which is truly delicious. There are 99 cent bottles of Newcastle and strawberry margaritas and $2.00 drafts. Karaoke begins at 9pm and there are many props and costumes you can use. Karaoke is really fun here!

O’Sheas is a little farther down the strip and is an Irish themed bar. Ask the bartender for the $3.00 hot dog-beer deal. Drafts are $2.00. There is a food court with a Subway and a Burger King, pizza, Mexican food, and chicken wings. There is a beer pong gallery which is really fun to watch. There are lots of young people there.

Casino Royale is across from the Mirage. It has a free outdoor slot machine where you can win free slot play and drink specials. We signed up for a slot card and got a free coupon booklet for lots of free play and food and drink specials. Bottles of Michelob are $1.00 and margaritas are $2.00. Trust me, the strawberry margaritas are delicious! They have a food court with Subway, Dennys, and an Outback Steakhouse. We ate dinner at Outback and it was very, very good although maybe a little more expensive than the Outback at home. We were able to watch the Volcano Show across the street at the Mirage while we ate. It was awesome and we could feel the heat from it!

The second day of our trip was a little colder and windier but we walked up and down the other side of the strip. We walked through and played a few plots in each of the following: Planet Hollywood, MGMGrand, Hooters, Tropicana, Excalibur, New York New York, Monte Carlo, Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, the Mirage, Treasure Island, and the Venetian. It was a long walk and our middle aged feet and legs were aching when we got back to our hotel. But we saw the Lion Habitat at the MGM, we toured the 3 story M&M’s Store, we joined the Owl club at Hooters and got $100.0 in free slot play, we ate lunch at the food court at The Excalibur, and we watched the choreographed fountain show at the Bellagio which would have been better at night but was still very impressive. The Bellagio is beautiful and luxurious. We saw the conservatory which is so pretty. It was decorated in the Chinese New Year theme. Apparently the theme changes with the seasons. We watched the Pirates battle the Sirens at the entrance of Treasure Island. It was surprisingly good but not for children. It gets very crowded too. We saw gondola rides at the Venetian and I definitely want to ride a gondola next time around. It is so romantic!

The Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, Mirage and the Venetian are all very beautiful, luxurious, and expensive. Caesar’s is full of very exquisite and ritzy shops.

We were tired the last day of our trip and took the bus down to Circus Circus. The bus is very easy to use and very inexpensive. I wish we had used it the day before. We watched a couple of free circus acts that were very good and entertaining. Circus Circus is full of little kids and it is a fun place. Right next door is Slots of Fun. We played games for a while and ate lunch at the food court. There are a lot of food courts on the strip. We walked across the street and visited the Riviera. We stayed there quite a while playing slots and swilling free beer brought to us by the cocktail waitress. We hiked back to the hotel and got ready for our show.

We had the best time! Las Vegas has everything you could possibly want except for a beach and I’m sure there is a replica somewhere. You can have fun on a budget and even more fun if you have plenty of money to spend! There are all kinds of restaurants to try and shows to see. The shopping is awesome. There are museums. And there are lots of games. You won’t go home disappointed unless you lose lots of money!

Las Vegas is Fun!

I can’t wait to go back to Las Vegas! We had such a good time!

We flew out Sunday morning at 9:15 on Southwest Airlines. It was a little bumpy but tolerable. If you are flying Southwest, you must print out a boarding pass 24 to 1 hour before boarding. The pass tells you which group you are in: A, B, or C and gives you a number in that group. Group A boards first, Then B, and then C. You can also buy an early boarding pass for $10.00 per person, per flight which assigns your group earlier. We paid the extra $10.00 and it was well worth it. We were first to board and choose the first row which was very roomy and close to the restroom and drink service. Southwest serves a complimentary drink and snack on every flight. Our flight stopped in Denver on the way but we didn’t have to leave the plane. It was cold and snowy and our plane had to be de-iced before we left which was a little scary! Some passengers got off and we got some new ones in Denver. We landed in Las Vegas at 12:30PM , got our bags, and found a shuttle to our hotel. It was warm and sunny there!

Beware the time share sales people! They are everywhere and they are relentless! They offer free tickets to shows and free vouchers for gambling if you will just come to their info meetings about timeshares. It starts in the airport and continues into the hotels and casinos and on the street. Just keep walking and say no thank you and make no eye contact. Once they get a hold of you, it is nearly impossible to get away!!!!

We stayed 3 nights at Bally’s in the North Tower. The pool was closed due to cool weather. Our room was very spacious but old and worn. Everything is very expensive at Bally’s and a little worn but it has the perfect central location in the strip. We unpacked and had lunch at the pizza place in Ballys, then walked through the Paris Casino/Hotel which is connected to Ballys. Paris is very elegant and I think I would like to stay there on our next trip. It has a blue lifelike sky and a 540 foot Eiffel Tower. You can buy tickets and ride to the top for a great view of the strip! There are a lot of nice restaurants and shops at Paris.

Then we started walking down the strip! I'll tell you more about that tomorrow!!!

