Confessions of a Media Junkie

Printer Problem

2012-01-10T11:20:00.001-10:00

I had the opportunity to teach 7th grade Social Studies at my school after a teacher retired. I got to use his computer and printer. He told me the printer was connected to the computer so I figured I was set for the first day of school.

Imagine how surprised I was when I discovered that I couldn't print that day! I looked at the printer spool and there was about 150 items that needed to be printed, waiting...I tried calling the tech coordinator at our school as well as emailing him and I got no response.

Well, it turns out that it was so simple to fix but it took me THREE days to figure it out!
After talking it out with my husband...I realized I could fix it on my own! DER!

All I had to do was go to "Printers and Faxes" and check the default printer and which one was connected to USB and it turned out the default printer wasn't even the printer in the room! doh.

I quickly fixed the problem and voila! I could print now! YAY!! Sometimes it's much easier to try to do things on your own and investigate than to sit and wait for someone to rescue you. AND after talking to your significant other about it. Sometimes it helps to talk about your problems out loud to someone and have them listen and hopefully soon enough, you'll be able to figure out what the solution!

Grilled Cheese & Ketchup Chips

2012-01-08T19:22:00.001-10:00

The food picture is a grilled cheese sandwich & ketchup chips. I learned how to make grilled cheese sandwiches like 2 years ago from David. I love grilled cheese. I also LOVE ketchup chips but it's only available in Canada. So when we won't to California for my brother's wedding, my parents had just gotten back from there & brought some home. Yum!

20 Things to Stop Doing

2011-12-30T10:26:00.001-10:00

Got this email from my sister. I don't know where she got this from but I would like to share with you. Since the new year is quick approaching, I also thought it would be good read to make 2012 an amazing year!
---
1. Stop holding grudges. – Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness.
2. Stop meaning what you don’t say. – People can’t read minds. Communicate regularly and effectively.
3. Stop making it all about you. – The world revolves around the sun, not you. Take a moment to acknowledge this truth on a regular basis.
4. Stop lying. – In the long-run the truth always reveals itself. Either you own up to your actions or your actions will ultimately own you.
5. Stop blaming. – Blaming others accomplishes nothing. Either you own your problems, or they will own you. Your choice. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give-up your power over that part of your life, and you annoy everyone around you in the process.
6. Stop doubting. – If you think that you can’t achieve something, I have some news for you, you’re probably right. But don’t let your self-doubt interfere with other people’s dreams. Remember, the one who says it can’t be done should never interrupt the one doing it.
7. Stop interrupting. – Correcting someone when they’re blatantly wrong is one thing, but always interjecting your opinions out of turn gets old fast.
8. Stop being selfish. – You get what you put into a relationship. Nothing less, nothing more.
9. Stop judging. – Everyone is fighting their own unique war. You have no clue what they are going through, just like they have no clue what you’re going through.
10. Stop gossiping. – Gossiping about others is a lose/lose situation. It hurts them, and then it hurts your reputation.
11. Stop making promises you can’t keep. – Don’t over-promise. Over-deliver on everything you do.
12. Stop being defensive. – Just because someone sees something differently than you doesn’t mean either one of you is wrong. Keep an open mind. Open minds discover great things.
13. Stop comparing people to others. – No two people are alike. Everyone has their own strengths. We are only competing against our own selves.
14. Stop expecting people to be perfect. – ‘Perfect’ is the enemy of ‘good.’ And genuine ‘goodness’ is hard to find in this world. Don’t overlook it.
15. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – It’s impossible. But making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus.
16. Stop screwing people over just because you can get away with it. – Just because you can get away with something doesn’t mean you should do it. Think bigger. Do what you know in your heart is right.
17. Stop making mountains out of molehills. – People make mistakes. Crap happens. There’s no reason to stress out yourself and everyone around you because of it. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
18. Stop being dramatic. – Stay out of other people’s drama and don’t needlessly create your own.
19. Stop giving out advice, and just listen. – Less advice is often the best advice. People don’t need lots of advice, they need a listening ear and some positive reinforcement. What they want to know is already somewhere inside of them. They just need time to think, be and breathe, and continue to explore the undirected journeys that will eventually help them find their direction.
20. Stop complaining. – Instead, use your time and energy to do something about it.

