Matt Weiner is back!

And we "Maddicts" are glad.

Okay, an explanation. Matt Weiner is the creator of "Mad Men", the oft-awarded, faboo drama on little ole AMC, of all places.

Finally, they have locked him into a contract for a couple o' years.

Now we just have to wait until April. *sigh*

How about at least a marathon of both seasons sometime soon? Before I can get the DVDs, which will have to wait till cash flow improves.

Drama, morality play, period piece, whatever you call it, nashbabe and nashdude are hooked. We admit it. Our guilty pleasure.

It's obvious, I will have to admit it (darn! I have to admit my stinky lack of faith!)

Okay, I have to admit God answered my prayer on this one. I don't wanna (sounds whiny, eh?), but yep, it did happen. As blatant as the nose on my face, it was.

About a week ago I whispered to God, "Please, pretty please, could I find some way to go to the Saint Olaf Choir concert?"

If you don't know of this ensemble, what rock do you sleep under? Seriously, in my completely non-biased Minnesota-native opinion, they are the greatest college choir in America.

And they won't be back in Nashvegas for another five years.

But I really couldn't justify it. Times are tough and cash is extremely strapped in the nashbabe/nashdude domicile.

So I just assumed like always that God would say "no". He has on a lot of other things I wanted, and even some stuff that I really thought I need (a roof! a roof! are you listening to me, Lord?--I swear, how does He put up with me?).

But I kept asking. And I'm totally stretching that passage of scripture. This isn't exactly justice against my adversary, unless you count a little peace and refreshment in the face of that dirtbag Satan's relentless poundings on our family. But humor me, will ya? (I'm even worse than that. I used to quote that passage to the sales reps who worked for me...rofl.) No vacations, no rest, no money. Worn down to my last nub.

Well, hadn't seen any action on the request either way, so I kept asking. Like a whiny child? I hope not, but it probably bordered on that.

Yesterday I went to one of my accounts to restock, and the fabulous Meg! introduced me to someone who has a shop in another part of town--one where I've really needed a good retailer to stock my stuff, and lauded how it sold for her. The fabulous Meg!'s friend said she was quite interested. Hoo rah.

So a possible new account in the dead of January? No way. No possible way. Even the fact that the fabulous Meg! needed product was a big surprise. As a chandler, I usually sell SQUAT in January. Actually, I have ALWAYS sold SQUAT.

Then when I returned home from seeing all things Meg!, there was a very sizeable order in my inbox from another of my retailers. Didn't have to buy a thing to fill it; have all the materials already.

I mean, an order I would NEVER see in Jan or Feb. EVER.

Not to mention that the retail climate is WAY below what it would usually be. So there was no chance of this happening, right? Yeah, pretty much.

So I decided that God must probably be saying, "See? ANYTHING is possible. I know you're worn out from the hell of the last couple years, but here's a little gimme for ya. Enjoy."

Thanks for letting me know you ARE listening and working out things for my good. Please don't delay on the big stuff, okay? Please? And thanks.

You know you're slumming...

...when you buy Aldi night cream with wrinkle fighting retinol and Q-10.

But then again, look at this review...

or this one...

or how about this one?

Five bucks. Yep, five bucks. I live just five minutes from an Aldi (since they're popular over here on the wrong side o' the tracks), so easy as pie to get. :-)

I'm digging this blog...

...because this is a lot about me, although I don't officially have kids.

I wanna meet this chick. Heck, she lives around these parts, shouldn't be hard.

Maybe someday. Ya never know!

Anyway, saunter over there and enjoy yourself. I demand it.

Enter here.

Over the edge...

The story of Jonah has been resonating with me lately, but perhaps in a contrarian approach. Whether this can be part of its intended meaning or not is up for debate; yet the message still stands.

If you recall, Jonah went the opposite way the Lord told him to travel, having no desire to preach to the people of Nineveh. He hopped on a ship that was headed in an entirely different direction. When he did, that vessel had nothing but trouble, and was about to be shipwrecked when he announced, in so many words, "Hey, it's me that is the problem. Get rid of me, and things will calm down for you and you will survive the storm."

So they threw Jonah overboard.

The Jonah side of the story is easily understood; go the way God wants or there can and probably will be significant problems and even destruction ahead.

But just for today I'm thinking about the other side of this equation. Has there been, or is there now, something or someone in my life that should very likely be "thrown over the edge" so I can experience a smoother sail? Not that peaceful seas are necessarily what God plans for us, or at least lets us go through in order that the truth and peace and lesson may be given.

I threw "Jonah" overboard.

It felt, and feels, more peaceful.

As to whether this choice will bless me, or change the turmoil we have had ever since "Jonah" was on board (quite coincidentally, perhaps?), I do not know.

But it was the right choice.

Hail to the Chia

Norwegian Apple Pie

Pretty low in fat (especially if you just use egg whites).

Extremely easy.

Moist and yummy.

What else do you want? :-)

Give it a try.

Norwegian Apple Pie

2 eggs (4 egg whites can be substituted)
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
½ cup chopped nuts
2 cups diced apples

Mix together all ingredients. It will likely seem unwieldy at first, but the moisture from the apples will change the consistency to a batter of sorts. My mother bakes this in two greased eight-inch pie pans at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, but I usually bake it in a prepared 7 x 11 pan for slightly longer.