Longing for spring

I am looking for signs of spring and I can’t find any. There are 10 more days of February and 20 days of March until spring officially arrives- that’s almost another whole month! We are expecting 7 inches of snow this weekend. We’re flying off to Las Vegas Sunday morning so I hope most of the snow holds off until after we leave. What a long, cold, snowy winter!

It is 64 degrees in Las Vegas right now! That’s not bad compared to the 39 degree cloudy weather we are experiencing. I can’t wait. It’s been 15 years since we’ve seen Vegas. I’m guessing there will be a lot of changes. We’ll be flying on Southwest for the first time and that should be a new experience too! I’ll tell you all about it when we get back. Someone sent me this card trick this week: http://officespam.chattablogs.com/archives/2007/07/david-copperfield-card-trick.html.

Try it out – it will blow your mind!

Meanwhile, I’ve been working on my new store and making spring crafts. Making bunnies and chicks cheers me up. I also put out some St. Patrick’s Day decorations and a new screensaver on my computer. That bright green is cheery! I think I’ll buy a shamrock plant when I get back.

Did you ever wonder how they make green beer? They put shamrock juice in it. Just kidding! There are a lot of ways to make green beer but the easiest way is to add a few drops of green food coloring to a frosted mug and then pour in a beer. Very refreshing!!! Darker beers will require a few more drops to get a good emerald green color. You can also make green milk and milk shakes (a la McDonald’s shamrock shakes) by adding a few drops of food coloring before mixing. You can add mint extract for a mint flavored drink.

A Precious Jewel by Mary Balogh Book Review

If you like Regency romances, you will like this book. It is a re-release, so if you have read a lot of books by Mary Balogh, you may have already read this one.

A Precious Jewel

by Mary Balogh
336 pages
Published 2009

Priscilla Wentworth is a precious jewel. She is graceful, educated, accomplished, and must work for a living. Misfortune has caused her to end up as a prostitute in a very elite brothel. It is not a difficult job and she learns to do it well. She is a practical and cheerful woman and has a knack for looking on the bright side. She begins to fall in love with a new client and to her surprise, he asks her to become his mistress.

Sir Gerald Stapleton hates marriage and attachments but he is worried about the safety of his new paramour. He sets Priscilla up as his mistress for her own safety and to keep her exclusively for himself. Despite Gerald’s attachment issues and Priscilla’s unsuitability, they become deeply attached to each but neither will admit it.

Mary Balogh wrote this book in 1993 and re-released it in 2009. Priscilla and Gerald were 2 characters in another book she had written. She wrote this book in 2 weeks and it has been a very popular book.

I especially like the character development of Gerald. At first, he seems like a typical young hero of the Regency time period. He is a handsome, selfish, gambling, drinking, social young man. As time progresses, you learn that he is insecure, not very bright, and lacks self confidence. He has issues about attachment and being loved. I like that he is so flawed. He is not who you would expect to be the hero of an historical novel. I also like the novelty of having a prostitute as the heroine even though her character is not very realistic. You will like her and feel sorry for her.

If you can fall in love with these interesting characters, you will like this book. It chronicles the ups and downs of their budding, impossible romance as you get to know them.

EBay Dilemma

EBay Dilemma!

What to do?

On March 30th, EBay is raising seller fees. As a store owner, I will be paying $116.00 per month instead of $31.00 just to list the items in my store. I will still have to pay 9% for sales plus PayPal fees. This will not work for me.

My plan is to reduce my EBay inventory to 100 items for a month or two and see how it goes. I am in the process of opening my own store: The Crafty Cupboard at http://mycraftycupboard.com/. It is very time consuming and I haven’t had a single sale yet.

I sell crafts and used books and odds and ends – things that I absolutely love! There is not much profit in those things especially considering the work I put into them. I have known for a while that I need to find an item that will generate more income but until then, I am sticking with the crafts and books.

I have had stores at EBay (http://stores.ebay.com/The-Crafty-Cupboard) and Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/jewelgirl22000) for several years now. EBay has a lot of rules and problems but has good traffic. I have had over 1300 sales there and have met a lot of really nice people. Etsy is a craft store mall site that does really well. I have had 85 sales there.

My new store is in progress but my St. Patrick’s Day items are listed and also my Easter things. Payment is by PayPal. I will be listing more things every day. I plan to add book reviews, recipes, and free patterns. I have had excellent feedback on EBay and Etsy and plan to continue this service.

Please stop by and check out my new store. Free gift with every order!

Pay It forward

Last Wednesday, the Starbucks in Springfield thought they might have set a record for the longest chain of pay it forward coffees. They sold a chain of 172 drinks starting at 7:30 AM and stopping at 2:30PM.

Pay it forward is a concept where a good deed is done for a person with the stipulation or expectation that the receiver do a good deed for another person. It is also known as generalized reciprocity, generalized exchange, random acts of kindness, or alternative gifting.

Benjamin Franklin was the first person to describe the concept in a letter to Benjamin Webb. He loaned Webb someone money and asked that Webb loan money to someone else in the future so that his small loan might do a great deal.

