Memorial Weekend Barbecue Mashup

Found time this weekend to experiment with a mashup recipe for outdoor grilling. Using recipes from Martha Stewart and Cooking Light, I combined elements from both recipes to create something new and yummy. Pictured above are 4 ears of sweet corn, a packet of small russet potatoes and a packet of farm fresh carrots. The meat category consisted of wieners and hamburgers grilled to perfection. I’m hesitant to post the photos of the grilled wiener as they may cause a particular congressman to become overly excited.

As for the recipes, the carrots were grilled while coated in a mixture of honey and chicken stock and seasoned with fresh parsley, thyme and oregano. By fresh, I mean the herbs were harvested a few feet from the grill, finely chopped then added to the packet. The carrots were farm fresh and not packaged in a plastic bag. Place the veggies in parchment lined foil packets and grill for what seems like forever, but the taste is well worth the time.

Using more garden herbs I created an herb butter spread for the corn. Add fresh lemon juice to the butter to perk up the flavor of the herbs. By fresh lemon juice, I mean juicing a Lemon, preferably one grown on your property or that of a local farm.

The potatoes roasted in a parchment foil packet with butter, fresh herbs, olive oil and a few drops of good balsamic vinegar. Again it takes forever to cook but well worth it for the heavenly taste.

Remember when USPS was the Poster Child For Obamacare?

It seems the United States Postal Service (USPS) is facing insolvency – unexpectedly. Bloomberg Business Week is reporting that the USPS has not been able to cover its debts since 2007. The situation is so dire a GAO study of the USPS was released 18 months early in April 2010 in hopes of alerting stakeholders in the USPS to start making changes. A year later, the fiscal situation is still a disaster.

USPS was once held up by the Obama administration as an example of a government entity that can provide healthy competition to private companies. Based on the USPS model, government sponsored health care will be unable to fulfill its debts and closed on Saturday. *head desk*

See below for a classic ‘remember when’ video:

“We Remember” – Memorial Day Tribute To Our Fallen Heroes

The American Sheepdogs transformed their Saturday rally to remember those who have fallen in the course of protecting our precious freedoms.

photo: Rich Davis

The rally was a great success with fellow sheepdogs holding signs remembering our fallen heroes. It is events like this when the character of America really shines; where everyday Americans take time to remember our fallen with respect and love.  America would be in a much better place if  leftist’s could understand that these fallen soldiers died for their freedoms as well.

Although my schedule did not permit me to attend the rally, I want to thank Rich Davis for including Toc in this memorial. THANK YOU!!!!

I spent the better part of this weekend immersed in two passions – running and gardening – both of which are sweeter to me this weekend as we honor those whose sacrifice preserved my freedoms. Outside of Memorial Day, I believe in my heart the best way to always honor our fallen is to live a full and happy life.

Anti Woman Czar Speaks – AKA – DNC Boss Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz

The poster child for why women should abandon the Democrat party, Rep Debbie Wasserman Shultz,  misdirects blame for decades of failed social engineering policies that devastate American women and families with hysterical fear-mongering quotes such as this:

“It’s just so hard for me to grasp how they [GOP]could be so anti-women as they are.” – DWS at a recent breakfast round table with reporters.

I don’t have to look far to see the horrific effect abortion clinics have had on the lives of women, especially minority women.  In a filthy Philadelphia clinic, babies met a gruesome painful death while women died and the city health department looked the other way.  This is the reality Democrats like Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz are offering women voters. American women deserve far better this perpetual victim hood offered by the Democrat party. Indeed, it was not till I left the Democrat party that I was able to grow politically. As the only committeewoman in a precinct consisting of two democrat and two Republican seats; it says volumes about the empowerment of capable women in the Republican party.

The GOP has consistently empowered capable women by providing the framework and freedom of choice for their political advancement.  This is not a guarantee of success for anyone,  just an open opportunity work hard and advance within the party structure. The DNC, so skillfully represented by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz, tends to favor promoting individuals based on the focus group of the moment and ignoring actual skills. Obviously there are some issues that are just waaay above their pay grade.

In essence, The GOP is the real Pro-Choice party for women.

Monday Blend

Nothing like a blend of news for Monday Night post #RaptureFail. So much going on in the world and so little time I have this week – full blame lies with my neglected garden.

And so it goes – David Prosser confirmed winner of the Supreme Court special election. Wisconsin special election board certified David Prosser as winner with a total of 7,004 votes ahead of Kloppenburg .

ABC News questions the reason behind Sunday’s horrific tornado storm that destroyed Joplin, Missouri. I’ll give you a hint…nature not humanity is the cause of this deadly twister.

FCC making up job numbers? Say it ain’t so Joe! Speaking of failed policy, Powerline posted a great summary of economists  Timothy Conley and Bill Dupor extensive study on the effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka Stimulus Bill). Bottom line – the stimulus stimulated government sector jobs and strangled job growth private sector jobs:

Our benchmark results suggest that the ARRA created/saved approximately 450 thousand state and local government jobs and destroyed/forestalled roughly one million private sector jobs. State and local government jobs were saved because ARRA funds were largely used to offset state revenue shortfalls and Medicaid increases rather than boost private sector employment. The majority of destroyed/forestalled jobs were in growth industries including health, education, professional and business services.

Peter Ferrarra at Forbes.com takes a look at Reaganomics vs Obamanomics. Wanna guess which one is an abject failure?