-
I know it's quite a list but I know there are some things on here I should stop doing. Let's just pick one or two we really want to stop doing every month and work on it!
Here's to a new year!

Freeing the Mind...

2011-11-13T00:23:00.001-10:00

I got these thought provoking questions from my friend Shanae who got it from here...

I'm going to attempt to answer these questions as honestly as I can.

If I can't be honest, I won't answer it or if I don't know how to answer it. lol

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind

These questions have no right or wrong answers.

Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? I would be 25, not too young and not too old
Which is worse, failing or never trying? never trying is worse because you wouldn't know if you could have succeeded.
If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done? I really hope it's more doing than saying but sometimes, I'm more a say-er than a do-er.
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? the economy. I'd like it to work fairly and for everyone. I'd like us all to be able to be comfortable financially and we all appreciate and not take it for granted.
If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? creating. be it crafts, on the computer, art...AND spending time with the family, raising my kids to be great people.
Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing? Good question.
If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? I wouldn't. I'd still do what I'm doing now.
To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? I think it's going pretty much the way I want it to go, I'd just like more money flowing my way so I can do more of what I want with my life and family. Like buy a house, in Hawaii, in the area we want.
Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? I'm more worried about doing the right things.
You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do? I'd honestly listen for a little bit and then stick up for her and then ask them to stop talking about her or anyone like that, it's rude.
If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? Don't try to please everyone.
Would you break the law to save a loved one? Heck yeah.
Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
What’s something you know you do differently than most people? Saying the word "bag" and I'm less assertive than I should be. I'm more passive than I'd like to be.
How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy? because everyone's different.
What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back? One thing that I haven't done that I really want to do is run a half marathon. What's holding me back is me. I lack the motivation to do it by myself, to get my butt out the door.
Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? yes, my weight. :P
If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? I'd move to New Zealand because I think the environment and people are similar to where I live now.
Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster? Sometimes, and yes, I do.
Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton? Joyful simpleton. Ignorance is bliss
Why are you, you? because I'm awesome
Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend? I hope so. I'd like to think so.
Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you? losing touch with a good friend who lives near you.
What are you most grateful for? My family and my health
Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? This is a tough one...but if I've already documented all my old memories than I can always look back at my old memories so then it could become a new memory! So I guess, lose my old memories....
Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
Has your greatest fear ever come true? not yet
Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now? Nope, I hardly remember why I get mad in the first place, I usually stay mad for a little bit and then either forget or get over it
What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
If not now, then when?
If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job? Heck no. A million dollars would let me buy a house but I'd still have to have money in order to keep the day to day going
Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing? more work I'd actually enjoy doing
Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous? nope
What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake? because no one likes to fail or make mistakes, we all want to be perfect AND we don't want to have to do it again :)
What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? speak my mind more often
When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you? Depends what it is I guess....not really a good answer is it?

Hope you enjoyed reading some of my answers. If you decide to answer them too, let me know so I can read them too! Have a super day!

Once Upon A Time - Pilot review

2011-10-29T14:16:00.000-10:00

Have you guys checked out this new show on ABC called Once Upon A Time?

About the Show

Emma Swan’s life has been anything but a fairytale. A 28-year-old bail bondsperson, she’s been taking care of herself since she was abandoned as a baby. But when Henry—the son she gave up 10 years ago—finds her, everything changes. Henry is desperate for his mom’s help and thinks that Emma is actually the long, lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Yes, the actual Snow White and Prince Charming. Even stranger, Henry believes that Storybrooke, the sleepy New England town he calls home, is really part of a curse cast by the Evil Queen, freezing fairytale characters in the modern world with no memory of their former selves.
Of course the seen-it-all Emma doesn’t believe a word, but when she gets to Storybrooke, she can’t help sensing that everything’s not quite what it seems. As Henry shows Emma around with the help of his fairytale book, the town, and its inhabitants like Henry’s therapist Archie Hopper and the enigmatic Mr. Gold, seem just strange enough to set off her already suspicious nature. She becomes even more concerned for Henry when she meets his adopted mother, Regina, who he suspects is none other than the Evil Queen herself!
Storybrooke is a place where magic has been forgotten—but is still powerfully close—and happily ever after seems just out of reach. In order to understand where the fairytale world’s former inhabitants came from, and what ultimately led to the Evil Queen’s wrath, you’ll need a glimpse into their previous lives. But it might just turn everything you’ve ever believed about these characters upside-down.
Meanwhile, the epic battle for the future of all worlds, modern and fairytale alike, is about to begin. For good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.
Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, two master storytellers behind Lost and Tron: Legacy, invite everyone to brace themselves for a modern fairytale with thrilling twists and hints of darkness, brimming with wonder and filled with the magic of our most beloved stories.

