Quick and Easy Fried Rice

my mom used to make this for us all the time and when i was younger, i tried SEVERAl times to recreate it.  not until this year have i been successful so we have it at least twice a month.

left over rice, about two cups

you can use leftover rice from chinese takeout

or use the leftovers from last nights meal

3-4 scallions, white and green parts, diced

3 carrots, quartered lengthwise and then diced

3 eggs, scrambled

6 hot dogs, halfed lengthwise and then diced (okay, i know that's weird but you should try it!)  you can also use chicken or pork or any kind of meat you have lelftover

soy sauce

salt and pepper

garlic powder

cooking oil

begin:

scramble eggs and set aside

cook diced vegetables in two tablespoons of cooking oil on medium and start heating those puppies up

add salt and pepper  (easy on the salt)

once the carrots are slightly tender (5 minutes of stirring), add hotdogs (or other meat)

stir, stir, stir

add a touch more oil if things start sticking

now add a tablespoon of soy sauce

stir, stir, stir

you might need to add a touch more but remember it's SALTY

now add rice

i usually do handfuls at a time and make sure it doesn't stay together in balls, crumble if it's sticky

stir, stir, stir

once rice and veggies/weiners are well mixed add the scrambled eggs and....

stir, stir, stir

taste test

and you're done

leftovers are really good

holler if you have any questions.

bon appetit

haven't tried this sweet potato recipe yet but it looked so darn good i thought i would share:

Skinny Sweet Potato Casserole

Just 176 calories and 6 grams of fat

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 large), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• ¼ tsp allspice
• 1 cup cranberries
• Pinch of salt

Topping

• 1 cup cornflakes, crushed
• 1/2 cup (packed) coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons unsalted organic butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (virgin, cold pressed), melted

Directions

Sweet Potatoes: Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; transfer potatoes to large bowl.  Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add egg, sugar, spice and salt; beat to blend.  Fold in cranberries.  Transfer mixture to 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Bake potatoes until beginning to brown around edges, about 20 minutes.

Topping: Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Spoon topping over potatoes. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes longer.

VINEGAR

my new fav friend for everything and anything

for instance:

to shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.

Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, then run hot water down the drain.

Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.

Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.

Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.

and more

Stop insect stings and bites from itching by dabbing them with a cotton ball saturated with undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Soothe sunburn with a spray of white distilled vinegar, repeating as often as you like. Ice-cold white distilled vinegar will feel even better, and may prevent blistering and peeling.

For cuts and scrapes, use white distilled vinegar as an antiseptic.

Get rid of foot odor by washing feet well with antiseptic soap daily, then soaking them in undiluted cider vinegar for 10 minutes or so. Remember that cotton socks aid odor control more effectively than wool ones.

Clean a hairbrush by soaking in a white distilled vinegar solution.

Tone facial skin with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water.

don't believe me

check it out:

http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/

watching the news (MSNBC) and the Al  Jazeera live feed through London on the insanity in Cairo!  Just too scary.  Especially the "kill switch" of all internet access.

with help from my little/little brother, you can sign up on this blog and get email updates!!!

i'm gonna spam ya!

no, not spam but i am going to infiltrate your email box!

Marie Claire February 2011

25 new products that will seriously change your life.

that's what they're saying, so i've picked a few that look promising and won't cost a paycheck:

HAIR

Nexxus Pro-Mend Split-in Binding Targeted Leave-in Treatment Creme

(i wonder how they got all that name on a bottle)

i'm just saying

10 bucks

FACE

Aveeno Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30

15 bucks

only one choice; everything was too expensive, like 425 bucks expensive!

BODY

Dove Go Fresh Revive Body Wash

4 bucks

L'Oreal Paris Sublime Bronze One Day

11 bucks

Amazing, huh?  I don't buy alot of name brand items anymore and Jamie has taught me that you don't need name brand groceries either.

EXCEPT FOR BEST FOODS

hello?  no substitute for Best Foods

end of conversation

Spent half the day on the phone talking to the Social Worker at California Men's Colony prison.  Excuse me, but what a bunch of  shit!  I didn't find anything out but learned alot of new terms for alot of stuff.

The SW can't be my source contact anymore because Don isn't in the hospital.  With that said, they won't let me talk directly to a doctor, i can't get copies of anything unless Don fills out a form and Don getting someone to get him that form could take days.

"redickulous"

i mean really, how hard to you want to make this?

i met the picture of my new puppy

Don't forget to check out these websites:

one.

http://www.secretsocietyofwomen.com/

Created by Lisa Ling
An anonymous place to talk with woman about everything

two.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bettysuelaurin

My photo cards and the best website EVER.  You can find anything for anyone and always be remember for that "special" gift they received!

three.

http://www.kandeethemakeupartist.blogspot.com/

Kandee is obviously a makeup artist that I found on youtube first.  Since then I have her Glaminars all over the world, her pregnancy (she just had the baby) and I think she even moved her and her now four kids into another house.  Her sense of humor is contagious and her "how-to" videos on youtube are VERY informative.  I know you will love her, like I do!!! 


http://www.channels.com/episodes/show/11347213/BigTV-Intro-to-Kandee-Johnson

I love her yellow flower ring in the video

great quote:  


"you're more talented than you think, more beautiful than you know and more loved than you can positively imagine."

reading now and must read:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

to read:

The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain

my newest friend

Weasel

I think I walked a mile today and now, I get to go to the dentist.  What kind of fricking reward is that!!!!

