Thursday, January 24th, 2008
Okay, I have been slacking. I keep forgetting to do this meme. Here are the questions for this week:
#1. Bacon. Chewy, crispy or burnt? Chewy. Doesn’t that sound so yummy?
#2. Mayonnaise or miracle whip? I am a miracle whip girl, but the hubby is a mayonnaise man. Yes, we have a jar of each in the house.
#3. What green vegetable is used in Italian Wedding soup? Spinach (I had to look it up though – lol)
#4. Share a recipe that you use Italian sausage in. Lasagna:
Ingredients:
1 box (16 oz) lasagna noodles
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 eggs
2 lbs ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 jar (48 oz) seasoned tomato sauce
Makes 8 servings
Prep time: 25 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook lasagna noodles as package directs; drain and rinse.
Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, cook sausage and onion till brown. Drain fat. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Mix well.
Spread a layer of tomato sauce in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish; top with a layer of noodles. Cover noodles with a layer of the cheese mixture; top with some sausage mixture. Cover with a layer of sauce. Repeat layering with noodles, cheese mixture, sausage mixture, and sauce. Top with final layer of noodles and sauce.
Bake covered for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Tags: ack, basil, cheese, chop, cloves, comb, crafts, dd, eggs, eta, garlic, hp, hubby, ing, ins, ip, ira, lasagna, lol, love, mak, miracle, mixture, nco, onion, ot, oz, parmesan, pepper, rain, recipes, rell, ricotta, rv, sag, skillet, spinach, tab, target, ted, tick, time, tomato, tsp, umm, ups, wedding, wh, yell
Posted in General | 9 Comments »
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
As you all know I have a couple of causes that are near and dear to my heart. The first one is March of Dimes. The second one is autism. Not only do I have a cousin with autism, but my sister in law is an autism specialist. She is in New York right now studying with one of the top specialists there.
The band Five for Fighting has truly stepped up to the plate with this issue. Every time you watch the video here, Five for Fighting will donate $0.40 to Autism Speaks. This funding goes towards research studies to find a cure. They are hoping for 10,000 hits. However, I know the blogging community, and I know what we can accomplish. Please pass this along to all of your friends and family.
Now, my cousin does not have same type of autism as the child on the video. However, the challenges regarding therapy and the insurance companies is the same. I do have to warn you though — make sure you have a box of Kleenex’s nearby because you are going to need them.
Tags: blog, blogging, cousin, dd, dimes, eed, eve, heart, ing, ins, insurance, mak, mp, ot, rig, sear, sura, target, ter, time, utis, wh
Posted in General | 13 Comments »
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
For those of you who live in District 122 (Ridgeland School District) here in Illinois, please vote YES on February 5th for the referendum. If the referendum does not pass, it will result in the following:
- One grade school will be closed.
- Remaining elementary schools will become grade centers with them being structured something like this: K-2 at one school, 3 at another school, 4-5 at yet another school, and 6-8 at the middle school.
- Students will change schools on average every two years. Research shows that students have difficulty with transitions between schools, and that difficulty results in a lack of academic success.
- Band, music, and art (which have already been eliminated due to the referendum failing in April) will not be returned to the curriculum. The two biggest indicators of success for college bound students are an early introduction to algebra and participation in music/band.
- More staff will be cut and class sizes will continue to increase at the elementary buildings. Right now, there are 30-35 students in one classroom. Currently, at one of of the schools (Simmons), some of the class sizes exceed 40 students!
If the referendum passes, class sizes will be reduced, the tradition of neighborhood schools will continue, and the budget will be balanced for at least seven years.
If this referendum fails, we are sending a message to the community (and potential residents) that we don’t value our children, community, or property. Good schools always translate into good property values and strong communities. I know we choose our house because of how close we were to the school and that this was a good school district. What this will cost us in taxes is small compared to the benefits we will see in increased property values from our reputation of having good schools.
Please support the referendum on February 5th and VOTE YES!
Tags: academic_success, band_music, curriculum, difficulty_results, district_122, elementary_buildings, elementary_schools, indicators_of_success, introduction_to_algebra, middle_school_students, music_band, neighborhood_schools, participation, property_values, referendum, reputation, sending_a_message, seven_years, simmons, transitions
Posted in General | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
My dad wants a tankless water heater. However, we don’t know anyone who has one or who has installed one to see if they are worth it. All I know is that they really need to replace the water heater they already have. Right now, about two people can take showers and then they don’t have hot water again till the next day. Since it is just them, normally that is okay. However, when we come to visit, there are quite a few people needing showers. I would love to get some more information for him, so I can have a hot shower the next time we go there.
Tags: ady, ankles, ants, dad, eed, eve, ing, ins, love, ot, rig, showers, ter, time, wh
Posted in General | 2 Comments »
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
I am sick. Very sick. That’s why I haven’t been posting lately. My nose is running like Delta faucets. I am dizzy and my body aches. My brain hurts. I am still trying to figure out how I am going to get Madison to school today. It is 0 degrees out and with the wind chill it is -17 degrees. Yes, that is cold. I have some stuff I really want to post about today, so hopefully I can get my brain working.
Tags: ache, adi, brain, delta, faucets, ing, madison, nin, rain, sick, stat, wh
Posted in General | 1 Comment »