It premiered last week Sunday on ABC.
I like the idea of the show.
I love reading the fairy tales and this is an interesting way to showcase the different characters and their stories. I really like the concept of having the fairy tale characters in the modern world. I really want to see the background development of characters and discover the "why" of the character.

The pilot wasn't too exciting but it did set the background of all characters and got the story rolling.
Can't wait to see the next episode.

orange and blue

2011-10-06T19:48:00.001-10:00

orange and blue by imallheart featuring leather handbags

flowers

2011-10-06T19:47:00.003-10:00

flowers by imallheart featuring shoulder handbags

flowers

2011-10-06T19:47:00.001-10:00

flowers by imallheart featuring flower jewelry

Felder Felder v neck tee
€149 - jades24.com

Wet seal shoes
$8.40 - wetseal.com

Hobo International shoulder handbag
$198 - zappos.com

Nine West floral ring
$13 - ninewest.com

Jon Richard flower jewelry
£25 - debenhams.com

Ferm Living Power Birds Wall Sticker – Black
$110 - coggles.com

orange skirt

2011-10-06T13:56:00.001-10:00

orange skirt by imallheart featuring roxy bags

Dorothy Perkins short sleeve top
£7 - dorothyperkins.com

Kelly Ewing short ruffle skirt
$133 - coggles.com

Gladiator shoes
$40 - topshop.com

Roxy bag
$30 - tillys.com

Betsey Johnson peacock feather jewelry
$110 - betseyjohnson.com

Fall TV 2011

2011-09-30T23:29:00.000-10:00

I love watching TV. I have a problem with TV watching. But I love it. This season there are some shows that I can't wait to come back on air and there are some new shows that I can't wait to see. I'm also glad the Fall TV season has already started!
In no particular order all the shows (I can think of right now) I love to watch:
Hawaii 5-O, Glee, Modern Family, Mike and Molly, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, iCarly, Wizards of Waverly Place, Biggest Loser...and there might be more.

This next list are ones that haven't come back on air yet but I can't wait to watch:
Psych and Bones.
There's a new show coming on about fairy tales in the modern world on abc family but I can't remember the name of the show. I wan to watch that too.

I'm sure there are more shows but as you can tell, I have a wide range of shows that I like.

Hopefully in the next post I'll tell you why I like these shows!

There are shows that are back on that I want to get into but I'm so behind I'm afraid I'll never be able to catch up! Like 30 Rock and Big Bang Theory.

I also really like reality tv. For example, Keeping up with Kardashians, Kendra, Undercover Boss (is that still on?), Giuliana and Bill...that is all I can think of now.

Let me know if you think there is a show I am missing out on.

Couch potatoes unite!

Post-it Notes and Sticky Notes

2011-04-30T00:45:00.000-10:00

I love using Windows 7! I love that I can hover over the task bar and see what I have open. I also just figured out how to change the song on iTunes by hovering AND if I'm streaming a video on Netflix and I hover over it, you can still view the video! SOO cool!!

One of the biggest things that I absolutely LOVE about Windows 7 is the Sticky Notes application.

Before I begin to tell you why that application is awesome, you need to know that I LOVE Post-its. You don't even know! I go to Target or Walmart, I always have to walk down the aisle with the Post-its. I like going to their website to see what new stuff they have. I use it ALL the time, especially at work. I use it to organize my paperwork, my files, my notes, my reminders...you get the idea. I love their flags, the highlighter/pen/flag combo...I LOVE Post-it.
BUT sometimes I lose my Post-its, or they get covered up with papers upon papers and I lose my reminders.
Then the discovery of Windows 7 and the super awesome Sticky Notes application. I love that I can have all my notes/reminders in ONE spot and it's always there on my desktop. It certainly makes my life easier and I don't have a bajillion Post-its all over my computer screen.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to quit using Post-its' but Sticky Notes is just as awesome. I have also just discovered how to format the text, size and other cool stuff for Sticky Notes!
Check it out!
Who else uses Windows 7 Sticky Notes? http://bit.ly/mrqB92

Review: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

2011-04-03T16:14:00.001-10:00

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

so far it's changing my attitude on running

View all my reviews

GAR results

2011-02-21T21:39:00.002-10:00

You have been sent 1 picture.

