• 05:52 RT @OMGFacts: The Hoover Dam was built to last 2,000 years. The concrete in it will not even be fully cured for another 500 years. #omgfacts #
• 05:54 I can already see that Sims 3 is going to be addictive! #

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today was the first snow here. i woke up much later than expected due to the sky being so dark with rainy clouds that eventually brought lots of fat snowflakes mid-afternoon.

( a mix of things )

~ Membership Questionnaire ~

My name is: Sophie, Soph for short.

My age is: 28

I live in: Bronx, NY. Or right across from Pelhambay Park, which is about as north in the Bronx as you can get and not at all as most imagine it. It's very suburbian. I'm originally from Sweden.

My relationship status is: With someone for a couple of years but not sure of what will come of it.

I live in a(n): Basement apartment that is really a first floor apartment, as in above ground.

My children and/or pets: None.

My obsession of the moment is: Decorating for Christmas and trying to get traditional Swedish decorations.

My favorite "guilty pleasure" is: ... gosh, don't know. Eating batter when baking?

My favorite domestic activity is: Cleaning, but not the cleaning itself but enjoying the feeling of having everything in order when it's done.

The domestic chore I hate is: Cleaning the shower.

Are you a beginner domestic diva or an experienced pro?: A bit of both depending on what we're talking about.

I found this community through: Search when looking for a good very heavy and dense Christmas cake (you know, the kind with lots of different dried fruit and crystal ginger - still haven't found a good recipe, by the way!)

My favorite recipe is: I'll get back with this one, if that's alright. Too many are popping up right now.



( A few pictures... )

I figured I'd share some pictures of decorating and wrapping I've been doing - I took them for another community, but thought it would be fun to share them here as well!

( A few pictures under the cut )

I just bought my first new crockpot. I washed the stoneware and lid, dried it carefully, and put together some beef stew. When I turned it on (set to High for 4 hours), I noticed a kind of smell like - burning plastic or, er, general electrical stuff? Is this normal for a new crockpot on first use, or should I be worried (and unplug it before it burns the building down!)?

It's a Crock-Pot brand Smart-Pot, the 5.5 qt with the one-touch control panel, if that helps.

(not sure of the appropriate tags, mods, so I guessed)

ETA: Apparently this is normal. Thanks, guys! Now I just have to wait for the stew to start smelling delicious :)

It's harder this year than it was last year. I wonder why that is.

Note: I haven't tried making this myself yet. I just found a recipe book called Slow Cooking for Yourself and I know that at least a few people have asked for recipes for small crock pots, so I thought I'd share a couple of the recipes in it.

Salmon Risotto

1 1/2 teaspoons (3/4 ounces or 20 grams) butter

Four scallions (spring onions), finely sliced

1/4 cup (two ounces or 50 grams) Italian Risotto rice

Two tablespoons (30 ml) white wine or stock

3/4 cups (six ounces or 175 ml) vegetable stock

Five ounces (150 grams) salmon fillet, cut into bite-size pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

One tablespoon (15 grams) dill weed

Grated Parmesan cheese

Put butter into crock pot and turn pot to high setting. When butter has melted, stir in the onions (scallions) cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the rice and stir to coat with butter, then add the wine (if you're using it.) Add the vegetable stock, stir, then re-cover and cook for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time.

Season the salmon pieces with salt and pepper and stir into the rice mixture. Cook for another 20 minutes or until salmon is opaque and rice is tender. Stir in the dill, then switch off the crock pot and let it stand for a minute.

Stir, then spoon onto a warm plate or bowl and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over it. Serve at once with a slice of French bread.

I invented this recipe yesterday, and it turned out quite tasty. There a few things I'd do differently next time, and I'll put that at the end after the original concoction.