Most recently, a novel written by Catherine Ryan Hyde called Pay It Forward was adapted into a movie. In the book and movie, “pay it forward” is described as an obligation to do three good deeds for others in exchange for one good deed received. The idea is make the world a better place exponentially. The book and move spawned The Pay It Forward Movement and the the Pay It Forward Foundation. Their goal is to spread the idea to children, parents, and educators in order to make children more socially aware and also to make the world a better place.

In 2006, Ophra gave $1000.00 debit cards, a camcorder, and a pay it forward challenge to 300 show guests. They were to use the money to help charitable organizations and people within one week and record it.

Pay It Forward has become a valuable social movement. You can read dozens of testimonials at the Pay It Forward Movement website. It is easy to do. If someone performs an act of kindness for you, make a mental note to do three things for other people. If they ask to repay the kindness, ask them to perform three acts of kindness for someone else. It could be as simple as opening a door for a mother pushing a baby stroller or shoveling snow from your neighbor’s sidewalk to more complicated deeds like finding a home for a homeless person. It is a wonderful way for an ordinary person to make a difference and it feels good. You will feel warmth and contentment when you make someone else smile or feel happy. You will feel great satisfaction when you do something that makes the world a better place.

You can get a free bumper sticker at the Pay It forward Foundation:
http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/bumper_stickers.html.

Pay It Forward.

Happy Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is this Sunday, February 14, 2010. This is the year of the Tiger. It is the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar which is based on the cycles of the moon. It is also called the Spring Festival because it marks the end of winter and the beginning of Spring!

What are some of the traditions of the Chinese New Year?

It is traditional to clean your house starting a month before the New Year to make room for good luck. The color red represents happiness and is used to decorate. Gold is a sign of wealth. Doors and windows are decorated with special red cutouts called Jianzhi and scrolls with good wishes for prosperity and wealth. Families wear red and celebrate with a feast followed by fireworks which are thought to scare away evil spirits. Red envelopes filled with an even amount of money are given away as a symbol of good luck. Lions are considered to be good omens and the lion dance repels demons. The dragon represents strength, wisdom, and good fortune.

If you want to have your own celebration you can buy decorations from the Oriental Trading Company or Partycheap.com. Wear red clothes and buy some Chinese takeout food or try some simple Chinese dishes. Afterwards, set off some fireworks.

Here are a few of my favorite Americanized Chinese dishes:

Pepper Steak
1 ½ lbs. sirloin
½ tsp. salt
2 medium chopped onions
1 cup beef broth
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic
2 green peppers cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp corn starch
½ cup cold water
Trim fat and bone from sirloin and cut into strips. Spray skillet with Pam and brown meat. Season and push to side of skillet... Add onions and cook until tender. Stir in broth, soy sauce, and garlic. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sliced green pepper. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend cornstarch and water. Gradually stir into meat mixture. Cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens and starts to boil. Serve over rice.

Sticky Chinese Chicken
1 cup finely crushed onion and garlic croutons
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
1/1 cup canola oil
In a large bowl: whisk crouton crumbs, and cornstarch. Stir in soy sauce. Add chicken and toss until completely coated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook covered for 20-25 minutes until crispy and cooked all the way through. Turn 4-5 times during cooking to avoid burning. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately over rice.

Sesame Chicken
1/3 cup sesame seeds
2 tbsp. flour
1 egg white
¼ tsp. Asian sesame oil
½ tsp salt
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter or margarine
Mix sesame seeds and flour. Beat egg white with sesame oil and salt. Dip chicken breasts into egg white, letting excess drip off, coat with sesame seed mixture.
Heat oil and butter in 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken 5 to 6 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through.

Serve any of those dishes with rice and sugar snap peas.
For dessert have some fortune cookies.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!!!!!

Dessert Party

A few years ago when Valentine’s Day was on Saturday, I hosted a Dessert Party for my friends. It worked out really well because they could go out for dinner and come by for dessert. This party works well for Christmas too and just about any other Friday or Saturday evening.

Invitations: Buy readymade invites or download and print your own from http://www.purpletrail.com/. You will also find party ideas at this site.

Decorations: Choose a theme and buy some partyware from a discount store or go with a romantic theme and use a pretty tablecloth, candles, flower arrangement, crystal or glass plates, scattered rose petals, paper hearts or Hershey’s Kisses.

Music: Play your favorite CDs or love songs. There are some good lists at http://www.lovetripper.com/love-notes/love-notes.html.
Drinks: Serve coffee with an assortment of flavored creams or tea if you prefer and dessert wines like Riesling or champagne. Make a festive punch or cocktail and have some beer and soda available.

Valentine’s Day Punch
1 qt. cranberry juice cocktail2 c. pineapple juice1 1/2 c. sugar2 qts. ginger aleLight rum (opt.)
Mix juices with sugar; chill. Add ginger ale and rum at serving time.(Cooks.com)

Chocolate Martini
1 oz. vodka
1oz crème de cacao
1 ½ oz.milk
Pour over ice cubes, shake then pour into glass drizzled with Hershey's syrup.


Food: Serve an assortment of appetizers like raw vegetables and a crockpot of little sausages or meatball for contrast. Make or buy and assortment of luscious desserts and a cheese plate with crackers. There are dozens of dessert recipes at: http://www.joyofbaking.com/other/ValentinesDayDesserts.html