Fullscreen capture 2212011 93245 PM.bmp
These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.
Try it out here: http://picasa.google.com/

for my full story on the Great Aloha Run 2011- go here to the family blog -HERE

I want this shoe please!

2011-02-16T10:40:00.001-10:00

But I really don't think I should be spending $100 on shoes.

What do you think?

Irony

2011-01-24T15:31:00.001-10:00

It's kinda ironic that I wore this shirt today and I didn't even ride my bike!

Google Cloud Printing

2011-01-24T12:36:00.000-10:00

This is awesome!

Cloud printing on the go: "(Cross-posted on the Docs Blog and Gmail Blog.)

Back in April 2010 we announced Google Cloud Print, a service that in Beta allows printing from any app on any device, OS or browser without the need to install any software. Just last month we opened Google Cloud Print to users in the Chrome notebook pilot program. Today we are very pleased to announce the beta launch of Google Cloud Print for mobile documents and Gmail for mobile, which we will be rolling out to users throughout the next few days.

Imagine printing an important document from your smartphone on the way to work and finding the printout waiting for you when you walk in the door. Just open a document in Google Docs or an email in Gmail in your mobile browser and choose “Print” from the dropdown menu in the top right corner. You can also print certain kinds of email attachments (such as .pdf or .doc) by clicking the “Print” link that appears next to them.

This feature will be rolling out today and tomorrow for English speaking users in the US and will work on most phones that support HTML5, such as devices running Android 2.1+ and iOS 3+. To get started, you’ll need to connect your printer to Google Cloud Print. This step requires a Windows PC for now, but Linux and Mac support are coming soon. You can learn more at the Google Cloud Print help center.

Happy printing!

Posted by Tyler Odean, Google Cloud Print Team

Layered Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache

2011-01-19T10:28:00.000-10:00

I love reading my friend, Mariko's blogs, especially if it has yummy pictures!

Layered Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache: "

This banana bread is a recipe that’s a tradition in the Jackson family, although there’s some disagreement among the kids as to which parent made the bread, often, from the bananas sitting too long on the countertop. Everyone agrees that credit for the recipe goes to an unnamed old friend, but the making of it is the important part. The re-told and confused lore attached to this recipe is probably the second best reason to keep it around.

The first being its true banana flavor.

Stories from my husband’s childhood on Moana Street have a similar feel to the vintage-colored photographs of kids with bowl cuts and chubby faces and smiles that have half-given up on the moment and say “Last picture, Mom.” Even the Hawaiian foliage in the background takes on an orange tone, emphasizing its surreal quality.

I like the version of the story that says that Jake’s dad made this banana bread. In the short time I had knowing him I saw the matter-of-factness he took on when tackling a cooking assignment. He was as equally interested in following the right of the recipe as he was in spicing it up. If the recipe turned out well due to exactness or experimentation he would be pleased with his result and excitedly offer a piece to every person at the table, proving his usefulness in the kitchen. He was definitely one that would see the recipe as a story rather than his own. I can easily insert a piece of banana bread into this memory. So for me, it is his, and I will stick with that memory. Maybe now that it has been 6 years since his passing that thinking of him is similar to paging through those orange tinted photographs. A feeling of simpler times. A time when coming home from school meant a slice of banana bread.

I went ahead and reinvented the wheel, because the second my sis-in-law introduced me to this moist, chewy, banana-laden quick bread, I saw its true intention:

Cake.

This should have been the cake at our wedding. It should have been an heirloom recipe rather than a fondant-covered, dry-crumbed centerpiece. Not as pretty, but definitely the kind of cake you would want smashed in your face. Definitely the kind of cake you would hang on to in your memory. Definitely the kind of cake you can pass on to your kids.