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn
1 15 oz. can cream style corn
1 18 oz. can Campbell's creamy potato soup with roasted garlic
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
About a cup of chicken broth
a couple of good sized handfuls of frozen shredded hashbrowns
about 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
6 slices bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
a pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper to taste

Just plop everything into the crock pot and set on low for 8 hours. I have a six qt crock, and it was more than half full, so you'll definitely want to use a larger crock for this recipe. My fiance and I both had seconds last night, and then leftovers today, and there's still some left.

Okay, on to the modifications. Next time I'll use two cans of the potato soup and completely ditch the chicken broth and hashbrowns. I'll also add in some chopped onion, bell pepper, maybe some celery, but I didn't have any on hand this time. The cayenne pepper adds just a teeny bit of kick, and makes it a little more interesting. Enjoy.

• 02:43 @moonfrye the best part of the 90's was 11:59pm on 12/31/99 and everyone freaking out. I never believed all the hype over Y2k. #
• 15:16 I miss my Bips :( We won't be picking her up until around 9 tonight. #
• 21:49 @Daizy72 why didn't you go? :( #
• 21:50 Finally on our way to go get Astrid and then home! Budders is pissed, he hates his carseat. #
• 21:52 We got Astrid some wool lined knock-off Crocks at Target for $12! She's going to love them :) #
• 21:54 *crocs not crocks ;) #

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I made some amazing slow-cooker Minestrone soup a couple times recently, and I have to share!

Slow Cooker Minestrone

(ideal size slow cooker is the 6 quart size)

1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP olive oil
6 oz can tomato paste
14.5 oz can chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
2 15 oz cans kidney beans, undrained
10-12 oz pkg frozen green beans
2-3 cups chopped cabbage (i used shredded cole slaw mix for convenience)
1 medium zucchini, sliced
8 cups water
2 TBSP parsley
2 TBSP italian spices
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup small pasta (i used barilla mini bowties)
grated parmesan

1. saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil until tender.
2. combine all ingredients except pasta and cheese in slow cooker
3. cover, cook 4-5 hours on high, or 8-9 hours on low, adding pasta
1 hour before cooking is complete.
4. top individual servings with parmesan.

Note: This makes a good 8-10 servings. I ended up putting the rest of the soup into plastic containers and freezing them for lunches!

First time I made it, I used frozen green beans, second time I used a bag of frozen mixed veggies (green beans, corn, carrots, peas.. I liked the mixed veggies better!)

Also: I used 1 tsp of salt, and it wasn't seasoned enough, so i salted again before serving and it was perfect!

I had cake for breakfast this morning :)

( +1 )

A bun with herbal tea

These are my absolute favourite pancakes! They are very delicate and touchy to make; they have a tendency to stick to pans and burn if you aren't hovering over them the whole time. Totally worth all the effort, though.

Here's the recipe!

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, you should write "PHOTO ID REQUIRED"

2. When you are writing checks to pay a credit card bill, do not put your complete account number on the memo line. Just use the last four digits. Your credit card company already knows the rest of the info because you've enclosed the billing notice also. Once that check leaves that company there are countless sets of underpaid eyeballs (check processing channels ) that see your check as it's headed back to your financial institution.

3. Put your work phone number on your checks instead of home. If you have a p.o. box address, use that instead of your home addy. And NEVER - EVER put your social security number on your checks.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine (not a public one) or your home scanner. Copy both sides of all your cards, driver's license, etc. Keep your photocopy in a safe place for easy access if something happens to your wallet/purse. All the info you need to cancel stolen cards is RIGHT THERE at your fingertips now. Such an easy step to take to prevent financial catastrophe and STRESS.

5. File a police report immediately if your wallet/purse gets stolen. This way if there are fraudulent charges on your cards, you've got proof to show your creditors that you were diligent in protecting yourself.

6. In the event of theft you should call the BIG THREE credit report companies. Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. You should also contact your social security office and ask for the fraud hotline. (sorry, I don't have these numbers on hand)


Even though I haven't owned any credit cards since July, these are the steps I took to protect myself in from thieves and fraud. The crooks are getting smarter and more desperate these days. We have to keep one step ahead of them.