The Wall Street Journal

So, I'm just going to post a couple of links for you from the WSJ. These are the kinds of things that fascinate me:

• Review of "The Lottery"
• Is there really a difference in economic understanding between liberals and conservatives?

Exercise is a dangerous past-time

It was such a nice day out today, that I decided to go for a ride on my bicycle after work. I rode down into the valley north of Lyman, and then headed west on the county road, past the reservoir. The scenery was beautiful, the temperature was pleasant, there was hardly any breeze; in short, it was a great day for a ride.

On the west side of the valley, as you head toward Urie, there's a large hill. I looked at the hill, and said to myself, "I can get up that hill easy." About three-quarters of the way up, I was exhausted, and got off my bike. I walked up the rest of the way, thinking to myself, "That hill was bigger than I thought. Once I get to the top, though, I'll be OK."

After I got to the top, I was feeling a little queasy, and thought, "I better stop and rest for a minute." So, I rested the bike next to a reflector pole, and was walking around to get my wind.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up. There was a gash under my eye, another on my forehead, scrapes on my knuckles, and the knee of my exercise pants was ripped. My shoulder and hip were aching. My glasses were shattered on the asphalt, and I was laying with my body in the road, and my feet were on the white line.

I tried to call Julie on her cell phone, but she was outside, and couldn't hear anything. Then I called our next door neighbor, and she didn't answer. I called several persons in my phone, and finally found one at home. He came out and picked me up, and took me to his house. They pumped some fluids in me, and we got hold of Julie.

Here's a photo of the results of my escapade.

 

Grilled Chicken with Parsley and Rosemary

I made this up today, and it turned out surprisingly well. Thought you all might enjoy it, too.

Meat:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, mostly thawed

Sauce/Marinade:

1/3 cup corn oil
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
3 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Equipment used: Weber grill and Kingsford Charcoal with Mesquite

The grill needs to pretty hot. I used about 25 coals in my travel grill, and that seemed to be just about right. This isn't like cooking steak where we want to get the grill as hot as we can -- this stuff needs to cook all the way through. Put a little oil on the grill to prevent sticking.

Mix up the sauce. Slather on chicken. Place chicken on grill, sauce side down. Slather sauce on top of chicken, and cover grill. Cook for about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and repeat the sauce treatment, and cover the grill. Cook another three minutes, and repeat. Each side should cook twice, for a total of 12 minutes. Remove from the grill, and let it rest for a few minutes. Slice and serve.

Family gave the chicken rave reviews. Anna said "This is the best dinner I ever had." James agreed with Anna. Alden asked for more. Julie glowered at me because she doesn't ever have good luck with the grill, and then she told me that it tasted really good. Me, I don't like to toot my own horn, but "Toot! Toot!"

I'm curious to try this on a non-charcoal grill to see if it was the charcoal or the sauce that made this taste so good. I'm betting it was the charcoal...

Chef Alden

I was playing with Alden tonight, and he got in the pantry. The firs thing he saw when he got in there was a box of instant pudding. I asked him if he wanted to make it, and he nodded his head enthusiastically. I tried to let him taste it while we made it, but he was more interested in stirring. I finally convincedhim to try a spoonful, and he lost most of his interest in the process, and started to feed himself. I was impressed at how little he spilled. Someda when he a star on the Food Network we'll look back and say we knew him when...

Sent from my Windows Mobile® phone.

Sorry about not writing

I know it's been a while.

The personal project that I was working on is no longer important, and has been dwarfed by other personal projects and minor and major crises at my regular job, which take a lot of time and energy. That and all these other things seem to get in my way.

I'm trying to be a good dad, and that means that I play with my kids instead of write on my blog.

I'm trying to be good in my calling, and that means that I work on Family History or write in my journal instead of write on the blog.

I'm trying to be a good husband, and that means that I fix dinner and watch the kids so Julie can take 30 minutes to go the library to get a good book to read instead of write on my blog.

I'm trying to be a good worker, and that means that I spend time trying to collect money, and create databases, and work with vendors, and try and get a smooth running company. So I do those things and that leaves little time to blog.

Do I miss writing? Yes, I do. Do I miss your comments? Yes, I do. Will I try harder to write regularly? I can't promise anything. I hope that you, dear reader, will understand and continue to have patience with me and us as we sort this all out.

Latest Baking Triumph

Last night I made Chewy Gingersnap Cookies, and they were excellent.

A couple of months ago, I made some gingersnap cookies, but they turned out very crispy. Their flavor was excellent, but we prefer a chewy cookie at our house. I think next time I'll add a little more ginger to give a little extra bite, but overall it received high ratings from the family.

Inspired by Hamia and Drew

So, we drew some inspiration (no pun intended) from Emily and Drew. For Christmas this year, they got Skookies (I’m not certain that this an accurate way to refer to the product, though). It looked like a fun idea, and we thought it would be cool to try it.

Yesterday, after I made too salty Beef and Broccoli and so–so Vegetable Chow Mein, I decided I needed to make up for the awful dinner, and I whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and we baked a big one on our skillet, scooped on some ice cream, and poured on some hot fudge. Mmmmm… We then attacked the thing. We had to tell the kids to slow down once or twice. They weren’t letting Julie and me get the lion’s share! :)

Our next door neighbor told Julie that she had had that dessert once at a restaurant where they called it “Never on Sundae” because it’s so sinful. And it is.