Because tasty doesn’t go out of style. No matter who cooks it up.

Best Banana Bread made into a cake

1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
12 bananas (mashed if not using a kitchen aid) (the riper the better)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 C flour (Jill said she loves half wheat here)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Optional: 3/4 C walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cream sugars and butter. Add eggs and mix again. Add in bananas and mix thoroughly. Add in dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
If making a cake, divide batter between two prepared cake pans. Bake for 55 minutes.
Cool cake completely on a rack. With a sharp serrated knife, cut each layer into two (creating 4 layers).

Peanut Butter Ganache

Heat 2 cups chocolate chips (dark or milk as desired), 1/4 Cup milk or cream, and 2/3 Cup peanut butter (natural) over a double boiler. Mix until combined and chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Pour ganache in a thin layer on each section of cake as you assemble. It is not necessary to cover the whole cake with the ganache as it is strong tasting. This ganache is not stiff—just slightly fudgy to lend flavor to the rest of the cake. The cake is really delicious on its own, however, and maybe you’ll be glad to pretend it’s a healthy snack as banana bread.

Step One

2011-01-14T23:19:00.001-10:00

Step One: "

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci

Step one to an organized, happy life, simplify. Dejunk and declutter. I am moving slowly closet by closet, room by room. Whittling down our stuff to essentials only. Organizing what we do have. Giving everything a proper place.

It’s hard, almost painful to purge, but at the same time, feels liberating.

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. - Confucius

I am printing out this quote by Confucius and putting it where I can see it and reminded. Life is, can and should be simple

What if?

2011-01-14T23:19:00.000-10:00

What if?: "

Thanks Gina for posting this on your blog, something to think about.

What would happen if we treated our Book of Mormon

like we treat our cell phones?

What if we carried it around in our pockets or backpacks?
What if we turned back to get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped it open several times a day?
What if we spent an hour or more using it every day?
What if we used it consistently to receive messages from the text?
What if we searched for new applications?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?

I know if I used my Book of Mormon like I used my cell phone I would have the spirit with me through out the day and would be VERY knowledgeable in the gospel.

Something to think about.

Stickr - Create Sticky Notes on any Website

2011-01-14T23:18:00.000-10:00

Stickr - Create Sticky Notes on any Website: "

Stickr is a neat tool for creating sticky notes about any webpage you come across. Those notes are saved into your Stickr account where you can use them as bookmarks. Your Stickr notes can include links, text notes, images, and videos. Stickr notes can be kept private or made public. To use Stickr you need to install the Stickr browser extension or bookmarklets. Watch the video below to learn more about Stickr.

My Mother’s Famous Chinese Egg Rolls

2011-01-14T23:17:00.001-10:00

My Mother’s Famous Chinese Egg Rolls: "

These are my Mom’s Famous Crispy Chinese Egg Rolls and a recipe that I published way back in 2007 but somehow got lost in the Internet void. Thank goodness that this recipe was part of my cookbook so I still had the text and photos. ~Jaden

***

This is one of those recipes that is a little more time consuming to make, but one that’s my favorite because 1) it’s my Mom’s recipe 2) everyone who has tried them instantly declare they are the best they’ve ever had 3) you can make a big batch of them and freeze them. I usually call a couple of my girlfriends over and we have an eggrollin’ party where we’ll make a massive batch of them, enjoy them fresh that night and have enough for all to take home and freeze. If you are making these with friends, I’d suggest doubling the recipe so each person has some to take home to freeze. I promise you they will taste just as good fried after frozen and you will never taste better egg rolls than these. BUT – you must follow my Mama’s rules.

Ready?

Mama’s Rule #1: Your egg roll filling ingredients must be drained of excess moisture and cooled before rolling. Soggy, hot filling makes soggy egg rolls.

Mama’s Rule #2: Use the right kind of wrapper. The size I get is 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm) around and come 25 wrappers to a package. These wrappers are light, paper-thin and fry up to a shatteringly crisp crunch. Oh yes, before I forget – “spring roll” and “egg roll” are interchangeable and mean the same thing. Sometimes my regular American grocery store will have “spring roll pasta sheets” that are in the refrigerated produce section. Do not use those – they are way too thick! Let’s just say that if it has Italian writing on the package, it probably ain’t the good stuff for Chinese egg rolls.

