A bit of randomness

Do you enjoy tipping a glass of stout?
Then you really should treat yourself and a friend to a tall bottle of Deschutes' Abyss.  Probably the best stout I've ever had.  My favorite stouts sport rich, full flavors of chocolate and coffee.  This one does it best.
I have a brisket waiting for the weekend in our refrigerator.  I'm thinking of putting it in the slow cooker with garlic, onion and stout.  On one hand I hate to buy stout I won't be able to drink, but this seems like a worthy cause.

Right after the holidays, I splurged and bought N and I a Logitech Squeezebox Radio.  It replaced our old trusty clock radio.  I love the sound of the Squeezebox.  I love streaming stations and podcasts from our network. And finally, I love being able to set-up the radio (alarms included) online.  BUT we're learning the alarms can suffer 20% of the time from (perhaps) software bugs.  Not a good thing when you depend on an alarm to wake you every morning.  I've noticed on the forums that this isn't a new or unusual problem, but it also sounds like many of the users have supplemented with an alarm clock.  {sigh}  That is NOT a solution, in my opinion.

I'm looking forward to heading to the wine, food and beer fest at the fairgrounds on Saturday.  We'll probably go in the late afternoon.  That's how we roll.

Carolyn Hax moment

"...I rarely need to turn the Golden Rule around like this, but: Think of the way you'd treat a close and beloved friend who was in your exact situation, and then start showing yourself the same kindness and generosity of spirit. ..." ~Carolyn Hax

Nick Galifianakis- The Starting Over Game

Chicken & Dumplings

When N and I were first married, my go-to recipe book was one that he already had on his shelf-- a reprinted 1969 edition of Betty Crocker's Cookbook.  I still have it, although the spine has long since deteriorated to the point of exposing the base material that's still holding it all together.


Despite the fact I've come to rely heavily on the internet for my recipe searches, I still have a few favorite, dependable recipes I open that Betty Crocker Cookbook to use.  One of them is for "Chicken and Dumplings". Sorry Betty, I'm not true to your printed word any longer and going by the scribbled notes in the margin, I never did.  The main change?  I no longer use a whole fryer.  If I did, N and I would eat every morsel and probably even suck the meat off neck.  That's how much we love a fricasseed chicken.
After looking around at some of my favorite food blogs, I see more additions/changes I'd like to try;  carrots, celery, peas, turmeric or even adding cornmeal to the dumplings.
Here are the changes I've already adopted over the years: chicken broth for the water,  a diced onion and large garlic clove- sautéed before adding broth, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 pinches of rosemary, a bay leaf, 1 tsp of thyme, pinch of tarragon & sage, and a couple of dashes of chili powder.

Stroke of Insight

Wanted to share this video and the Radiolab audio file after listening to this scientist, Jill Bolte Taylor, on Radiolab.  Fascinating.