Why I will not be watching The Great Gatsby

     Sometimes I believe that the whole world is talking about the new version of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  I log onto facebook, twitter, or pinterest and are multiple people raving about the book and wanting to see the movie. Too each their own, but I would like to offer another view of The Great Gatsby.

     You see I did not love the book. Fitzgerald's writing style was not too my taste, but I could have overlooked it were it not for the overall plot. The subterfuge, the moral decay, extramarital affairs, pure drama, and utter despair. The overall book was simply depressing from beginning to end. I will say that the books only redeeming quality was his quiet sense of humor, but this is not enough to tempt me to watch the movie, or even to reread the book. This comes from someone who does not in the general way of things mind some depressing books, neither do I need to read only edifying texts, but come on give me a break, this is far from quality literature!

     I did however like F. Scott Fitzgerald's list for his daughter, and I found his turkey recipes to be extremely funny, if not very appetizing.  Hopefully, this will be the last you will hear on this subject from me, even though I am sure I will probably have to endure many accolades to The Great Gatsby. Thank goodness, I don't have to watch or enjoy it.

A cautionary tale of a habanero pepper

     A few weeks ago my husband and I decided to make pork tikka with curry.  This is the curry we should have recorded. It still brings back painful memories.

     I decided to use a habanero pepper in the curry instead of a serrano. Daniel deseeded it and removed the membrane, and then I tossed it in with the onions and garlic and ginger. Fumes and smoke filled the kitchen immediately, and as I breathed some of those fumes in, my nose and the back of my throat began to burn (as did my eyes).  I removed the pan from the heat, and ran outside, my eyes and nose streaming. As my nose ran, the skin between my nose and lip began to burn badly, like I had just touched a hot iron. I went back inside and got some ice to hold under my nose and relieve the burning. Then I diluted the curry I was making, before heading back outside where Daniel was grilling the tikka.
     Daniel suggested I take a walk to get away from the fumes, it was nice of him to be considerate like that even though he was also laughing at me. That is when I let him in on the real disaster. Our kitchen is not well ventilated, the smoke and fumes were going into the bedroom and living room and down the hall. "We are going to have to pitch a tent outside if we want to get any sleep tonight!" I said. Maybe I was over dramatic, but I was the one holding ice under my nose.

     That is when we went inside propped open the doors and turned on fans. Oh how did supper turn out? It did not burn our mouths, after all the diluting I did it almost tasted bland. I had to go back in and add more masala to the dish.  Still next time you can bet I will be using a serrano pepper in my dish and I will cook it out on the grill where I don't have to worry about ventilating the kitchen.

This is a video of my husband and I cooking dinner last night. This is our first attempt and making a food video. It is a variation of a recipe that ran in the Food and Wine Magazine back in 1999. We have lightened it up a little, and made some of the steps easier to follow. We've also included our recipe for rice.
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely crushed black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ginger (if you use fresh be sure to mince it well)
1 tablespoon curry paste, or 1 to 2 serrano chile  peppers diced (This really depends on how hot you like your dish, some may want more curry paste others less. Taste it as you cook)
1 cup canned light unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

In a bowl, combine the cumin, peppercorns,  and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Add the chicken and rub with the spices to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

In a large deep nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add the chicken, ginger, curry paste and the lime juice  and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is golden brown and just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of  coconut milk, then cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes.

You could also use a 1 cup of plain low fat yogurt instead of coconut milk if you want to lighten it up even more. With Indian curry you can use either coconut milk or yogurt.


Add the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut milk and the lemon juice to the chicken and simmer, stirring. Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with the cashews; serve hot.

Serve with rice

Rice recipe
In sauce pan heat a few tablespoons vegetable oil, and add about a half teaspoon of mustard seeds, and a half teaspoon of coriander into the oil. Allow to cook until the seeds start to pop, then add 2 cups of rice, and stir, add 4 cups of water, and about 1 teaspoon of salt. Put lid on and allow to cook for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender.
     

Sweet Little Jesus Boy

Song: "Sweet Little Jesus Boy"
Artist: Trisha Yearwood
Album: "The Sweetest Gift"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sweet Little Jesus Boy lyrics

Sweet little Jesus boy
They made you be born in a manger
Sweet little holy child
We didn't know who you were
Didn't know you'd come to save us Lord
To take our sins away
Our eyes were blind, we could not see
We didn't know who you were

Long time ago
You were born
Born in a manger Lord
Sweet little Jesus boy
The world treats you mean Lord
Treats me mean too
But that's how things are down here
We don't know who you are

You have told us how
We are trying
Master you have shown us how
Even when you were dying
Just seems like we can't do right
Look how we treated you
But please Sir forgive us Lord
We didn't know it was you

Sweet little Jesus boy
Born a long time ago
Sweet little holy child
We didn't know who you were

White Christmas? What are the chances

Mad Scientist Here.
On the radio they play songs referring to a White Christmas.
Problem is that I can not remember a white Christmas here in the south.  So what are the chances of it?  It is pretty slim.  The National Climactic Data Center has a map showing the chances of at least one inch of snow.

They Have a report showing a city by city chances.  For Jackson it is 0%.  It is not impossible though, we had a good snowstorm a few weeks before Christmas in 1997 and a few years later (Don't remember exactly when) we had a ice on the 23rd and 24th.  It is probably closer to 0.5%, they just round to the nearest whole percent. Unfortunately for us snow lovers, it is not a good chance.  But hey, if it did snow on Christmas they would close work/school so maybe it would be better if it waited to snow.

Lincoln's Proclamation of Thanksgiving

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Nursery party poopers

     Yesterday, was my morning in the nursery. I share this task with our nursery director, Amy. We trade off Sundays. At first it seemed that I was having an easy morning. Only a few crying kids and they stopped crying soon after I brought out some fun toys. All of our volunteers were there. Yes, everything was going smoothly.

     Then one of our little boys had an explosive blow out poopy diaper. It was all over his outfit, and the play area he was in. Then it got all over the changing table, as I was stripping him down. A lot of clorox wipes were used cleaning the play room that morning.  Then I discovered that he did not have a spare change of clothes. So I had to go to the sanctuary and get his mom, and explain the situation. We wrapped him up in a blanket and she took him home to change him into some real clothes.

     Next, I was called upon to change two diapers in the infant room, and was a dirty diaper. After that I was called back into the other room, to change another poop. Wow at the fun. Hey, at least not all my mornings are like this, and no one had a dirty diaper in the toddler room.

     So I was explaining my morning to my husband, as he was helping me take out the trash, and he said, "So, you had a crappy morning?"

     I've been laughing ever since he said that.

    

    

Am writing. . .

Spot the mistake................

This is from New Orleans this morning during the onslaught of hurricane Isaac.  I think the weather station was taking too much of a beating.

The serious and the silly

The Serious:
8 Health Lies and Fitness Myths from Exercise Trainers
Some of these did not surprise me, but I did learn a few things from the article. You should read this article even if you don't have a personal trainer, some health lies bounce around from person to person anyway.

The Silly:
A recipe for ice cubes
This is funny. You have read the reviews of this recipe too! I've been going back and reading them whenever I need a laugh.