Rule#2A. Treat the wrapper right. You also want to keep the wrappers covered with a damp towel at all times to prevent the edges from drying and cracking.

Mama’s Rule #3: Roll small and tight! Sloppy and loosely rolled egg rolls will break apart and allow oil to seep into the inside of the roll. Mama says baaaad. One time I was watching a celebrity chef on television making monster egg rolls the size of a cola can. Who in the heck can wrap their mouths around that thing? It looked hideous. Mama’s egg rolls are elegant and skinny. Don’t be too greedy and overstuff them! And roll them tight so that the filling doesn’t fall out while frying! Remember the days when you were younger and rolled your own…um…cigarette? Channel those rolling skills back.

Mama’s Rule #4: Lay the rolled egg rolls neatly with a piece of parchment, foil or wax paper in between each layer if you are stacking them on top of each other. Keep them covered with plastic wrap or a towel to prevent drying. If you are freezing, freeze them in like this first. Once frozen, you can gather them up and transfer them to a plastic freezer bag. If you roll them out and jumble them all together in a big pile, they’ll eventually stick to each other and you’ll tear the delicate skin trying to pry them apart.

How to make my Mother’s Famous Chinese Egg Rolls

The printable recipe is below, but here are step by step photos on how to wrap. The recipe is for ground pork as the filling, but as you can see in these photos, the filling is very flexible. I’ve used chopped shrimp, ground chicken, ground beef, ground turkey, very thinly sliced pork (almost like matchstick sized). In these photos, I used crawfish and diced Chinese sausage!

These photos are just a guideline to teach you how to wrap (and the wrong way to wrap Chinese Egg Rolls!)

After you fry the filling, you’ll want to spread it out to cool on a baking sheet. Tilt the baking sheet and prop it up so that all the juices accumulate. You’ll discard this juice. Too much juice in filling makes soggy eggrolls.

Lay the wrapper on a clean, dry surface as shown. Spoon just 1½ tablespoon of filling near the bottom corner. Resist the urge to over stuff with too much filling!

Lift the bottom corner up and begin rolling until you reach halfway up.

Fold over the left side, and then the right side towards the center.

Continue folding up with a tuck-roll-tuck-roll motion. Dip your fingers into the cornstarch slurry and brush all over the final top corner. Finish up the roll and seal.

See how tightly the egg roll wrapped? Any holes or large air pockets will allow oil to seep in, resulting in a greasy egg roll!

The wrong way:

Common mistake is to not fold over and tuck good enough. See that big space? Oil seeps in and will make your egg roll greasy.

Big holes = your egg roll will fall apart while frying.

See the difference between the above photo and this one?

Mother's Famous Chinese Egg Rolls Recipe
Servings: Makes 50 egg rolls Prep Time: Cook Time:
Once you make these egg rolls, you'll never make them any other way! Make sure you get the correct egg roll wrappers. They should be FROZEN and very thin, almost paper thin. Do not use egg roll wrapper found in the refrigerated section (usually near tofu) in Western supermarket - they make starchy, thick, gooey egg rolls with big bubbles on outside when you fry. It's important to make sure you keep your wrapper and rolled egg rolls under plastic wrap so that they do not dry out!
Ingredients:
50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (about 2 packages), defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight
1 tablespoon cornstarch (or flour) mixed with ¼ cup (60 ml) of cool water
Oil, for frying
FOR THE GROUND PORK
1 pound (690 g) ground pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE VEGETABLES
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ head of cabbage (about 9 ounces/255 g)
3 small carrots
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or 25 g dried black mushrooms soaked overnight), stems discarded
1 tablespoon cooking oil (canola, vegetable, peanut)
2-inch (5 cm) section of ginger
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. To make the filling, combine the ingredients for the ground pork together. Marinate at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred the cabbage and the carrots using your food processor or by hand. Slice the mushrooms into very thin strips (or you could use your food processer and pulse a few times to get a fine dice.
2. Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cabbage, carrots and the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another minute. Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet so that it tilts and will allow all the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes.
3. Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra oil or juice. Now, you're ready to wrap (see photos for instructions on how to wrap). Keep the rolled egg rolls in neat, single layer and covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. If you want to stack the egg rolls, make sure you have layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking. Keep wrappers also covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.
4. To fry the egg rolls, fill a wok or pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 to 6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.
NOTE: To fry frozen egg rolls, do not defrost the egg rolls – just add them to the oil frozen, frying 4 to 6 at a time. Add an additional 1½ minutes to the frying time since they are frozen.