Using turbinado sugar and whole wheat flour probably will work, although I haven’t tried it as of yet.

Best show on TV?

Yeah, probably. Even though USA Today said so, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association agreed with another Golden Globe (they gave 'em the Golden Globe last year too, and Jon Hamm won the Golden Globe for Best Actor last year).

It's a curious addiction, and hubs has inadvertently caught the bug as well. When I have some money, I'll want to buy season one and two.

making the most of what we have

A very kind friend who sells apples has been giving me their "factory seconds". Sometimes they doubt that I would want them, but I grew up on a farm and know good and well how to use those apples! Especially at present, I do not want to waste a thing if I can help it, so I've been looking at a couple cookbooks for ideas. "Too Many Tomatoes" is a book I have blogged about before, with a killer recipe for zucchini cake, and the one I'm going to mention today.

The "More with Less" cookbook came out over thirty years ago. Mennonites put it together as a way to eat well on a reduced budget. Their goal really was to use less of the world's resources, and back in 1976 that was a little more cutting edge than it is now, as you might imagine. My mother bought me this book and I used to use it somewhat regularly, but I'm using it a lot more now. The newer versions might be updated (mine is from the 80's) but the older book's recipes aren't always necessarily healthy (although lots are). They aim first for cheap and effective use of resources. Sometimes they use weird stuff like MSG once in a while, but I just eschew those recipes.

After all the ways I've used apples, of which I will chronicle in more detail later, I really thought some apple butter would be great. However, I wasn't really thrilled about using a whole ton of white sugar in apple butter, and my enthusiasm for using Splenda was pretty low as well. So in the "More with Less" cookbook I found a recipe that worked pretty well...my hubs really likes it. Go get this cookbook, or be really cheap and check it out of the library.

Honey Apple Butter

7ish pounds of peeled and cut up apples

Cook the apples and then process for applesauce. I just stuck them in a crockpot all night and then the next morning used a stick blender--that worked fine.

Add 1 cup crushed pineapple, 1 1/2 pounds honey (the size of container you can get at Aldi, for example), and 1 cup apple cider vinegar or cider, to taste. You could also add some spices--maybe cinnamon, nutmeg, you get the drift.

I took the removeable crockery out of my crockpot at that point and put the apple butter in a 300 degree oven for 3-4 hours, stir once in a while. This is to remove some of the water and make it thicker.

You can freeze it, but I put it in cleaned and sanitized jars. Stir with a plastic or wooden spoon (no metal!!!) to get air bubbles out if necessary, but there probably won't be air bubbles. Clean the rims scrupulously, and add the lids and bands. Five minutes in a boiling water bath worked just fine. Then I removed the jars and sat them on my kitchen counter. All of them sealed, which was encouraging.

**addition: it had been a while since I canned anything, so remember...heat differences are a no no! make sure your jars are sitting in hot water to stay warm and your apple butter is just-cooked and still warm! temperature differences are a problem...don't put cold jars in a boiling water bath, or they may break.***

Sometimes when life isn't going along so swimmingly, it is nice to remember that friends care, and that some things can go right--like this recipe.

This is a yummy breakfast treat, although of course it works any time of day.

Great, cost-effective gift!

Mrs. Fezziwig gave us a lovely gift. This is well suited for our current economic times.

We received a loaf of italian/french bread (the Kroger kind, that you bake at home to finish to a nice crusty loaf), a bottle of olive oil, and a container of Carrabba's type herbs. At that fine restaurant, which is something we really can't afford at present, the waiter brings out crusty bread and pours olive oil on a plate, and tops it with a very nice herb blend.

Mrs. Fezziwig even included a laminated copy of the recipe so we could easily make more ourselves, and preserve the recipe for safekeeping.

Carrabba's Bread Dipping Spice

1 tablespoon minced basil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (Italian is best)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or ground sea salt
1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions
1. Combine all of the ingredients, EXCEPT oil and lemon.
2. Put in a small food processor (I used my little food chopper). Chop briefly until all ingredients are about the same.
3. Stir in oil and lemon juice.
4. TO SERVE: Combine about 1 1/2 teaspoons spice blend to 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil on a small Dish.
5. Dip sliced bread in mixture.
6. French bread is good.
7. ENJOY.

I think you will need to get a membership to print the following, possibly, but this is the page to print and laminate for your friend who is receiving the gift.

And here's a recipe link just for Mrs. Fezziwig: her favorite Carrabba's Chicken Marsala. :-)

Are they "glittens", or are they "moves" (rhymes with gloves)? :-)

Saw these a few weeks ago, and hubs got them for me for Christmas. They are so darn practical and lovely. Sometimes they are called gloves/mittens, and I have also seen them called "glomitts". Whatever the name, they are wonderful for doing things outside and quite adjustable for walking, which I love. REI describes them as

"Our warm mittens quickly convert to fingerless gloves whenever the need arises for nimble fingers and thumbs. Fingertip covers flip back and secure out of the way with rip-and-stick tabs; thumb covers stay back without assistance."

Yep, they work as advertised. Thanks to Judy for the tip!