Loved Gran Turino!

I went to see the new Clint Eastwood flick "Gran Turino" last night. It was SOOOOOOOOO great! If you are Asian or Black you may be offended by some parts, but if everyone can keep an open mind and understand the character that Clint Eastwood plays and who he is, the mindset he has makes a bit more sense.

The movie was a good Clint Eastwood. That's how I will refer to it. There were some really good one-liners, many of them absolutely hilarious!

I give Gran Turino - two thumbs up!

No one needs to listen to Ann Coulter at 7:15 in the morning!

Ugh...I LOVE the Today show. It's my favorite, but Matt Lauer interviewing Ann Coulter at 7:15 in the morning was an overload. I don't begrudge Ann the right to write a book or express her opinions, but I have the right not to listen to the shrill screeching voice of a desperate controversial author...EVER! I think the Today show displayed a lack in judgement having this interview placed at 7:15 in the morning. There is so much more important news going on in the world that rated far highter than her book and her attitude. I believe interviews such as this should be placed in the 9am timeslot. Long after I've had my coffee.

Need a job? The FBI is hiring!

The job market is getting kinda crazy, but there is one organization that is hiring. The FBI! That's right...the Federal Bureau of Investigations is hiring language specialists, computer experts, intelligence analysts and finance experts. They are looking to fill more than 2,000 staff and 850 special agent positions. For more click on the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28523127/

The Banana Experiment

So I read a little article in Good Housekeeping Magazine about the shelf life of different foods. One in particular that caught my eye was how to preserve your bananas. Chef Matt Bolus from Charleston, SC says that when you get the bananas home from the store, break them apart. He says Bananas rot in bunches, so if one browns first, it will cause the others to turn more quickly.

So I bought a bunch of bananas on Saturday and I broke them apart and you know what? They have lasted a bit longer so far. I will try this again with next weeks bunch of bananas and see how they do.

Also, regarding tomatoes? The chef says to store tomatoes on the counter, stem side down. Avoid the fridge, they will lose flavor and texture. Never leave them in plastic. They won't last long.

John Travolta's son

Hey, does it seem wierd to anyone else that this man just lost his 16 year old son and the news media is dissecting it? The autopsy shows that Jett Travolta had a seizure and the seizure killed him. The news media is pulling it apart talking about John and Kelly's religious preferences and how they disease they say Jett had wasn't relevant to his death.

My thing is...is this REALLY necessary to stick needles into this family by exploiting their grief? Does it REALLY matter what religion they follow and whether Jett had other problems?

NO! Seriously. Does this country have nothing else going on to talk about?

I was terribly sad to hear about John Travolta and Kelly Preston's son. It's awful. But I don't need to know that John cried or that the boy was cremated and that there may be some controversy involved with his death.

I wish they would leave this poor famly alone.

What do you think?

Out with the old...in with the new!

Deep breath in! Now...let it out. It's a brand new year. I love the fresh start of a new year. It's like any bad stuff or negative stuff we felt in 2008 is just gone with one big swoop of the calendar. I LOVE IT! We get a fresh start. Let's take full advantage of it. I totally plan too! Best of luck to you in 2009! May you achieve everything you dream of.

Pizza Dip Recipe

This is an awesome recipe for Pizza Dip! If you are having a New Year's Eve party or a Superbowl Party, this will be a crowd pleaser and it's super-easy!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb and Garlic Soup Mix
1 container (16 ounces) Sour Cream1 cup (8 ounces) Ricotta Cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces); divided
1/4 cup (1 ounce) chopped pepperoni (optional)
1 loaf Italian or French bread, sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a shallow 1 quart casserole, combine soup mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.

Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with bread.

Makes 3 cups.

My New Year's Resolution...is to post more...

Ok. So you can see that I haven't updated this blog since September. My blog is still a "good idea" and hasn't really taken hold just yet. However...I have developed my New Year's Resolution for 2009. To update my blog...a lot. I promise. I really do.

Happy New Year!
Jennifer

My trip to Myrtle Beach

Howdy! My annual "save my sanity" beach trip was a success! I am still sane...I think.

I went to North Myrtle Beach the week of September 1st for some sun, surf, R&R and seafood. All of which I achieved. Know what's funny though? In previous years I was all about getting a tan. Last year I went for the 40 proof sunscreen. This year? Coppertone sweat-proof, water-proof, sunproof, almighty blocking 70 proof sunscreen. At 36 years old, getting a tan is not my agenda. Keeping as few wrinkles as possible is my agenda. On top of the 70 proof? I had a beach umbrella providing shade.

I read the entire book "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyers. Wow...what a great book! I'm completely hooked on this series now. Like I don't have enough books to read.

I went to Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach. Sorta cool, but more for kids. Not much there for an adrenaline junkie like myself. I love roller coasters and scary rides. They have roller coasters there, but they aren't that scary or fast. I'm not saying don't go there. It IS a neat place. But if you are going just to ride rollercoasters? Skip it. $50 is a high price for not much.

There are two restaurants I recommend. For excellent, fresh seafood? Bimini's. It's by Kroger in North Myrtle Beach. For a good, high quality steak? Thoroughbreds. Get your steak coffee-style. You'll love it. ;)

Gas Prices? Why are we even dealing with this?

Maybe I'm naive, but I was completely shocked when I woke up last Friday morning and saw what was happening with our gas prices. What started out in the $3.60 range, topped out at $4.99 per gallon by the time my show ended at 3pm. I spoke with many of you on the phone and e-mail about what we could do about it. We were all left scratching our heads. Why would our local gas station owners DO this to us? Hurricane Ike hadn't even hit Texas yet and we were already raising prices. Regardless of the hurricane, we've had hurricanes every year for hundreds of years and all of a sudden they affect gas prices? I am totally perplexed by this. I'm not sure WHAT to think. On one hand, I just can't believe that every single gas station owner across East Tennessee was laughing at us behind our backs as they raised the prices on the road signs. On the other hand, would they? Do you believe it was price gouging? If you do, there is a petition that you can sign. It's http://www.petitiononline.com/knoxgas/petition.html. Will it help? I doubt it.

Something has got to bust open here with the gas prices. It wasn't a problem before Hurricane Katrina. Why now? What REALLY happened? I'm hearing so many "experts" saying so many different things it gives me a headache.