crystal pendant tutorial

2011-01-14T23:17:00.000-10:00

crystal pendant tutorial: "

Crafting with friends is one of my favorite things in the world. Stacy may not be a regular contributor to this blog anymore, but she's still our dear friend, the crafting queen, and a major inspiration to us! We got together with her for some crafting this week and made these gorgeous crystal pendants. I couldn't believe how easy they were!

Crystal or Glass Tile Pendant Tutorial

You will need:
-a crystal pendant (this one is from Connie Crystal-Stacy bought it at our local Ben Franklin) or glass tile
-a pair of scissors
-patterned paper
-a pinch bale (Stacy bought ours at Ben Franklin)
-A clear crafting glue like Diamond Glaze, Crystal Effects, or Glossy Accents
-a chain (any length you like, we chose 24')
-a pencil

First, pick out a patterned paper that you love. The possibilities are endless; you should have seen us trying to choose one! Once, you have chosen, trace the pendant on the paper and cut it out with scissors.

Add some Diamond Glaze / Crystal Effects / Glossy Accents glue to the back of your pendant. Use sparingly, if you add too much it will bleed out the edges after you press the paper on.

Now press your paper face down on the back of the pendant so it can be seen through the other side. Press firmly to release any air bubbles.

Once it it firmly in place, you can trim any excess paper from the sides with a pair of scissors or Exacto knife, and then file with a nail file to make sure there is no paper sticking out. Be careful not to file the crystal--it will scuff easily. To protect the paper, we suggest applying a thin layer of Diamond Glaze to the back of the pendant as well.

Once, the glue has dried you can pinch your bail through the hole in the pendant. If you're using a square glass tile (you'll find these from tons of sellers on Etsy), use some Diamond Glaze glue to attach a glue-on jewelry bail like these.

Hang your pendant on a chain and you're done!

You can also make an adorable necklace with square or oval glass pieces, which can be found online at Etsy. I made a bunch of these on a girls weekend last year and they are wonderful! I love that I can pick one to match many outfits and they also make fabulous gifts! You can make these following the same steps above and gluing a glue-on bail on the back.

Days of future past: 1984, Brave New World, and Max Headroom

2011-01-14T23:16:00.000-10:00

Days of future past: 1984, Brave New World, and Max Headroom: "

My high school teachers assured me, at the end of the 1960s, that the future could probably be found in one of two novels: "1984," by George Orwell and "Brave New World," by Aldous Huxley. In those days it was fashionable to have students discuss which future was more likely.

Orwell, who also wrote "Animal Farm," expected a new Dark Ages in which "Big Brother is Watching," public opinion is dictated, dissidence is suppressed, and being a free thinker is an even gloomier enterprise than not being one. The world will have three huge countries, constantly shifting alliances so two can temporarily gang up on a third.

Huxley, whose novel is brighter and has erotic scenes, thus capturing the teen vote, expected that people's sensual needs will be so well catered-to that we will be too busy getting our massages to be dissidents to any important degree. In his world, all we care about is our own comforts.

Orwell had been a propagandist during World War II and had certain views about the dangers of such manipulation, especially by totalitarians. Huxley was making more of a commentary on society than on the powerful and the political.

To these two visions of the future, let's add a third, that of "Max Headroom," a 1987 British TV series in which surveillance cameras and hackable computers are everywhere, but they are double-edged technologies that can be used by subversives, like reporters, as easily as by officials bent on repression and concealment of scandal. I was in my thirties when "Max Headroom" came out as a U.S. television series and I thought it was sensational.

Others must have agreed, because current day TV series from "NCIS" to the new "Hawaii Five-0" feature omnipotent geeks who summon up live surveillance cameras or hack into the most well-defensed computers in the blink of an eye.

In 1983, people began writing commentaries on "1984" and "Brave New World," most of them suggesting that the latter book turned out to be more accurate, an assertion which usually turned out to be a platform for bemoaning declining interest in news, and in voting.