I stand corrected.  Jamie yelled that I only walked a quarter of a mile when I said I walked a mile.  And when I told him there was a bum on my bench, he said I shouldn't be sitting down anyway.

sheeeeeeeesh




Baby Ava 

Baby Jaydon

http://pub.vitrue.com/aN0

tuesday and it's my birthday!!!

and my stupid-ass cold has returned

Morro Bay Weekend - Visit Don and time with Amy

Blog jan21 Friday night morro bay

You start to forget words: they’re on the tip of your tongue, but instead of eventually dislodging, they stay there.  You head somewhere to fetch something, and by the time you get there you can’t remember what it was you were after. 


It’s not so much that I’ve forgotten.  It’s more like I’ve stopped keeping track. 

A little anxious about tomorrow.  I’m sure Don is dealing with the same emotions tonight.  Can’t wait to hug him.  Sometimes that’s all I think about.

Tried to explain “out-loud”  to Amy within ear-shot of Jme, about how my mind has been working lately.  Tried is the operative word here.  So, I will try again.

It’s like every train of thought I have for every thing that happens during my waking hours ends up being a negative.  No matter, anything, everything and then some.  I thought that after all my years of therapy that I could self medicate a therapy session but it’s just not working.  So my “smart” mind knows all the answers and all the buttons to use but it just ends up at nothing.  Just more negative shit.

Amy asked if my blogging and SSOW blog has helped any and I have to say it hasn’t.  My blogging always feel good but I worry that Kasey will critique it.  Critique, over simplify or dismiss.  It feels like she has been doing a lot of that the last couple years.  Could it have anything to do with my being semi-retired?  What could have happened to start this?  I know that a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to her that I didn’t feel like she needed me “as a mom” anymore.  That somehow the relationship took a shift in it’s dynamics.  I hope I didn’t hurt her feelings but it’s how I feel.  Nothing happened that I can think of that made me come to that realization.  It just popped into my head and felt very real and strong and sad.

A lot that my mind goes through with itself is negative and sad.  How does one stop the negativity that your mind keeps going over and over and over again?

Self medicated therapy.

What a concept!

It’s eleven o’late friday night and my alarm is set for 5 o’early, so I’m going to try and sleep now.  I’ll try reading tonight.

Strange hotel room, low muffling noises.  You’d think we would be used to it by now.

Nitey nite and sweetest dreams….

Blog jan 22 2010 Saturday Morro Bay

Wake up calls at 5am don’t exactly work for me!  I’m not a morning person….for sure. 

Long story summary:

1)      arrived at prison around 7am, many others arrived there that early too

2)     ticket numbers 31 and 32

3)     Once making it through security (and after setting off the alarm three times), we got into the waiting rooms

4)    All hell broke loose after that, we heard many rumors of why things where taking so long.  New family arrivals stopped and no inmates were brought in.  Some kind of incident in yard A (Don’s in yard C) -  fight, death, seizure ….

5)     Finally they came out (now there’s only about 10 of us in our waiting area; everyone else hadn’t even made it through security) and let us know that yard A was locked down and it could be a couple hours.

I had a bad feeling earlier in the morning but that’s not unusal for me sometimes.  Don finally came out at 1230pm much to my relief.  He was fine but another inmate was not.  He was playing handball, fell, cracked his skull, blood and then died.  When something like that happens, the whole prison stops everything.  Lock down yard A, all visitors stopped wherever they are and then lock down yard B and C too.

Kinda scary but I was more worried about losing time with Don.

I strongly feel that prisons should be run by a private company, it would be more humane, more profitable and time efficient.

This trip is going to go down in history for the most cluster fuck actions by the corrections department ON SO MANY LEVELS!!!!

Jamie got a headhurt and went to bed without dinner, poor sweetie!  But I got a tri-tip sandwich and frenchy fries!!

 Blog Jan 23 2010 Morro Bay- Sunday

Another visit with Don today and at least it wasn’t as long drawn out as yesterday.

Visiting Visiting Sergent  Van Beek was a complete asshole.  I will point out the reasons below but he’s a dickhead.

The second day that I visit Don is always a lot more relaxed.  I don’t have the anxious, butterflies in the back of my throat reminding me that soon I will lay eyes on him.  What will he look like, what will his eyes tell me.

Getting up at 530am can sure make sleep difficult even when you can’t sleep.

Sunset pictures and another photographer had better and bigger toys than I did. 

Dinner at Bayside Café at the Marina

Salmon fish tacos

Another bath!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yea Me!!!!

All the things i need to remember to ask Social Worker

Call social worker and ask about:

1) we need a medical order from doctor per Dr. Bratton MD, psycologist to be moved down to first floor; difficulty to walk up stairs and because of the Lactulose, a laxative medication to rid his body of water and ammonia, he has to sit on the toilet for an extended amount of time within inches of his cellys bed. 

I understand that these kinds of “exceptions” are being made for others with medical situations.  His health is not good and is very happy with all the doctor’s  efforts to ease his discomforts.

Also ask social worker if he can get copies of the documents that Don has in his files that he signed while in the hospital.  Some of which he is not sure what they were.  Especially ones that involve me.

2) Send Linda from the waiting room an email asking for the number of the Medical Receiver in Sacramento.  He is not affiliated with CDC but works as a watchdog.

If no word from social worker, then contact the Medical Receiver