Been Busy

I've still been learning all sorts of new things, just been a little busy to get in here and jot them down. Here's a couple new things for you...

• Ripe cranberries bounce, that is a big part of how they get sorted for sale. The first guy who figured this out tossed a bucketful down his staircase and the ones that made it to the bottom were the ripe ones. Source: Food Network and Wondertime Magazine (two mentions in two days, figured it was a sign I should blog it).
  
• Your taste buds actually change at high altitudes, thats why airplane food always tastes so crappy. Source: Food Network, Next Iron Chef
• I saw how firefighter jackets are made and learned all kinds of interesting details that go into it, none of which I can really remember a week later... Source: Discovery Channel, How Its Made
• I learned how to make my own granola bars from scratch, and I learned I should read all the directions because I used an 8x8 glass dish instead of the jelly roll pan it suggested, they were too thick and didn't cook all the way through so it didn't stick together into bar form. So I just made some really yummy granola, next time I'll try to get them into bar form. Inspiration: Sarah Snow's visit to Jon & Kate plus 8
  

Do This

• Do you get a million credit card offers a day? I do and it drives me crazy! I kept hearing there are places you can go to get yourself off those lists and I just ran across this one today... Its optoutprescreen.com, just enter your name and address and they should stop completely within a couple months. I chose the 5 year option but there is also an opt-out forever option. If you're nervous about your security and whether this is legit, check out this FTC site for more details.
  

Chicken Fried Rice

• I had the leftover 40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken and was wondering what to do with it... I decided on Chicken Fried Rice, only I've never made it before and had no idea how. After a quick Google, a glance at this recipe, and memories of my mom's version in mind I had it all figured out. I cooked some brown rice, chopped zuchinni & onion, shredded carrots, added some frozen baby peas, two big cloves of garlic, two tbsp of lite soy sauce, stirred in some eggs, tossed in the leftover chicken, fried it all up and voila! It was delicious. Cali even tried it without any prompting and said "Cali likes it! Yummmm" and ate about half a bowl. I was thrilled that she actually liked it after all the work I put into making it (by 'work' I mean, keeping her and D happily occupied while I chopped, stirred, answered phone calls, etc.) So I learned how to make fried rice which is exactly how it sounds, you take cooked rice and fry it up with a bunch of other stuff and it tastes delicious.
  

Chick-Fil-A

• Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sundays. I remembered after we drove there, saw the empty parking lot, and the big red letters on the sign "CLOSED SUNDAYS" that my Mother-In-Law had just told me that a couple weeks ago. That and Hobby Lobby, I went to HL about 5 times on a Sunday before I remembered that they are always closed on Sunday.
  

Petfinder

• Petfinder.com, the best online pet adoption search, even has Guinea Pigs! I would have never thought of that. The founder of Petfinder.com was on Ellen talking about it after her big Iggy ordeal and they said "... even Guinea Pigs". That's great news. I've kind of been thinking of a Guinea Pig pet for the kids (not anytime soon, but I was just thinking) and would definitely want to rescue one if that is a choice over buying from a pet store. So if you need a pet, even if its a Guinea Pig or a Rat or a Snake please check Petfinder.com first to see if there are any adorable animals in your local area that need to be adopted.
• While looking around petfinder, I also found a link to The Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue website, in case you are in the market specifically for a Guinea Pig. If you're in the market for any other specific animal or breed I highly suggest you Google it and you will very likely find a rescue group for your needs too.
  

Crock-Pot Paella

• You can make Chicken Paella in a Crock-Pot, and about a million other things too. I was checking out crock-pot.com for some new recipe ideas since it finally cooled down here and I'm in the mood for some warm, Fall comfort foods. Some other recipes I printed out were Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Feta, Spinach and Tomatoes, and Salsa Chicken. Yes I'm a big fan of chicken.
  
• Also I am learning that Baby D really, really hates to go to bed. Wonder where he got that from? If we're out in the evening he gets a five minute catnap on the way home and refuses to go to sleep til 2 hours later. Fun.

ETA: Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic was DELICIOUS. It made the house smell so good I couldn't wait to eat it and both babies gobbled it up too! Definitely making that one again.

Shut the Gate

• D has discovered the joys of the dog bowl. First it was the water, lots of fun to pull up (big dog, its up on a raised platform) and splash. Today there was actually food in the bowl (the dog usually eats at night so the bowl is empty all day, but he didn't eat last night) and as we were trying to head out the door he managed to sneak a piece into his mouth. Yummy! Time for me to make a habit of shutting the gate to the kitchen again...