In retrospect, I am inclined to say that they were right, although I'm not sure we're any more hedonistic than, say, affluent people were in the Roaring Twenties. Certainly the current generation of doctors has been trained to solve every ill with a pill, and we patients are propaganized similarly, as with the sign I told you about in my hospital room two years ago: "You have a right to be free from pain." We've only recently learned that we have a right to erections. Who'd have thought it? And to think your driver's license is still only a privilege.

Then again, if most people had to choose between automotive mobility and seminal motility, they'd go out and buy a bus pass. But I digress.

I do think "Max Headroom" got the future, which is to say the present, more accurately than the other books, perhaps because Huxley, in his own way, was as intent as Orwell on foretelling a world that was worse than the one they lived in. They saw us as being in the Hades Handbasket and wanted to warn us. "Max" postulated instead a world in which good guys and bad guys are about the same as they always were, but technological progress changes the game. And technology, as Firesign Theatre would say, is a power that can only be used for good or evil.

Look at all those traffic cameras! When the monsoons came, we brought the story to you by punching a few buttons, and live pictures magically appeared from all over. And thanks to modern cell phones, everyone becomes a reporter, emailing full-motion video. When citizens do this, it's called reverse surveillance, since you can watch Big Brother if he should relax his guard and beat the crap out of Rodney King in a public place. A favorite quote of mine applies here. The slick Willie Gingrich (Walter Matthau) in the 1966 movie "The Fortune Cookie" says, "You can build a better mousetrap. But the mice get smarter."

Ironically if there is anything that increases the risk of totalitarianism today, it is not technology at all, it is a people problem: lack of staffing in for-profit news organizations, and, so far at least, the absence of sufficient alternative mechanisms for keeping an eye on Big Brother.

Thought of the Day

2011-01-11T12:02:00.001-10:00

Effecting Change is like Making Tea

No one just drops tea into hot water and immediately starts to drink. Tea needs to seep. and just like eta, change takes time and needs to seep.

No one just dumps in a jar of sugar and a whole lemon into their teacup. You need to add a little sugar, maybe some cream, and taste.

If it's not just right, you have to add another spoonful of sugar. Taste again and it needs just a little squeeze of lemon. Taste again and it's just right.

Just like tea, change requires you to check on it and make necessary adjustments.

Am I eating enough? - Healthy tip

2011-01-10T10:56:00.001-10:00

Thank you Kelly! I needed this!

For this weeks healthy tip, ask yourself:

"Am I eating enough?"

Contrary to popular belief, sometimes you have to eat more to lose weight. While that may sound counterintuitive, it often does the trick. Here's why:

1.    Metabolism is the key to weight loss. If you don't eat enough, or often enough, your metabolism slows to a crawl and weight loss becomes more difficult, especially when you're exercising. That's why skipping meals isn't a good idea if the goal is to shed pounds.

  Tip: Always eat breakfast to kick-start metabolism and try eating mini-meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism fired up.

2.   To keep your metabolism up, you MUST eat. Conventional wisdom dictates that when you first start dieting, the less you eat, the better. While it's true that you often should eat less, eating too little can backfire over time. As your body composition changes, your body will think it's starving, which can make it hold on to fat. (The process actually has to do with excessive release of a hormone called cortisol, but you don't need to know the details, so we'll just call it fat.) To avoid this, most experts agree that over time, you shouldn't eat fewer than 1,200 calories per day for women, 1,500 for men. If your daily diet consists of fewer calories than that, consider eating more.  

Tip: Keep a food diary to track calories.

3.   You need more calories when you work out. If you're exercising while following a low-calorie eating plan, you'll need to take into account the calories you're burning. That's because it's now easier to enter starvation mode. Let's say you're burning 400 calories and only eating 1,200 to 1,300 calories per day. This means you're really only taking in 800 to 900 calories per day before you begin to calculate how your body composition is changing. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does, so as your body changes, you need to eat more to keep the weight loss coming.  

Tip: Drink an after-workout recovery drink. (Just read in Costco magazine that low to non-fat chocolate milks works well as a recovery drink.) After hard workouts, its calories are utilized so quickly by your body. They will ensure your muscles, hence, your metabolism will recover quickly.