Convicted Ft. Dix domestic terrorists seek sentence reversal – apparently we did not show proper Umma…

So, Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a child or two out of wedlock. What else is new under the sun?  The reigning Kings of Belgium and Monaco have also admitted to fathering children out of wedlock.  Should Arnold pay a price for his indiscretion?

Use Twitpic? A new deal inked with World Entertainment Network allows them to use your TwitPics for commercial use.  I rarely use this service and will see about removing my photos from Twitpic. I prefer Flickr where your photos are always yours.

Speaking of Flickr – I spent several hours this weekend perusing a spectacular but all to brief display at Longwood Garden called ‘Lilytopia’. Working in conjunction with fifteen Dutch breeding houses, Longwood Garden displays more than 13,000 lilies making this the largest Lily display in the nation. The lilies are flown overnight to the United States and kept in cool storage rooms till show time. It takes a year to plan the display and four days to install the display. The lilies are display grade flowers that are rarely seen outside the Netherlands. What a sensational treat for those lucky to live in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Below the cut is a slide show of the 2011 exhibit. Enjoy the pretty!

Liveblogging The End of The World

It’s the end of the world as we know it….and I feel fine. Occasional updates as the day progresses.

9:00 am:  Woke up and noted that I’m still alive.

10:30 am: Just finished weeding the garden, can’t have a messy garden when my time comes. I’m off for a ‘final’ run here on earth. Talk to you soon…well…maybe.

12:15 pm: Finished run and noted that I’m still breathing (heavily).

12:30 pm: En route to Feeney’s for some final garden items and found myself behind a funeral procession. Today IS judgment day for some.

1:15 pm : Final lunch meal – Subway Meal Deal minus my fellow 11 friends:

1:30 pm Last minute items for the garden purchased at Feeney’s.

3:18 pm: Hey, I’m still kicking around here on planet Earth so I decided to tinker in the garden. Oh wow, the Coleus looks spectacular! Sigh….I’m gonna leave a great garden behind.

4:20 pm: Final mail arrives and look what I received:

My first and potentially last Postagram card! Yeah, dreams do come true…sometimes. Anyway, I’m still here, if you are here as well, leave a me a comment or two.

4:39 pm – Buster and I are heading out for perhaps are final walk together. I’m too upset to type at the moment. Talk amongst yourself till I get back.

6:11 pm: Hello, anyone still here?  Just noticed a rainstorm is approaching – at least I hope it is…stay tuned for updates.

10:04 pm: I’m still here and there is no rapture in sight.  I am officially calling this day #RaptureFail

Your Last Night On Earth CheckList

Alas, all good things must come to an end.

Humanity’s Judgment Day is scheduled to arrive on Saturday, May 21st at 6pm, making this evening your last upon this earth.

What to do and what to wear on your last night on earth? No worries, I’ve collected a list of items that will make your last night on earth the best night of your life.  Trust me, you won’t go wrong with this list!

1. Grab a bottle of Champagne, specifically a 1928 Krug. Quite costly for bubbly but you won’t have to worry about your finances for much longer.

2. 3. Have Coldplay – Fix You or Speed of Sound playing in the background.

or

3. An extra large selection of Ghiardelli chocolate. Yes, it must be Ghiardelli. As an added bonus you will never have to worry about the added calories.

4. Clothing from the impeccable designer Valentino would look good on just about everyone.  Why don’t you stimulate the economy one last time and purchase the entire fall/winter 2011 collection.

5. Add these movies to your NetFlix queue  or pop them in the DVD player: Contantine, What Dreams May Come, Made in Heaven, Heart and Souls , or a more darker film try – Legion

6. Snuggle up to Mr or Mrs Right and let the fireworks begin!

PS: I make no guarantee that Judgment Day will actually happen but following this checklist will guarantee you a night you will never forget.

PSS: In the awful event that you are left behind, I suggest you start practicing the art of killing zombies.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Schools Obama During White House Meeting

From Al Jazeera, no less:

It’s tough being da Prez some days. No longer can you skip over issues with the excuse that it is above my pay grade.

Philly 2011 Primary Recap

In a word – Transformational.

Across both parties entrenched establishment politicos fell to the new generation. The timeless adage “out with the old and in with the new” precisely describes the 2011 primary elections in Philadelphia.  Republican Frank Rizzo, Jr concedes and Democrat Tartaglione may soon follow.  I’m at a loss for words on the magnitude of this change in the political landscape in Philadelphia.

Congratulations to Denny O’Brien and David Oh on your victories tonight.

Clearly, the political tide is shifting in Philly. What does this mean for the 2012 election cycle – perhaps Pennsylvania is not locked down for the Democrat Presidential candidate.  Stay tuned folks, this story is still unfolding.

UPDATE:  A Republican and Democrat political dynasty fell, two un endorsed Republican candidates may yet pull out a victory. The GOP establishment in Philly has been sent a clear message – their days are numbered. The DNC has been put on notice that PA is no longer a ‘safe’ state.

Yo Philly!

Still searching for the change you thought you voted for in 2008? Well my fellow citizens, here is the real deal. All city council seats are up for grabs this election cycle. Do you want to vote for more of the same or replace them with candidates who actually know how to bring the change you’ve been looking for since 2008.

Not sure where you can vote? VotesPA.com has an easy to use searchable database to assist you in finding your polling location.